Riparian Buffer Zone Management Proclamation No 1382/2025.

The Riparian Buffer Zone Management Proclamation No. 1382/2025 establishes a legal framework for the delimitation, development, conservation, and protection of riparian buffer zones adjacent to water bodies throughout Ethiopia. Its purpose is to protect water quantity, quality, biodiversity, and related ecosystem services from degradation caused by sedimentation, pollution, and unsustainable land use. The Proclamation classifies riparian buffer zones into controlled, restricted, and very restricted zones and provides that their precise width and boundaries shall be determined on the basis of hydrological, ecological, geomorphological, land‑use, and flood‑risk considerations, as specified by regulations to be issued by the Council of Ministers. It prohibits defined activities within each category of buffer zone, with stricter limitations applying as protection levels increase, and provides for planned development and conservation measures with community participation. The Proclamation assigns powers and responsibilities to the Ministry of Water and Energy and to regional governments for delimitation, supervision, development, and conservation, and establishes a system of supervisors empowered to monitor compliance, collect evidence, and coordinate with law‑enforcement bodies.