WELCOMING ADDRESS

Abebe Demisse

Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and Research

Addis Ababa

Dear participants of the workshop,

Various studies have indicated that about 87% of
I would like to welcome you all to this planning the total land area above 1500 m a.s.l. was
workshop of the Biodiversity Conservation in originally covered by dense forest but according to
Ancient Church and Monastery Yards in Ethiopia, a other sources no more than 9% is still covered with
new project sponsored by the Darwin Initiative and natural forests. Countrywide the area covered by
mainly implemented by EWNHS. forests is estimated to be around 3%.

The churches and monastery yards of Ethiopia Conserving these remaining natural habitats in
deserve high recognition and remain key habitats church and monastery yards is a genuine and timely
for conserving the biological resources of the intervention towards which all stakeholders should
country. They have survived mainly because of the pay special attention.
various cultural and ecclesiastical functions of the
Orthodox Church. There are thousands of churches A key feature of this project is to draw and promote
and monasteries in Ethiopia, some being more than the cooperation between NGOs, academic
thousands years old, and many have successfully institutions, government organisations and relevant
co-existed with their natural habitats. religious institutions.

With time the rate of deforestation has increased The collaboration of the Ethiopian Orthodox
mainly because of changing economic and socio- Tewahedo Church shall be essential for the effective
political reasons. As a result, the threats to implementation of the project’s findings and
churchyards’ biodiversity have markedly increased subsequent quick action to be taken to reverse
and now it is hardly possible to cite a church or current human impact on church and monastery
monastery yard that has not been encroached unless yards, including deforestation.
they are inaccessible.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to
It has also been beyond the capacity of most the Darwin Initiative for considering this important
churches and monasteries to safeguard the project idea and for the unreserved financial support
remaining biological resources found in their to the project.
vicinity. Monasteries and churches are the homes of
monks, priests and other clergy who prefer to live in I hope the workshop will achieve its mission and I
the wilderness for sacred reasons but have to make am sure that the participation of such high level
their living on the available local forest resources in scientists will impart diversified knowledge and
order to meet their requirements in food and energy. experience to the project.

Today, many churches and monastery yards are Let me express my wishes for a successful
encroached because of agricultural expansion. This workshop between today and tomorrow.
remarkable change in land use has been influenced
by issues such as land tenure and variation in values With these remarks, I would like to declare this
attached to forest resources by local people. This workshop open.
problem has become more critical with time and
changes in political situations. Thank you

ETHIOPIA
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
IN ANCIENT CHURCH AND Zewge Teklehaimanot
MONASTERY YARDS IN Project leader

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 1
 School of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, Ethiopian Highlands. For reasons related to the
University of Wales
spiritual values attached to the churches,
Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
monasteries and their sacred lands, these
1 Introduction biodiversity islands have survived the general
Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and pressure for timber and fuelwood gathering that has
monastery yards in Ethiopia is a project funded by degraded the surrounding landscape. Ethiopia has a
the Darwin Initiative for the Survival of Species
Programme of the U.K. Department of the total of around 35,000 churches and monasteries,
Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
(DEFRA) The some of which are 1660 years old (Bekele, pers.
aims of the Darwin Initiative are:
 Demonstration of the British commitment to the comm.). Approximately 50 of the ancient church
international Biodiversity Convention and monastery grounds (older than 200 years), all
 To use the UK biodiversity expertise to help
developing countries that are rich in located in the Central and Northern Highlands of
biodiversity Ethiopia, contain natural forest vegetation rich in

2 Background to the Ethiopian project biodiversity. Their vegetation consists not only of
trees but also shrubs and herbs, and they constitute
Ethiopia possesses one of the richest floras in
Africa. Much of this floristic wealth is reflected in important habitats for a variety of rare vertebrate
the fact that Ethiopia is one of the Vavilov's centres species (Negusie, pers. comm.). However, the
of origin and/or diversity for many domesticated
plants and their wild relatives, e.g. wheat, barley, biodiversity of some of these churchyard forests is
teff, coffee, peas, okra, sorghum, millets, lentils, being depleted as a result of continued deforestation
rape seeds, sesame, noug (Guizotia abyssinica),
safflower (Bekele, pers. comm.). of the surrounding areas for fuelwood and timber,
the displacement of the church community due to
Deforestation is occurring in Ethiopia at an
drought and famine, the introduction of exotics and
alarming rate and this is threatening much of the
other natural and man-made calamities (Assefa,
country’s unique biodiversity (Teketay and Bekele,
pers. comm.).
1995). Gamachu (1988) estimated that 87% of the
total land area above 1500 m was originally covered There is, therefore, an urgent need to conserve the
by dense forest, but now only 3% of the country’s biodiversity of these unique and valuable natural
forest remnants in the Ethiopian Highlands, which
fully stocked natural forest remains, and that forest have been preserved in ancient church and
is disappearing at a rate of 7.5% per annum - the monastery grounds. No systematic study has so far
been carried out to assess their species composition
fastest rate of any country in the world. The major and the status of their biodiversity. Nor has there
reasons are the increasingly intensive use of land been any formal investigation of the values placed
on this biodiversity by members of the church and
for agricultural and livestock production, and tree the wider population. This information is needed in
cutting for fuelwood and construction materials order to devise sustainable strategies for
biodiversity conservation in church and monastery
(Teketay, 1992). The sacred church and monastery grounds.
lands of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
3 Project history, partners and objectives
Churches have, however, survived for many
centuries as islands of natural forest biodiversity in The project proposal was developed by University
of Wales (Bangor, UK) in close collaboration with
a sea of deforested landscape in much of the the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 2
(EWNHS) and the Institute of Biodiversity whom to elicit local knowledge about past changes
Conservation and Research of Ethiopia (IBCR). and management practices in the church and
The proposal was submitted to DEFRA in October monastery grounds. In addition, appraisal will focus
2000 and was approved in January 2001. The on key questions concerning local valuation of the
project began effectively from 1 st of April 2001 for churchyard biodiversity resources (for which a
three years and the project partners are: careful stratification of sampling within the
 Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church community will be required). Different stakeholders
 Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society will be asked about their perception of the threats to
 Alliance of Religions and Conservation church and monastery ground biodiversity, e.g. due
 University of Wales Bangor to change in traditional belief systems, or increase
 Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and in local deficits in forest products. Then attitudes to
Research, Ethiopia alternative conservation strategies will be assessed.
 Network of institutions and other stakeholders
Formal inventory of plant and vertebrate species
The objectives of the project are: present in each church and monastery grounds (to
1. Strengthen capacity of Ethiopian NGO and determine species richness and the presence of
government institutions through training, expert threatened or endemic species), together with rapid
advice, enhanced networking (amongst institutions survey of the biodiversity status of the surrounding
and local stakeholders), financial support and joint landscape will be carried out. Identification of the
project implementation. high conservation-value, threatened and endemic
2. Successfully implement a project that conserves species present will be made, followed by an
the biodiversity of sacred lands in situ, and where assessment of their status through determination of
necessary ex situ with subsequent reintroductions. their population size and structure, and their
isolation from the nearest populations.
4 Project activities
A third project workshop, involving the project
The project commenced with a planning workshop team and members of other stakeholder groups, will
held in Addis Ababa (1-2 August 2001) bringing then play a key role in the development of short-
together the key Ethiopian and UK-based staff. and long-term sustainable plans for the participatory
Institutional knowledge is being used to draw a in-situ and ex-situ conservation of the biodiversity
provisional list of all the church and monastery present in the churchyards, through maintenance
grounds to be screened by the project (40-50 sites). and enhancement of the existing protection
practices. The information obtained on value-
These sites will be visited and preliminary systems pertaining to biodiversity will be the key
consultation carried out with local church factor in maximising local participation in the
authorities and community members. Subject to conservation process and increasing the chances of
their approval a rapid biodiversity assessment will its sustainability after the project ends.
be carried out at each. The results will be
interpreted to determine the biodiversity importance It is envisaged that the short-term plan (covering the
of each site and assess the levels of threat. remaining period of the Darwin project) will
involve: the collection of seed and cuttings of the
The project team and members of other stakeholder most endangered plant species and direct
groups will meet for a second planning workshop to sowing/planting of these in selected locations
discuss the results of this phase, and decide on a within the individual church and monastery
sampling strategy for the sites to be subjected to grounds. Care will be taken to capitalise on local, as
detailed appraisal in the second phase (6-7 sites). well as scientific knowledge, to maximise the
Sampling will be stratified according to success of this work.
geographical location, as well as prioritised by
conservation criteria. It is likely that, because of local socio-economic
and environmental conditions, the biodiversity
In the second phase, fuller contacts with church present in certain of the churchyards cannot be
members and the local community will precede a conserved in situ in the short-term and will
more extensive exercise of participatory appraisal. therefore need to be “rescued”. Thus, a centre for
This will include a focus on key informants, from ex-situ conservation of endangered plant species
from the churchyards will be established in a central

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 3
location. Once the ex-situ collection is established, and vegetative material, germination and other
and local conditions at churchyards are right, re- propagation techniques. An intensive three-week
introductions will be made to replenish churchyard training course will be provided followed by
biodiversity. In addition, planting material of locally continuous on-the-job training during the remaining
valued and used plant species will be made project activities.
available from the ex-situ conservation centre and 4. Training in plant species reintroduction,
individual churchyards to local community establishment, in-situ conservation and sustainable
members, for establishment on their own and utilisation, with the participation with the local
communal lands, to act as a resource that will help community. An intensive three-week training course
to eliminate poverty, and reduce pressure for further will be provided followed by continuous on-the-job
exploitation of remaining natural forest areas (with training during the remaining project activities.
a consequent additional biodiversity conservation
benefit). 6 Planning Workshop: 1st–2nd August 2001

