Akale Development & Emergency Response Action (ADERA)’s vision is to see people free from poverty and enjoying fullness of life. Its mission is to respond to the strategic and practical needs of communities, empowering them to rise from their situations and live with dignity, peace and purpose.
The Project
ADERA will restore traditional taboo-based protection of a sacred forest site in Ethiopia’s Konso cultural landscape, combining community by-laws with native tree planting.
The Issue
Traditional taboos that once protected the Konso region’s sacred forests have eroded under modern pressure, leaving the sites vulnerable to illegal logging and encroachment.
The Project
ADERA will work with elders, women and youth to map, legally protect and physically demarcate one sacred forest site, backed by community-enforced by-laws and 30+ trained youth forest monitors.
The Impact
The project will plant 500 native tree seedlings and engage over 150 villagers, creating a scalable template for reviving cultural protection of forests across the wider region.
