UNEP named the Desa’a forest initiative in northern Ethiopia a World Restoration Flagship at biodiversity COP17. The October 29 recognition highlights community work sustained through the Tigray war, but it does not certify complete recovery or remove the danger of renewed fighting.
When work began in 2016, an estimated 74% of the original forest had disappeared; about 70% of the remainder is now considered degraded. Farming, grazing and fuelwood extraction eroded soils, weakened water supplies and pushed families toward increasingly fragile land.
WeForest says more than 23,000 hectares are under restoration, with an estimated 500,000 metric tons of soil erosion avoided and 1.9 million cubic meters of rainwater captured yearly. Research with Mekelle University recorded 26% higher infiltration since 2019, while comparable degraded areas declined 40%.
Those are measured or modeled results reported by program partners and need public methods, independent checks and longer time series. Restoration extends beyond planting: tree survival, soil, water, biodiversity and household income must remain resilient under drought, grazing and extraction pressure.
Livelihoods are central because an estimated 56% of the regional population lives on less than two dollars a day. The initiative added consultation, paid work and beekeeping, which requires less land than farming, while also protecting ancient church forests with cultural importance.
War disrupted the trajectory. From 2020 to 2022, airstrikes, communication blackouts, fuel shortages and collapsed markets forced teams into small mobile groups. The Pretoria agreement created a fragile peace, but renewed fighting reported in late September 2026 again threatens people, monitoring and infrastructure.
Recognition can attract finance, but cannot substitute for security or accountability. A projected six million tons of CO2-equivalent capture over 50 years is not carbon already stored. Durable restoration requires peace, community rights, verified outcomes and fairly distributed benefits before future credits are monetized.
