This document reviews forest resource conservation and development strategies in Ethiopia. It finds that Ethiopia's forest coverage has rapidly declined from 40% in 1900 to less than 3% currently due to deforestation, degradation, and lack of effective protection policies. While some literature suggests coverage increased to 9% by 2000, this claim is unverified. The document calls for more action and implementation of conservation strategies, rather than just discussing challenges in documents. It emphasizes the need for clear definitions, cross-sector collaboration, community participation, and long-term commitment to successfully protect and restore Ethiopia's remaining forests.

1. DEBRE MARKOS UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
REVIEW ON FOREST RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
BY ID
1. ZEBRHE GEBREHIWET AGR/2575/08
2. ENATNESH MENGIE AGR/2546/08
3. BRHANIT NIGUSEY AGR/2535/08
Advisor; Addisu.Wolde
JAN, 2018
DMU, ETHIOPIA

2.  Globally, the extent of the world’s forest continuously decline.
 In 1990 the world had 4128 million hectares of forest; by 2015 this
area had decreased to 3999 million hectares. (FAO,2015)
 Deforestation and forest degradation are still rampant in many parts
of Africa,
 notably in West and East Africa in the last decade declines from 4.1
million ha/y (0.56%) in the 1990-2000 period and 3.4 million
(0.49%) in the 2000-2010 decade. (Dr. Björn Lundgren, 2013:7).

3. Cont….
 Ethiopia is known for high wild plant diversity. (EEPA, Dec
2011).
 But Ethiopians are facing rapid deforestation and land
degradation (Amogne Asfaw Eshetu, Nev 2013).
 There has been a rapid decreasing percentage of the forest cover
of the country from 40% in 1900 to 16% in 1954, 8% in 1961,
4% in 1975, 3.2% in 1980 and now it is estimated to be less
than 3%. (Amogne Asfaw Eshetu, Nev 2013).

4. Cont….
 According Ethiopia news agency (July 14, 2010),forest coverage
of Ethiopia has increased from 3% in 2000 to 9% due to the
afforestation campaign.(but this data could not be validated with
published government sources).
 It is an established fact that forests play a key role in maintaining
a balanced ecosystem.
 In countries like Ethiopia where the majority of the people are
living in rural area, forest means everything. It could be said that
no forest-no life (tesfaye erpasa, November, 2010).

5. Cont…. The FAO broadly sees a strong link between forests and two of
the goals:
1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and
2) ensuring environmental sustainability (FAO 2005).
 According (tesfaye erepsa, 2010) Forest resource management
in Ethiopia has been in the hands of the public sector.
 The result has been uncontrolled deforestation of the natural
forest, encroachment by farmers and desertification.

6. Statement of the problem
 Different reviews have been conducted in different parts of
Ethiopia and elsewhere in the world; nevertheless they are not
enough to more and not found in action rather in document.
 And so, this seminar reviewing to provided necessary
information and initiating other work to be done in action more
about the correcting and implementing strategy on Society
attitude towards forest resources degradation and conservation
practice.

7. Objective
 To review forest resource conservation and development
strategy.
 To indicate the gap for the initiation of researcher.
 To draw conclusion based on these review.

8. 2. Review on forest resource conservation and strategy
development
2.1 Conceptual Definitions
forest
 The definition of forest is still ambiguous. According to FAO
(2010) forest is defined as “land with a tree crown cover of
more than 10 % and an area of more than 0.5 ha; the trees
should be able to reach a minimum height of 5 m at maturity.
”UNFCCC (2006) also defined forest as a minimum land area
of 0.05–1 ha, with tree crown cover more than 10–30 % and
tree height of 2–5 m at maturity.

9. Cont…
 Deforestation
Deforestation is the process of removing trees.
or it is also referred to as the change of forested lands to non
forest lands, with a depletion of tree cover to less than 10 %
(McGraw Hill, 2003).
 Reforestation
Reforestation is defined as the natural or intentional restocking
of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted,
usually through deforestation (McGraw-Hill, 2003).

