Forest Conservation in Ethiopia

​As part of the forthcoming REF submission, an independent evaluation by two experts, one international and one national, was commissioned to review Huddersfield Business School's action research in support of forest conservation in Ethiopia. The review team reported many successes, as well as confirming some of the challenges that still remain.

HBS and its partner organisation (Ethio-Wetlands Natural Resources Association) have developed a devolved form of Community Forest Management that is being employed over an area of 400,000ha, twice the size of West Yorkshire. The reviewers identified several lessons from this approach which they consider worthy of dissemination in Ethiopia and beyond. These include an approach which has led to 'massive awareness raising of forest-based knowledge [that has been developed] with communities as well as woreda (government) officials', and the use of 'community forest land holding certificates'. These are both seen as 'best practice to share widely'. Furthermore, the team confirm that the work to date is 'preventing forest land use changes in the region [in the face of] huge pressure'.

As part of the evaluation, the reviewers interviewed government staff and forest dwelling communities. In terms of sustainability they noted that the approach is contributing to 'improvements of local governance through grassroots actions' as well as recording lots of high scores and positive comments from government partners. They also noted that the team had shown 'creativity and [taken] bold decisions while working within a complex set of stakeholders and landscapes'.

I am delighted that the review team has been able to report such major contributions to forest management in Ethiopia. While there remain some challenges upon which we must now focus, this review is testament to the value of our action research and the hard work of the whole team in Ethiopia and Huddersfield."

Professor Adrian Wood, Principal Investigator

Confirming the positive opinions of HBS and its partner organisation, the review team went on to make several suggestions to help build on the successes to date. These include continued capacity building for government, further engagement with private sector organisations, and scientific research into the management of sustainable timber harvesting to complement the value chains already being developed in coffee, honey and spices. Research suggests that this sort of holistic approach to sustainable forest management is the best way to ensure year-round income for communities, thereby securing the long- term future of these globally important forests.