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==The problem of poverty and deforestation in Ethiopia==
==The problem of poverty and deforestation in Ethiopia==


Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and its poverty and land and resource degradation seem to be part and parcel of the same vicious circle. The supreme irony is that Ethiopia is actually a country with a very diverse environment and rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems (the [[wikipedia:en:Ethiopian_Highlands|Ethiopian Highlands]], for example, elevate the country, which lies close the equator, to give an unexpectedly temperate climate, so although it lies in tropical altitudes, its climate varies between cool in the highlands and warm in the lowlands). As a result, its natural resource base is vital to the economy and livelihood of much of the population – probably up to 85%. Thirty-nine percent of the population lives below the poverty line, only 34% of the rural population has access to an adequate water source, and the average life expectancy is a low 59 years (although these figures have been improving in recent years thanks in part to a relatively high GDP growth rate of 7.5%). Agriculture accounts for about 46% percent of GDP, of which forestry plays a part, although some estimates put direct losses of productivity from deforestation and land degradation at at least 3 percent of agriculture GDP.<ref>Berry, L. (2003). Land Degradation in Ethiopia. Its Extent and Impact. FAO</ref> With a population estimated in 2012 at over 84 million<ref>http://data.worldbank.org/country/ethiopia</ref> (making it the 14th largest country in the world) and a growth rate of 2.1 percent this is a critically important figure.
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and its poverty and land and resource degradation seem to be part and parcel of the same vicious circle. The supreme irony is that Ethiopia is actually a country with a very diverse environment and rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems (the [[wikipedia:en:Ethiopian_Highlands|Ethiopian Highlands]], for example, elevate the country, which lies close the equator, to give an unexpectedly temperate climate, so although it lies in tropical altitudes, its climate varies between cool in the highlands and warm in the lowlands). Ethiopia relies on its diverse biological resources for its socio-economic development, and these resources are now under severe pressure.<ref>Bishaw, B., & Abdelkadir, A. (2003). Agroforestry and Community Forestry for Rehabilitiation of Degraded Watersheds on the Ethiopian Highlands. Available at http://etff.org/Articles/Agroforestry_and_Community_forestry_Bishaw_and_Abdelkadir.pdf</ref>
 
Thirty-nine percent of the population lives below the poverty line, only 34% of the rural population has access to an adequate water source, and the average life expectancy is a low 59 years (although these figures have been improving in recent years thanks in part to a relatively high GDP growth rate of 7.5%). Agriculture accounts for about 46% percent of GDP, of which forestry plays a part, although some estimates put direct losses of productivity from deforestation and land degradation at at least 3 percent of agriculture GDP.<ref>Berry, L. (2003). Land Degradation in Ethiopia. Its Extent and Impact. FAO</ref> With a population estimated in 2012 at over 84 million<ref>http://data.worldbank.org/country/ethiopia</ref> (making it the 14th largest country in the world) and a growth rate of 2.1 percent this is a critically important figure.


Deforestation and the resulting environmental degradation is a major problem in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and a key factor challenging food security, community livelihood and sustainable development. In the late nineteenth century, approximately 30 percent of the country was covered with forest.<ref>Ofcansky, T., & LaVerle Berry, eds. (1991) Ethiopia: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. Available from http://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/97.htm</ref> But the clearing of land for agricultural use and the logging of trees for fuel slowly changed the look of the country’s forest cover and which sped up considerably as the 20th century progressed. Between 1955 and 1979, over 77 percent of the country’s forested area disappeared and it continues to lose 8 percent of its remaining forests annually.<ref>Winberg, E. (2010) Participatory Forestry Management in Ethiopia: Practices and Experiences. FAO Report</ref>  
Deforestation and the resulting environmental degradation is a major problem in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and a key factor challenging food security, community livelihood and sustainable development. In the late nineteenth century, approximately 30 percent of the country was covered with forest.<ref>Ofcansky, T., & LaVerle Berry, eds. (1991) Ethiopia: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. Available from http://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/97.htm</ref> But the clearing of land for agricultural use and the logging of trees for fuel slowly changed the look of the country’s forest cover and which sped up considerably as the 20th century progressed. Between 1955 and 1979, over 77 percent of the country’s forested area disappeared and it continues to lose 8 percent of its remaining forests annually.<ref>Winberg, E. (2010) Participatory Forestry Management in Ethiopia: Practices and Experiences. FAO Report</ref>  
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