In early 2020, TBI began to work with PENHA to assess key gaps related to dry­land restoration and dry forest management in Ethiopia, identifying the ‘Top 20’ challenges hampering the scaling up of successes. At the outset, we looked to build relationships with individuals and organizations that share a common vision, mission, focus and approach, with a view to knowledge-sharing and potential future partnerships.

An initial national workshop was convened in Addis Ababa in April 2021 to review knowledge on dryland restoration and management of dry forests, and this national review results from that meeting. Experts from governmental and non-governmental organizations, research and higher learning institutions and the private sector deliberated on a compre­hensive range of topics, from national perspectives on dryland restoration to regional and local initiatives.

This book makes an important and timely contribution to the knowledge economy on dryland restoration and management of dry forests of Ethiopia, and constitutes a solid output from these deliberations and a valuable resource for policy makers and practitioners alike. It is also a stepping stone as the PENHA-TBI programme focus on policy, with a view to outlining the essential elements and principles that a national dryland restoration strategy should consist of, while consider­ing the specific and differing needs and priorities of six dryland regions. The contents also show the increasing awareness of the need to reverse the relative neglect of drylands by policy makers, and to address common misperceptions of drylands as being unproductive and resource poor.

Inception review for starting the Working Landscape Programme in Ethiopia.

The success of dryland restoration efforts in Tigray has been extensively documented. The achievements are notable and significant, not only because of the scale and breadth of the impacts, but also because of the methods and processes employed. Here, we describe the successes, and the broader benefits of restoration, but we also look at some of the challenges and weaknesses that have been identified, and suggest improvements. Land restoration in Tigray has been supported by strong governmental programs, across successive administrations, and has benefited from close collaboration between international donors and NGOs, working with local research institutions. But, most importantly, it has been driven by communities, who have understood the threats posed to their livelihoods and had strong incentives to make the necessary short-term sacrifices, in terms of foregone incomes, in order to establish and police area exclosures.