Ethiopia, which was once known as densely forested country until the end of the 19th century had lately been considered as a one of highly degraded lands on the planet, which as a result been exposed to recurrent drought and famine.
According to Farm Africa, one of the international organizations engaged in forest management in Ethiopia and other countries, the country’s forest resource had alarmingly been dwindled from 30 to 35 percent last century to just 4 percent in 2000. Reports indicate that the major cause for the deforestation was rapidly growing population need for more farmlands.
Of course, due to a series of actions taken and sponsored by the federal government, since 2000, the figure has been improving all the time to currently stand 15 percent at national level.
As a case in point, Ethiopia has planted more than 350 million seedlings within just 12 hours of last Monday, July 29, 2019 following Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s call for green legacy with the aim of planting just 200 million within 12 hours. Acknowledging the massive public response in the campaign, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy has further called on the public to give mindful protection of the seedlings and to intensify the campaign whose objective is seeing greener Ethiopia.
In the same token, some regional states in the country have reported as recovering their forest as of more recent times. For instance, the Amhara regional state forest coverage has reportedly been grown to 14 % just from 10.4% in 2011-12, according to the state’s Agriculture Bureau Deputy Head, Markos Wonde.
The breakthrough in restoring the forests of one of the areas badly affected by forest clearing for settlement and farming came as a result of thegreen development initiative, which is championed by the federal and regional governments over the years, Markos told The Ethiopian Herald.
The state has highly been involved in the National Greening Program playing its leadership role in the effort of planting of two billion seedlings in various places within this rainy season alone, according to him.
Despite the government’s efforts, the result was low because of “little accumulation of knowledge and initiation on the part of the community to keep the planted seedlings safe,” Markos said.
According to him, in the past, authorities and stakeholders were not even been able to properly evaluate and monitor the progress of planted seedlings as “alignment of data collection was done by boring manual procedures.”
The deputy head says among the various zones in the region, Awi Zone has registered better results in rehabilitating previously degraded lands. The other zones, like South Wollo Zone which were similarly degraded have now been emulating Awi’s experiences, he said.
Markos ascribes individual contributions for the regional forest recovery, acknowledging that 65-70 percent of the recovered forest trees were planted by individuals, though their contributions vary from place to place.
Aba Arega Wondimu, 91, lives at Enemay Woreda, rural kebele in Amhara region. He has spent all his life there. Thus, he remembers what was there in his village and witnesses what is in there right now.
“I really feel sad to see this degraded environment. The area was known for its dense forest when I was about 15,” he told The Ethiopian Herald, which has also witnessed what is in there in his village. The village is now reduced to a farmland with little scattered acacia trees.
The major cause for the deforestation in the village, Aba Arega noticed, was population increase and growing demand for firewood.
“We have lost various types of indigenous trees and animals. It is only in more recent times that individuals have begun planting trees of economic benefits with no accommodation to the ecology,” he said.
A resident in another zone, North Shewa of the region confirmed to visiting reporters that she has planted close to five thousand trees as additional source of income. It was also learnt that other people in Amhara region similarly engaged in planting trees for commercial purpose.
Debre Berhan University Deputy President for Research and Social Affairs, Dr. Almaz Afera told reporters that bio diversity and environmental agro-ecology should be prioritized in tree plantation. As to her, the University, in cooperation with North Shewa Zone administration and the regional state, supports tree plantation program mainly in identifying suitable plant species for specific environmental agro-ecologies.
The Ethiopian Herald August 2/2019
BY YESUF ENDRIS
