Donate Now
Donate Now
Great Green Wall
Great Green Wall
Wof Washa Forest,
Ethiopia
Community-led restoration of a biodiversity hotspot
0 ha

natural forest to be protected

0 ha

communal land to be restored

0

families to benefit

The natural resources of the 7000 hectare Wof Washa Forest (known as “Cave of Birds”) support the lives of over 60 000 people.

With weak policy enforcement, lack of resources and an absence of land management, nearly 2000 hectares of the natural forest has been lost over the last 20 years.

The project’s goal is to conserve and restore the natural forest through community-led forest and landscape restoration, creating new income and resilience strategies.

Why and how we’re working here

The districts surrounding Wof Washa forest are some of the most intensively cultivated areas, with a long history of high population settlement coupled with deforestation and cattle grazing that have led to intense land use change and biodiversity loss.
The project will engage communities in the 15 villages of the forest to create a grassroots-level engagement programme and governance approach to protect and restore the forest and create new income and resilience strategies.

Location

Wof Washa forest, Amhara, Ethiopia

Restoration approaches

Enrichment planting, direct seeding, agroforestry

restoration partners

WeForest Ethiopia SUNARMA, an Ethiopian-led NGO

Notable species

Prunus africana, Thymus schimperi

Participants

Communities in 15 villages

The project’s impact on people and nature

Around 69 280 people – 17 000 families – in 15 villages are dependent on the Wof Washa forest and its resources for their livelihoods. It is the source of fuel wood, construction material, farm implements, edible fruits, medicine, water, and game for hunting. Another source of income is smuggling of lumber for illegal sale, and farmers also collect honey from the forest.
The forest is home to species which are unique and endemic to Ethiopia and east Africa, including the gelada baboon (Theropithecus gelada).
Subsistence agriculture and livestock production are the major livelihoods in the three districts.
The average income in Wof Washa forest area is just $56.35 per capita p.a., substantially below the international definition of extreme poverty. Many of the villages rely on food aid.
More than 90% of the community is dependent on biomass energy; unsustainable harvesting from the forest and surrounding woodlands is causing degradation.
Wof Washa is home to several commercialized timber species. Selective logging of these rare tree species is leading to species loss and ecosystem balance disturbance.
Native trees being replaced with faster-growing exotic trees – such as eucalyptus – is one of the challenges in the area.

Explore the interactive map

Who’s funding the Wof Washa Forest project?
Become a Forest Restoration Partner
Become a Forest Restoration Partner

Updates from the Great Green Wall programme

See more updates
See more updates
wren team photo against deforestation
Partner newsBetter businessDesa’a

Wren’s approach to growing trees for climate action

When looking to expand its portfolio of projects, Wren researched over 20 organizations, looking for projects that use effective, science-based...
Desa’a

The 2023 planting season starts in Desa’a

This summer the rains in Tigray started early, so at the beginning of June the communities and team hurried to...
Desa’aCopperbeltKataninoMafinga Hills

How do WeForest’s projects support community resilience?

It’s no good restoring a forest if the surrounding communities still need to use it for firewood or to produce...
Desa’a

Trees and Water: Discovering Nature’s Dynamic Duo in Ethiopia

On World Water Day, we celebrate the importance of preserving our planet's most valuable resource. ...
NewsDesa’aKatanino

Healthy forests, healthy people

Forests are essential to the well-being of present and future generations. ...
Desa’aFerloGewocha ForestMachakelSeret

How can we make the Great Green Wall a reality?

How do we bring the desert to life again?...
CopperbeltDesa’aKataninoPontal

Thanks to you, amazing things happened this year!

Over 9600 hectares were restored during 2022 - that's almost 13.5 million trees....
Desa’aProject news

No-one sits at home during planting season!

We've had some good rains in Desa'a this year, and planting is starting again. ...
Desa’a

How does forest restoration alleviate poverty?

Before COVID-19, 1.3 billion people were already living in ‘multidimensional and persistent poverty’. As a result of the pandemic, another...
Desa’a

Defending land against desertification and drought

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘desertification’? ...

Progress reports

Please check back soon.

Ready to start making an impact?

See which solution is right for you and get started today.

Get started
Get started

HQ (BE): WeForest asbl/vzw
Cantersteen 47, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

VAT number BE0826.151.968
Incorporated May 26th 2010

Follow Us
Linkedin-in Facebook-f Instagram Youtube Flickr
Info
What we do
Partnerships
Language
Explore
Contact Us
+32 (0)2 308 49 43
contact@weforest.org

Receive Our Newsletter

WeForest is a supporting member of:

1torg-300x149
one-percent-for-the-planet-vector-logo
UNDecade_LOGO_MASTER_white2_EN-300x149
LOGO_CMYK_GEA NAME_WHITE
afr100

Copyright WeForest 2023 | All Rights Reserved | Website by PW Creative | Photos © R. Foquet, S. Maes, N. Van Ingen, M. Maeder, T. Syrikova, D. Bartus, Our project partners, WeForest staff