[Ethiopian Herald] Ethiopia is home to a rich diversity of plant and animal species and is one of the world's most important centers for further development of crops such as coffee. The country possesses an estimated number of 6000 species of higher plants of which 10per cent are endemic. The country has 284 species of wild mammals and 861 species of birds. Data on other wild animals are scanty; and the number of reptile, fish, amphibian and arthropod species identified so far are 201, 200, 63 and 1,225, respectively. Of the