By George Clarke | Marketing Director
Thank you for standing with communities along the Great Green Wall this quarter. Your support through GlobalGiving continues to drive forest restoration, protect biodiversity and strengthen livelihoods in some of Ethiopia’s most climate-vulnerable landscapes.
Across the northern highlands, prolonged dry seasons and increasing pressure on natural resources remain daily challenges. Yet, thanks to community leadership and sustained local presence, progress continues on the ground.
Desa’a Forest Restoration Project
At the western edge of the Great Green Wall, the Desa’a Forest remains one of the last strongholds of dry Afromontane forest in northern Ethiopia. This quarter, the focus was firmly on protection, recovery and community stewardship.
Forest guards, recruited locally and trained through the project, carried out regular patrols across priority forest zones. Their presence continues to reduce illegal grazing and wood harvesting, allowing naturally regenerating trees to recover. In previously restored areas, maintenance and enrichment activities helped young seedlings survive under harsh, dry conditions.
Alongside forest protection, households engaged in forest-friendly livelihoods such as beekeeping and sustainable fodder production received ongoing technical support. These activities provide essential income while reducing reliance on forest resources, particularly during periods of crop failure linked to erratic rainfall.
As one community member shared during a recent field visit, protecting the forest is now closely linked to protecting future water sources and grazing land for their children. In the coming quarter, the team will prepare for the next planting season and work with local authorities to strengthen long-term governance of this critical forest landscape.
Gewocha Forest Landscape Restoration Project
In the Gewocha watershed, restoration is taking place at a landscape scale, where degraded hillsides, farmland and waterways are deeply interconnected.
This quarter, community members played a leading role in constructing and maintaining soil and water conservation structures, including stone bunds, terraces and check dams. These structures slow water runoff during heavy rains, reduce erosion and help recharge groundwater, benefits already being observed by farmers downstream.
Local nurseries continued producing native tree seedlings adapted to the highland environment, ensuring readiness for the upcoming planting season. Previously restored sites were monitored and maintained, with community members reporting improved soil moisture and reduced land degradation around restored plots.
Training sessions focused on sustainable land management and climate-resilient farming practices, helping farmers better cope with increasingly unpredictable seasons. These efforts are strengthening the link between forest restoration and food security, demonstrating how healthy landscapes underpin resilient livelihoods.
Next quarter, restoration will expand into additional micro-watersheds, further scaling the impact across the Gewocha landscape.
Wof Washa Forest Restoration Project
High in Ethiopia’s central highlands, Wof Washa Forest is one of the country’s oldest protected forests and a vital source of water for surrounding communities.
During this reporting period, project teams concentrated on safeguarding forest edges and supporting assisted natural regeneration in degraded areas. Regular patrols and community monitoring helped reduce encroachment, while regeneration activities allowed native vegetation to recover naturally where conditions permit.
Community engagement remained at the heart of the work. Households participating in restoration activities received training on sustainable resource management and agroforestry practices, helping balance conservation with livelihood needs. These approaches are reducing pressure on the forest while improving household resilience.
Early ecological observations point to improving vegetation structure in restored zones, reinforcing the forest’s role in regulating water flows and buffering communities against climate extremes. In the months ahead, restoration will extend further into surrounding landscapes, strengthening connections between conservation, water security and livelihoods.
Thank you for making this possible
Your support through GlobalGiving is helping communities along the Great Green Wall restore forests that provide water, food and climate resilience. Together, we are rebuilding landscapes that can sustain both people and nature in the face of a changing climate.
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