Throughout this final phase of the project The aims of this first planning workshop were:
dissemination to the wider community in Ethiopia  To get acquainted
of the outcomes and recommendations of the  To enhance networking amongst institutions
project will be a major activity to be carried out and stakeholders
through the networks provided by the church,  To discuss and define more precisely the work
EWNHS, and the national media, and finally to be undertaken
culminating in a final project workshop.
Relevant institutions concerned with biodiversity
5 Training activities conservation in Ethiopia were invited to participate
in this 1st planning workshop in order to initiate a
The following training activities will be carried out: network of collaboration. The participants of this
1. Training in field techniques of plant and workshop effectively form part of this network,
vertebrate species identification; assessment of which will serve as a basis for participatory
population size, structure and monitoring; including implementation of the project. It is envisaged that
a participation by local communities. An intensive all the participants of this workshop will contribute
two-week training course will be provided, to this project by attending all the project
followed by continuous on-the-job training during workshops and providing information as well as
the remaining project activities. Two of the trainees access to information and other resources required
with the strongest academic background will by the project.
receive further training in more theoretical aspects
of landscape, vegetation and population ecology References
necessary to determine the conservation status of
species populations and habitats. Gamachu, D. (1988) Some patterns of altitudinal
2. Training in participatory rural appraisal with variation of climatic elements in the mountainous
specific application to biodiversity. Whilst drawing regions of Ethiopia. Mountain Research &
on standard approaches, the methods taught will go Development 8, 131-138.
well beyond this to consider the elicitation of local
values placed on biodiversity, their interconnection Teketay, D. (1992) Human impact on a natural
with people's belief systems, and then effect on montane forest in southeastern Ethiopia. Mountain
management practices. An intensive two-week Research & Development 12, 393-400.
training course will be provided, followed by
continuous on-the-job training during the remaining Teketay, D. & Bekele, T. (1995) Floristic
project activities. composition of Wof-Washa natural forest, Central
3. Training in establishment of ex-situ collections of Ethiopia: Implications for the conservation of
endangered plant species, through collection of seed biodiversity. Feddes Repertorium106, 127-147.

CHURCH IN PRESERVING TREES

THE ROLE OF THE ETHIOPIAN AND WOODLANDS
ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO
Melakeselam Dagnachew Kassahun

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 4
  Wood and minor forest products are widely
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church used in church services.
Addis Ababa  Church and monastic trees, in addition to the
physical attributes, do also provide shelter to
O God! Thou art my God; the faithfuls during church services. They are
Early will I seek thee; conducive to privacy and contemplation.
My soul longeth for thee,  People are devoted to protect church and
How shall longeth for thee, monastic trees from encroachers.
How shall I stretch my flesh  It is customary to Ethiopians to seat under the
in a dry thirsty land, where no shade of big trees to make reconciliation and
tree and water (Ps. 63: 1-2) discuss all sorts of social issues.

1 History of and reasons for the preservation 1.2 Religion

of trees and woodlands
In olden times, before the revelation of God to the
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one prophets, there was no specific place where people
of the ancient indigenous churches in the continent ought to worship the true God and offer sacrifice.
of Africa. The church has a long tradition of Our ancestors and forefathers worshipped god on
planting, taking care of, and preserving trees. There the top of hills and mountains and most naturally
is no recorded research as to the origin and nature hills and mountains are covered with trees and other
of this tradition. But we learn from the existing plants.
knowledge that there are two sources: tradition and God appeared to Abraham and told:
religion. "Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the
1.1 Tradition land of Mo-riah; and offer him there, for
a burnt offering upon one of the
There is an enormous amount of knowledge and a mountains which I will tell thee of"1
well-developed tradition of tree preservation. In fact
one of the identifying mark of the presence of a In the primitive ages of man Cain and Abel offered
church building in rural and remote areas is a bunch sacrifice in farm and cattle fields. The patriarchs
of trees, which stands out sharply in contrast with were in the habit of building altars and offering
the surrounding environment. sacrifices where God had revealed himself to them.

Here are briefly outlined the uses of trees from the Noah expressed his gratitude for deliverance form
historical point of view: the flood by making an altar and presenting burnt
 The church in her tradition believes that forests offerings unto the Lord. The place where the ark
are shelters of the earth’s crust and provide rested and the altar built was Mount Ararat.2
enormous and beautiful scenery to the world.
 The scenery of the green vegetation among "Exalt the lord our God, and worship at his holy
other things gives pleasure and happiness to hill; for the Lord our God is holy".3
humans.
 An environment where forest naturally occur Mountains are used as a symbol of strength and
also adds value to the surrounding and stability. They are frequently used to signify places
motivates people to properly manage and care or sources of strength:
for forests.  the strength of the kingdom of God4
 Monastic natural forests are home to the fauna  the righteousness of God5
and flora of a given environment.  persons in authority6
 The natural forest is a source of food for  difficulties, etc7
humans and means of survival for the fauna that Mighty kings and kingdoms are symbolised as the
derives its food from forest products. tall mountain cedar, of a high stature. 8 Most of the
 Trees provide food and minor forest products Ethiopian Orthodox churches and monasteries are
for construction purposes, medicinal uses, built on hills, mountains and high places
architectural works as well as other essential accordingly, and most of the monasteries are
human needs. densely forested with trees.

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 5
 needs, but also his pleasure. The rivers and streams
In the long and wide religious history men have with which the garden was watered contributed
changed the nature of worship of the true God into much both to the pleasantness and the fruitfulness.
Tree Cult. Tree worship has been practised
generally among the primitive as well as civilised The church on earth signifies the new heaven, the
people. Men invested trees with supernatural holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down of God out
powers and included sacrifice to them as well as of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her
ornamentation of them with various offerings. This husband. The heavenly kingdom out of which rivers
type of wrong tree-worship in our country is known of pure water proceeded.
as "Abdahr" but the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Church is totally against of such worship to the It is visualised and believed that there are heavenly
unknown gods. Over time this practice has rivers infinitely surpassing the rivers of this world.
gradually faded out and is now extinct. They are rivers of water of life, not coming out of
Eden, but proceeding out of the throne of God.
"You shall not plant thee a grove of any
tree near unto the altar of the lord thy "And by the river upon the bank thereof,
God..."9 on this side, on that side, shall grow all
trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade,
There were dedicated trees by Japanese natives to neither shall the fruits thereof be
the gods of the sun. They were known as consumed: it shall bring froth new fruit
"Retinospora oblusta". The trees grow and rise to according to his months that is twelve
the height of eighty to ninety feet, with a straight times in the year, because their waters
trunk, having a diameter at the base of five feet and they issued out of sanctuary, and the fruit
yields a fine-grained timber.10 there of shall be for food and the leaf for
medicine."12
There was a custom formerly prevalent among
North American Indians, of placing their dead on a This is the religious background for the church tree
platform in a tree or in a hollow tree trunk. planting and preserving tradition. Churches must be
However, this tradition was never practised in furnished and adorned with graceful trees and
Ethiopia. beautiful gardens.

"In vain was salvation hoped for from the hills and Man, consisting of body and soul, a body made out
from the multitude of the mountains."11 of earth, and a rational immortal soul, the breath of
God himself has told people not to plant or worship life was the provision that was made for the
wild plant trees. happiness of both. He, that made him, took care to
make him happy.
The religious connection between tree planting and
the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is based Man was well housed to begin with. He did not
on the Scriptures. begin life as a beggar. Gardening was the first kind
of employment on record in which man was
At the beginning of the creation history, the earth engaged. Though trees and plants produced the
was without form and was void. Then it was made necessary flower and fruits by the will of God,
into a habitable place and nature was adorned, i.e. dressing and keeping was necessary to maintain the
populated with flourishing and pleasant trees. It was different kinds of trees and plants in their
not an ivory house or a place overlaid with gold and perfection. To cultivate, keep and preserve the
silver, but a garden. The heaven was the roof of garden from all intruders was the duty of man. It is
Adam's house, and never was any roof so curiously not conceivable that man could have been happy if
painted. The earth was his floor, and never was any inactive. God gave him work to do to get his bread
floor so richly inlaid. The shadow of the trees was distributed to his happiness; for the structure of his
his retirement, under them was his dining room. body as well as his mind, plainly proves that he was
never intended for a merely contemplative life. This
The situation of the garden was extremely sweet. It was the principle often considered and practised
was Eden, which signified delight and pleasure. The mostly in the monastic life of the Ethiopian
place had all the best and choicest trees and plants. Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
God, a tender Father, provided not only for Adam’s

