Indigenous Trees given due attention in Green Legacy Initiative

Addis Ababa July 17, 2020 (FBC) – The Ethiopian Biodiversity has given special attention to planting of indigenous tree seedlings in the Green Legacy Initiative.

Director General of the institute, Melesse Maryo stated that indigenous tree seedlings will be planted in every woreda during the next years as part of the Green Legacy initiative that aspires to plant 20 billion seedlings by 2024.

Indigenous trees have paramount significance for the stabilization of the climate and benefit communities more than the exotic ones, the director-general stated.

Melesse said the institute has planted over six hundred thousand indigenous tree saplings a year over the past five years against its plan of 1 million adding it will plant 10 million in the next two and half years.

The institute with close to a dozen branches across the nation has several in situ forest sites, ex situ forest field gene banks, and few botanical gardens to conserve various species, Melesse added.

According to ENA, more than hundred indigenous tree species in Ethiopia are in the red list of extinction.

Ethiopia is among the 20 mega-diverse countries in biodiversity resources in the world as it has over 6,000 plant species.

The country with 15.5 percent forest coverage has pledged to restore 50 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.