The Government of Norway has committed NOK 51 million for supporting the implementation of the Forest Landscape Restoration Programme until 2020. NFG will implement the programme in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Ethiopia, authorities of the Amhara Region and other local and international partners.
The Amhara Region is located in the north western and north central part of Ethiopia. An expected 1.9 to 3.5 billion tonnes of fertile topsoil is washed away annually into rivers and lakes, because of deforestation and overgrazing in the region. Studies have revealed that the total area of the region experiences erosion of varying rates. Forest clearing, approximately 20,000 hectares per year, has also contributed to land degradation in the region.
The Forest Landscape Restoration Programme aims to restore and establish a more sustainable and productive use of targeted forest landscapes in the intervention area, and among other things, contribute to strengthen the national capacity in REDD+ (reduced emissions from forest degradation and deforestation). The programme will also contribute towards meeting Ethiopia’s national commitment of restoring 15 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes, as part of the New York Declaration on Forests.