Preservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources and forests

active

The project Preservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources and forests (BMZ No. 2015 67 197) supports the local population in reforesting and long-term managing up to 10,000 hectares of communal land in 6 neighboring districts in Amhara. The communities designate areas that are made available to local farmers and their user groups for reforestation and management. These are mainly overgrazed slopes that are not suitable for arable use and are affected by severe erosion. Of these designated areas, 75% are planted and managed with short-rotation tree species (especially eucalyptus) and 25% with long-rotation valuable woods. This is done in close cooperation with the state regional forestry office, the regional forestry company and the local authorities. Through cooperation with a regional microfinance institution, long-term loans will be given to the farmers to finance the costs of investment and management. If the 25% of the valuable timber area that is to be permanently converted into a forest is still preserved after 6 years, the loan repayment will be waived. Overall, the project aims to improve the income situation of the local population through income from timber production and to increase biodiversity (FC module objective), thus contributing to improving livelihoods and preserving biodiversity (DC program objective).