Khatasa Forest (sometimes spelled Kahitassa forest) is an Afromontane state forest and protected area located in the Agew Awi Zone of the Amhara Region in northwestern Ethiopia.
History The area has been protected since 1994. Since 2014 large amounts of the shrub land around the forest has been dedicated to plantation of Acacia decurrens trees.
Geography The forest area has an altitude ranging from 1500 to 3200 meters above the sea level. The forest consists of 35% Dega (cool and humid) and 65% Weyna Dega (cool sub-humid) climate zones. The protected area has a total area of between 7280 and 12,005 hectares, of which as of 2022 37.48% is natural forest, 24.72% is shrubland, 11.86% is plantation forest, 11.98% is decurrent seedlings, 11.78% is cropland, with remaining area divided between grazing, degraded and settlement land.
Flora A 2022 study identified following plants, among others, in the forest: Pavetta abyssinica, Apodytes dimidiata, Prunus africana, Albizia schimperiana, Vernonia auriculifera, Maytenus undata, Rubus apetalus and Vachellia abyssinica.
Fauna Black-and-white colobus monkey is present in the forest.
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