Five years after its creation, a mid-term review was carried out to determine the level of implementation and success of the National Action Plan for the conservation of Ethiopian wolves , and to adapt objectives and actions for the next five years. The review involved an external consultant and a meeting with key stakeholders in Adama in July 2017.
The independent assessment revealed significant progress with NAP implementation, with 25% of NAP actions achieved and 46% ongoing or starting, but with no advancement on 21% of the actions listed as high priority in 2011. Extensive consultations indicated ample support for NAP but with diverse levels of commitment by different stakeholders. There was a general agreement on the need for a coordinating body to improve communication amongst stakeholders.
During the stakeholders meeting the external assessment was presented and the plan was revised and discussed, action by action. This revised NAP reflects up-to-date timelines and actors, and prioritizes innovative lines of work such as an integrated disease management plan with the use of oral vaccines to minimise the threat of rabies and enforcement of regulations to control domestic dogs in and around protected areas. Participants also explored the value of conservation translocations of Ethiopian wolves to rescue declining populations or to create new ones where wolves are now extinct. Monitoring and research, capacity building and habitat protection remain at the heart of the strategy to save Ethiopian wolves from extinction, together with education and awareness in support of conservation and to understand the wider benefits of protecting the biodiversity and functions of Afroalpine ecosystems in Ethiopia.