The war on Tigray wiped out decades of environmental progress

The war on Tigray wiped out decades of environmental progress

Subject: Environment

Section: Places  in news

Context: Two-year war and siege on Tigray region has set Tigray’s restoration back by decades. The conflict has had a devastating impact on both people and the environment.

More on the News:

• As many as 600,000 people have died, mainly due to man-made starvation.
• The environment has been destroyed by aerial and ground bombardment, the use of dangerous chemicals and vehicle and army movement. Forests and conservation and restoration structures were destroyed by military activity. The landscape is littered with waste and abandoned military material.
• According to World Peace Foundation, the destruction of the environment was also a tool of war. Tigrayan communities are highly dependent on natural resources for food, fuel and feed. Agriculture contributes 42.7 per cent to GDP, about 85 per cent of employment and 70 per cent of export earnings. Armies deliberately destroyed fruit trees, forests, soil conservation structures and nursery structures. Grass harvests used for animal feed were burned. The destruction of the ecosystems will in turn affect food security and the climate for a long time to come.
• Restoring the environment also needs urgent attention so that societies can produce food and goods to rebuild their lives.
• Environmental restoration plan to ensure Tigray’s recovery is green and sustainable:
  • Ecosystems contaminated by shelling and bombardments, destroyed industrial, agricultural and health facilities and military waste should be dealt with as hotspots.
  • A thorough assessment of the direct and indirect impacts and losses is needed.
  • The post-war environment recovery must put the needs of the community at the centre.
  • Farm households and farmlands should get priority. Farmers should be provided with oxen and improved agricultural farm goods, to improve their subsistence farming and to scale up agroforestry practices.
  • Introduce urban farming practices to bring greenery and a sustainable lifestyle closer to home.
  • Rehabilitating research facilities

Ethiopia:

• It is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa, officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
• The country lies completely within the tropical latitudes and is relatively compact, with similar north-south and east-west dimensions.
• The capital is Addis Ababa.
• Ethiopia is located from Sudan in the southeast, Eritrea to the south, Djibouti and Somalia to the west, Kenya to the north, and South Sudan to the east.
• It is the most populous landlocked country in the world.