The Chinese have a famous proverb about planting trees. They say, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now.” The idea imbedded in it suggests the need to start planting trees right now, no matter how much time was wasted in the past.
As some data indicate, the forest coverage of Ethiopia has declined to as low as three percent due to deforestation and lack of protection to the environment. This in turn has exposed the country to severe drought and environmental degradation which is also behind the recurrent humanitarian crisis in various corners.
Deforestation of lands for personal needs such as house building and fuels has led the country, which was almost said to be a forest land to barren land. Deforestation may have on the other hand lowered the rainfall.
Now, with the auspices of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PHD), Ethiopia has launched an ambitious campaign of transplanting four billion seedlings in urban and rural areas of the country. This highly inspiring campaign needs due cooperation from citizens of the country as well as the international community, as it is likely to have a deep and far reaching impact in climate change, economic development and aesthetic values of the country.
Therefore, the premier’s initiative deserves big attention. In addition to the country, the impact of the environmental rehabilitation work is likely to have positive impact to the regional countries.
Furthermore, if the transplantation is carried out with utmost care and diligence it is likely to benefit as many generations as it can. Such kinds of activities settle intergenerational issues and become durable assets to the people.
Economically, the transplantation will assist the government efforts by providing opportunities for carbon trade. Furthermore some of the forests can generate revenue either as sources of timber, fruits medicinal herbs, habitat for wild life as well as adding aesthetic values.
Without any need to enlist the benefits of the campaign, it is easy to mention that the government should coordinate all efforts to realize it. In addition to the experiences of the past, it has to introduce the experiences of other countries in realizing such large scale and all rounded projects.
For example, one of the challenges is producing adequate number of seedlings required for the afforestation. It is important to come up with a reliable and effective technique to multiply such large amount of seedlings with the schedule.
It is also important to seek effective solution to problems that thwart the sprouting of seedlings once they are transplanted. The failure after transplantation of the seedlings is one of the problems that foiled repeated efforts in the past.
Just as the project is massive, it is also likely to require a large sum of financing. This may be challenging for the government and affiliate institutions to cover. Therefore the government must think ahead and put in place mechanism of financing so as to properly carryout and protect the afforestation program until it becomes a reality.
Private sector and international organizations, especially those who are concerned with environmental and health related issues can also take this as an opportune moment to pursue shared goals of environmental and economic issues. The Ethiopian Herald June 7,2019
