Ethiopia Forest Information and Data

According to the U.N. FAO, 11.2% or about 12,296,000 ha of Ethiopia is forested, according to FAO. Ethiopia had 511,000 ha of planted forest.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Ethiopia lost an average of 140,900 ha or 0.93% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Ethiopia lost 18.6% of its forest cover, or around 2,818,000 ha.

Ethiopia's forests contain 219 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Ethiopia has some 1408 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 7.0% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 4.6% are threatened. Ethiopia is home to at least 6603 species of vascular plants, of which 15.1% are endemic. 4.9% of Ethiopia is protected under IUCN categories I-V.

2011 Update

In May 2011, Sassan Saatchi of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab and colleagues published a paper in PNAS with new carbon stock estimates for global tropical forests.

Forest definition (canopy cover %)	10% tree cover	25% tree cover	30% tree cover
Forest Area (M ha)	22	13	10
Aboveground forest carbon (Mt C)	794	536	421
Belowground forest carbon (Mt C)	242	161	126
Total forest carbon (Mt C)	1,037	698	547
Average Carbon Density (t C/ha)	48	53	57

M=million, t=metric tons; all figures are mean carbon stock values

Ethiopia Environmental profile

The following contains data relating to forest cover in Ethiopia

Previous version of this profile (2009)

SECTIONS:

Forest Cover | Breakdown of forest types | Change in Forest Cover | Deforestation | Primary forest | Planted forest | Forest designation | Forest ownership | Growing stock | Carbon stock | Disturbances affecting forest land | Removals | Removals Value | Employment | Forest policy | Human resources | Revenue | Agreements | Protected areas | Biodiversity - Wildlife | Biodiversity - Plants | Environment | Land use / Resources | Economy | Population / Demographics | Infrastructure | Health | References | Books

