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.埃塞俄比亚特有狮尾狒（Theropithecus gelada）仅分布于埃塞俄比亚北部高地与南部裂谷带的少数省份。本数据集聚焦2014年11月至2015年8月期间，在耶戈夫国家森林优先区（YNFPA）开展的狮尾狒种群数量、种群结构及活动时间预算相关研究。本数据集旨在收录该类群的调研数据，以供未来开展进一步生态学探索使用。本数据由研究人员在沃洛大学（Wollo University）专家教职工与哈瓦萨大学（Hawassa University）教职工协助下设计并采集。研究采用总数统计法对三处普查样地（Ababula、Atarigenda与Abager）开展调查。在旱季与雨季各为期三个月的调研周期内，每月开展三日的数据采集工作。活动时间预算采用瞬时扫描取样法进行测量，在旱季与雨季各为期三个月的周期内，每月连续开展四日的数据采集。本研究通过开放式与封闭式结合的问卷，采用立意抽样法选取崖壁周边的居民作为受访对象，以收集当地社区对野生动物的认知与态度。数据集显示，旱季3月的狮尾狒种群总数为164只，雨季8月时降至138只。数据同时表明，Ababula样地记录到的种群个体数量最多。此外，数据显示狮尾狒将更多时间用于觅食行为。本数据集覆盖的狮尾狒种群规模极小，可作为后续相关任务分析的基准参照。耶戈夫国家森林优先区内的狮尾狒种群亟需开展基于社区的保护工作，以提升种群数量。