Enviro News Asia, Addis Ababa — Ethiopia has launched a new US$9.8 million climate resilience initiative aimed at expanding ecosystem-based adaptation and strengthening vulnerable communities through the country’s Green Legacy Initiative.
The project, titled Scaling up the Green Legacy Initiative Best Practices to Enhance the Climate Resilience of Smallholder Farmers and Vulnerable Groups in Ethiopia, is funded by the Least Developed Countries Fund of the Global Environment Facility and implemented by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The initiative was officially launched in Addis Ababa on 25 May 2026 and is designed to scale up nature-based solutions to help communities cope with worsening climate impacts, including droughts, floods, rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and land degradation.
Margaret Oduk, Head of UNEP’s Addis Ababa Liaison Office, stated that restoration efforts must go beyond tree planting and focus on rebuilding ecosystems that strengthen livelihoods, protect watersheds, improve soil and water systems, and increase resilience to future climate shocks.
The project will be implemented in partnership with the Ethiopian Forestry Development agency, the Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa, the Center for International Forestry Research, regional governments, and local institutions.
Director General of Ethiopian Forestry Development, Kebede Yimam, described the Green Legacy Initiative as more than a restoration campaign, emphasizing its role in creating green jobs, improving food security, empowering women and youth, and strengthening ecosystems across Ethiopia.
According to UNEP, climate change is already affecting millions of Ethiopians, particularly smallholder farmers who rely heavily on rain-fed agriculture. Climate-related impacts are reducing agricultural productivity, worsening food insecurity, and increasing water scarcity across rural communities.
The project will focus on ecosystem-based adaptation in the Oromia, Amhara, and Central Ethiopia regions, covering six districts in the country’s midland and highland areas.
Key targets of the initiative include restoring 18,000 hectares of degraded forest and agricultural land, placing 42,000 hectares of natural forest under climate-resilient sustainable management, and developing 7,200 hectares of climate-resilient plantation forestry and agroforestry systems.
The program will also support 3,000 people through climate-resilient livelihood programs and improved market access while expanding climate information services to strengthen adaptation planning and local decision-making.
UNEP noted that the initiative combines forest restoration, sustainable forest management, livelihood support, and climate services into an integrated landscape approach designed to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and rural poverty simultaneously.
Beyond local impacts, the project is expected to strengthen Ethiopia’s position as a regional leader in ecosystem-based adaptation and support the country’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. (*)
