Green Legacy Ethiopia is a nationwide environmental restoration and tree-planting initiative launched in 2019 to restore degraded landscapes, expand forest cover, strengthen biodiversity, and promote sustainable environmental stewardship. The initiative encourages participation from government institutions, local communities, schools, businesses, civil society organizations, and members of the Ethiopian diaspora.
Through annual tree-planting campaigns and broader conservation efforts, Green Legacy seeks to improve ecosystem health, reduce land degradation, enhance water conservation, and increase Ethiopia's resilience to climate change. The initiative also promotes environmental awareness and encourages citizens to take an active role in protecting the country's natural resources.
Beyond planting trees, Green Legacy emphasizes the importance of long-term care, sustainable land management, and community participation to ensure lasting environmental and social benefits.
Why It Matters
Healthy forests are essential for protecting biodiversity, improving soil quality, conserving water resources, supporting agriculture, and helping mitigate the impacts of climate change. By encouraging collective action, Green Legacy demonstrates how environmental conservation can become a shared national responsibility that benefits present and future generations.
Update
On August 3, 2026, Ethiopia successfully planted 805.3 million tree seedlings in a single 12-hour window, surpassing its original target of 800 million. This historic event marks the 8th round of the country's massive environmental campaign.
Key Facts
- The Record: The 805.3 million trees planted broke the nation's previous single-day record of 714.7 million trees set in July 2025.
- The Initiative: The campaign is a core milestone of the Green Legacy Initiative, an environmental master plan launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2019 to combat deforestation, soil erosion, and climate change.
- The Long-Term Goal: With a seasonal goal of 8 billion trees for 2026, this round pushes Ethiopia past its long-term target of planting 50 billion trees since the program started.
- Socioeconomic Impact: Beyond ecological restoration, the initiative has improved local food security by including fruit trees and has generated roughly 1.5 million green jobs across the country.
