Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve: Strengthening the Management System and Working with Nearby Communities on Bio-Cultural Learning and Livelihoods Development

Support local community and local leaders to enforce the approved land use plan for the Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve, and to develop economic activities compatible with the long-term conservation of the forest, such as beekeeping, spice gardens or sustainable animal husbandry. Movement for Ecological Learning and Community Action (MELCA) has worked in the Sheka Forest area since 2005, supporting local communities in the establishment of a Man and Biosphere Reserve that was approved by the Ethiopian government and endorsed by UNESCO in 2012.