Ears to listen to trees shouting…!
By Esubalew Dires
Nowadays, forest cover is increasingly devastated due to various reasons: over grazing, expansions of farm land, rapid population growth are to mention a few. From time to time, the dense forest cover of Amhara region is also getting reduced. Consequently, it lead to climate change and animals are obliged to migrate to other neighboring countries. Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA) is pioneer to put Participatory Forest Management (PFM) into practice in Amhara in order to conserve and protect the forest cover of lowland areas in North Gondar zone. PFM is an approach or a system in which the Community (forest users) and Government bodies work together to determine the use of forest and define their rights and responsibilities and agree on how forest benefits will be shared.
It was on April 7, 2014 at 6:30 P.M that we started our journey to the Northwestern direction leaving the capital of Metema district. Our target was to gather data about what Biodiversity project of Organization for Rehabilitation and Development (ORDA) is doing by making interviews with beneficiary farmers and project officers. Among the Participatory Forest Management (PFM) cooperatives established, Das Gundo Natural Resource and Tourism Development cooperative is the one which is 42 kms far away from the capital of the district. Das Gundo has a total of 254 members of which 247 were male and 7 female households. we prefer to stay with Das Gundo Natural Resource and Tourism Development cooperative as members are hard working and started to fruitfully achieve the intended outcomes conserving over 5500 hectares of forest cover.
Farmer Abera Admassie is a chairperson of the cooperative. According to farmer Abera Admassie, for the last 4 and 5 years, ORDA biodiversity project has played a pivotal role and laid a fertile ground for the implementation of PFM. The chairman added that the project made a significant point in changing the attitude and knowledge of members and the surrounding community as a whole. ORDA also developed farmers’ capacity with continuous trainings in relation to scientific production of gum and incense, apiculture, fattening and fuel saving stoves that can change their lives.
In order to conserve and protect this regional forest cover, the government, NGOs, private entrepreneurs and the community as whole should give hands. In general, every nation must listen to the shout made by trees for a strong conservation and protection.