ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's first phase of the REDD+ investment program, aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, has recorded encouraging successes.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a global initiative that encourages countries to reduce emissions through conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Ethiopia's REDD+ Investment Program (RIP) has been primarily focused on regions with the highest potential for emission reduction through various forest management and reforestation initiatives.
Over the past five years, Ethiopia has implemented the first phase of the program with the goal of decreasing deforestation and enhancing afforestation. Following the completion of this phase, the second phase of the REDD+ Investment Program was launched this month, set to continue until 2026 with funding of 25 million USD from the Norwegian government.
Yitebitu Moges, National REDD+ Coordinator at the Ethiopian Forestry Development, shared in an interview with ENA that Ethiopia has made significant progress in conservation, restoration, and overall environmental rehabilitation and protection. The program has involved communities in forest protection, supporting over 100,000 individuals in forestry restoration activities.
Moges highlighted the substantial reduction in deforestation rates in Ethiopia as a key achievement of the program. This success has also translated into financial gains through emission reduction-carbon trading, expected to bring considerable revenue to the country.
The program has been supported by Norway and the USA, with efforts underway to attract additional development partners, including potential involvement from Sweden and Denmark.
The second phase of the REDD+ Investment Program aims to further contribute to Ethiopia’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets, focusing on emission reduction, increased forest cover, and enhanced GDP. Expected outcomes include improved livelihoods, technological capacity development, continued conservation and restoration of forests, and broader environmental rehabilitation and protection.
Ethiopia's commitment to its forest sector is evident in its significant contribution to the country's long-term development goals and international commitments. The nation's forest coverage has notably increased to over 17 percent, largely due to the Green Legacy Initiative, under which 32.5 billion seedlings have been planted in the last five years.
Forestry forms one of the four pillars of Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy, which targets a 50 percent reduction in national emissions by 2030. The national REDD+ program is a key component of this strategy and a major instrument for achieving emission reduction in the forest sector.
During the launch of the second phase of the REDD+ program, Agriculture Minister Girma Amente emphasized the critical role forests play in providing food, wood, fodder, medicinal plants, regulating climate, controlling floods, preventing soil erosion, and reducing dam sedimentation.