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 6
2 Planting and preservation of trees and Some huge indigenous trees such as cedar,
woodlands sycamore and yellow wood grow well in the
highlands and fertile areas.
Based on the above religious and traditional  Planting, protecting and preserving trees in the
background, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo vicinity of churches and monasteries is an
Church has a long history of planting, protecting ancient tradition in the Ethiopian Orthodox
and preserving trees. The churches and monasteries Tewahedo Church.
have been not only places of worship and religious  Since the church compounds, in which such
life, but also prominent centres of learning and huge trees grow and exist, are regarded as
working. sacred, they are not cut down and are thus
maintained for a long time. As the trees are
Some of the essential features of the monastic life known to be totally protected, even the dead
are: branches including those that had fallen to the
 communal life in a centre, where teaching, ground, were not touched by any person for
learning, working and praying together takes personal use except for the services need within
place. the church. Huge trees live and die in their old
 preservation of this spiritual community by age. It is recorded that a fine oak tree will live
written rules, based on humility and obedience to the great age of seven hundred years.14
to serve and help others.  This is the reason why indigenous old trees,
which show the natural beauty and fertility of
The clergymen, who taught in church and the country, are saved and found to this day in
monastery yards, dedicated themselves not in the abundance in churches and monasteries.
expectation of material remuneration but in the  The church teaches that: "The Lord and saviour
hope of heavenly reward. Their educational Jesus Christ as a vine tree, the believers as the
philosophy that knowledge was the mean of serving branches, and his relation to them as the source
others to gain salvation. The self-denial and of all their fruitful and spiritual life.”15 He is the
practical example of the Lord and saviour Jesus tree of life, he who His own self bare our sins in
Christ was not given except to the most accredited His own body on the tree.
teachers. Through the dedicated efforts of the
church fathers as well as the goodwill and 3 Forestry programme
cooperation of the faithfuls, the church is noted as a
green site, where indigenous trees and plants We proclaim confidently that Ethiopia is one of the
themselves witness the natural beauty of the few well-known countries of primary plant
country. domestication in the world. But these days it is no
more a country in which huge indigenous trees
Why we love trees? exist. In many areas of the country large trees can
Trees play an important role in the life of humans, only live and die in their old age in church
birds, insects and other animals. compounds. With time, everything has changed,
Down through the ages man has also found them preserved trees are not kept in their former
exceedingly useful to him. situation, and instead they are cut down. This is sad
 they have a wonderful beauty and graceful habit and unfortunate, there is no fear of god.
 the wood is valuable for construction and in the
arts Due to millennia of human presence, over-
 they give good shade and shelter to sun-burning exploitation of soils, and in recent decades rapid
heat population growth, cultivated and pasture areas
 they provide medicinal products have been expanded at an unprecedented rate thus
 they have varying and marvellous appearances causing pronounced forest destruction. Other major
through the changing seasons causes of deforestation include extensive need for
The Arc of Noah through which man was saved fuelwood and building material. Furthermore, some
from the evil distraction of water was made of traditional land use practices, which provide no soil
wood.13 protection measures, have exacerbated soil erosion
and the consequent irreversible loss of trees and
plants.

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 7
Aware of the countrywide danger of further loss of about major attitudinal changes among the
graceful trees, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo population in the field of environmental protection.
Church is greatly concerned and has been involved
in forestry campaigns since 1986. At first the work All possible support to rescue and protect the life
consisted of the establishment of nurseries and and existence of the indigenous species of trees and
planting of seedlings not only in church and plants is greatly appreciated.
monastery grounds but also in private holdings. In
recent years the church aforestation programme has 5 References
been expanded into farm forestry. It is a
continuation of the historical and traditional activity 1. Gen. 22:2
of the church. 2. Gen. 8:4
3. Ps. 99:9
4 Conclusions 4. Isa. 2:2
5. Ps. 36:6
Our church is making a sustained effort to: 6. Ps. 72:3
 teach and advice the clergy and the people 7 Isa. 40:9
living in the community in diocese, 8. Ezk. 31:3
 highlight the need to protect existing trees, 9. Gen. 16:21
 induce the desire to plant and look after newly 10. Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary,
planted trees, and 2nd edn.
 in particular take care of indigenous trees and 11. Jer. 3:23
plants 12. Ezk. 47:12; Rev. 22:2
The participation of the church in natural forest 13. Gen. 6:14
protection and development will undoubtedly bring 14. T.J.S. Rowland
15. Jn. 15:1

the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and

Research has enlisted 968 indigenous woody
PERSPECTIVES OF THE species of Ethiopia so far out of which 28 tree
ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX species, 31 shrub species and 2 liana species are
TEWAHIDO CHURCH IN FOREST endemic. These woody species are represented in
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION 82 families and 320 genera (Forest Genetic
Resources Conservation Project, Unpublished
Taye Bekele, Getachew Berhan, Sisay Zerfu Report; Taye, Demel and Haase, unpublished).
and Kumlachew Yeshitela
It is thought that about 35% of the land of Ethiopia
Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and Research were once covered with high forests before human
P.O. Box 30726, Fax: 251-1-613722 or 627503, settlement took place in high forest areas. With the
Addis Abeba, Ethiopia inclusion of savannah woodlands, about 66% of the
country were covered with forest or woodland. By
the early 1950s, the high forest cover was reduced
1 Introduction
to 16% of the total land area. It was reported that
the high forest cover was 3.6% by the early 1980s,
Ethiopia is endowed with rich fauna and flora
2.7% by 1989 and less than 2.3 % in 1994
because of its diverse ecological features, making
(Government of the Peoples Democratic Republic
the country an important centre of diversity and
of Ethiopia, 1990, Ministry of Natural Resources
endemism. The number of Ethiopian higher plants
Development and Environmental Protection, 1994).
is estimated to be more than 7000 species out of
The annual loss of the high forest area in Ethiopia
which about 12% are probably endemic
has been estimated between 150,000 and 200,000
(Environmental Protection Authority, 1997). The
ha, and if this rate is maintained over the next 15
total number of woody plants is estimated to be
years then the only remaining high forests will be
1000 out of which about 300 are tree species (Haase
scattered remnants in inaccessible areas (Ministry
and Janßen, 1995; Million, unpublished). The
of Natural Resources Development and
Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Project of

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 8
Environmental Protection, 1994). unpublished).

The low living standard of people and the lack of

The frequent organisational restructuring of the
alternatives are the major factors responsible for the
forestry sector, the inadequate participation of the
decline in forest areas in Ethiopia. This is expressed
local community and other stakeholders, the
by increasing demands for crop and grazing land,
lack/insufficient co-ordination of efforts among
and wood for fuel and construction. Lack of
various institutions, inadequate capacity and
appropriate policies such as land use and forest
inadequate commitment at all levels were also
policies and the absence of the corresponding laws
among the major constraints in the development of
also aggravated the situation. New settlements in
forestry in Ethiopia (Taye, unpublished; Taye,
forests are increasing and hence resulted in the
Demel and Haase, unpublished).
conversion of forestland into agricultural and other
land use systems. Fires set to clear land for
Some of the remaining forests of Ethiopia are
agricultural production and to harvest honey
located in monastery and church premises of the
destroyed a significant portion of the forests of
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (EOTC)
Ethiopia (Taye, unpublished; Taye, Demel and
particularly in the central and northern parts of the
Haase, unpublished). The intermittent wars and
country (Taye,s 1998). This paper gives insights
internal conflicts has also contributed to the
into the contribution of the Ethiopian Orthodox
depletion of the country’s forest resources. There
Tewahido Church in Forest Biodiversity
were two scenarios whereby wars affected forests
Conservation.
of Ethiopia. First, forests were hiding places for
bandits and enemies and set on fire to discourage
them. Second, soldiers depend on forest products 2 Forest biodiversity conservation by the

for the construction of bridges and trenches and for Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church
their energy/light requirement as well.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has a
long tradition of conserving natural forests around
The few remaining high forests are, at present, churches and monasteries. Natural forests are home
for a wide variety of fauna and flora. The church
threatened by pressure from investors who are forests are still more or less intact, especially in the
converting the Moist Evergreen Montane Forests, monasteries. Many indigenous trees and shrubs,
which in some places were destroyed completely
that are found in the south-western part of the over the last century, are still found standing in the
country, into other land use systems such as coffee compounds of remote rural churches (Taye 1998;
Asseged and Taye, unpublished). As a result, the
and tea plantations. The role of investment in forests are sanctuary for different organisms
economic development is undeniable but it should ranging from microbes to big games, including
various bird and plant species. The surroundings of
be done without harming the environment and many churches are home to wild animals, which
should be accompanied with appropriate pre and have almost disappeared elsewhere. Bees make
honey inside the roof of some churches without
post intervention Environment Impact Assessment being disturbed, and doves and other birds make
(Taye, unpublished; Taye, Demel and Haase, nests even on the ground (Asseged and Taye,
unpublished).

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 9
 the Bible. The most powerful biblical teaching that
In most part of Ethiopia, particularly in the northern favours forest conservation is that of Deut. 20:19,
regions, churches or monasteries are the only places which reads:
where indigenous trees or forests can be seen. In
“... you shall not destroy its trees by
much of the landscape of northern Ethiopia, the
wielding an axe against them, for you may
lush vegetation on the sides of the hill surrounding
eat of them, but you shall not cut them
a church or a monastery presents a sharp contrast to
down. Are trees in the fields men that they
the surrounding bare ridges and mountain slopes: it
should be besieged by you…?”
is the only locality covered by tree vegetation and
not affected by gully erosion Seeing a patch of Besides the spiritual aspects, trees in monasteries
indigenous trees throughout northern Ethiopia, one provide several material benefits. They are sources
can tell that there is a church in the middle of the of fuel wood that is required for services of the
patch, even without seeing the dome of the church church; they provide shade from the scorching sun
(Taye, 1998; Asseged and Taye, unpublished). The for the clergy and the laity during mass and
reasons for keeping trees and shrubs in monasteries religious festivals and the stems of the standing
or churches are summarised below. trees give support to individuals during prayers.
Besides, the trees add aesthetic value to the church.
3 What is in the forest for the Church? In monasteries, forests play other important roles in
addition to the aforementioned services. Hermits
Monastery forest reserves didn’t come to exist just and monks use the forests as praying sanctuary and
by mere chance without high effort or without any also feed on the leaves, fruits and other parts of the
hardship and sacrifice. Rather, they happen to exist wild plants (Taye 1998).
by the commitment made by the church, down the
years, to keep emphasis of the biblical teachings on
respecting and taking care of nature in totality, as An informal discussion with the clergies who were
God’s creation. Some of the theological bases attending various courses in the Addis Ababa Holy
and/or religious practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Trinity Clergy Training College in 1998 also
Church that have helped to maintain the natural revealed the following additional reasons for
forest cover are described below. retaining trees in monasteries or uses of trees in
general (Asseged and Taye, unpublished).
The church of Axum Maryam-Tsion represents the
transition and link between the Old and New Production roles (forest products)
Testaments and the physical presence of the Ark of  Construction materials for churches
the Covenant (that was given to Moses by God) in  Wood for making sacramental objects such as
Ethiopia gives the country a special place. The drums, crosses and support sticks for church
spread of churches has thus imposed a symbolism services
similar to that of the Axum Maryam-Tsion on the  Food (fruits and other parts)
whole country. More to the point of ecological  Charcoal for church service
preservation, the grounds around the churches and  Poles for Meskel bonfire
its resources including the trees are considered holy
(Asseged and Taye, unpublished). Service roles (forest services)
 Respect to God's place
The forests grown in churches and monasteries are  Grace for the churches/monasteries
considered as sacred because they are growing in  Microclimate amelioration
God’s compound and besides that they are symbolic  Resting places/sanctuaries for saints.
to the presence of angels guarding each church,  Serve as traditional church schools (learning
surrounding it (Asseged and Taye, unpublished). and teaching under the shade of trees).
Within a certain radius of the churches, depending  Soil erosion control
on the size of the grounds, the wood and even the  Provide sweet aroma/odour to the church
leaves are not to be cut and the land is not to be  Church forests or trees serve to justify land
farmed or converted into other land use system ownership
unless it is for the purpose of the church.  Trees around churches symbolise the fact that
God created Adam and placed him in Eden
Trees and forests have been symbolised in several  Trees around churches symbolise Eden because
occasions both in the old and the new testaments of Eden is full of trees

