Ethiopia is on a good track to restore 30 percent of its about 54 percent degraded lands by 2030, according to the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute.
Biodiversity Institute Director-General, Melese Mario told ENA that the restoration of degraded areas aligns with the second target of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Target 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reads: “Ensure that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine ecosystems are under effective restoration, in order to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity and connectivity.”
According to the director general, the Green Legacy Initiative is one of the initiatives Ethiopia has been carrying out to ensure the restoration of the degraded areas across the country.
“The major focus in the case of Ethiopia is restoration of degraded areas because the second target of CBD requires every party to CBD to restore 30 percent of the total degraded land until 2030,” he elaborated.
Given the successful seedlings plantation on degraded areas of the country, Melese believes that Ethiopia will achieve the restoration of 30 percent of its degraded area by 2030.
“We are on good track of the restoration aspect because we are already on good track of planting trees on the degraded areas, degraded mountainous areas, degraded range lands and things like that. So I think we will achieve this target.”
The planting of endemic and indigenous tree seedlings is given priority to suit the environment under the Green Legacy Initiative, it was learned.
“This (Green Legacy Initiative) is very crucial for us, meaning restoring by planting trees. The trees are not the usual exotic ones. Most importantly, the focus is on the endemic and indigenous ones. The indigenous ones are those most adaptable to the environment.”
The indigenous trees are also mostly harmonious with the indigenous animals living in the areas, the director-general added.
According to him, the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute has been encouraging and promoting planting of indigenous saplings in the upcoming rainy season.
The institute is striving towards acting upon all the 23 CBD targets aligning with national strategy and action plan so that the country can contribute its share to the global framework.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency