In early 2020, TBI began to work with PENHA to assess key gaps related to dryland restoration and dry forest management in Ethiopia, identifying the ‘Top 20’ challenges hampering the scaling up of successes. PENHA was contracted as interim partner in October 2020 to coordinate the initiation of a three-year programme (2021- 23) as the basis for further work.
These activities are part of the Working Landscapes programme, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, focusing on the roles and contributions of forests and trees to building climate-smart landscapes, improved livelihoods and environmental integrity. Activities are viewed under a lens of climate change mitigation and adaptation, to support the achievement of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In Ethiopia, the initial focus will be on dryland restoration and the sustainable management of dry forests. At the outset, we are looking to build relationships with individuals and organizations that share a common vision, mission, focus and approach, with a view to knowledge-sharing and potential future partnerships.
Tropenbos International addresses complex questions regarding the sustainable management of forests and trees, by collecting and analysing knowledge and organizing stakeholder interactions as a neutral intermediary. TBI is a network of independent member organizations in more than ten countries with a mission to improve the governance and management of tropical forests for the benefit of people, biodiversity and sustainable development. TBI was established in 1986 and is registered in the Netherlands.
PENHA is a regional NGO, combining grassroots project implementation with research and policy analysis, focusing on rangelands and dry forests, governance and gender. The team working with TBI is led by Mitiku Haile, Professor at Mekelle University and PENHA Senior Advisor, alongside Amsale Shibeshi, Regional Programmes Coordinator, and John Livingstone, Regional Policy Officer. PENHA was established in 1981 by concerned professionals from Horn countries and is registered in the UK.
John Livingstone and Amsale Shibeshi, with Senior Adviser Prof. Mitiku Haile of Mekelle University, conducted an analytical review for Tropenbos International on landscape restoration in the Tigray region – Landscape restoration in Ethiopia’s drylands: the national context, with a focus on Tigray. The report, based on a literature review and consultations in Tigray, stressed the need to make landscapes more productive, so that conservation works for local people. It also covered Covid-19 impacts and the role of social networks in the response.
For further information
-Amsale Shibeshi, Regional Programmes Coordinator, PENHA, Somaliland/Ethiopia (ashibeshi@hotmail.com, +251 93 0800881, +252 63 4416203 for Whatsapp)
-Nick Pasiecznik, Coordinator – Dryland restoration, Tropenbos International, the Netherlands (nick.pasiecznik@tropenbos.org)
TBI/PENHA, October 2020
For the info document in pdf please click here.
