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EthioTrees

{{Short description|Project for woodland restoration in Ethiopia}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}

{{Use Oxford spelling|date= February 2020}}

{{Infobox project

| name = EthioTrees

| logo =

| image = ethiotrees exclosure.jpg

| caption = An exclosure managed by EthioTrees

| mission_statement = Promotion of forest restoration and non-timber forest production, by supporting woodland natural regeneration and ecosystem services{{Cite web |url=http://ethiotrees.com/ |title=EthioTrees project website |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=15 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215154255/https://ethiotrees.com/ |url-status=dead }}

| commercial =

| type =

| products = Carbon offset, Incense, Ground water

| location = Hagere Selam, Dogu’a Tembien

| country = Ethiopia

| owner = Non-Profit Organisation

| founder =

| primeminister =

| key_people = Sil Lanckriet, Seifu Gebreselassie, Hannes Cosyns, Gebrekidan Mesfin, Jan Nyssen, Miro Jacob, Meybale

| established = {{Start date|2016|df=y}}

| disestablished =

| funding =

| budget =

| current_status =

| website = {{URL|ethiotrees.com}}

}}

The EthioTrees Ecosystem Restoration Association, in short EthioTrees, established in 2016, is a project for environmental rehabilitation and woodland restoration in Dogu’a Tembien (Ethiopia). The association manages exclosures (land protected from grazing) with the intent of improving the ecosystem and sequestering carbon. In 2018, it managed 18 exclosures comprising over 1500 ha.

Context

For many years, there has been severe land degradation and desertification in Tigray and the area became also impoverished; however, a lot of efforts are done to rehabilitate these semi-arid mountain landscapes.[https://www.davines.com/blogs/projects/ethiotrees EthioTrees on Davines website] Since 1994, researchers, students, and field assistants have studied the environment of Dogu’a Tembien. To contribute to the ongoing effort for rehabilitation, they initiated development projects that addressed in the first place land conservation, ecosystem services, and livelihood.{{cite book |last1=Reubens |first1=B. and colleagues | title= Research-based development projects in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District |date=2019 |publisher=SpringerNature |isbn=978-3-030-04954-6 |url=https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030049546}} EthioTrees is one of these projects.

Objectives

EthioTrees has as objectives:

  • to enhance community-driven woodland restoration in exclosures
  • to sequester carbon in exclosures, both as above-ground biomass and soil organic matter
  • to develop and valorise ecosystem services, including:

: * ground water availability

: * honey production

: * incense (oil) production

Associations of landless farmers

EthioTrees not only improves soil organic carbon, biomass, groundwater recharge, or biodiversity but also cash income for landless farmers. Most farmers estimate that lack of access to water is the main problem for their livelihood. In addition, landless youngsters derive much less income from sales of livestock or agricultural produce, in comparison to farmers with land.[https://www.planvivo.org/project-network/ethiotrees-tembien-highlands/ EthioTrees on Plan Vivo website] The communities are invited to design and implement the project themselves; for this purpose, EthioTrees uses a participatory mapping approach during all phases of the project.

File:Ethiotrees project meeting.jpg

EthioTrees’ exclosures

The EthioTrees project manages these exclosures:{{cite book |last1=De Deyn |first1=Jonathan |title= Benefits of reforestation on Carbon storage and water infiltration in the context of climate mitigation in North Ethiopia. Master thesis, Ghent University| date=2019}}

Ecosystem restoration and valorisation

EthioTrees manages 18 exclosures with a total area of 1174 hectares in 2017Davines presenta il bilancio di sostenibilità 2018 https://www.greenplanner.it/2019/07/19/davines-bilancio-sostenibilita-2018/ and 1596 ha in 2018.[http://tesfayblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/la-derniere-lettre-de-tesfay_20.html La Lettre de Tesfay, N° 28, September 2019 (Liége, Belgium) ] The older the exclosures, the higher is the total carbon content in vegetation and soil.{{cite journal |last1=Wolde Mekuria |first1=and colleagues |title= Restoration of Ecosystem Carbon Stocks Following Exclosure Establishment in Communal Grazing Lands in Tigray, Ethiopia |journal= Soil Science Society of America Journal |date=2011 |volume=75 |issue=1 |pages=246–256|doi=10.2136/sssaj2010.0176 |bibcode=2011SSASJ..75..246M }} EthioTrees has calculated that they manage to sequester 9.2 tonnes CO2 per year per hectare.

Carbon offset

The sequestered carbon is certified using the Plan Vivo voluntary carbon standard, after which carbon credits are sold, among others to Davines, an Italian producer of beauty products. This company at the same time wishes to create a virtuous impact on people and the environment. The revenues are then reinvested in the villages, according to the priorities of the communities; it may be for an additional class in the village school, a water pond, conservation in the exclosures, or a store for incense.

Partners

Main partners of Ethiotrees are

References

{{reflist|32em}}

External links

  • [https://www.davines.com/blogs/projects/ethiotrees EthioTrees on Davines website]
  • [http://ethiotrees.com EthioTrees project website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215154255/https://ethiotrees.com/ |date=15 February 2020 }}
  • [https://www.planvivo.org/project-network/ethiotrees-tembien-highlands/ EthioTrees on Plan Vivo website]
  • [https://www.un.org/esa/forests Link For Forestry Projects]

Category:Land management

Category:Environmental conservation

Category:Greenhouse gas emissions

Category:Emissions reduction

Category:Carbon finance

Category:2016 establishments in Ethiopia

Category:Tigray Region

Category:Dogu'a Tembien

Category:Nature conservation in Ethiopia

Category:Exclosures of Tigray Region