Making forestry sustainable

Since 2006, Farm Africa and a consortium of partners have been working in Ethiopia’s Bale Eco-region on a participatory forest management scheme. This scheme supports local forests users and the government to manage the responsibilities and benefits of the region’s forests together.

During this project, we increased local communities’ ability to earn money from the forests while protecting its resources by piloting sustainable timber production and marketing and improving the inclusivity of forest management organisations. We engaged women and underrepresented groups to participate in project activities and helped communities reinvest their capital from the sale of carbon credits in local eco-friendly businesses.

This project improved the livelihoods of over 350,000 people living in Bale and protected the delivery of ecosystem services to 12 million people living beyond Bale’s borders. We helped the government to create long-term ways to preserve Ethiopia’s forests, integrating participatory forest management approaches into national-level forestry and REDD+ programmes and policies. The project remains a knowledge hub for local communities, policymakers and forestry professionals.

We carried out this work in partnership with local NGO SOS Sahel and government agencies The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Ethiopia, The Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise and The Oromia Forest, Environment and Climate Change Authority.