Aloe benishangulana

The area near Asosa has been increasingly settled over the past two decades. This has been driven by migration from northern Ethiopia associated with a resettlement programme to move people away from areas severely impacted by droughts (Sebsebe Demissew pers. obs.). Sudanese refugees have also migrated into the local communities. On the areas of rocky outcrops, which are less impacted by agriculture than the surrounding woodlands and grasslands, there is an ongoing threat from severe fires set amongst the bushland and bamboo thickets and adjacent areas; these fires are set deliberately by the surrounding communities to encourage growth of a fresh grass sward in the grasslands but quickly extend into the rocky areas. A recent bamboo mass-flowering event in this region was associated with widespread fires after the resultant die-back (Sebsebe Demissew pers. obs., Sileshi Nemomissa pers. obs.). Whilst this Aloe species has, in the past, been well protected from these fires because of its root system which is lodged under rock crevices and so protected from the impacts of fire (Sebsebe Demissew et al. 2011), recent observations in the area have noted the removal of rocks from this area for building materials in the adjacent settlements (Sebsebe Demissew pers. obs.). This practice is increasing as the local settlements expand, and it results in exposing the base and roots of the Aloe plants which can then be damaged by fire (Sebsebe Demissew pers. obs.).