The Humbo Assisted Natural Regeneration Project was developed by World Vision in partnership with the World Bank to restore 2,728 hectares of natural forest in the vicinity of the town of Humbo in southwestern Ethiopia. It is not only Ethiopia’s first Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project, but also Africa’s first large-scale afforestation/reforestation (A/R) project registered under the UNFCCC. It is expected to sequester over 880,000 metric tonnes of CO2e over 30 years.
The project, which has been under implementation since 2007, is located on the edge of the Rift Valley, one of the most significant natural features of East Africa. The community-owned land in the project area has been overgrazed and cleared for fuelwood use. This area is also subject to severe erosion and flooding. The effect of this is intensified by the high altitude and rainfall level.
In order to restore degraded natural forest, communities have established seven forest cooperatives with legal ownership of the community land. Each cooperative is composed of locals, including both men and women, as well as representatives from World Vision and the Ethiopian Forestry Department. The seven cooperatives are responsible for managing the land and for conducting income generating activities for the local population.
The project is the first of its kind in Ethiopia in that it has employed farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) techniques. The FMNR technique enables rural communities to assist re-sprouting of native species by identifying, selecting, and pruning existing tree and shrub root stocks in the soil. This technique has been developed in Niger for over 20 years and is now implemented in over 2 million hectares in Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso. In areas devoid of tree cover, existing vegetation will be enriched by endemic species, including Acacia spp., Aningeria adolfifericii, Podocarpus facutus, Olea africana, and Cordia Africana..
The project will provide numerous economic benefits to the local communities. It will generate 338,000 tonnes worth of carbon credits (by 2017), of which the World Bank’s BioCarbonFund will purchase 165,000 CO2e. This will provide an income stream of more than US$ 700,000 to the local communities over 10 years. In addition, the communities will have the option of selling the remaining carbon credits as well as timber products from designated woodlots in the project area for additional revenue . These revenue streams will be invested in local infrastructure and food security activities as per the needs of entire community.
The project will also bring environmental -benefits to this area. The regeneration of the native forest is expected to provide an important habitat for many local species and to enrich local biodiversity. Major environmental benefits will stem from the reduction of soil erosion and flooding. In particular, sediment runoff currently threatening the fragile ecosystem of Lake Abaya - located 30 km downstream from the project site - should be reduced. In the meantime, the restored forest would also contribute to protecting springs and streams originating in the project area. Based on its previous experience working with local communities in similar projects, World Vision has been successful in preventing leakage in terms of carbon sequestration - where collection of fuelwood would simply move to another forest - to ensure the permanence of the regenerated forest.
With financing provided by World Vision Australia the project is jointly implemented by World Vision Ethiopia and Australia, the Ethiopian Agriculture, Rural Development & Forestry Coordination Office, and the forest cooperatives. World Vision offers the project substantial experience in community capacity building, and in restoring and protecting forests with full community participation in other areas of Ethiopia and other countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
Highlights:
