Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative, a major environmental campaign, in 2019. Its principal purpose is to reduce deforestation, restore degraded land, and address the negative impacts of climate change across the country and beyond.
In addition to reforestation, the campaign aims to raise environmental awareness. The campaign, in particular, requires community engagement in addition to raising knowledge about environmental protection and the need for trees for ecological balance and climate resilience. It encourages engagement from all parts of society, including government officials, students, and local communities, cultivating a sense of shared responsibility for environmental care.
The initiative has so far brought a number of successes. It brings with it a significant record for Ethiopia in terms of tree planting. Ethiopia broke the global record on July 29, 2019, when it planted more than 353 million seedlings in a single day.
In addition, more than 600 million tree seedlings were planted nationwide last year in a single day. This occasion demonstrated Ethiopians' dedication to the Green Legacy initiative. The program is also essential to maintaining and restoring the nation's biodiversity. By restoring different native tree species and increasing biodiversity, the initiative hopes to improve ecosystem health.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Above all, the green legacy program has an impact on the entire world. It has drawn interest from all across the world as a template for extensive reforestation projects. It highlights how crucial government assistance and citizen involvement are to solving environmental problems.
Furthermore, Ethiopia's initiatives are essential in terms of the global reforestation agenda, since the country has experienced serious environmental difficulties such as deforestation and soil erosion. The Green Legacy initiative has attracted international attention and inspired similar replanting efforts in other nations.
Since its inception, the Green Legacy Initiative has expanded in scope and aspirations to become a historic environmental effort. By 2023, the country had planted 25 billion seedlings, surpassing the intended goal of 20 billion seedlings planted throughout Ethiopia. In 2019, 4 billion seedlings were planted; in 2020, 5 billion; in 2021, 7 billion; in 2022, 6 billion; and in 2023, 6.5 billion.
In addition to the annual seedling planting program, the country intends to plant 600 million tree seedlings in a single day on August 23, 2024. These reforestation efforts have set global records. Last year, the country planted approximately 567 million seedlings in only 12 hours, with millions of Ethiopians and global community members taking part. This achievement gained Ethiopia international recognition and acclaim.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) asserts that in order to attain the desired results from the planting of tree seedlings, Ethiopians must be united and harmonious. Ethiopians can surpass their current accomplishments if they band together. As a result, Abiy urged all adults and teenagers to plant more tree seedlings annually to leave a legacy for current and future generations.
This year, the government began the 7th year of the Green Legacy initiative program, with the theme "Renewal Through Planting." It is a nationwide project that has helped Ethiopia plant over 40 billion seedlings over the last six plantation seasons.
Prime Minister Abiy stated that Ethiopia intends to plant more than seven billion seedlings this planting season. Ethiopia's goal is to plant over 7.5 billion seedlings, bringing the total number of seedlings planted from the initiative's inception to 47.5 billion by the end of this planting season. Ethiopia's objective is to attain 47.5 billion seedlings by the end of this rainy season and 54 billion seedlings by next year by organizing people across the country and committing to the national Green Legacy effort.
The Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD) Green Legacy and Degraded Lands Rehabilitation Desk Head Goraw Belete told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that 4.7 billion seedlings have already been prepared for the seventh Green Legacy planting season.
Goraw further stated that EFD has gathered 2,247 quintals of diverse seeds for the fiscal year, including forestry, bamboo, and multipurpose agroforestry seeds. Furthermore, roughly 441,000 hectares of land have been identified and recorded for the program thus far.
The head highlighted the remarkable expansion of sapling stations, which have more than doubled from 45,000 before the Green Legacy Initiative to over 120,000 today, involving government, private, NGO, and other projects. Currently, the institution is undertaking various activities to ensure the program's success, including mapping 947,000 hectares of land for plantation, Goraw remarked.
According to him, half of the identified 441,000 hectares will be planted using a geo-referencing system. Additionally, soil and water conservation interventions are being implemented to enhance the greenery potential.
Indeed, the Green Legacy Initiative is a significant endeavor that demonstrates the nation's audacious resolve to tackle climate change, restore ecosystems, and advance sustainability. It's about livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate resilience, not simply trees. In Africa and beyond, Ethiopia is setting the standard.
More precisely, Ethiopia is embarking on a massive tree planting campaign, with the goal of planting 700 million saplings in a single day. The one-day event is scheduled for July 31, 2025. The effort is part of the nation's Green Legacy Initiative, which aims to plant 7.5 billion saplings during this rainy season.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The goal of planting 700 million seedlings in a single day is crucial to focus on environmental restoration and biodiversity improvement in the degraded and negatively impacted areas. The day keeps growing in terms of community involvement, environmental education, and tree planting.
In order to maintain local ecosystems and restore the natural landscape, the initiative entails volunteers, organizations, and local governments working together to plant trees and establish green areas.
In addition, deciding to plant 700 million seedlings in a single day not only brings Ethiopians together around a common objective but also acts as motivation for other nations dealing with similar issues relating to deforestation and climate change. Therefore, cooperation, active coordination, and involvement are required for the 700 million trees that will be planted in a single day as part of its "Green Legacy" campaign.
Besides, all Ethiopians are expected to contribute to this effort to achieve the initiative's goal, which aims to address climate change issues, restore degraded land, and fight deforestation.
