Forest Development, Conservation and Utilization Policy and Strategy.

The Forest Development, Conservation and Utilization Policy and Strategy (2007)'s basic aim is to meet public demand in forest products and foster the contribution of forests in enhancing the economy of the country through appropriately conserving and developing forest resources. Specific Objectives are: 1) to encourage sustainable forest development by rendering professional and technical assistance to farmers, pastoralists, investors and institutions engaged in forest resource development; 2) To adequately meet the forest and forest product demands of the public through sustainably enhancing the production of forest resources in areas that are suitable for forest and forest resource development; 3) To foster the contribution of forest resources to food security and industrial development through the identification, rejuvenation, multiplication and distribution of tree species that are suitable for our country and capable of giving diverse benefits; 4) To lay the foundation wherein forest resources deliver allembracing services to the country in a sustainable manner, through the prevention of threats as well as the conservation and development of forest resources; 5) To ensure maintenance of the natural ecological balance through adequately conserving and developing the forest resources of the country.
To achieve those objectives the following policies and strategies have been formulated. 1) Fostering Private Forest Development and Conservation, by granting ownership guarantee certificates, by ensuring the implementation of the right to use and transfer land; facilitate access to credit services to individuals and associations; by designating productive forest areas within state forests that are identified for their potential to be afforested, etc. 2) Expansion of Forest Development Technology by ensure the dissemination to and utilization by users of appropriate forest technologies that are enriched through research and are deemed to be suitable to the various agro-ecological zones, and that are periodically updated; select and disseminate to users tree species that are proven to be productive based on agro-forestry; establish and strengthen a system for the provision of indigenous and exotic tree species; etc. 3) Expanding Market Development for Forests by encouraging to place forest products, that are up to standards and competitive, to domestic and international markets. 4) Administration and Management of State Forest will be organized in such way: state forests and forest lands in the country will be administered based on a management plan to be drawn on a two-pronged approach of protected forest and productive forest management system; The boundaries of protected forests and forest lands particularly those that are hotspots for indigenous tree species threatened with extinction will be delineated and administered, as necessary, by federal or regional governments for their sustainable use; Through demarcating their boundaries and giving legal recognition, productive forests will be identified and administered by the pertinent governmental body, individual or organization; Scattered natural forests and plantations that are not designated and demarcated as protected or productive forests shall be managed by Kebele administrations or individuals accorded with certificates of ownership rights and be made to use on the basis of a utilization plan to be drawn with a view to halting their arbitrary use as construction material, fuel wood and charcoal production. 5) Protecting Forest Resources from Threats by implementing remedial actions to avert natural or anthropogenic threats on forests placed under any form of ownership to keep forests from devastation; by adopting preventive and regulatory measures on illegal movement of forest genetic resources that are threatened with extinction; by adopting a regulatory system that enables the control of illegal movement of forest products. 6) Establishing Modern Information Systems (data collection, analysis and distribution) on Forest Development, Conservation and Utilization and integrate with international information networks.