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

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

restoration in Dogu’a Tembien (Ethiopia).

Context

Since many years, there has been severe

land degradation Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious o ...

and

desertification Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused ...

in Tigray and the area became also impoverished; however, a lot of efforts are done to rehabilitate these semi-arid mountain landscapes.EthioTrees on Davines website
/ref> 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. EthioTrees is one of these projects.

Objectives

EthioTrees has as objectives: * to enhance community-driven woodland restoration in

exclosure An exclosure, in an area being used extensively for grazing, is a limited area from which unwanted browsing animals, such as domestic cattle or wildlife such as deer, are excluded by fencing or other means. Environmental protection Most commonl ...

s * to sequester carbon in exclosures, both as above-ground biomass and soil organic matter * to develop and valorise

ecosystem services Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. Such ecosystems include, for example, agroecosystems, forest ecosystem, grassland ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems. ...

, including: : *

ground water Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

availability : *

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

production : *

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also b ...

(oil) production

Associations of landless farmers

EthioTrees not only improves soil organic carbon, biomass,

groundwater recharge Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs ...

, 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.EthioTrees on Plan Vivo website
/ref> 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. Ethiotrees project meeting

EthioTrees’ exclosures

The EthioTrees project manages these

s: *

Addi Lihtsi Addi ( ti, ዓዲ, ʿĀddī; tig, ዓድ, ʿĀd; gez, ዓድ, ʿĀd) is a Tigrinya term meaning "village" derived from the Ge'ez word "Ad" meaning "son." The word can be found in many village and city names in Tigray Region, Ethiopia ...

, near the village of

(412 ha) *

Addi Meles Addi Meles is an exclosure located in the Dogu'a Tembien ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The area is protected by the local community. Environmental characteristics * Area: 65 ha * Average slope gradient: 20% * Aspect: the exclosu ...

, near the village of Migichi (65 ha) *

Addilal Addilal is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The ''tabia'' centre is in Addilal village, located approximately to the east of the ''woreda'' town Hagere Selam. Geography The ''tabia ...

, near the village of

(144.81 ha) * Afedena, near the village of Afedena (70 ha) * Ch'elaqo, near the village of Ch'elaqo (50 ha) *

Gemgema Gemgema is an exclosure located in the Dogu'a Tembien ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The area has been protected since 1992 by the local community. Timeline * 1992: established as exclosure by the community * 2017: support by the ...

, near the village of Tsigaba (92 ha) *

Kidmi Gestet Kidmi Gestet is an exclosure located in the Dogu'a Tembien ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. Environmental characteristics * Area: 46 ha * Average slope gradient: 48% * Minimum altitude: 2015 metres * Maximum altitude: 2131 metres * ...

, near the village of

Gestet Amanit is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Rep ...

(46 ha) * Lafa, near the village of Lafa in Mizane Birhan municipality (45.25 ha) *

May Be'ati Ayninbirkekin is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Literal meaning of Ayninbirkekin in Tigrinya is "We will not bend". The ''tabia'' centre is in Halah village, located approximately 8&nb ...

, near the village of

(46 ha) * Mi'am Atali, near the village of Mi'am Atali (83 ha) * May Genet, near the village of May Genet (60 ha) *

May Hib'o May Hib’o is an exclosure located in the Degua Tembien, Dogu'a Tembien ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The exclosure holds a 70-metre long cave. Environmental characteristics * Area: 50 ha * Average slope gradient: 35% * Aspect: ...

, near the village of

(50 ha) * Sesemat, near the village of Tahtay Sesemat (46 ha) * Togogwa, near the village of Togogwa (196 ha) * Tukhul, near the village of Tukhul, in

Addi Azmera Addi Azmera is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The name refers to good spring rains (“azmera”), in relation to the local microclimate. The ''tabia'' centre is in Tukhul town, locate ...

municipality (36 ha) *

Ziban Dake Ziban Dake is an exclosure located in the Dogu'a Tembien ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. Environmental characteristics * Area: 300 ha * Average slope gradient: 43% * Aspect: the exclosure is oriented towards the south-southwest ...

, near the village of 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

s with a total area of 1174 hectares in 2017 and 1596 ha in 2018.La Lettre de Tesfay, N° 28, September 2019 (Liége, Belgium)
/ref> The older the exclosures, the higher is the total carbon content in vegetation and soil. 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 * Dogu’a Tembien District Administration (Ethiopia) * Municipal administrations (Ethiopia) *

Incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also b ...

producing cooperatives (Ethiopia) * Plan Vivo (U.K.) *

Mekelle University Mekelle University ( ti, መቐለ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a higher education and training public institution located in Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, 783 kilometers north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Mekelle University is one of the l ...

(Ethiopia) * VLIR-UOS (Belgium) * Davines (Italy) *

Ghent University Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when th ...

(Belgium) * Province

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

(Belgium) * King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium) * Bos Plus (Belgium) * Province

West Flanders West Flanders ( nl, West-Vlaanderen ; vls, West Vloandern; french: (Province de) Flandre-Occidentale ; german: Westflandern ) is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the No ...

(Belgium) * Ñangareko Consultores (Bolivia) * Association Tesfay (Liége, Belgium)

References

{{reflist, 32em

External links

EthioTrees on Davines website

EthioTrees project website

EthioTrees on Plan Vivo website

Link For Forestry Projects
Land management Environmental conservation Greenhouse gas emissions Emissions reduction Carbon finance 2016 establishments in Ethiopia Tigray Region Dogu'a Tembien Nature conservation in Ethiopia Exclosures of Tigray Region