EthioTrees

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The EthioTrees Ecosystem Restoration Association, in short EthioTrees, established in 2016, is a project for environmental rehabilitation and

Context

Since many years, there has been severe

EthioTrees has as objectives:[3]

• 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.^[4] 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.^[3]

Ethiotrees project meeting

The EthioTrees project manages these exclosures:^[5]

• Addi Lihtsi
  (412 ha)
• Migichi
  (65 ha)
• Addilal, near the village of Addilal (144.81 ha)
• Afedena
  (70 ha)
• Ch'elaqo
  (50 ha)
• Gemgema, near the village of Tsigaba (92 ha)
• Gestet
  (46 ha)
• Lafa, near the village of Lafa in Mizane Birhan municipality (45.25 ha)
• May Be'ati
  (46 ha)
• Mi'am Atali
  (83 ha)
• May Genet
  (60 ha)
• Addi Lihtsi
  (50 ha)
• Tahtay Sesemat
  (46 ha)
• Togogwa
  (196 ha)
• Tukhul, near the village of Tukhul, in Addi Azmera municipality (36 ha)
• Didiben
  (300 ha)
• Gojam Sfra, near the village of
  Migichi
  (275 ha)
• Katina Ruba, near the village of
  Didiben
  (48 ha)

Ecosystem restoration and valorisation

EthioTrees manages 18 exclosures with a total area of 1174 hectares in 2017^[6] and 1596 ha in 2018.^[5][7] The older the exclosures, the higher is the total carbon content in vegetation and soil.^[8] EthioTrees has calculated that they manage to sequester 9.2 tonnes CO₂ per year per hectare.^[3]

Carbon offset

The sequestered carbon is certified using the Plan Vivo voluntary carbon standard,^[4] 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

Partners

Main partners of Ethiotrees are^[1]

• Dogu’a Tembien
  District Administration (Ethiopia)
• Municipal administrations (Ethiopia)
• Incense producing cooperatives (Ethiopia)
• Plan Vivo (U.K.)
• Mekelle University (Ethiopia)
• VLIR-UOS (Belgium)
• Davines (Italy)
• Ghent University (Belgium)
• Province East Flanders (Belgium)
• King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium)
• Bos Plus (Belgium)
• Province West Flanders (Belgium)
• Ñangareko Consultores (Bolivia)
• Association Tesfay (Liége, Belgium)

References