Stakeholder Workshop in Addis Ababa (August 06th -09th 2024)
Phase 2 of the Biocult project aims at identifying potential stakeholders and developing potential activities. For this purpose, a workshop was held at SWISS Inn NExus Hotel Addis Ababa. The workshop was divided into the following steps:
- presentation of research findings (from phase 1)
- identification of key objectives – common goals with stakeholders (conservation of an intact forest ecosystem for nature and people)
- identification of potential changes for better protection of culture and nature, and people's livelihood (synergy map)
- development of activities that can be implemented with the community
The church forests of Ethiopia are hotspots of cultural and biological diversity. They are refuges for rare plant and animal species of the Afromontane mountain forest. In Addis Ababa, we discussed about the current state and ongoing destruction of the church forests, especially about the Tara Gedam forest. We identified potential stakeholders who can work together to effectively protect the forest. We also prioritised potential activities that will be implemented as part of phase 3 of the Biocult project in the coming and final months of the project term, such as the creation of a forest management plan for Tara Gedam and trainings about biodiversity monitoring and the collection and preparation of insects. The workshop was attended by representatives of governmental and non-governmental forest and nature conservation organisations as well as the church, namely: EOC-DICAC, EBI, ORDA-Ethiopia Addis Zemen Branch, Tara Gedam Monastry and District Environment Office.