10. Afforestation

is the establishment of a new forest by seeding or planting on
non-forested land (McGraw-Hill, 2003).
Figure1. Relationships between forest change terms. Source:
FRA 2000

11. 2.2 Management and Rehabilitation of Natural Forests
There is potential for certain types of degraded land to be
restored into sustainable forest and to produce renewable
energy, if implemented under careful management. (CIFOR,
2017: 87).
 Conservation and management of forest resources have become
much more complex and the traditional systems and approaches
have become increasingly ineffective. (Militon, 1991: 191).

12. Figure: 2 Framework community based management ,(source
Fabricius. et al (2004))

13. Improved strategies are needed to increase the efficiency and
sustainability production from forests and restore degraded land.
(CIFOR,2017: 84 p)
Forests are part of a nation’s heritage and resource endowment. It
is the right of individual and state to make use of the forest
recourses. (Militon, 1991:15).
However “success in reversing deforestation will depend on
political leadership and appropriate policy to support community
level initiatives. (WRI, 2006:14).

14. Cont….
 According Baid’s judgment, too many of the existing forest
policies consist of “Pious aspirations,” rather than being asset
of specific targets linked to declared social objectives
accompanied by detailed programs.
forestry policy reforms are coming from a variety of sources:
 rural people seeking to protect or enhance their benefits from the forest;
of life;
 provincials forestry departments seeking greater authority in forest
management,
 environmental NGOs hoping to halt continuing destruction of
biologically. (Ntia Moa-Baid, et al, 2000)

15. Cont….
2.2.2. Institutional Building for Forest Sector
Development
The best national and international intentions and
principles of a coherent forestry policy cannot be
implemented without appropriate national institutions.
(Militon, 1991:1992).
Institutions consist of an organizational framework,
corresponding technical infrastructure and above all of
human beings. (tesfay erapsa, 2001).

16. Cont….
2.2.3 Intersection Policy Linkage
Some policies and practices in agriculture, energy and
other sectors lead to forest destruction.
 Many of the solution to deforestation must come from
outside the forestry sector (WRI, 2006: 14).
Attempts to integrate inter-sectoral considerations into
policy design for greater efficiency and effectiveness is
still comparatively weak. (tesfay erapsa, 2001).

17. Cont….
2.3 Benchmarks for the assessment forest resource
conservation
FAO identified the following basic principles of NFPs and
these basic standards are used as a benchmark in assessment of
forest policy.
1. Policy and institutional reform and capacity building
2. Holistic and inter sectoral approaches
3. Partnership and participation

18. Cont….
4. Integration with country’s sustainable development strategies
5. Secure land tenure arrangement.
6. Establishment of effective coordination mechanism and
conflict resolution schemes
7. Recognition and respect for traditional and customary right of
indigenous groups, local communities, forest dwellers and
forest owners.
8. Environmental awareness and education
9. Sustainability and sufficiency of the strategy

19. CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY
 Most literatures agreed that forest resources are decline over
time.
 As the result of programs and policies in the past and current
mainly fail, Poor integration among different sectors, increased
number of population, agricultural land expansion, poverty,
lack of skilled personnel and material needed to manage the
forest and lack of political commitment.
 Due to these factors soil erosion is severing, quality and
quantity of water supply is deteriorating from time to time.
 In general Forest product supply is getting diminishing where
as the demand is ascending.

20. Cont…
 However, the attention given to the forest conservation and
development is surprisingly very low.
 So that, the continued depletion of the forest resource needs
responsible body who can design adequate and appropriate
development conservation strategy,
 strategy is not only enough, but needs long-term commitment
in the implementation of the prepared strategy.
 For the successful implementation of the strategy, Law
enforcement, existence of stable, well-structured organization
is essential.

21.  More literatures have been done however, they are simply
document not found in ground of implementation, So should
address this gap by initiating work to be done in action and
better more than preparing document.
 There are arguments on forest coverage of Ethiopia from 2000
E.C up to now. So this should be verified and announced to the
public.

22. Cont…
 There are biases on the definition of forest and this lead to
absence of conservation for the small forest areas.
 so we suggest that there is a need for a clear definition on the
forest, without this clear definition, the success or failure of
forest resource conservation cannot be analyzed.
 Studies should to aware and consider all the small forest area
within the conservation strategy and there should study on such
ambiguous more better.

23. Cont…
 The education centers come up with more up to dating the old
literatures on moderating new strategies and creation
awareness, introducing moderated technology and action to
implement forest resource conservation strategy and
development plan and reviewing to public.