Opportunities and Challenges of Forest Development in Ethiopia

Abstract

Forests are essential for life on earth. They are not really simply the green cover; we require beautifying the earth. This research review aimed to overview the forest development opportunities and the challenges for forest development in Ethiopia. Published documents, reports from governments and non-governmental organizations on collective forest management were found via keyword searches in relevant literature data banks were used as data source materials. The global forest is declining at a rate of 13 million ha in each year. Tropical forest decline is particularly severe in Africa, Brazil and Indonesia. For example, Africa has lost around 3.4 million ha per year between 2000 and 2010. Ethiopia is thought to be losing 140,000 ha per year. Deforestation, which is occurring at an alarming rate, is one of such problems and a key factor challenging forest development. Deforestation, agricultural expansion and lack of strong coordinating forestry institutions are some of the challenges for forest development in Ethiopia. The causes of deforestation and forest degradation are dynamics, complex, and vary from place to place. There are several reasons for the depletion of forest resources, the following are considered major: Increases in population and consequent increases in the demand for agricultural land, settlements around forest areas, encroachments, forest fires, ranges of political, cultural, and socio-economic factors. Technical advances in energy efficiency are critical for developing countries like Ethiopia whose populations depend primarily on biomass fuels and Reduce demand for fuelwood via the dissemination and usage of fuel-efficient stoves and/or alternative-fuel cooking and the collaboration of researchers, educators, and developmental extensions are needed to rehabilitate the degraded forest land.