Ethiopia is stepping up a nationwide effort to restore its shrinking forests, with the government aiming to plant 50 billion trees by 2030 and communities across the country playing a central role in the ambitious reforestation campaign.
The drive, being carried out under the government’s Green Legacy Initiative launched in 2019, comes after decades of forest loss linked to agricultural expansion, commercial logging and the use of charcoal for fuel. The decline in tree cover has contributed to soil degradation, biodiversity loss and pressure on water resources, while leaving communities increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
One example of the campaign’s impact can be seen in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, where 35-year-old Halima Kedir has spent years planting and caring for thousands of trees around her home in Berbere district. Initially, some neighbours mocked her efforts and questioned the value of spending so much time planting trees. But as the landscape around her became greener, attitudes began to change.
Kedir has planted so many trees that she has lost count of the number. Her garden now includes banana, olive and grevillea trees. She regards the seedlings as much more than an environmental project, describing them as part of her family. Drawing on the Oromo tradition of adopting and caring for children, she says she considers the trees like her own children.
Her efforts have continued despite severe water shortages. Kedir sometimes walks for about an hour to collect water to ensure that her young trees survive. Her work has also influenced other members of the community, including neighbours who have begun planting trees after seeing the changes around her property.
The wider national campaign has produced significant increases in Ethiopia’s forest cover, according to figures cited in the report. Between 2013 and 2023, the country’s annual deforestation rate fell from about 92,000 hectares to 27,703 hectares, while forest cover increased from 15.5% to 23.6%. The government says approximately 48 billion trees have been planted through the Green Legacy Initiative over seven years, putting the country on course towards its target of 50 billion by 2030.
However, questions remain about how many of the planted seedlings survive over the long term. A government-backed technical committee reported survival rates of 83.4% for seedlings planted in 2019 and 79% the following year, although researchers have questioned whether such high rates are representative across all planting sites. Studies of tree-planting projects in Ethiopia have found that several schemes achieved survival rates below 50%.
Experts say the survival of seedlings is particularly important in Ethiopia’s dry and climate-vulnerable regions. In Berbere, WaterAid Ethiopia has supported communities by distributing indigenous tree seedlings. Around 55,000 seedlings have reportedly been provided to households and community institutions in the area, with about 85% said to have survived.
Environmental officials and researchers say the reforestation campaign is nevertheless contributing to a broader change in public attitudes towards forests. Yitebitu Moges, who coordinates a deforestation programme linked to the UN Environment Programme in Ethiopia, said the country was shifting from a history of deforestation towards forest restoration. A systematic assessment of seedling survival rates is also under way.
The government has further strengthened its commitment by establishing a special fund for green legacy and landscape restoration. The fund receives between 0.5% and 1% of Ethiopia’s annual federal budget to support the restoration of degraded landscapes.
Environmentalists say the scale of Ethiopia’s programme has brought together government agencies, local communities, universities, civil society groups and development organisations. They argue that the initiative demonstrates how individual citizens can contribute to restoring damaged ecosystems while helping communities cope with climate-related challenges.
Ethiopia, which has a population of more than 130 million, is also preparing to host the UN climate conference COP32 in Addis Ababa in November 2027. As the country seeks to present its environmental efforts on the international stage, community activists such as Kedir say the challenges faced by people on the ground should remain a priority, particularly access to water and the protection and survival of newly planted trees.
