Conclusion and recommendations
The study revealed the presence of isolated populations of endemic geladas at Kotu forest and associated grasslands. The population sex ratio was female biased, indicating potential of population growth, through adding new individuals in to the population. However, the proportion of juveniles to other age class was very low. Such a small number of juveniles will have negative consequences for the future viability of the gelada population in the study area. Geladas distribution is highly governed by water, food and cover availability and quality and presence of threats. As a result, open grassland habitat is the most preferable habitat in the study area. For sustainable conservation of the geladas in the study area there is a need for integrated management of the area with special attention on the conservation of the grassland habitats and rocky cliffs. Disturbances such as livestock grazing, firewood collection and opal extraction should be halted if possible or managed well. There is also a need for declaring the area as a protected area interconnecting with other ranges of geladas in the surroundings.