Forests for Future

Project goal & approach

Our goal: We aim to build up the capacities of community representatives, local NGOs, key government officials and to establish structures for community-based restoration, conservation and income generation in order to preserve the forest landscapes of Bench-Sheko, Kafa and Sheka as carbon sinks and long-term ecosystem service suppliers.

The planned activities include

• Networking and joint capacity building at regional level by installing the Southwest Forest Alliance Platform for stakeholders of the forest sector working in Southwest Ethiopia
• Participatory forest assessment and capacity building
• Capacity support program on forest degradation and conservation at local level
• Participatory development and implementation of community-based Forest Action Plans (FAPs) as easy-applicable tool
• Income generation program for forest user groups and Participatory Forest Management (PFM) groups
• Project communication campaign for awareness of the pressing issue of forest degradation and loss of livelihoods for millions of people, as well as of the project and its tools and results for application in other regions
• Set up NABU Ethiopia as a strong local NGO in the environmental sector of Ethiopia

About 2 million people, mainly small-scale farmers, living in the target areas will indirectly benefit from the project. Specifically, forest user groups, Participatory Forest Management groups, community members, governmental representatives as well as local NGOs/CBOs will be part of the project.

Our project sites

The project is working with Bench-Sheko Zone, Kafa Biosphere Reserve and Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve, all situated in Southwestern Ethiopia in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR).

Bench-Sheko Zone is the region with the greatest lowland share and has suffered severe forest decline. Between 1986 and 2001, forest cover decreased from around 20% to only 12% (2,881 km²), especially in the regions where refugees from the arid regions of Ethiopia were settled. Studies prove the population's dependence on forest resources: income from forest resources is the most important source of livelihood for the population, alongside agriculture.

Kafa Zone or Kafa Biosphere Reserve is characterised by species endemism in Afromontane mountain cloud, rain and bamboo forests and is a supra-regionally important water supplier. The forests and wetlands are under pressure from the effects of climate change and from coffee/tea investors and are already highly fragmented. Unemployment and lack of prospects lead to frustration, political uprisings and the search for income, especially among young people, e.g. through illegal logging. Through NABU’s work since 2009, parts of the forests are well recorded and are regularly surveyed by rangers.

Sheka Zone or Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve comprises unique natural landscapes of about 240,000 ha, ranging from cool, humid highlands to hot lowlands. The characteristic Afromontane rainforest contains Coffea arabica in the undergrowth. In the past, large areas of forest were converted into industrial tea production. Nevertheless, both the local government and the local population are keen to preserve the forests, which are strongly linked to spiritual beliefs and traditions and provide an important basis for life.

Partners and actors

The project will be managed by NABU Ethiopia in cooperation with EWNRA. The following institutions are partnering the project:

• SNNPR Bureau of Finance (BoF)
• Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources Development (BoANRD)
• Bureau of Women, Children and Youths Affairs (BoWCYA)
• Authority of Environmental Protection, Forest and Climate Change Control (AoEPFCCC)

The project is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).