In Ethiopia local governments, the private sector and development actors have joined hands in replanting Ethiopia's once vast forests. The initiative is called Greening Ethiopia, and calls for focused efforts to conserve natural resources and reforesting as a response to the impacts of climate change which are becoming increasingly visible in the country. Among the pledges, Ethiopian Airlines stands out with their promise to plant one tree for each passenger.
LWF Ethiopia program has joined the movement, and has set an ambiguous target for 2010. Half a million trees shall be raised and transplanted in the different projects areas during the year. That implies some 100,000 trees in each project, almost double the normal annual target.
Ethiopia has seen a dramatic deforestation during the past decades. Over 90% of all energy consumption comes from biomass, and every year around one percent of the country's remaining forests are turned into charcoal and houses, or just burned to make room for the ever increasing need for more farmland.
