ADDIS ABABA– Leading senior experts in forestry underlined the importance of scaling up nation’s forest program and switching from agriculture led to forestry leddevelopment strategy program, Dr. Yitebitu Moges, National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) Coordinator for the Commission of Environment noted that Ethiopia is putting efforts in rehabilitating ecosystem through various approaches.
This though is awesome, for a nation with high altitude in unison with booming population; stretching efforts to build irrigation and hydro dams do not comply to work with agri-led economy policy for many reasons. The secret of lasting prosperity of nation with mountains topography relies on ensuring reliable water resources that could happen just by making the forestry plan the epicenter of each success.
According to him, forestry being primarily a rural activity, the sector has enormous potential to contribute to the transformation of the rural economy. “The issues like food security, ensuring reliable water resource and addressing power demand could not last if we could not mobilize capital and human in framed workable forest management that all bodies agreed on.”
He further noted that, forest resources can reduce vulnerability to climatic risks, enhance environmental protection and provide a more productive land use system. Hence, reviewing the policy should be tabled for better results, he added. Dr. Wubalem Tadesse, Ethiopian Environment and Forest Senior Researcher at Ministry of Agriculture for his part noted that forests used to provide fuel and construction wood for the agrarian communities.
However, as most of the areas are deforested, people in the highlands are experiencing deficiency in energy and wood resources. “We are witnessing declining natural vegetation resulted in streams going dry, declining water resources, and desertification is looming.” For instance, he added, lakes like Zeway and Abiyata are becoming shallow.
This and other similar serious challenges, hence pull the nation to frame the best solution to restore and build lasting prosperity. “It is high time to understand and recognize the importance of the forest sector for nation economic, social and ecological benefits and for the country’s long-term development goals,” As to him, in order to curb the aforementioned challenges and realize its development plans, Ethiopia should make shift to economic policy making forestry the epicenter prosperity.
The Ethiopian Herald, February 27/2019
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
