Regenerating Forests and Community Resilience in Ethiopia

Developed by World Vision Australia in partnership with World Vision Ethiopia, is a community-based land restoration initiative in the Afar region. The project utilises Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), a low-cost and sustainable technique which involves growing trees and shrubs from existing stumps, roots, and seeds, alongside new planting. The aim is to restore over 100,000 hectares of degraded rangelands, enhance biodiversity and improve livelihoods across Ethiopia, while generating a scalable and credible source of high-quality carbon credits.

Designed as a national ‘Program of Activities’ to enable future scale-up, the project will pilot across 4,500 hectares in Chifra. It is targeting an estimated 700,000 tonnes of CO₂e gross emissions reductions over 30 years. Building on World Vision’s track record of delivering high-integrity nature-based carbon projects, the project has been designed with a strong focus on job creation, local cooperatives, and economic opportunities for women and youth, and its activities will support the protection of seven IUCN red-listed species and more than 60 bird species across a rich ecological landscape. CAPE selected this project for its replicable, community-centred model and the developer’s proven delivery capability. By piloting in the Chifra region and structuring for national scale-up, the project demonstrates how reforestation can simultaneously address ecological degradation and the livelihood needs of communities on the frontline of climate change