Dataset for community-based conservation of geladas (Theropithecus gelada) in Northern Ethiopia's Yegof National Forest Priority Area

The endemic Ethiopian gelada (Theropithecus gelada) is only found in a few provinces in the northern Ethiopian highlands and the southern rift valley. This data, in brief, focused on the population size, structure, and activity budget of gelada conducted in the Yegof National Forest Priority Area (YNFPA) from November 2014 to August 2015. The purpose of the present dataset is to document the collected data on a taxon to be used for further ecological exploration in the future. The data was designed and collected by the researchers with the help of Wollo University staff experts and Hawassa University staff members. A total count was applied to three census sites, namely Ababula, Atarigenda, and Abager. The data collection was conducted three days per month for three months during both the dry and wet seasons. The activity time budget was measured using the instantaneous scan sampling method for four consecutive days per month for three months in each of the dry and wet seasons. The perceptions of the local community towards wildlife were gathered using an open-and closed-ended questionnaire, which was distributed by purposive sampling to respondents who lived near a cliff. The dataset indicated the total count of geladas was 164 in March during the dry season and reduced to 138 in August during the wet season. As the dataset shows, a large number of populations were recorded in the Ababula. Moreover, the dataset indicates geladas spend more time feeding. As the dataset demonstrates, the populations are very small, and this dataset can be used as a baseline for further task-related analysis. The gelada population in YNFPA needs community-based conservation to increase its gelada population.