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Ethiopia: Forest Cover, 2010 Total Land Area (1000 ha) 109631 Total Forest Area (1000 ha) 12296 Percent Forest Cover 11 Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) 0 Primary Forest, % total forest 0 Other wooded land (1000 ha) 44650 Percent other wooded land 41 Ethiopia: Breakdown of forest types, 2010 Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 0 0 Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 11785 96 Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 511 4 Ethiopia: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010 TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 15114 13705 13000 12296 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 -141 -141 -141 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 -0.97 -1.05 -1.11 Ethiopia: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010 FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 14623.00 13214.00 12509.00 11785.00 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 -141 -141.00 -143.00 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 -1.0 -0.96 -1.08 Ethiopia: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010 PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 0 0 0 0 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 0 0 0 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 - - - Ethiopia: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010 PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 491 491 491 511 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 0 0 4 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 0 0 0.80 Ethiopia: Primary designated function (percent) Production Protection of soil and water Conservation of biodiversity Social services Multiple use Other None or unknown 4 0 0 0 96 0 0 Ethiopia: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent) OWNERSHIP PATTERN Public ownership Private ownership Other 100 0 0 PRIVATE OWNERSHIP Individuals Business entities and institutions Local, indigenous and tribal communities - - - HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS Public administration Individuals Business entities and Institutions Communities Other 100 0 0 0 0 Ethiopia: Growing stock in forest GROWING STOCK IN FOREST Total (million m3) Per hectare (m3) Coniferous (million m3) Broadleaved (million m3) % commercial species 264 21 - - 25 GROWING STOCK IN FOREST Total (million m3) Per hectare (m3) Coniferous (million m3) Broadleaved (million m3) % commercial species 103 2 Ethiopia: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010 CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS (million metric tons) 1990 2000 2005 2010 289 254 236 219 CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS (per hectare in tons) 2000 18 ANNUAL CHANGE (1 000 t/yr) 1990 2000 2005 2010 -4 -4 -3 ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE (t/ha/yr) 1990 2000 2005 2010 n.s. n.s. n.s. Ethiopia: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005 FOREST FIRE 1000 ha % wild fire (not managed burn) - - EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE Insects Diseases Other biotic agents Abiotic factors Total (excluding fire) % of 2005 forest area - - - - - - Ethiopia: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005 INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) 1990 2000 2005 percent of which from forest 2005 - 2812 3368 100 WOODFUEL Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) 1990 2000 2005 percent of which from forest 2005 - 100376 108548 100 Ethiopia: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005 Value of removals (million US$) Value per ha forest (US$) Industrial roundwood Woodfuel NWFP Total - - - - - Ethiopia: Employment in forestry 1990-2005 TOTAL (1000 full-time employees) 1990 2000 2005 - - - IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY (1000 full-time employees) 1990 2000 2005 - - - IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION (1000 full-time employees) 1990 2000 2005 - - - Ethiopia: Forest policy and legal framework 2008 National forest policy (year): Yes (2007) Sub-national forest policy: Yes National forest program (year) - status: Yes (2008) In formulation National forest law (year): No national forest law (-) Sub-national forest law: No Ethiopia: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008 2000 2005 2008 # % female # % female # % female - - - - 675 - Ethiopia: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005 Forest revenue Public expenditure (1000 US$) Domestic funding External funding Total (1000 US$) Operational expenditure Transfer payments Operational expenditure Transfer payments Operational expenditure Transfer payments - - - - - - - Ethiopia: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010 CbD: UNFCCC: Kyoto Protocol: UNCCD: ITTA: CITeS: Ramsar: World Heritage Convention: NlbI: [an error occurred while processing this directive] Ethiopia: Environment Environment - current issues deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea Natural hazards geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts Ethiopia: Land use / Resources Land use (%) arable land: 10.71% permanent crops: 0.75% other: 88.54% (2001) Natural resources small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower Ethiopia: Economy Economy - overview: Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $156 million in 2002, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Under Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 2% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns late in 2003 helped agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004-05. GDP - per capita $800 (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate (%) 6.5% (2005 est.) Agriculture - products cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat; hides, cattle, sheep, goats GDP - composition by sector (%) agriculture: 40.1%, industry: 12.7%, services: 47.2% (2005 est.) Industries food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement Economic aid - recipient $308 million (FY00/01) Debt - external $2.9 billion (2001 est.) Population below poverty line (%) 50% (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation (%) agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, industry and construction 8%, government and services 12% (1985) Ethiopia: Population / Demographics Population (July 2005) 73,053,286 Population growth rate (%) (2005) 2.36% Population density (people/sq km) (2005) 65.2 Percent rural (2003) 84.4% Median age (years) total: 17.75 years Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 5.33 (2005 est.) Ethnic groups (%) Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% Largest Cities in Ethiopia Cities and urban areas in Ethiopia with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002. City Country City Population Urban Area Population Addis Ababa Ethiopia 2638500 2638500 Dire Dawa Ethiopia 208700 208700 Nazret Ethiopia 161800 161800 Gondar Ethiopia 142100 142100 Dese Ethiopia 123200 123200 Mek'ele Ethiopia 122700 122700 Bahir Dar Ethiopia 121700 121700 Jimma Ethiopia 112500 112500 Ethiopia: Infrastructure Telephones - main lines in use 435,000 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular 97,800 (2003) Roadways (km) total: 33,856 km paved: 4,367 km unpaved: 29,489 km (2003) Ethiopia: Health Life expectancy at birth (years) total population: 48.83 years male: 47.67 years female: 50.03 years (2005 est.) Infant mortality rate 95.32 deaths/1,000 live births HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) 4.4% (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and hepatitis E vectorborne diseases: malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004) Ethiopia : References & Data Sources  Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005  Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)  Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.  Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.  RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.  World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site  The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund  With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com Select a Country or Region INDEX Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Caribbean Cayman Islands Central African Republic Central America Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Cote d�Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic DR Congo East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea Norway Oceania Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South America South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States of America United States Virgin Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Vietnam Virgin Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Tropical rainforest information  World Rainforests  Rainforest Structure  Rainforest Biodiversity  Canopy  Forest Floor  Rainforest Waters  Indigenous People  Deforestation  Global Importance  Rainforest Conservation  Country Reports update soon  References  Deforestation Tables  The Amazon Rainforest update soon  The Congo Rainforest update soon  Deforestation in Brazil  Rainforest Images   Web mongabay.com Mongabay Rainforests Mongabay News Mongabay Photos