Community members participated in the first workshop, Metema, Amhara Regional State, from 17th to 19th, 2017.

19 July 2017, Ethiopia - FAO’s Action Against Desertification project in Ethiopia in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), organized a series of trainings on natural resources management and the use of Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in a bid to enhance capacities in dryland restoration work.

The first three training workshops, held in the Afar, Amhara and Tigray Regional States from 17^th to 29^th, June 2017, addressed the knowledge and skill gaps in decision-making and planning in natural resources management of over 150 local community members, drawn from selected watersheds in each of the three project intervention regions.

These training workshops discussed issues such as challenges of environmental degradation, types and values of environmental services, the link between economic development and natural resources, policies and strategies related to national resources management, conflict management, the roles of various actors on the formulation and enforcement of governance as well as on developing, managing and monitoring national resources management projects.

Similarly, over sixty participants from government, research institutions, universities, the private sector and civil society organizations took part in a national workshop held on the 17^th and 18^th July in Adama Town, on the sustainable management and utilization of NTFPs for enhanced livelihoods and restoration of degraded drylands.

The objective of the national workshop, organised by AAD Ethiopia in collaboration with MoEFCC from 17^th to 18^th, 2017 in Adama Town, was to promote knowledge and experience sharing among key stakeholders involved in the conservation, production and marketing of NTFPs.

Teshome Tamirat, Director General at MoEFCC, noted that one of the major constraints to the sustainable management of dryland forests and their tree species in Ethiopia has been the lack of awareness and adequate technical knowledge on the sustainable production, use and marketing of these products. He said: “There is a need to raise the awareness of the various stakeholders, including the pastoral and semi-pastoral communities, whose livelihoods are strongly dependent on these products, towards developing adequate capacities in managing national resources in drylands”.

Francois Tapsoba, AAD’s Regional Technical Adviser for Africa, on behalf of Amadou Allahoury, FAO Representative to Ethiopia, highlighted the significance of NTFPs in improving the livelihoods of local communities in the dryland areas, while they serve to keep the ecosystem healthy. Tapsoba further noted that dryland ecosystems are rich sources of flora and fauna biodiversity that are already adapted to harsh environments. Preservation of this biodiversity would be essential for confronting the risks of unpredictable weather patterns, droughts and floods and, more importantly, to provide the local communities with viable livelihoods, which are key to their survival.

The workshop discussed 10 research papers addressing various issues of NTFPs. The papers would be published and disseminated to pertinent government and non-government institutions.

BACKGROUND:

As part of the Pan-African Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI), Action Against Desertification (AAD) in Ethiopia focuses on the three woredas (Districts) of Metema, Raya-Azebo and Gollina of the Amhara, Tigray and Afar Regions, and intends to restore over 1500 hectares of dry and semi-drylands. AAD’s activities in Ethiopia are complementary to government-led actions to combat land degradation and desertification, and contribute to the National Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy. It also contributes to Ethiopia’s Bonn Challenge Commitment on the restoration of 15 million hectares of degraded lands. To realise these goals, AAD in Ethiopia engages in a number of national resources management activities, as well as in the exchange of knowledge and best practices among key partners.

For more information, please contact:

•   Yigremachew Seyoum, National Project Coordinator, FAO Ethiopia, [email protected], Tel. +251911435846

•   Abebe Demissie, FAO SFE/AAD Comm. Consultant: [email protected],
Tel. +251 116 478888, Ext. 214