Desa’a Forest,
Ethiopia
Reversing land degradation and poverty through forest landscape restoration
0 ha

under restoration so far

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trees protected and growing

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species regenerating

0

families benefiting

0

people trained

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carbon sequestered

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The Desa’a Forest is one of the oldest remaining dry afromontane forests in Ethiopia. Over 26 000 people live below the poverty line here, relying on the forest for water, energy and to feed their cattle.

This ambitious, award-winning project aims to restore and protect arid afromontane and bring water back to this region, which is directly threatened by desertification coming from the north, and lift the rural communities out of extreme poverty.

Why and how we’re working here

The Desa’a forest reserve is home to many threatened species, and plays an important role in climate adaptation and water supply in a region directly threatened by desertification from the north and east. 

Currently, 74% of the forest has disappeared and the remaining 26% is severely degraded.

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Location

Eastern and South Eastern zone, Tigray region

Restoration approaches

Assisted Natural Regeneration; framework planting

Project partners

WeForest Ethiopia
TBOARD
EFCCC
Tigray Plan and Finance
Mekelle University
EEFRI

Threatened species

Dracaena ombet (Nubian Dragon Tree)

Participants

23 000 farming families

The project’s impact on people

The project aims to build local capacity to hand management of the reserve over to the communities. A livelihood plan will alleviate the pressure on the forest resources by providing alternative sources of income from activities such as sustainable agriculture, agroforestry and beekeeping.

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Who’s funding the Desa’a Forest project?

Updates from the Great Green Wall programme

WeForest’s biggest forest restoration project has been verified under Preferred by Nature’s Ecosystem Restoration Standard....

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