Introduction :

The Bale Eco-region (BER) is one of Ethiopia’s critically important eco-regions, providing economic, social and ecological benefits for millions of people. The BER hosts a globally important area of biodiversity with extraordinary endemism, providing habitat for 26% of Ethiopia’s endemic animal species, 6% of endemic birds and 163 endemic plants.

However, deforestation and forest degradation, encroachment of protected areas, overgrazing, unsustainable agricultural practices, and extensive soil erosion are major anthropogenic factors threatening the sustainability of the eco-region and its ecological functions and ecosystem services.

To overcome these challenges, the first phase of the Bale Eco-region project (BER I) was launched, targeting 7 pilot woredas, through total financial volume of 5.5 MEUR (5 MEUR from EU; and 0.5 MEUR as co-financing by the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission). BER I was implemented by a consortium of implementing partners involving FARM Africa UK (lead), Frankfurt Zoological Society, SOS Sahel Ethiopia, Population Health Environment, and International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The BER I project  achieved good results in terms of promoting climate smart agriculture, participatory forest and rangeland management, protected area management, women-and-youth-focused income generating activities, family planning and reproductive health, as well as the  publication of the Bale Eco-region Development Framework and the Bale Mountains National Park Management Plan documents.

The ‘Scaling out Integrated and Multi-sectoral Eco-regional Approach in Bale Eco-region’ project, ‘BER II, was implemented by the same consortium members implementing BER I, in 16 woredas in the Eco-region. In the course of its implementation, BER II was believed to have directly benefited 1.6 million people living in 16 districts in the Bale Eco-region and about 30 million people living in the downstream, up to northern Kenya and northern Somalia, by providing mainly ecosystem services such as clean water. BER II is also inclusive, involving women and youth in income generating activities and in decision-making.

Objectives: