Ethiopia has set a new global benchmark in environmental restoration after planting more than 714 million tree seedlings in a single day, nearly doubling its previous record of 350 million trees set in 2019 under the country’s ambitious Green Legacy Initiative.
The nationwide campaign saw millions of Ethiopians including farmers, students, civil servants, members of the security forces, and volunteers leave their daily activities to participate in a coordinated tree-planting exercise aimed at restoring degraded forests and combating climate change.
The achievement was confirmed by Ethiopia’s Agriculture Minister, Girma Amente, who described the campaign as another milestone in the country’s long-term environmental restoration programme.
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Launched in 2019 by the Ethiopian government, the Green Legacy Initiative seeks to reverse decades of deforestation that have dramatically reduced the country’s forest cover over the past century.
According to government figures, the programme has now resulted in the planting of more than 40 billion tree seedlings nationwide.
Environmental experts say the initiative is designed not only to restore degraded ecosystems but also to improve biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, strengthen water conservation, and enhance Ethiopia’s resilience to the growing impacts of climate change.
The campaign has also become one of the largest community-based environmental movements in the world, mobilizing millions of citizens each year to participate in reforestation efforts.
Officials say restoring forest cover is critical for improving agricultural productivity, protecting watersheds, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in one of Africa’s most climate-vulnerable countries.
The latest achievement underscores Ethiopia’s growing commitment to environmental sustainability and highlights the role of mass public participation in addressing climate and ecological challenges.
While experts note that the long-term success of the programme will ultimately depend on the survival and proper management of the planted seedlings, the record-breaking exercise represents one of the largest coordinated tree-planting efforts ever undertaken by a single country, reinforcing Ethiopia’s position as a continental leader in large-scale reforestation initiatives.