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 10
 Trees around churches symbolise the list of indigenous tree and shrub species of Zequala
appearance of God to Abraham under a tree Monastery Forest is given in Appendix 1.
 Trees around churches symbolise the faithful .
laity 4.1.3 Threats
 Trees around churches are symbols for life after
death The major threats on this forest is mainly from
 Church forests or trees are used as symbols or human pressure for wood products and for
examples in the teaching or propagation of the expansion of agricultural land. There is severe
Gospel illegal cutting of trees for fuel wood and
 Church forests or trees are national heritage construction purposes. The local people are settling
in the forest and converting the forest in to
4 Woody species composition of some agricultural land. Grazing by cattle, goats and sheep
monastery forests in the forest is also commonly practised.

4.1 Zequala Monastery Forest 4.2 Asebot Monastery Forest

4.1.1 Location and Climate 4.2.1 Location and climate

Zequala Abune Gebre Menfes Kidus Monastery is Asebot Debre Wegeg Kidist Selassie and Abune
situated on Mount Zequala, which is located in the Samuel Monastery is located about 300 km East of
Central Highlands of Ethiopia. It is located between Addis Abeba on the road to Harar. The altitudinal
38o 42' E and 38o 55' E, and 8 o 28' N and 8o 35' N range of Asebot Monastery Forest is from 1890 to
Latitude. The peak of the mountain is slightly above 2400 m a.s.l. and the mean annual minimum and
3000 m a.s.l. and there is a crater lake on the top of maximum temperature of the area are 15 and 27 0C
the mountain. Mount Zequala lies in the Great Rift respectively. The mean annual rainfall of this area is
Valley. The mountain lies in an area with moderate 750 mm. Based on this information it could be
to low rainfall with average an annual rainfall of concluded that this area lies under "Dry Dega" and
731.3 mm and minimum and maximum temperature "Dry Weina Dega" climatic zone classification. The
of 6o and 18oC respectively. The average annual information on rainfall and temperature was taken
temperature is 12.4 oC .(Ethiopian Orthodox Church from the nearest meteorological station of Mieso
Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission, Town, which is located about 17 km from the forest
1999). but is situated in lower altitude of about 1700 m
a.s.l.
The monastery forest resources are declining in
both quantity and quality. The natural forest is 4.2.2 Woody species composition
composed of mainly over-mature trees with poor
prospect for regeneration. The destruction of the According to National Conservation Strategy
forest aggravated soil erosion and down stream Vegetation Classification (Environmental Protection
sedimentation (Ethiopian Orthodox Church Authority, 1994), the forest is Dry Evergreen
Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission, Montane Forest vegetation type and as in other Dry
1999). Evergreen Montane forest, the upper canopy of this
forest was dominated by characteristic species such
4.1.2 Woody species composition as Afrocarpus falcatus, Juniperus procera and Olea
europaea ssp cuspidata. The largest trees of these
The characteristic species of Zequala Monastery species were encountered in the upper parts of the
natural forest are Juniperus procera, Olea europaea mountain near the church of "Kidist Selassie" (Holy
ssp cuspidata and Pittosporum viridiflorum. The Trinity) compound and in the northwestern aspects
density of these species having DBH above 10 cm of the forest. Smaller to medium sized tree species
is 130, 28 and 20 stems/ha respectively. Hypericum of this forest, which posses the middle canopy,
revolutum is the main under-storey species with and included Cassipourea malosana, Combretum molle,
also the regenerating species in the natural forest. Croton macrostachyus, Ehretia abyssinica, Nuxia
There are 13 indigenous tree and shrub species each congesta, Pittosporum viridiflorum, Terminalia
representing different families. This forest also brownii, Schrebera alata and Pterocarpus lucens.
contains relatively large plantations of Cupressus The shrub layer is dominated by Acokanthera
lusitanica and Pinus radiata. The complete floristic schimperi, Calpurnia aurea, Carissa edulis,

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 11
 Dichrostachyus cinerea, Dodonaea angustifolia,
Euclea schimperi, Maytenus addat, Maytenus 4.2.3 Species preference and threat assessment
gracilipes, Myrsine africana, Osyris quadripartita,
Premna schimperi and Rhus spa. The eastern and The Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Project
southern aspect of the forest is dominated by shrub of the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and
species whereas the lower part of the forest is Research undertook woody plant diversity and
dominated by evergreen scrub. There are 36 socio-economic studies in this forest. The socio-
indigenous tree and shrub species that are economic survey employed Participatory Rural
represented 22 families. However, there is Appraisal (PRA) and Household Structured Survey
unconfirmed report that there are about 79 tree and Methods. Table 1 summarises the five top scoring
shrub species in the Asebot Monastery Forest species that are preferred by the monks and the
(Unpublished PRA Report of FGRCP). Our surrounding people for various purposes
complete floristic list of indigenous tree and shrub
species of Asebot Monastery Forest is given in
Appendix 2.

Table 1: Species preference of monks and the surrounding people residing in and around Asebot Monastery
Forest for various purposes (Species are ranked in decreasing order of importance from 1 to 5).

Rank
Uses 1 2 3 4 5
Construction Calpurnia Juniperus Tidecha Gale'e Hameresa
aurea procera
Farm Olea europaea Ehertia Ejersa Bika Dadecha
implements abyssinica
Fuel wood Dodotti Olea europaea Calpurnia aurea Gale'e Hameresa
Charcoal Dodotti Olea europaea Dadecha Ejersa Vernonia
amygdalina
Wood carving Cordia Ficus sur Schefflera Osyris Hamesa
africana abyssinica quadripartita
Timber Juniperus Afrocarpus Cordia africana Ficus sur Nephi
procera falcatus
Bee fodder Dadecha Carissa edulis Vernonia Tini Cordia
amygdalina africana
Hanging bee Cordia Dadecha Dodotti Ehertia Vernonia
hives africana abyssinica amygdalina
Food flavouring Ficus sur Carissa edulis Hupha Pheka Jejeba
Animal feed Haroressa Ehertia Dodonea Pheka Olea europaea
abyssinica angustifolia

Source: extracted from the PRA report on Asebot Monastery (FGRCP).

Farmers rated the level of threat to some species 4.2.4 Threats

and the top ten threatened tree and shrub species
were: The major threat to this forest is mainly from
1. Juniperus procera human pressure for wood products. There is severe
2. Olea europaea illegal cutting of trees for fuelwood and
3. Calpurnia aurea construction. Most of the surrounding local people
4. Gale'e (vine spp) depend on the forest for their living particularly by
5. Dodonaea angustifolia selling timber for house construction. The Asebot
6. Hameresa Monastery Forest is found in an area where there is
7. Mephisa a serious shortage of wood for energy source and
8. Schefflera abyssinica other uses. According to the monastery people
9. Ehertia abyssinica forest products are transported all the way to
10. Beresa Djibouti and Nazreth. Deforestation rate is very
high and the kebele administration and the

