81273817-Development of digital solutions and strengthening of technical skills for the institutionalization of instruments for protected area management and forestry value chain promotion

Ethiopia"s rural population is increasingly vulnerable towards the impacts of climate change. Climate-friendly management of landscapes is therefore key to protect and sustainably use natural resources and improve Ethiopians" resilience and adaptive capacities. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project "Conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and forests in Ethiopia" aims to develop institutional and technical capacities at the meso and macro level of government institutions to improve protected area and forest management and raise awareness of the value of ecosystem services (ESS). The institutions responsible for protected area and forest management are supported in organisational development, in capacity development, as well as in improving knowledge management by using digital solutions. The introduction and institutionalization of standard instruments for the management of protected areas and forests and the upscaling of those through the partner institutions also increases the sustainability of the implemented measures. The project envisages also a social impact through multi-stakeholder collaboration in the management of protected areas following a landscape approach. The state institutions are supported in establishing the framework for the engagement of private actors in the management of protected and forest areas. At the local level, smallholder families in the areas bordering the protected areas are being supported in increasing their climate resilience and improving their income generation. The stronger involvement of the local population in decision-making processes in protected area management ensures that their interests are considered. As part of its contribution to improving and expanding the forestry sector, the project strengthens the business and technical capacities of actors in the timber and bamboo processing sectors. A special focus lies on the skill development for jobs, in cooperation with technical training centres, as well as with governmental and private enterprises. Parallelly, it aims to strengthen the capacities to implement sustainable forest plantations, process timber, create jobs while reducing the pressure on natural forests. The key outputs of the project are 1. Institutionalisation of tested management instruments. 2. Participatory protected area management. 3. Environmental awareness among the local population. 4. Alternative financing and management models. 5. Capacity to utilise forest resources.