Future Forest

People in northern Ethiopia are living on the frontline of the climate crisis where temperatures are rising and land is becoming infertile. Ethiopia's Metema forest is in the last green belt before the start of the desert. But the climate crisis and deforestation has taken hold, and without action it could be extinct in 20 years.

Thanks to our supporters and match funding from the UK government, the Future Forest project worked with communities to protect their forest and tackle effects of the climate crisis.

3,083

people supported

116,000

indigenous tree seedlings
raised and planted

1,211

trained in sustainable
land management practices

Why this project matters

In northern Ethiopia, temperatures are rising, trees are disappearing, land is becoming infertile and the desert is spreading. The Metema forest in Ethiopia is in the last green belt before the start of the desert. Without action, it will be on the brink of extinction in just 20 years.

The climate crisis, high rates of tree felling and unsustainable tapping for frankincense, is stopping the frankincense forest from regenerating. This will have a devastating impact on communities who rely on the forest for food and income. There will be no buffer between them and the encroaching desert.

Our Aims

With tools and training, the local community in Metema can learn ways to harvest frankincense sustainably while protecting their forest and bringing it back from the brink. This means that the communities and the forest can thrive, together.

All of this work will also contribute to the Great Green Wall to stop the encroaching desert and create sustainable incomes for people living in poverty. The Great Green Wall movement will re-green and restore land across Africa, bringing degraded landscapes back to life.

Why frankincense?

The Metema forest is particularly special because of its frankincense trees which are a lifeline for local communities. In this part of Ethiopia, they provide up to 30% of household income for the families who sell their resin which is used as incense and in essential oils around the world.

While frankincense trees can provide a vital source of income, unsustainable practices used to extract the resin, are putting their future at risk. That’s why, through this project we are supporting communities with the tools and training they need to sustainably use frankincense trees and protect them for the future.

You are supporting an activity that will have a generational impact on people and the environment. Degradation will be reduced and our ecosystem will be conserved.

Derese, Metema

Read Derese's story