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 12
concerned bodies have not taken appropriate 27 indigenous tree and shrub species representing
measures. There is a fear that the monastery forest 20 families in the Daga Estifanos Monastery Forest.
can be lost within a short period of time unless
drastic measures are taken (Forest Genetic 4.4.3 Threats
Resources Conservation Project - IBCR,
unpublished). The Lake Tana Monastery forests do not face much
pressure from the local people. The only actual and
4.3 Lake Tana Monastery Forests potential threat is from the lake it self. Lake Tana
rises at times and is gradually eroding the edges of
4.3.1 Location and climate the monasteries particularly that of Kibran Gebriel
and Daga Estifanos. During the study, it was
There are several monastery forests on the shore observed that several trees had been engulfed by the
and on the islands of Lake Tana, which is located in waves and had fallen into the lake and eventually
northwest Ethiopia. Three of them, namely, Oura died.
Kidane Mihret, Kibran Gebriel and Daga Estifanos
Monastery Forests were studied by the Forest 4.5 Tara Gedam Monastery Forest
Genetic Resources Conservation Project of the
Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and 4.5.1 Location and climate
Research. Since there are clear similarities in the
characteristics and species composition of these Tara Gedam Monastery Forest is located in South
three forests, they are described together. However, Gonder Zone, North Ethiopia. The altitudinal range
the woody species composition of each forest is of this forest is from 2200 to 2380 m a.s.l. The
provided in Appendices 3, 4 and 5. The altitudinal nearest meteorological station for Tara Gedam
range of these forests varies between 1970 to 1800 monastery forest is Enfranz Town. The mean
m a.s.l. The nearest meteorological station is Bahir minimum and maximum temperature of the area is
Dar town. The mean annual minimum and 130 and 270C respectively and the mean annual
maximum temperature of the area is 13 0 and 270C rainfall is 1085 mm. Therefore, this forest lies under
respectively. The mean annual rainfall of this area is moist "Weina Dega" Climatic Zone Classification.
1380 mm. From this information it could be
concluded that these monastery forests lie within 4.5.2 Woody species composition
the moist "Weina Dega" Climatic Zone
Classification of Ethiopia. According to National Conservation Strategy
Vegetation Classification (Environmental Protection
4.3.2 Woody species composition Authority, 1994), this forest is a Dry Evergreen
Montane Vegetation Type. The upper canopy of this
According to National Conservation Strategy forest was dominated by Olea europaea, Albizia
(Environmental Protection Authority, 1994) schimperiana, Schefflera abyssinica, Croton
vegetation classification, these monastery forests macrostachyus, Acacia negrii and Appodytes
are Dry evergreen montane vegetation types. The dimidiata. Smaller trees in this forest included
upper canopy of these forests was dominated by Nuxia congesta, Scherebra alata and Grewia
Mimusops kumel, Albizia schimperiana, Albizia ferruginea. The shrub layer was dominated by
grandibracteata, Millettia ferruginea, Croton Vernonia amygdalina, Calpurnia aurea, Carissa
macrostachyus, Diospyros abyssinica, Celtis edulis, Dovyalis abyssinica, Bersama abyssinica,
africana and Ficus thonningii. Smaller trees of Rhus glutinosa, Maytenus gracilipes, Clausena
these forests included Ehretia abyssinica, Dombeya anisata, Osyris quadripartita, Maesa lanceolata
torrida, Combretum collinum, Allophylus and Myrsine africana. There were 54 indigenous
abyssinicus and Pittosporum viridiflorum. The tree and shrub species (10 of them are not identified
shrub layer was dominated by Budleja polystachya, as yet) representing 31 families. The number of
Vanguria apiculata, Rothmania urecelliformis, families might increase when the 10 species are
Euclea schimperi, Clausena anisata, Senna identified. The complete floristic list of indigenous
ptersiana, Maytenus gracilipes and Calpurnia tree and shrub species of Tara Gedam Monastery
aurea. There were 49 indigenous tree and shrub Forest is given in Appendix 6.
species representing 27 families in Zege Peninsula
Monastery Forest whereas there were 15 indigenous 4.5.3 Threats
tree and shrub species belonging to 12 families and

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 13
 Though local people that reside around the forest based mixed agriculture for centuries. This type of
exert some pressure on the forest for fuelwood and forest develops in areas of relatively high humidity,
construction wood, it is not as severe as for Asebot but limited rainfall (ll00-l300 mm) and where there
and Zequala Monastery forests. is a prolonged dry season. Forests have diminished
due to human interference and have been replaced
by bushlands in most areas. Soils have become
shallow as a result of soil erosion that has been
taking place for centuries (Zerihun, 1999;
5 Comparisons between the various Anonymous, 1992).
Monastery Forests
The forests of Zege Peninsula, Kibran Gebriel,
Daga Estifanos and Tara Gedam have more
All of the monastery forests reported in this paper
common species than with the other studied forests
were found in the Dry Evergreen Montane
(Table 2). The first three forests are located in or on
Vegetation Type. The Dry Evergreen Montane
the shore of Lake Tana having same altitude and
Forest is a complex vegetation type occurring in the
climate whereas Tara Gedam monastery forest is
highlands at altitudinal range of 1500-3400 m a.s.l.
situated about 100 km from Lake Tana. However,
and has average annual temperature and rainfall of
all of them are found in the same Tree Seed Zone,
14-25°C and 500-1500 mm respectively. It is a
that is, Undifferentiated Afromontane Forest. The
multi-storey forest vegetation where by the top
forests of Zege Peninsula and those of Daga
storey consists of a non-uniform and non-compact
Estifanos shared 14 species followed by Zege
layer of tall trees (emergents). This vegetation zone
Peninsula and Tara Gedam, which had 12 species in
is inhabited by the majority of the Ethiopian
common.
population and has been a zone of sedentary cereal-

Table 2: Total and number of shared woody plant species in six monastery forests.

Name of No. of No. of Unknown Number of species in common with site*

Forest species families species
1 2 3 4 5 6
Zequala 13 13 - 2 4 1 1 6
Asebot 36 19 - 8 0 3 5
Zege Peninsula 48 27 - 11 14 12
Kibran Gebriel 15 12 - 10 3
Daga Estifanos 27 20? 1 - 8
Tara Gedam 54 31? 10 -

*1=Zequala, 2=Asebot, 3=Zege, 4=Kibran Gebriel, 5=Daga Estifanos, 6=Tara Gedam

6 Prospects for Monastery Forests Monastery and/or church forests are excellent
centres of learning and research. They are ideal
Monastery and/or church forests are very important sites for studies on vegetation history, ecology,
repositories for both faunal and floral resources of taxonomy and other fields of biology and forestry.
Ethiopia. They are the last sanctuaries for In situ forest conservation sites can be established
endangered plant and animal species and sources of in several of the monastery forests. Monastery and
germplasm particularly of tree seeds for both for church forests are sources of knowledge on
aforestation and conservation of these species. They biodiversity including its uses. Moreover, they
are indicators of species to be chosen for could serve as models of sustainable forest
aforestation programs in their respective localities. management with a minimum amount of human
In regions where the original vegetation cover has intervention.
gone, the islands of monastery and/or church forests
are indicators of the Agroecological Zones and of 7 Conclusions and recommendations
past natural vegetation.
In general, monastery forests are under severe threat

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 14
and are declining in quality (degradation) and Today and Future" workshop. March 2000,
quantity (deforestation). Regional National States Mahibere Kidusan, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
and local government bodies have claimed that Environmental Protection Authority (1997)
monastery forests belong to them whereas they did Conservation strategy of Ethiopia, V.III:
not make any efforts to save them from the pressure Resources Base. Addis Abeba.
of the local people for agricultural land expansion Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and
and destructive timber production. The issue of Inter-Church Aid Commission (1999)
ownership aggravated the rate of deforestation as Management plan for Zequala Monastery.
the surrounding people, particularly those who are Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
not followers of the faith, begin to deny the fact that Government of the Peoples Democratic Republic of
forests in the peripheries of churches or monasteries Ethiopia (1990) National Conservation
belong to the church. Strategy Phase I Report. Ethiopia.
Haase, G. and Janßen, A. (1995). Project appraisal
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church should be entitled report. Forest Genetic Resources Conservation
of its forests. This may require the recognition of Project. GTZ, Addis Ababa.
monastery and church forests as one of the forest Million Bekele (unpublished) Status of forest
ownership categories by the government. The genetic resources of Ethiopia. Paper submitted
Forest ownership categories recognised by the to Regional/sub-Regional workshop on the
government so far are public, private and conservation management, sustainable
community forests (Anonymous, 1994). utilisation and enhancement of forest genetic
resources in dry-zone Sub-Saharan Africa. 22-
In order to prevent the loss of invaluable biological 24 September 1998. Ouagadougou, Burkina
and natural resources, a rescue operation should be Faso.
launched by all concerned and the intervention of Ministry of Natural Resources Development and
the Ethiopian Government is crucial to save the Environmental Protection (1994) Ethiopian
remaining monastery and church forests. In situ Forestry Action Program (EFAP). Volume II.
conservation sites should be delineated and The challenge for Development Addis Ababa.
managed in appropriate monastery/church forests Taye Bekele (1998) Biodiversity conservation:
and seeds of priority/threatened species should be experience of the Ethiopian Orthodox
collected for ex situ conservation measures and for Tewahido Church, In MSc in Forestry
establishing plantations as well. Further studies are Graduates Magazine, 1994-1998.
recommended in the various fields of ecology of Taye Bekele (submitted) Status quo of forest
monastery and church forests. genetic resources conservation in Ethiopia.
Paper submitted to Walia, Journal of the
8 References Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society
Taye Bekele, Demel Teketay and Haase, G.
Asseged Bezabih and Taye Bekele (2000) The (unpublished) Forests and forest genetic resources
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in of Ethiopia. Paper presented at the International
natural resources conservation. Paper Conference "Ethiopia: A Biodiversity Challenge",
presented at "The Ethiopian Church: Past, February 2-4, Addis Abeba
.
9 Appendices Hypericum revolutum Vahl Guttiferae
Juniperus procera Endl. Cupressaceae
Appendix 1. Tree and shrub species list of Zequala Maesa lanceolata Forssk. Myrsinaceae
Monastery Forest. Olea europaea ssp cuspidata (DC.) Oleaceae
Ciffieri
Species Family Osyris compressa Santalaceae
Dombeya sp Sterculiaceae Pittosporum viridiflorum Sims Pittosporaceae
Dovyalis abyssinica (A.Rich.) Flacourtiaceae Schefflera abyssinica (Hochst. Ex A. Araliaceae
Warburg Rich) Harms
Erica arbor L. Ericaceaee
Euclea schimperi (DC., A.) Dandy Ebenaceae Source: EOC-DICAC (unpublished).
Galinieria saxifraga (Hochst.) Rubiaceae
Bridson Appendix 2. Tree and shrub species list of Asebot
Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F.Gmel Rosaceae Monastery Forest.

