Community woodlots encouraged in Tigray, Ethiopia since 1991 have had dramatic impact (Reij and Steeds 2003).

Eucalyptus trees were planted and cared for by local village groupings (tabias). A typical tabia manages about 70 hectares of woodlot, supporting wood worth about $90,000.

An ex-ante impact analysis foresees an impressive 20% annual return on investment from eucalyptus planting (Jagger and Pender 2003).

Return to "Dryland success stories"

 

References

Jagger, P. and Pender, J. 2003. The role of trees for sustainable management of less-favored lands: the case of eucalyptus in Ethiopia. Forest Policy and Economics 5:83-95.

Reij, C. and Steeds, D. 2003. Success stories in Africa's drylands: supporting advocates and answering skeptics. Rome: Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.