Started in 2016, the EthioTrees organization, founded by members of UGent’s Geography Department and six communities in north Ethiopia, is committed to accelerate positive environmental change.
By 2018, more than 10,000 tons of CO2 equivalent were trapped from the atmosphere into 726 hectare of reforested community areas; it serves the local communities and climate mitigation. In compensation, over 30,000 euro of carbon credits were obtained in the first year. This will be repeated over the next 20 years. The climate funds are used to finance ecosystem rehabilitation, and for investments in drinking water and educational facilities, as well as in the development of micro-economies based on forest products such as honey and incense.
By so doing smallholder farmers are not the cause of environmental degradation, but can be the key to a sustainable future.
See also: http://www.planvivo.org/project-network/ethiotrees-tembien-highlands/
Documentary film (5’) about EthioTrees can be downloaded here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4wn2lazsgoj4p16/AABhqCh7tfrFxVipLVka0oMwa?dl=0
Contacts:
Prof. Sil Lanckriet, guest professor, Department of Geography, UGent. Sil.lanckriet@ugent.be