Last updated: October 2021
In 2019 at the Gullele Botanical Garden in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian government launched a historic tree planting campaign. Over 350 million trees were planted in an ambitious move to counter the effects of deforestation and climate change. The Gullele Botanical Garden was selected as one of the 1000 sites all over the country involved in the Green Legacy Initiative, a national campaign against the effects of climate change. The United Nations estimates that Ethiopia’s forest coverage has declined drastically to a low of just 4 per cent in the 2000s from 35 per cent a century earlier. (1,2) The Botanical Garden was not selected aleatory as it is Ethiopia's only botanical garden and it is a nursery for various indigenous plant species. Its mission is to conserve and promote the Ethiopian diverse plants and tree population and it is a conservation initiative located at the northwestern tip of the Addis Ababa City Administration. The site covers an area of 1000 ha which is representative of the central plateau of Ethiopia. (3)
Tree planting
https://www.worldagroforestry.org/blog/2020/06/09/ethiopia-grow-5-billion-trees-second-green-legacy-campaign
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Botanical gardens
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change mitigation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Air quality improvement
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems
Project objectives
Ethiopia has only 10% of forested land, affecting the lives of its citizens. Tree restoration is among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation in a country where drought is a problem for decades. With this in mind, the Government of Ethiopia started a campaign for tree restoration in Addis Ababa and other parts of the country. In Addis Ababa, the campaign focuses on a number of sites including the airport and the botanical garden. From the main objectives of the intervention we can name:
1. To tackle the effects of deforestation and climate change in the country.
2. To provide many ecosystem services and environmental benefits: absorption and storage of carbon dioxide, removal of greenhouse emissions
3. Restoration of indigenous species and tree species on the brink of extinction and conservation of natural habitats
4. Protection of endangered animals and plants species
5. Soil amelioration and conservation (1,2,3,4,5)
Implementation activities
The initiative focused on 1 day, July 29th 2019, and was attended by the Prime Minister of the country alongside a representative of the UN Environment Programme’s Liaison Office to Africa Union Commission, UN Economic Commission for Africa and a representative to Ethiopia. The intervention was scattered all over the city of Addis Ababa and its botanical garden. In addition to ordinary Ethiopians, the diplomatic corps, various international organisations, and the business community also joined in the tree-planting campaign. Public offices and schools were closed in order to allow maximum participation. The intervention lasted for 12 hours. The seedlings were provided by the Gullele Botanical Garden which holds 1200 samples of Ethiopia’s estimated 6500 plant species. (3,4)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
- Improve carbon sequestration through selection of more adaptable species
- Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Means for conservation governance
- Biodiversity offsets
- Public engagement
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore endangered species
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Local government/Municipality
- Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Public sector institution
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The intervention was led by the Government of Ethiopia under the Green Legacy Initiative. The Botanical Garden provided parts of the seedlings and a coalition of regular citizens, local schools, NGOs, businesses, and UN and foreign embassies representatives took part in the planting and execution of the project. (1,2,3,4)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(The intervention is not exactly under a EU Directive however it should be mentioned that the European Union is Ethiopia's foremost partner in the fight against climate change. On 22 July 2019, the EU and the Ethiopian government signed a €36 million financing agreement to help the country grow greener. (6))
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(The intervention is implemented under the Green Legacy Initiative promoted by the Ethiopian Prime Minister to reach national green environmental goals and face the effects of deforestation and climate change in the country. The ambitious goal of the Initiative for 2019 is to plant a total of four billion indigenous trees by the end of the rainy season in October. (2) Also it should be mentioned that the initiative is in close relation to the Provision of Adequate Tree Seed Portfolio in Ethiopia (PATSPO) project financed for four years by the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia (RNE). Through PATSPO the Botanical Garden alongside the Ethiopian Government will promote and strengthen existing tree-seed organizations and support the establishment of additional private and government seed dealers. Ethiopia also launched a Climate-Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy in 2011 to address both climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives. (8))
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- EU funds
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. UN Environment Program (2019), Ethiopia plants over 350 million trees in a day, setting new world record, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
2. IdeasOnline (2019), The Green Legacy Initiative in Ethiopia, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
3. World Agro Forestry (2019), A new chapter for Gullele Botanical Garden, available at Source link, (accessed 1-10-2021)
4. Ethiopian Embassy in the UK (2019), Ethiopia unites in record-breaking tree-planting campaign, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
5. The Ethiopian Herald (2020), Ethiopia: Authority Vows to Conserve Biodiversity Tending Indigenous Trees, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
6. European Commission (2019), Ethiopia breaks world tree-planting record with EU's helping hands, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
7. SNV (2019), SNV leaves a mark on the Green Legacy campaign, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
8. World Agro Forestry (no date), Provision of Adequate Tree Seed Portfolio in Ethiopia, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
9. World Agro Forestry (2020), Ethiopia to grow 5 billion trees in the Second Green Legacy Campaign, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
10. UN Environmental Program (2019), Spotlight on Ethiopia’s tree-planting programme, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
2. IdeasOnline (2019), The Green Legacy Initiative in Ethiopia, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
3. World Agro Forestry (2019), A new chapter for Gullele Botanical Garden, available at Source link, (accessed 1-10-2021)
4. Ethiopian Embassy in the UK (2019), Ethiopia unites in record-breaking tree-planting campaign, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
5. The Ethiopian Herald (2020), Ethiopia: Authority Vows to Conserve Biodiversity Tending Indigenous Trees, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
6. European Commission (2019), Ethiopia breaks world tree-planting record with EU's helping hands, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
7. SNV (2019), SNV leaves a mark on the Green Legacy campaign, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
8. World Agro Forestry (no date), Provision of Adequate Tree Seed Portfolio in Ethiopia, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
9. World Agro Forestry (2020), Ethiopia to grow 5 billion trees in the Second Green Legacy Campaign, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
10. UN Environmental Program (2019), Spotlight on Ethiopia’s tree-planting programme, available at Source link (accessed 1-10-2021)
Staff planting
https://www.iom.int/news/ethiopia-iom-participates-planting-world-record-breaking-353-million-trees-one-day
Tree planting campaign
https://ethiopia.un.org/en/11543-un-staff-take-part-campaign-tackle-deforestation-and-climate-change-ethiopia-plants-more-350
Tree planting NGO
https://www.ethioliving.com/featured/unodc-staff-plant-trees-in-support-of-ethiopias-green-legacy-initiative/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy.