Context
Natural forest landscapes in Ethiopia are rapidly disappearing. At the start of the twentieth century, forests covered an estimated 40 per cent of the country’s surface area. Today the figure is between 2.7 and 4 per cent. The main cause of the decline in forests is the constantly increasing demand for firewood as a source of energy. 96 per cent of Ethiopia’s households use wood to meet their energy needs. After the land is cleared, small farmers frequently use it for agriculture.
With a population of some 110 million, Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country, after Nigeria. According to the United Nations State of World Population 2018, annual population growth is around 3 per cent. Eighty per cent of Ethiopians live in rural areas and the majority earn a living from subsistence farming. Agricultural produce accounts for about half of Ethiopia’s gross domestic product (GDP). Population growth means that the available farmland must feed an increasing number of people. At the same time, forest clearance, overgrazing and non-sustainable arable farming are destroying this land. The loss of fertile land, advancing desertification and the consequences of climate change make productive land use difficult, especially in Ethiopia’s Highlands, which are particularly badly affected by erosion and deteriorating soil ecosystems.
Objective
International, national and local actors help restore forests and productive forest landscapes in Ethiopia – especially on Lake Chamo and in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region.