December 27, 2025
Wondo Genet College of Forestry & Natural Resources at Hawassa university, in collaboration with Ethiopian Forest Redevelopment, concluded a 25 days' professional capacity building training program for 131 REDD+ project experts drawn from eight regions of the country on “Integrated Sustainable Forest Management Plan Preparation and Geospatial Data Collection and Management".
In his opening remarks, the College Dean, Dr. Teshale W/Amanuel, stated that the training was designed to enhance skills in modern technologies, sustainable forest management planning, and geospatial data collection and management across the regions.
Dr. Yetebitu Moges, Ethiopia’s REDD+ Country Coordinator, presented highlights of key forest management approaches, the critical role of geospatial technology, the benefits of REDD+ forest management programs, the core pillars of REDD+, associated challenges and risks, and REDD+ implementation in project intervention areas.
Dr. Motuma Tolera, Director General of Forest Transformation Program at EFD, on his part, emphasized the Ethiopian government's commitment and strong attention on the forest sector, noting that sustainable forest development is fundamental to overall national development. He also encouraged experts to effectively implement forest management plans based on the knowledge gained during the training and work on wider awareness creation about carbon market realities in their respective domains.
During the closing ceremony, Dr. Tafesse Matewos, Vice President for Research & Collaboration at Hawassa University, remarked on the importance of natural resources for achieving the SDGs. He noted that planning is one of the five “Ps” of the SDGs and emphasized that many development goals can be realized only when forests are conserved and developed first.
