Korea and Ethiopia will carry out forestation projects to help restore a devastated region of the East African nation.
The two countries held the first round of their cooperation council meeting on Oct. 21 in Ankara, Turkey, where the 12th U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) took place.

During the meetings, Korea and Ethiopia discussed measures to boost exchanges in forestation policy and the ongoing forest restoration project of a damaged section of woods in southwest Ethiopia through the Greening Dryland Partnership (GDP).

The GDP is a cooperation project designed to prevent desertification and land devastation in order to achieve the goal of sustainable land management. It involves specialized technology from international organizations and cooperation among developing countries. The Korea Forest Service has been conducting forestation projects since 2011 when it signed the memorandum of understanding on the GDP, along with the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNCCD.

Korea Forest Service Director General of International Affairs Kim Yongkwan said, “With Korea’s successful experience in reforestation and related technologies, we hope to help African nations reduce their devastated regions. To this aim, we will substantially boost cooperation and exchanges between governments.”

The Korea Forest Service has been supporting forestation projects with many countries in order to restore damaged forests devastated by fire or overuse, and to prevent desertification in developing countries. In this regard, it has been conducting forestation and greenbelt creation projects in China, Mongolia and Indonesia.





By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korea Forest Service
arete@korea.kr