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 15
 Species Family Acacia etbaica Schweinf. Fabaceae
Acokanthera schimperi (DC., A.) Apocynaceae
Schweinf
Cadia purpurea (Picc.) Ait. Fabaceae
Cassipourea malosana (Bak.) Aliston Rhizophoraceae
Clerodendron cordifolium A.Rich Verbenaceae
Debregeasia saeneb (Forssk.) Hepper Urticaceae
& Wood
Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Fabaceae
Arn
Ehretia abyssinica R. Br. ex Fresen Boraginaceae
Euclea schimperi (DC., A.) Dandy Ebenaceae
Grewia bicolor A. Juss. Tiliaceae
Heteromorpha trifoliata (Wendl.) Eckl. Apiaceae
& Zeyh
Maerua angolensis Dc. Caparidaceae
Maytenus senegalensis (Lam.) Exell Celasteraceae
Myrica salicifolia Hochst. ex A. Rich. Myricaceae
Olea capensis Oleaceae
Phyllanthus ovalüfolius Forssk Euphorbiaceae
Pistacia falcata Mart. Anacardiaceae
Pittosporum viridiflorum Sims Pittosporaceae
Rhoicissus tridentata (L.f.) Wild & Vitaceae
Drummond
Rhus glutinosa A.Rich Anacardiaceae
Rhus retinorrhoea Oliv. Anacardiaceae
Rytigynia neglecta (Hiern) Robyns. Rubiaceae
Schrebera alata (Hochst.) Welw. Oleaceae
Senna petersiana (Bolle) Lock. Fabaceae
Tarchonanthus camphoratus L. Asteraceae
Teclea simplicifolia (Engl.) Verdoorn Rutaceae
Tephrosia emeroides A. Rich. Fabaceae
Terminalia brownii Fresen. Combretaceae
Trichocladus ellipticus Eckl. & Zeyh Hamamelidaceae
Vernonia amygdalina Del. Asteraceae

Source: Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Project,

IBCR (unpublished).

Appendix 3. Tree and shrub species list of Kibran

Gebriel Monastery Forest.

Species Family
Albizia schimepriana Oliv. Fabaceae
Allophylus abyssinicus (Hochst.) Sapindaceae
Radlkofer
Celtis africana Burn. Ulmaceae
Coffea arabica L. Rubiaceae
Cordia africana Lam Boraginaceae
Diospyros abyssinica (Hiern) F. White Ebenaceae
Dombeya torrida (J.F. Gmel.) P. Bamps Sterculiaceae
Ficus sycomorus L. Moraceae
Ficus thonningii Blume Moraceae
Grewia ferruginea Hochst. ex A. rich. Tiliaceae
Hippocratea africana (Willd.) Loes Celasteraceae
Millettia ferruginea (Hochst.) Bak Fabaceae

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 16
 Mimusops kummel Bruce ex A. Dc. Sapotaceae Allophylus abyssinicus (Hochst.) Sapindaceae
Psydrax schimperiana (A. Rich.) Rubiaceae Radlk.
Bridson Bersama abyssinica Fresen Melianthaceae
Urera hypselodendron (A. Rich.) Urticaceae Buddleja polystachya Fresen Buddlejaceae
Bridson Calpurnia aurea (Ait.) Benth Fabaceae
Celtis africana Burm.f. Ulmaceae
Source: Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Project, Chionanthus mildbraedii (Gilg. & Oleaceae
IBCR, (unpublished). Schellenb.) Stearn
Clausena anisata (Willd.) Benth Rutaceae
Appendix 4. Tree and shrub species list of Daga Coffea arabica L. Rubiaceae
Estifanos Monastery Forest. Combretum collinum Fresen Combretaceae
Cordia africana Lam. Boraginaceae
Species Family Croton macrostachyus Del. Euphorbiaceae
Albizia schimperiana Oliv. Fabaceae Diospyros abyssinica (Hiern) F. White Ebenaceae
Celtis africana Burm.f. Ulmaceae Dombeya torrida (J.F. Gmel.) P. Sterculiaceae
Clematis simensis Fresen. Ranunculaceae Bamps
Coffea arabica L. Rubiaceae Dovyalis abyssinica (A. Rich.) Warb Flacourtiaceae
Cordia africana Lam. Boraginaceae Ehretia abyssinica R. Br. ex Fresen. Boraginaceae
Croton macrostachyus Del. Euphorbiaceae Entada abyssinica Steud. ex Oliv. Fabaceae
Diospyros abyssinica (Hiern) F. White Ebenaceae Erythrococca trichogyne (Muell.Arg.) Euphorbiaceae
Dracaena steudneri Schw. ex Engl. Dracaenaceae Prain
Ficus thonningii Blume Moraceae Euclea schimperi (DC., A.) Dandy Ebenaceae
Ficus vasta Forssk Moraceae Ficus lutea Vahl. Moraceae
Grewia ferruginea Hochst. ex A. Rich. Tiliaceae Ficus sur Forssk. Moraceae
Hippocratea africana (Willd.) Loes Celasteraceae
Ficus thonningii Blume Moracaece
Jasminum abyssinicum Hochst ex Dc. Oleaceae
Gardenia ternifolia K. Schum. & Rubiaceae
Millettia ferruginea (Hochst.) Bak Fabaceae Thonn.
Mimusops kummel A. Dc. Sapotaceae Grewia ferruginea Hochst. ex A. Rich. Tiliaceae
Olea capensis ssp welwitschii (Knobl.) Oleaceae Maytenus gracilipes (Welw. ex Oliv.) Celasteraceae
Friis & P.S. Green Welw.
Premna schimperi Engl. Verbenaceae Millettia ferruginea (Hochst.) Bak. Fabaceae
Pterolobium stellatum Forssk. Fabaceae Mimusops kummel Bruce ex A. Dc. Sapotaceae
Rhoicissus tridentata (L.f.) Wild. Vitaceae Olea capensis ssp. welwitschii Oleaceae
Ricinus communis L. Euphorbiaceae (Knobl.) Gilg & Schwllenberg
Ritchiea albersii Gilg. Capparidaceae Phyllanthus ovalifolius Forssk. Euphorbiaceae
Schefflera abyssinica (Hochst. ex A. Araliaceae Pittosporum virdiflorum Sims Pittoporaceae
Rich.) Harms Prunus africana (Hook.) Kalkm Rosaceae
Trema orientalis (L.) Blume Ulmaceae Rhamnus prinoides L'Herit Rhamnaceae
Turraea holstii Guerke Meliaceae Rhus retinorrhoea Steud. ex Oliv. Anacardiaceae
Vangueria apiculata K. Schum Rubiaceae Ricinus communis L. Euphorbiaceae
Vernonia amygdalina Del. Asteraceae Ritchiea albersii Gilg. Capparidaceae
Lanquso Rothmannia urcelliformis (Hiern) Rubiaceae
Robyns
Source: Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Project, Schrebera alata (Hochst.) Welw. Oleaceae
IBCR (unpublished). Senna petersiana (Bolle) Lock Fabaceae
Senna septemtrionalis (Viv.) Irwin & Fabaceae
Appendix 5. Tree and shrub species list of Zege Barneby
Peninsula Forest. Stereospurmum kunthianum Cham. Bignoniaceae
Vangueria apiculata K. Schum. Rubiaceae
Species Family
Vepris dainellii (Pich.-Serm.) Rutaceae
Acokanthera scimperi (A. Dc.) Benth Apocynaceae Kokwaro
Afrocarpus falcatus Thunb. Podocarpaceae Ximenia americana L. Olacaceae
Albizia coriaria Welw. ex Oliv. Fabaceae
Albizia grandibracteata Taub. Fabaceae Source: Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Project,
Albizia malacophylla (Steud. ex A. Fabaceae IBCR (unpublished).
Rich.) Walp.
Albizia schimperiana Oliv. Fabaceae Appendix 6. Tree and Shrub Species List of Tara

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 17
Gedam Monastery Forest. Homa
Shinet
Species Family Shunshuna
Acacia negri Pic.-Serm Fabaceae
Acanthus sennii Chiov. Acanthaceae Source: Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Project,
Albizia scimperiana Oliv. Fabaceae IBCR (unpublished).
Apodytes dimidiata E. Mey Icacinaceae
Bersama abyssinca Fresen Melianthaceae
Brucea antidyscenterica J.F. Mill. Simarubiaceae
Buddleja sp. Loganiaceae
Calpurnia aurea (Ait.) Benth. Fabaceae
Carissa edulis Vahl Apocynaceae
Clausena anisata (Willd.) Benth Rutaceae
Clutia abyssinica Jaub. & Spach. Euphorbiaceae
Croton macrostachyus Del. Euphorbiaceae
Dodonaea angustifolia L.f. Sapindaceae
Dombeya torrida (J.F. Gmel.) Bamps Sterculiaceae
Dovyalis abyssinica (A. Rich.) Warburg Flacourtiaceae
Ekebergia capensis Sparrm. Meliaceae
Embelia schimperi Vatke Myrsinaceae
Euclea schimperi (DC., A.) Dandy Ebenaceae
Ficus sur Forssk. Moraceae
Gnidia lampharanta Gilg Thymalaceae
Grewia ferruginea Hochst. ex A. Rich. Tiliaceae
Hypericum quartinianum A. Rich. Hypericaceae
Jasminum abyssinicum Hochst ex Dc. Oleaceae
Maesa lanceolata Frssk. Myrsinaceae
Maytenus gracilipes (Welw. ex Oliv.) Celasteraceae
Exell
Maytenus obscura (A. Rich.) Cuf. Celasteraceae
Myrsine africana L. Myrsinaceae
Nuxia congesta Fresen Loganiaceae
Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (Dc.) Oleaceae
Ciffieri
Osyris quadripartita Decn. Santalaceae
Phoenix reclinata Jacq. Araceae
Phytolacca dodecandera L'Herit Phytolaccaceae
Premna schimepri Engl. Verbenaceae
Protea gaguedi J.F. Gmel Proteaceae
Pterolobium stellatum (Forssk.) Breden Fabaceae
Rhamnus staddo A. Rich. Rhamnaceae
Rhus glutinosa A. Rich. Anacardiaceae
Rosa abyssinica Lindley Rosaceae
Schefflera abyssinica (Hochst. ex A. Araliaceae
Rich) Harms
Schrebera alata (Hochst.) Welw Oleaceae
Solanecio gigas (Vatke) C. Jeffrey Asteraceae
Teclea nobilis Del. Rutaceae
Vernonia amygdalina Del. Asteraceae
Misitich
Nechilo
Weira Gebo
Dingay Seber
Yebaria Eshe
Yewef Shola
Donga

