WRI’s science-based mapping and policy engagement led to landmark legislation that allocates up to 1% of the national budget to finance land restoration and grow billions of trees.
The Challenge
Ethiopia, like most countries in Eastern Africa, faces severe land degradation and deforestation. The resulting soil erosion and growing food insecurity threaten the livelihoods of millions of people.
While the government has committed to ambitious targets to restore degraded landscapes, it lacked a scientific approach for determining where restoration investments would have the greatest impact. Research shows that restoration efforts need precise spatial data and dedicated finance to be successful and sustainable. Policymakers need credible evidence to prioritize interventions that will restore degraded landscapes, boost crop yields, support rural livelihoods and regain ecosystem health.
WRI’s Role
WRI embedded a senior staff member within Ethiopia’s government from 2016-2018, providing sustained technical and policy support to identify national restoration opportunities. The team integrated satellite imagery with local knowledge to produce national maps, pinpointing 82 million hectares of land that had the most potential for restoration. Over the last 10 years, WRI has worked closely with Ethiopian environmental organizations, academics and government agencies to build skills and ensure local ownership over restoration projects — essential ingredients for long-term sustainability.
The Outcome
In 2024, Ethiopia enacted Proclamation No. 1361, establishing the Green Legacy and Degraded Landscape Restoration Special Fund. The historic legislation mandates that 0.5% to 1% of the federal government’s annual budget be used for nature restoration. Restoring degraded lands can help increase crop yields, raise farmers’ incomes and improve the water supply, among other benefits. Institutionalizing long-term financing within government budgets helps close a critical investment gap for rehabilitating degraded land.
The policy also helped build more momentum for the Green Legacy Initiative, a national effort that has planted more than 47 billion trees since 2019. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the initiative has significantly reduced soil erosion, preserving critical farmland while creating jobs in the process.
Ethiopia now stands as a model for other African countries for using scientific evidence to mobilize public resources for nature restoration.