Community-based Integrated

Enabling poor rural people Natural Resources Management to overcome poverty in Lake Tana Watershed – GEF © IFAD/P. Wiggers © IFAD/P.

Restoring ecosystem centre of the country’s economic activity. been undermined and continues to be integrity in the More than 85 per cent of the population under serious threat. and 75 per cent of the country’s livestock Land degradation has become a Ethiopian highlands are found there. crucial impediment to the conservation Ethiopia is one of the world’s poorest The Lake Tana watershed in Amhara and sustainable use of natural resources National Regional State is important in in the region, increasing the rural countries, with an annual per capita ecological and economic terms, and it has population’s vulnerability to recurrent income of only US$174. Nearly half of both local and global significance. The drought and famine. This deteriorating the population lives under the poverty watershed encompasses Lake Tana – the situation is a result of overgrazing, line, and more than 12 million people are largest freshwater body in Ethiopia and deforestation, unsustainable agricultural chronically or periodically food insecure. source of the Blue Nile. Its unique and practices and overexploitation of Agriculture generates approximately isolated landscape includes forested wetlands. Siltation of water bodies is a 50 per cent of the GDP and 90 per cent of islands, immense and varied wetlands and major threat to irrigation development. export earnings. Despite its importance, high mountain areas. The region is The region also suffers from poor agricultural performance has improved renowned for its biodiversity, and it is also governance and inadequate policies in little over the past 50 years and food the home of churches and monasteries support of sustainable land management. security has deteriorated. Low agricultural dating from the 14th to the 16th century. productivity and chronic food insecurity Ninety per cent of the area’s rapidly Rehabilitating land, are direct results of the ongoing growing population of 2.5 million people raising incomes degradation of natural resources in the depends on subsistence agriculture for Ethiopian highlands. their livelihoods. The productivity and The IFAD-led seven-year project in the sustainability of mixed farming practices Lake Tana watershed will be Rich heritage threatened depend on ecosystem goods and services, implemented in 21 districts over a total 2 by land degradation which rely on the functional integrity of area of about 15,000 km . It will combat the watershed’s ecosystems – rivers, land degradation in the watershed to The highlands occupy nearly half of wetlands, lake, forests, pastures and soils. protect and restore ecosystems and their Ethiopia’s total land area and are the The integrity of the overall ecosystem has essential services – key elements to Eritrea Yemen Sudan The Lake Tana watershed project will develop about 650 watershed management plans covering 227,500 hectares. It will restore the productivity of more than 32,000 hectares of degraded land, increase agricultural productivity, and improve Djibouti food security and incomes for about 450,000 rural households living in the Amhara State watershed. It will also increase carbon sequestration by some 700,000 tonnes, Somalia thus contributing to mitigating climate change. " Addis Ababa

Uganda Kenya

GEF PROJECT INFORMATION Community-based Integrated Natural Resources Management in Lake Tana Watershed – GEF Executing partners: Amhara National Regional State (ANRS); Environment Protection, Land

Administration and Use Agency (EPLAUA); Wiggers © IFAD/P. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD); Bureau of Agriculture and Rural reducing poverty. The project will increase maintaining ancient cultural and Development (BoARD) per capita income by 25 per cent for archaeological heritage sites. Conserving, GEF financing: US$ 4,400,000 about 450,000 rural households. Project protecting and rehabilitating the natural Cofinancing: US$21,024,500 participants include mainly farmers with resource base will lead to sustained IFAD: US$13,016,000 landholdings of 1 hectare or less, as well increases in the production of agriculture, Govt (ANRS): US$ 2,775,500 Beneficiaries: US$ 5,233,000 as those with no land. forests and fisheries, which in turn will Total financing: US$25,424,500 Local communities, already actively increase carbon sequestration. involved in planning the project, will Enhanced tenure security will encourage GEF PROJECT COMPONENTS take the lead role in a wide variety of farmers to invest in land improvements, activities designed to reduce land and the reduced siltation of water bodies Community-based integrated watershed degradation, protect the area’s rich will create opportunities for hydropower management through • supporting land administration and certification biodiversity and counter the negative development. The conservation of in the entire Lake Tana watershed impacts of climate change. biodiversity and improved ecosystem • helping communities prepare and implement Emphasizing links between land integrity will result in invaluable long- 650 watershed management plans conservation and production – and term benefits of global significance. • establishing a database of existing land-use patterns and natural resources therefore, incomes – the activities will • improving fodder management focus on improving agriculture, grazing, Innovative features • rehabilitating severely degraded lands forestry, and water management practices. • promoting participatory forest management • The project will document and promote The project will provide training at • supporting off-farm soil and water traditional and recent local innovations conservation measures individual, community and government both within and outside the watershed • improving biodiversity conservation levels to help people gain the skills and for replication throughout the region Institutional, legal and policy analysis and knowledge they need to practice and in other parts of the country. reform through improved sustainable land management. • fostering an enabling environment for • The project will develop carbon payment The project will offer other incentives for integrating sustainable land management best mechanisms to provide a direct practices into regional policies, strategies and community participation, such as access income source for rural communities. development programmes to secure land rights and the right to • For centuries, the church and manage and use common assets. At least monastery lands of the Ethiopian 32,500 households are expected to obtain Orthodox Church have provided refuge access to reclaimed land. Another for important forest biodiversity. To objective is to mainstream sustainable help ensure that biodiversity is land management principles into local maintained, the project will provide and regional policies, strategies and these churches and monasteries with action plans related to agriculture, compensation for protecting forestry and water development. biodiversity and ecosystem services. Global benefits Global Environment and Climate Change Unit (GECC) International Fund for Agricultural Development The project will restore ecological balance Associated IFAD-funded project: Via Paolo di Dono, 44 - 00142 Rome, Italy in this fragile, globally significant Community-based Integrated Natural Tel.: +39 06 54591 - Fax: +39 06 5043463 ecosystem, conserving endemic plant and September 2009 E-mail: [email protected] Resources Management Project http://www.ifad.org/operations/gef/index.htm bird species and cattle breeds, and