Dedicated, naturally.
ETHIOPIA: SODO REFORESTATION PROJECT
Getting to the root of deforestation
Strengthening subsistence farmers
Key Facts
The Sodo reforestation project is located near Mount Damota in the southern highlands of Ethiopia.
Once covered in thick forest, Mount Damota is an essential source of water for the surrounding
districts. But in recent decades, and in a drive to extend arable land in this particularly poor region,
its slopes have been degraded to a large extent. The lack of forest cover caused both an increase in
the occurrence of droughts and increased damage to farm land during flooding events. Since 2006,
five nursery sites have been established and more than 750,000 trees have been planted to restore
the ecosystem functions of Mount Damota.
Building capacity in the area of sustainable forest management is an essential and lasting positive
impact of this initiative. But getting to the root of deforestation is just as important. Most farmers
work hard for mere subsistence and any disruptive event affecting their land like floods or mudslides is a major setback in their struggle to escape poverty. With the support of project coordinator
World Vision and in close cooperation with five local cooperatives, rural communities explore new
ways to increase food security and to strengthen the most vulnerable community members. As
an example, the cooperative provides families with an ox or sheep for fattening. The profit from
selling the animal after repaying the cooperative can easily exceed the local per capita income in
a year. Another success story is the production of apple tree seedlings in the nurseries used for
the afforestation measures to diversify food production and to generate new income streams from
agroforestry.
By promoting the restoration of ecosystems while strengthening food security and resilience against
extreme weather events the Sodo project can serve as a role model for the whole of Ethiopia, where
population pressure has reduced forest cover to less than 3%.
SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS
This project contributes to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals
1
ERADICATE EXTREME
PROVERTY AND HUNGER
6
The project has created more than 100 new and permanent jobs in the tree nurseries. Training employees and locals in sustainable forestry and land-use is another
key element. Part of the project revenues is invested into regional programs on
education, health and environmental protection.
ENSURE
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
Project type:
Afforestation / Reforestation
Project standard:
Gold Standard
Total emission reductions:
> > 127.000
Project partner:
Forest Finance
Validator:
Rainforest Alliance
Verifier:
Rainforest Alliance
Africa
The plantations help to restore the native ecosystem through reforestation,
providing a natural habitat for indigenous plants and animals. Reforestation
also improves local soil and water quality by avoiding soil degradation and
reducing erosion.
t CO2 e p.a. < <
Project start date:
October 2006
The nursery is put to the secondary use of growing seedlings for vegetables and
medicinal plants, helping to improve local nutrition and health conditions
COMBAT HIV/AIDS,
MALARIA AND OTHER
DISEASES
7
Location:
Sodo, Ethiopia
Sodo,
Ethiopia
Dedicated, naturally.
ETHIOPIA: SODO REFORESTATION PROJECT
Technology brief - how it works
The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide by growing trees is generally known as biosequestration. Photosynthesis, one of the most basic and essential mechanisms on earth, converts carbon
dioxide into various types of biomass using water and energy from sunlight. Oxygen is released as a byproduct which forms the basis for many other forms of life. The carbon eventually will be released again
once the biomass decays. Yet, planting trees is an effective way to remove carbon from the atmosphere
for several decades. Natural occurrences like bush fi res can reverse this effect in an instant. This is why
sustainable forest management practices include measures against a premature loss of biomass. On top
of this, all forestry carbon standards imply a safety buffer of emission reductions that are not sold in
order to make up for any unforeseen occurrences.
Today, intentional clearing is a much bigger threat to forests and global climate. Releasing carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere is just the instant consequence. But each clearance is also an inroad for
further human activity. Tropical forests in particular are a very delicate and well-balanced ecological
system. Recovery after a severe disturbance of this balance can take decades, if the original state is
being achieved at all.
The UN Millennium Development Goals
The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty rates
to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of
2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development
institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest.
Explore the efforts of the UN and its partners for building a better world here:
www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
Dedicated, naturally.
ETHIOPIA: SODO REFORESTATION PROJECT
Facts & Figures
Reforestation Area
500 ha
100 (permanent)
Jobs created
5,000 (temporary)
Trees Planted:
755,000
Dedicated, naturally.
ETHIOPIA: SODO REFORESTATION PROJECT
Facts & Figures
Apple tree seedlings produced:
13,000
Value of apple rootstock:
28,000 USD
Profit from selling an ox:
Price to buy a calf:
50 USD
First Climate Markets AG
Industriestr. 10
61118 Bad Vilbel - Frankfurt/Main
Germany
Phone: +49 6101 556 58 0
E-Mail: [email protected]
70 USD
For more information on other
projects in our portfolio please
visit our website:
www.firstclimate-climateneutral.com