Ethiopia Says Green Legacy Initiative Planted 56.8 Billion Seedlings

What changed

Ethiopia says its Green Legacy Initiative planted approximately 56.8 billion seedlings by the end of its 2026 campaign, surpassing its original 50-billion target. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presented the programme at the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya, as Ethiopia set a new goal of 65 billion seedlings by 2027.

The campaign’s biggest single-day effort came on August 3, when 805.3 million seedlings were planted. Citizens, farmers, young people, institutions and communities took part.

Why it matters

The striking part is not only the number of seedlings. Ethiopia is trying to turn restoration into a routine social responsibility, with planting described as increasingly becoming a family habit.

That matters because the programme connects trees to practical needs. It includes rehabilitating degraded land, protecting watersheds, conserving soil and planting fruit-bearing or multipurpose species such as avocado, mango, papaya, apple and coffee. The intended gains reach across biodiversity, farming, food security, water and livelihoods.

Ethiopia reports that forest cover rose from 17.2% in 2019 to 23.6% in 2023. The report does not independently verify seedling survival, planting-area totals or the causes of that forest-cover change, so the programme’s real test is what remains growing and useful over time.

The initiative is also becoming a regional exchange. Ethiopian youths have shared conservation and tree-planting experience in Zimbabwe, Ghana and Nigeria, while related activities extended to Pakistan and multipurpose seedlings were supplied to Djibouti.

With Ethiopia preparing to host COP32 in Addis Ababa, the Green Legacy is being offered as a model built around mass participation and development goals. Its credibility will increasingly depend on whether the trees survive, landscapes recover and communities see lasting benefits.