Nature Conservation and Sustainable Landscape Governance in Ethiopia

About this project

Ethiopia hosts some of Africa¿s most biodiversity-rich landscapes, crucial, among other things, for climate regulation, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem services. However, deforestation, habitat loss, and land degradation, driven by weak governance, unregulated land use and population growth and conflict, are threatening the wellbeing of its natural heritage. The country¿s policy framework prioritizes biodiversity conservation and climate resilience through initiatives such as the Climate-Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) Strategy, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), aligning with EU strategies, like the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and NaturAfrica Programme. Ethiopia is also engaged in the implementation of African Union¿s Great Green Wall Initiative to combat desertification.The Action focuses on three conflict-affected landscapes in Northern Ethiopia: Simien Mountains, Desa¿a Forest, and Hallaideghe Plain, spanning Afar, Tigray, and Amhara regions. These landscapes are indicative and selected for their exceptionally rich biodiversity potential, critical role in water regulation and carbon storage, and their vulnerability to climate change, worsened by land use conflict, leading to encroachment, deforestation, overgrazing and land degradation. The Simien Mountains have lost 35,000 hectares of forest over the past two decades, facing severe soil erosion and climate-induced degradation, though initiati…

Goals

Sustainable Development Goals this project works towards

• 5Gender Equality
• 15Life on Land

Published by

European Commission - Directorate-General for International Partnerships · Other public sector

Countries

Ethiopia

Sectors

Environmental policy and administrative managementForestry developmentAgricultural development

Focus

Biodiversity · Main focusGender equality · Also contributesEnvironment · Main focusGood governance · Also contributesClimate mitigation · Main focusClimate adaptation · Main focusDesertification · Also contributesDisaster risk reduction · Also contributesDisability inclusion · Also contributes

Published by European Commission - Directorate-General for International Partnerships to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), last updated 29 Sept 2026 and imported automatically. IATI identifier: XI-IATI-EC_INTPA-2021-ACT-63086.

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