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 18
 sacred lands even though government is 'looking
after' trees, forest and scenery. As land ownership
WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS usually takes years to be resolved and has major
consequences regarding conservation issues, this
Pierre Binggeli issue needs to be investigated further.
University of Wales (Bangor) It was suggested that trees may become victims of
C/o Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society conflict between religous groups, however this was
P.O. Box 13303, Addis Ababa thought to be the case at only one site. Generally this
e-mail: [email protected] was not considered to be a problem and some tree
resources were actually shared and are of benefit to
1 Introduction all members of society. It was pointed that in case
difficulties existed locally between various religious
Following the oral presentations of the project's aims groups, ARC (the Alliance of Religions and
and the activities of the different partners involved in Conservation) can resolve problems between
this Darwin Initiative project, two plenary different religious denominations by facilitating
discussions were held. As a number of topics were contacts and dialogue between denominations. It was
raised on more than one occasion, the discussions are suggested that encroachment of sacred lands may
reported below under headings reflecting the main occur in areas where tree planting had expanded the
topics addressed. Special attention is paid to report original tree cover.
both the areas of general agreement and topics where
diverging views were expressed by the participants. 3 Structure of church
2 Structure of the church and land tenure Clarification was given as to the structure and the
workings of the Ethiopian church. Around 35000
From the onset of the discussion two important churches and monasteries exit in Ethiopia. They are
questions were raised regarding the definition of grouped in diocese but have a large degree of
sacred grounds and as to the landownership of autonomy. The key role of the central church is to
church grounds. control the way the prayer is conducted. It can also
act as a catalyst.
A number of participants wondered what the
meaning of a sacred site was. Although it was Differences between churches and monasteries exist
suggested the description of sacred should only apply and three types of religious sites may be recognised,
to Orthodox church grounds, it was pointed out that i.e. monasteries, middle rank churches and local,
clearly no formal definition exists. Rather such sites usually isolated, churches. Monasteries have their
should be defined by example as part of a sacred own administration and are usually established in
heritage. When an area is regarded as sacred by a remote areas.
particular group it is then possible to get other people
to respect it. A particular feature of Christian People contribute money to support the church and
orthodox grounds is that a church can only exist in effect the local community manages the church,
when surrounded by trees. These trees are required but this formerly was not the case. Thus, forest
by clergy and monks to provide essential isolation management is now carried out by the church in
and a spiritual setting association with the local community and
management practices may vary from church to
Prior to the Derg regime the Orthodox church owned church. It was therefore pointed out that it is
around 30% of the land which was nationalised important to investigate the conservation issues with
following the 1974 revolution. Currently the both the clergy and the local community. It was also
Orthodox church has not recovered most of the land noted that the role of the church in conservation is
it owned prior to the revolution. It clearly has some not well recognised even in Ethiopia when in parts of
form of control of the wooded land adjoining the country, i.e. the north, all native semi-natural
churches and monasteries. However, no-one could vegetation has disappeared with the exception of
ascertain whether the church was the actual owner of church grounds.
this land or not, and if not what its rights were. It was
suggested that the church has the ownership of Conservation of church woodlands is carried out by

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 19
the clergy, the priests and the community. The potential loss of power of the church over the local
community and monastery are closely interwoven population and the waning of the faith. This would
and they are often reluctant to explain facts and lead to the trees being cut down.
issues to strangers. They tend to be very suspicious
and the project requires a person they can trust in The main constraint in conserving church woodlands
order to collaborate. Around 25% of the faithful are was identified as the pressure for resources exerted
clergy members. Since it was noted that the clergy by the surrounding local community. Trees are
knows about ethnobotany, there is an opportunity to clearly attacked outside the churches' boundaries.
use this knowledge. The church woodlands are clearly viewed as sacred
and in some places people are afraid of going to
4 Resource utilisation and conservation of them. A couple of stories were recounted to illustrate
sacred sites what may happen to people in case they fail to
respect this sacredness
A number of factors were identified as having a
potential impact on the outcome of the project and A number of factors were identified to enhance the
the conservation of sacred woodlands: conservation of church woodlands, they were:
 At present there is no forest policy in Ethiopia  create awareness,
and this will eventually have a bearing on the  capacity building,
project.  provide knowledge, for instance little is known
 At some sites people are cutting trees and many about how to regenerate and propagate trees
woodlands appear to be heavily grazed.  overcome threats to the sustainability of existing
woodlands,
Although no clear answer was given to the question  grow seedlings and bring them to local people.
as to whether the clergy actually preserves particular  consider buffer zones
tree species or not, some species are clearly preferred
for specific reasons. For instance Ficus is favoured as How the project can actually support the churches
a shade tree underneath which discussions take and their biodiversity remains to be addressed fully.
place. Others have well known properties including: The management of sites needs to be investigated
 Eugenia which extracts are used as a laxative, and adequate steps need to be taken, but which sites
 Olea has an excellent wood, and and which species should be the focus of
 Cordia's wood is resistant to termites. management needs to be looked at.
It was claimed that the clergy has a very good
knowledge of the local flora and fauna (inclusive of Supporting the faith may be an essential factor in
insects) and some individuals even know how old ensuring that trees are not cut down and woodlands
some of the trees are. are maintained. It was suggested that by building
more churches the woodland cover could be
The church Development Office assist monasteries, increased and current stands could also be expanded.
for instance by providing seedlings, sometimes free Woodland expansion around churches into farmland
of charge. As a result of the loss of ownership of could be an important component of carbon
farmland, and associated revenue, some monasteries sequestration in Ethiopia.
have had to develop some land. However, extensive
clearance is not normal as a monastery can not cut 5 Past research and implications for project
tree without consent of diocese office.
Research work already carried out in sacred grounds
A key issue relating to the conservation of these was outlined. The university team has investigated
sacred grounds was raised. For whom should their 41 churchyards over a period of 15 days. IBCR
biodiversity be conserved and what benefits would researched 23 forests, including five monasteries,
the various stakeholder gain from it? Little time was over a period of one year. The development agency
spent to discuss these questions and they have yet to of the church has investigated two monasteries.
be fully addressed. Much of this work is now being written up. Future
work will include a M.Sc. student who will work on
Many of these relict woodlands have been the topic for his thesis. All agreed that the Darwin
recognised as seriously impacted by human activities project should learn from these different projects and
at some point in the past. A major threat to the build on knowledge already available. Special care
survival of these woodlands was identified as the should be paid not too duplicate work already carried

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 20
out.  problem of information dissemination
 population expansion
Of particular interest is the pattern of tree  fading of faith
regeneration observed in some monasteries. In some  unclear property ownership
cases tree regeneration is lacking, whilst at other  records lost when church lost land
sites much regeneration may be observed. However,
at some of these sites the species composition of the To successfully carry out the necessary fieldwork,
seedlings and saplings does not reflect the the way individual churches and monasteries are to
composition of the canopy trees. This would indicate be approached was viewed as critical. In addition to
that the seeds originated from other sacred grounds the permission obtained from the central church,
or other remnant semi-natural stands. Thus these approaching local diocese and individual churches
isolated stands actually interact with one another. was viewed as essential. It was stressed that a person
with the necessary skills to tactfully approach local
6 Project aims and methodology church communities is fundamental to build up trust.
We need to think how to get into the life of clergy
Throughout the discussions the aims and and see how specific roles can be identified and
methodology of the project were mentioned on many contribute to the project.
occasions. It was agreed that the project was
ambitious but had somewhat limited resources, The methodology was discussed although it was
therefore it could not tackle every aspect relevant to never made clear what the Rapid Biodiversity
the biodiversity conservation of sacred grounds. A Assessment of the first phase of the project would
fundamental point of disagreement was whether the entail, and how long it would take to survey any one
project should restrict itself solely to sacred grounds site. Some viewed a rapid assessment as very simple
or should also focus on surrounding land. However, whereas others suggested it involved more effort
this issue was little discussed and it was unclear than one would suspect. RBA would look at species
whether a majority favoured one or the other of these richness in particular and the sites could be ranked.
views. The main points raised (full list given in No other details of RBA were discussed although it
Appendix) are listed below: was mentioned the methodology, i.e. whether a
proper inventory should be carried out or not, would
Targets: depend on aims.
A key aspect of the project was identified as capacity
building. Some points of concern were raised:
On the practical side the emphasis was thought to be  It was pointed out that it appeared that the
on: biodiversity component of the project focused
 Devising conservation plans solely on plants and that other groups of
 Promoting the propagation of indigenous organisms should be considered (e.g. birds and
species, but endemic species in particular invertebrates).
 Induce and promote biodiversity conservation  During the second phase of the project 6-7 sites
and awareness are going to be investigated, how are they going
 Promote sustainability through capacity to be replicable? It was suggested that they
building, training and devising management should be representative although to some the
plans meaning of representative was not obvious.

