Ethiopia's Successful GLI Turnarounds: Regeneration of Ecosystem

By A Staff Writer

Addis Ababa, July 31, 2025 (ENA) -- Launched in June 2019 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative aims to restore degraded land, expand forest cover, and mitigate the effects of climate change throughout the country.

In an exciting development, millions of Ethiopians from all walks of life have united today in a historic nationwide tree-planting campaign, aiming to set a new milestone by planting 700 million saplings in 12 hours.

In this regard, over 7.5 billion seedlings are set to be planted nationwide this year. Up until last Friday, the nation had already planted 5.5 billion seedlings all over the country.

Ethiopia’s 2025 tree planting campaign has been themed “Renewal Through Planting.” Over the past few years, the nation has emerged as one of Africa's most fascinating stories of environmental resurrection. The nation has successfully planted 40 billion seedlings over the past six years, a feat that has garnered international praise as a model to be replicated in other regions of the globe.

Launching the Green Legacy Initiative in 2019, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described his vision of planting seedlings as: "We are not just planting trees; we are planting seeds of a new mindset. A mindset that's sustainable, regenerative, and legacy."

One of the features of the Green Legacy is its annual nationwide one-day national planting campaign that engages millions of citizens across the country in a coordinated effort.

The initiative has started registering new milestone by planting millions of seedlings in 12 hours. During the inaugural year, 350 million seedlings were planted, while last year saw an increase to 615.7 million with 29.1 million citizens participating in the mass planting event.

As a result of Ethiopia’s successful tree planting over the years in a row, the nation’s forest cover rebounded from 17.2 percent in 2019 to 23.6 percent last year.

The green initiative is not just a tree program; however, it has evolved as a national movement with a wide base. Ministries, schools, universities, civic and religious associations, the armed forces, and diaspora communities are all actively engaged. Urban and rural people of all ages and in all walks of life collaborate, held together by a shared vision of a green Ethiopia.

There are youths who grow seedlings in thousands of nurseries and provide saplings annually; generating economic benefits in addition to environmental advantages. The GLI has thus become a cultural movement, mainstreaming environmental awareness into the social fabric of the country.

The GLI will further build its complementarity with climate-resilient agriculture, biodiversity corridors, urban greening, and eco-industrial development. Green ecological infrastructure is being increasingly invested in through public finance, increasing long-term sustainability.

To mitigate growing climate change threats, such as deforestation, land degradation, nations are adopting sustainable forest development.

Ethiopia’s green Legacy initiative is instrumental in achieving ecosystem rehabilitation, conservation of biodiversity, lower carbon emissions, and improved livelihoods. Ethiopia's GLI is a perfect example of this global phenomenon in that it provides an inspiring combination of environmental vision, national mobilization, and action towards transformative change.

Over the past six years, the Green Legacy Initiative has become more than a national tree-planting drive. It has transformed landscapes, helped to restore degraded lands, and strengthened Ethiopia’s climate resilience. In doing so, it has also cultivated a strong culture of civic engagement. The sight of millions of people planting trees, young and old, in cities and the countryside has created a powerful narrative of shared responsibility and national renewal.

This decentralization has ensured that the Green Legacy is not a top-down initiative, maintaining a popular sense of environmental stewardship. The initiative has placed Ethiopia among global leaders in reforestation and environmental restoration. More importantly, when is rooted in the national development ideal and collective resolve.

The GLI has unequivocally established Ethiopia as a global leader in reforestation and environmental restoration. It's a testament to what can be achieved when environmental action is deeply rooted in national identity and collective resolve.