It is estimated that Africa's forests and woodlands cover about a quarter of the overall land area of the continent. Hundreds of millions of people in the continent rely on forests for their survival. These resources also provide food, energy, and income. They are a safety-net during hard times (FAO). Forests and forest resources play a major role in the livelihood of the people in the developing countries, including Ethiopia.
Moreover, studies reveal that forests and forest-based systems serve in maintaining the source of revenue of the people. Forests also protect the environment, sources of water supply, and maintain biodiversity. Moreover, forests provide cultural benefits to the local people. Nevertheless, deforestation and forest degradation have become serious problems in many African countries. Africa had the highest net loss of forest area in 2010-2020, with a loss of 3.94 million hectares per year (FAO and UNEP, 2020). However, records show that the net loss of forest area has decreased substantially due to the implementation of forestry programs in Africa, including Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's forest coverage has been around forty percent of its total land area at the beginning of 20th century and it declined to three percent towards the end of the century. In recent years, the country has been able to increase its forest cover to about sixteen percent according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC, 2018). Studies show that the net deforestation rate is, on average, around 72,000 ha per annum. This makes rehabilitation of degraded lands through reforestation activities crucial to the country.
The main causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Ethiopia are conversion of land for agriculture activities. One of the causes for this is the rapid growth rate of population. The rural population needs more land for its survival. Both rural and urban population use fuel wood and charcoal that require cutting of trees. Moreover, the construction sector demands timber for building residential houses, factories and other facilities. Forest degradation is also caused by grazing and wild fire.
Frequent changes and restructuring of institutions constitute the challenges in the agricultural/forestry sector. Institutional changes imply revision of goals, objectives, strategies, programs, projects and activities in the sector or subsector. These changes demand new skills and technologies that call for skilled manpower to conduct various activities. In some cases, the application of new technologies requires studies on the relevance of the technology. Recognizing the problem of the forest sector, the Ethiopian government has put tremendous efforts to reverse the situation and enhance the role of forests in the social, economic, and environment of the country.
The forest sector goals, objectives, policies and strategies are designed to identify the factors responsible for forest degradation and rectify it. In this regard, the National Forest Sector Development Program shows that the various factors responsible for the degradation need to be addressed and reverse the ecological challenges. As part of these efforts, the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) was launched by the PM of Ethiopia in May 2019. It has the aim of tackling deforestation and climate change by planting trees. The Green Legacy Initiative planted over 20 billion seedlings by 2022. The Ethiopian government distributed about one billion seedlings to the neighboring countries of Djibouti and South Sudan as part of the regional effort to fight climate change.
The GLI provides several opportunities that mitigate the impacts of climate change. It protects ecosystems that contribute to environmental sustainability. The GLI fulfills its commitment related to the climate of Ethiopia by achieving the goals of environmental protection and sustainability. However, this commitment requires a close periodic monitoring and evaluation on a planned manner. This periodic follow up helps to identify the challenges and successes that would help achieve the objectives set by the GLI.
The other environmental factor is improving crop and livestock production practices for enhancing food security and farmers' income. Another major factor is expanding electricity generation from renewable sources of energy for domestic and regional markets. The application of electricity in rural households reduces deforestation for fuel wood and charcoal production. Also, the introduction of modern and energy-efficient technologies in transport, industrial sectors, and buildings reduces forest degradation in Ethiopia.
Studies reveal that forests play a significant role in the livelihood of the people. They serve as a buffer in maintaining livelihoods, provide environmental protection and provide social or cultural benefits to the people. However, the contribution of forests to the economy of the country is estimated to be very low. Though several direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation have been identified, there has not been significant progress in reversing the situation.
Restoring degraded lands increases the forest cover and reduces the negative effect of climate change. Reversing this trend requires studies of forestry development in Ethiopia. These studies need to assess efforts and achievements made by the government. There is also a need to assess the socioeconomic impacts of forestry programs and projects implemented in the recent past. Real success is measured by the level of participation and commitment of the local communities at all levels.
The role of communities in green development is of the essence. It helps in the assessment of the green growth in the regions of the country thereby identifying challenges of implementation and remedial actions. It also helps in identifying future opportunities in developing and managing natural resources of Ethiopia. It is useful to identify the results of performance during planting periods and check if they are achieved beyond the target. The assessment may show if there are regional and sub-regional variations in terms of program implementation. It may also show which zones have better performance in tree plantation and maintenance. These zones may have relatively better facility, including resources and expertise to raise and plant seedlings. In addition, the suitability of agro-climatic zone contributes to the success of the GLI in the regions.
The political instability and the conflict that occurred in the different parts of the country may negatively affect the performance of tree plantation program. This may be true in the northern part of the country. The situation in these regions would make it difficult to mobilize the local people and facilitate the overall coordination of the tree planting programs. A study has found out that the local communities are well aware of the political and socioeconomic and environmental impacts on forestry.
On the other hand, it is important to capitalize on the benefits of trees while promoting tree planting campaign to mobilize large number of people. The forecast of future results shows that the number of trees owned by farm households will have socioeconomic impacts. This is based on the education, family size, land size, number of livestock owned, and access to infrastructure. It is also affected by distance to markets and roads, social capital, membership in agricultural producer group, and tenure security.
Success cannot be achieved if tree planting on farmers' plots are not supported by local agricultural agencies. It is absolutely necessary to encourage farmers to plant and own trees. Consequently, there is a need to remove barriers that negatively affect tree planting culture and inculcate positive attitude at household levels.
Similarly, several factors that affect the number of trees/seedlings have to be identified using agricultural techniques. These factors include age, sex, family size, education, land size and access to infrastructure. Also, other factors include distance to the nearest main road and markets. All these contribute to the number of seedlings to be prepared and planted.
The willingness of rural households to maintain tree planting program determines the success of the community. Studies suggest that rural households place a certain amount of money or resources to keep the GLI program for the coming years. In this regard, it is good to identify those households in the community that are more capable of supporting the tree planting program.
The specific socioeconomic and livelihood condition of the local community has to be considered during the initial stage of the tree planting period. The various groups of the society such as the youth and elderly, male and female, literate and illiterate, and others are all involved during the past tree planting campaigns. Studies have found that the role of certain facilities, schools, sports and other public facilities have limited contributions to plant, manage and maintain trees. They need to be properly planned and implemented by the relevant government organization.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Successful implementation of the GLI significantly contributes to the achievement of the green growth target of the country. The people largely depend on forests for fire wood, medicinal plants, wild coffee, honey, spices, etc. Also, forests store carbon dioxide and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies indicate that if resources are available and all the necessary post-planting activities are conducted properly, then the contributions of the plantation in mitigating the effect of climate change will be significant.
It is useful to recognize the potential of trees in urban areas in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. In line with this, it is necessary to work on developing clear rules and guidelines. Researchers have identified several implementation challenges that need to be addressed to enhance the contribution of the GLI to the economic, social and environmental goals of the country.
Various elements including institutional, technical and biological factors do influence the success of reforestation projects. However, the policy and institutional issues include land use policy and plan, tenure insecurity, lack of political stability in some regions, challenges related to forest implementation guidelines, and poor institutional arrangements. The socioeconomic negative impacts include lack of sufficient budget, poor provision of nursery equipment and materials, lack of adequate transport, lack of appropriate incentive mechanisms, and markets. It is, therefore, advisable that the responsible agency should take measures to mitigate probable negative impacts on GLI.
Editor's Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