Opportunities: During the second phase of the project it was

 Original vegetation retained (church has been a envisaged to look at 6 to 7 sites. At each site at least
good conservation group and de facto run a the following data would be gathered: diameter,
network of nature reserves) height, size class distribution, and species
 source of germplasm (provide seed source of identification of woodland tree species. Socio-
important native species for the public) economic and cultural aspects will also be
 model for conservation investigated and this research should result in the
 lessons can be learnt production of conservation plans.

Threats: The socio-economic and cultural methodology was

 availability of water only briefly mentioned. A few points worth
 accessibility highlighting are:

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 21
- The methodology should be a semi-structured much impact on local society, could easily promote
survey with the church community and including conservation just as it has addressed the Aids issue in
local people. recent years.
- The extent of local knowledge should be fully
assessed. It was pointed out that during periods of droughts
- Records at church sites used to be kept and this Christians and Muslims get together to pray for three
tradition should be resurrected as knowledge is days for the rains to return. This cross-
currently available. denominational environmental concern may be
- A SWOT methodology should be considered extended to other aspects such as tree and woodland
conservation.
7 Nursery and tree propagation
9 Site selection
Further information regarding the establishment of
an ex-situ conservation centre was sought. It was Site selection and especially the criteria to be used to
explained that a simple set-up is envisaged. Species select the sites for the Rapid Biodiversity Assessment
identified as threatened are to be grown from seeds generated an extensive discussion as well as much
or cuttings to be distributed to local people and disagreement. Although a number of points were
churches. It was pointed out that in the past the clarified no consensus was reached by the end of our
church had established nurseries, especially under discussions.
the Derg regime, to produce a variety of native and
exotic species. The fate of these nurseries is unclear The project manager highlighted that in the first
but it was pointed out that their capacity was limited. phase of the project about 40 monasteries will be
It was suggested that small nurseries (200-300m2), as investigated using a Rapid Biodiversity Assessment
opposed to a centralised establishment, should be methodology, which has been extensively used in
envisaged. Main criteria for the selection of nursery Western Africa. This is to be followed by a second
sites should include easy access and plenty of water. phase where more detailed investigations will be
carried out at about six/seven sites. It was indicated
8 Human dimensions that the list of 40 monasteries produced for the
workshop was not final and was open to alterations.
The human dimension of the project was viewed as a In fact the list should be viewed as a discussion
key component. Views of people living in and document. The listed sites had been selected
around each sacred ground should be actively according to the following criteria:
sought. Subsequently local people should be very 1. Old age.
much involved in project in terms of conservation of 2. Abundance of semi-natural vegetation.
existing stands and planting of nursery-grown plant 3. Representative, i.e. with a good geographical
material. spread but above 1500 m a.s.l.
4. All sites were known to EWNHS staff.
The low level of income of local people and the
ownership issue are important factors in church yard Site selection, including the number of sites to be
conservation. Optimum levels of biodiversity investigated in each phase, generated many
conservation and resource utilisation will depend on comments and much debate. The issues and
a number of factors. Ultimately it must be questions raised and the remaining disagreements are
determined who should and who will benefit from summarised below.
this biodiversity. Number of sites: in view of the existence of around
35,000 sites a number of participants had misgivings
In order to achieve this, the project needs to be pluri- about how representative a sample of 40 sites would
disciplinary in scope and, besides socio-economic be.
factors, it needs to take into account peoples'
behaviours and also has to look into religious Characteristics of sites selected: Although the
doctrines. occurrence of semi-natural vegetation was a criteria
for site selection, in at least one instance it was
Another aspect of conservation is information pointed out that no native vegetation was present.
dissemination relating to the importance of woodland Due to deforestation it was suggested that some sites
conservation. As elsewhere schools are important have probably been encroached or even destroyed
and it was thought that the church, which still has and this problem must be kept in mind. No

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 22
agreement could be reached as to whether sites Second phase: It was agreed that the selection of the
without any natural regeneration (i.e. sites lacking half-dozen sites should be deferred until the
seedlings and saplings) should be included or completion of the Rapid Biodiversity Assessment as
rejected from the list of sites to be investigated. It a sound set criteria for the selection of sites could no
was suggested that sites without natural regeneration be meaningfully identified. It was felt by those
were actually doomed and did not warrant inclusion. participants who have already been involved in
It was generally felt that criteria used to identify sites biodiversity assessment of sacred grounds that they
already investigated by various Ethiopian research can probably have a more valuable contribution to
groups should be included as selection criteria of the second phase of the project than to the RBA phase.
Darwin project sites.
10 Appendix: Various factors and criteria
A number of suggestions were made. Instead of identified by discussion participants
aiming at a broad geographical spread, sites which
are difficult (e.g. isolated, under intense local Contribution of church and monastery yards to
community pressure) should be preferentially chosen biodiversity conservation:
but sites which are too far and too difficult to reach  Source of germplasm
should be avoided. Other factors, which may affect  Models for conservation
the inclusion of particular sites, were noted  Centres of learning
including:  Source of local knowledge
 tree species richness and endemism  Ecological conservation
 lack of tree regeneration  Source of local knowledge
 acceptance of project by local community  Unique genetic resources
 ecosystem fragility  Last sanctuaries for endangered species and native
 fragmentation / geographic isolation vegetation
 different or similar 'agroecological' zones  Churches are potentially knowledgeable about the
 value to local people value of plant species (e.g. medicinal plants)
 religious significance (type of sacred sites)
Identified opportunities and threats relating to church
and monastery yards:
A list of criteria was produced (see Appendix for Opportunities:
details) and an attempt at scoring each one of them  Collaborators and actors
was initiated but abandoned and it was left to the  Infrastructure of churches
discretion of the Darwin Initiative team to rank them.  Indigenous knowledge
As no consensus was reached but the following  Entry point to start project
points were identified as being important in site  Provision of training
selection:  Public awareness
 survey work already carried out (a number of  Relationship with government and local people
monasteries already surveyed)  Credibility of the church
 good prospect of success  Support from the Ethiopia Orthodox Tewahido
 good local knowledge (some churches have Church including its 400,000 clergy
already taken action)  Churches used as arboretum
 easy access  Hold knowledge on biodiversity
However, it was noted that no socio-economic and  Make use of local expertise
cultural criteria had been drawn and these need to be  Expertise and knowledge of church people not used
considered.  Incorporate environment education in the curriculum
of traditional church schools
The key point was that Darwin Initiative project  Lack of tree propagation
should build on existing knowledge and not reinvent
Threats:
the wheel. It was also suggested that the meeting
 Lack of recorded data and knowledge
should not impose a set of criteria but simply make  Lack of resources
recommendations as to the criteria that should be  Water availability
considered. One of them is to look at, in details, the  No credibility and recognition
criteria used by IBCR in their survey. Another was  Fading of the faith
that the proposed site list should not be discarded but  Deforestation
adapted.  Environmental degradation

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 23
  Pressure from adjacent community members  Dominance of native tree species
 Inadequate capacity  Ecosystem fragility
 Lack of know-how  Ecosystem services
 Churches and monasteries do not get enough support  Existence of indigenous knowledge
from government and local people  Forest fragmentation
 Accessibility  Forest/woodland size (i.e. minimum size)
 Information dissemination  Indicator species (endemic, rare, threatened)
 Population growth  Level of collaboration
 Unclear ownership  Level of ecosystem disturbance
 Level of threats
Criteria that could be used in site selection (list  Potential for tree regeneration
alphabetically):  Prospect of success
 Accessibility  Size of grounds (i.e. larger church and monastery
 Adequate representation of regions yards)
 Age of forest  Species diversity
 Acceptance of project by local community  Value to local people
 Availability of existing data

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Date: 1-2 August 2001

Venue: Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission

Name Position Organisation

Ababu Anage (Ato) Team Leader Environmental Protection Authority
Abebe Demisse (Doctor) General Manager Institute of Biodiversity Conservation
and Research
Akale Yemane (Ato) Assistant Research Officer Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History
Society
Dagnachew Kassahun Head of External Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church
(Melake Selam) Relations
Demel Teketay (Doctor) Director Ethiopian Agriculture Research
Organization
Deribe Gurmu (Ato) Centre Manager Forest Research Centre
Gebre Marikos W/ S (Ato) Consultant Private Consultancy
Girma Hailu (Ato) Assistant Resident United Nations Development
Representative Programme
Gufla Fitiwe (Ato) Education Officer Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History
Society
John Healy (Doctor) Lecturer University of Wales (Bangor)
John Smith (Mr) Assistant Secretary Alliance of Religions and Conservation
Kinfe Abebe (Ato) Director Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History
Society
Leyekun Abune (Ato) Team leader Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation
Organization
Matios Mekiso (Ato) Team leader Environment Protection Authority
Mengistu Wondafrash (Ato) IBA Project Manager Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History
Society
Million Bekele (Ato) Team Leader Ministry of Agriculture
Pierre Binggeli (Doctor) Research Officer University of Wales (Bangor)
Tamrat Bekele (Doctor) Assistant Professor Addis Abeba University
Taye Bekele (Ato) Department Head Institute of Biodiversity Conservation
and Research

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 24
Tesfaye Hunde (Ato) Researcher Forest Research Centre
Yonas Yemishaw (Doctor) Coordinator National Tree Seeds Project (EARO)
Zewge T/haimanot (Doctor) Lecturer University of Wales (Bangor)

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, August 2001. 25