ETHIOPIAN researchers and artists are working to restore biodiversity in the town of Kofele. They are building a tree nursery representing an Ethiopian lion, visible from space. The goal? To alert public authorities to the climate crisis while promoting the local agricultural sector.
This ambitious project, entitled "Trees for Life," is being headed up by Ethiopian charity Rural Organization for Betterment of Agro-Pastoralists (ROBA). It is supported by the Earth Art Studio, the British Council, the Canadian Kwantlen University and Scottish planners from the city of Dundee. They are all working to create a 50-meter lion-shaped nursery, which ROBA describes as the world's first living art installation.
Located near a school in Kofele, the nursery will help preserve the wildlife, flora and culture of the Oromia region, the most populous in Ethiopia. Local people, in particular women and younger generations, will also be able to learn much-needed skills in tree farming and agroforestry.
"When I speak with elders, they describe us as victims of climate change who have lost our culture. When you ask them about trees, and how Oromos maintained them, the key players they indicate are culture and art," Hussein Watta, director and founder of ROBA, told Hyperallergic.
"When a practice is ingrained into a people's culture -- in art and song, or even in technology and photography they do it better. My goal right now is to mobilize the people around this."
The art of planting trees
This desire to include an artistic component in this project translates into the lion shape chosen for the nursery.
This animal is anything but insignificant for Ethiopians, as it is one of the country's national symbols.
The Abyssinian lion is a "keystone" species, whose predominant role determines the plant and animal species found in their habitat. Its presence in the Ethiopian highlands determines the composition of the rest of the region's ecosystem.
While it once reigned supreme on the African continent, researchers now estimate that the Abyssinian lion could disappear by 2050 due to massive deforestation of the savannah and poaching.
While the Trees of Life project can't rebuild their natural habitat, the hope is that it can raise awareness about the important role trees play in our ecosystem.
"If we can truly educate our people about the art of tree planting, to prevent soil erosion, limit pollution, create jobs, and regulate the water cycle, I believe no one would cut down a single tree again," Hussein Watta told Hyperallergic.
Despite frequent poor weather conditions that have hit Ethiopia in recent months, the nursery produced more than 8,000 trees by May. The structure should be able to maintain a production of 10,000 to 12,000 trees per six-month growing cycle.
Reuters
Wed Dec 08 2021
This lion-shaped nursery will help preserve the wildlife, flora and culture of the Oromia region, Ethiopia's most populous. - ETX Studio
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Lebih 2,000 terkorban di Lubnan akibat serangan Israel
Jumlah mangsa yang maut itu termasuk 261 wanita dan 127 kanak-kanak.
Lebih 2,000 terkorban di Lubnan akibat serangan Israel
Laporan Al Jazeera menyebut, jumlah mangsa yang maut itu termasuk 261 wanita dan 127 kanak-kanak.
AWANI Pagi: Pendayaupayaan Pembangunan Sosio Ekonomi Bagi Memacu Wilayah Persekutuan
Ikuti temu bual bersama Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Wilayah Persekutuan), Dr Zaliha Mustafa di #AWANIPagi jam 7.30 pagi di saluran 501 Astro AWANI.
Pentagon, Jabatan Negara AS beri amaran jenayah perang Israel
Pegawai-pegawai tersebut telah memberi amaran peningkatan jumlah kematian di Gaza mungkin melanggar undang-undang antarabangsa.
200,000 pelarian tiba di Syria selepas serangan Israel ke atas Lubnan - UNHCR
Lebih 200,000 warga Syria dan Lubnan telah tiba di Syria dari Lubnan sejak serangan Israel bermula pada 23 Sept.
Belanjawan 2025: Kesalinghubungan internet di sekolah, kampus jadi keutamaan - Fahmi
Kementerian Komunikasi akan memberikan keutamaan dengan meneruskan usaha untuk meningkatkan dan memantapkan lagi prasarana kesalinghubungan melibatkan isu Internet, dalam Belanjawan 2025 yang akan dibentangkan pada 18 Okt ini.
Setahun solidariti, sokongan global untuk Palestin di tengah-tengah genosid berterusan Israel
Ribuan manusia di seluruh dunia turun ke jalanan untuk menyuarakan sokongan kepada Palestin dan menuntut keadilan.
Indonesia kecewakan China, raih kejuaraan badminton berpasukan campuran remaja dunia
Indonesia menewaskan China untuk muncul Juara Badminton Berpasukan Campuran Remaja Dunia dengan kemenangan 110-103 (mata terkumpul).
Bomba selamatkan tiga subkontrakor terkandas di kren pengangkat
Ketiga-tiga mangsa lelaki itu masing-masing berusia 24, 26 dan 32 tahun terkandas dengan anggaran ketinggian dua tingkat.
Hulu Perak daerah terbaharu dilanda banjir kilat
Banjir kilat berlaku disebabkan hujan lebat berterusan selama dua jam di sekitar Gerik.