Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald).
“Tigray’s Forests at Risk: Calls for Federal Intervention as Regional Capacity Collapses”
By Tesema Nadew
The Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, once known for its unique highland ecosystems and reforestation efforts, now faces a grave environmental threat: uncontained forest fires exacerbated by regional institutional collapse. With the Tigray Bureau of Agricultural Development unable to carry out forest protection duties due to the aftermath of the devastating war, experts and officials are urgently calling on the federal government to intervene.
According to local environmentalists and senior sources within the Ministry of Agriculture, the region’s once-functional forest fire protection systems managed by the Tigray Bureau have ground to a halt. “The structures have been dismantled, logistics are non-existent, and trained personnel have either fled or been reassigned,” said a source within Tigray’s Communication Affairs Bureau who requested anonymity due to the political sensitivity.
In a direct appeal to federal authorities, calls are mounting for the Federal Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Directorate to immediately lead forest fire protection operations across Tigray. Delays, experts warn, could result in irreversible ecological loss and threaten fragile biodiversity reserves, such as the Des’a forest and the remnants of the Hugumburda and Wukro forests.
Ecological Collapse in the Making
Satellite images from mid-June reveal significant smoke plumes and burn scars in areas surrounding Hawzen, Gijet, and Atsbi. Local farmers say they’ve witnessed unattended blazes consuming eucalyptus plantations and natural forest cover alike. “There’s no one to help. We watch it burn, powerless,” said Berhane Tesfay, a smallholder in the Atsbi district.
The region, which was already under strain from years of deforestation and climate stress, is now completely unguarded. Post-war institutional paralysis has also hampered communication and coordination between local officials and federal agencies.
A Federal Responsibility
“The reality is this: Tigray cannot currently protect its forests. The Federal Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Directorate must act now,” said Mekonnen Hailu, an environmental policy analyst based in Addis Ababa. “This is not just a regional issue it’s a national ecological emergency.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has remained tight-lipped on whether such a deployment is in motion, but internal communications reviewed by this reporter indicate that several regional bureaus have requested immediate federal support.
The Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau has also issued an urgent communique calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to prioritize the region’s forest protection under the national mandate of environmental conservation.
Forests as Climate Frontlines
This crisis comes as Ethiopia prepares to host the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa later this year, under the banner of “Nature-Based Solutions.” Critics argue that without addressing domestic ecological emergencies, the summit risks losing credibility.
“Tigray’s forests are frontline battlegrounds in the climate struggle,” said Dr. Lulit Assefa, a conservation biologist. “Losing them undermines not only local climate resilience but Ethiopia’s standing as a regional environmental leader.”
As the dry season intensifies, the window for effective action is closing. Without urgent intervention, Tigray’s forests may become the latest casualty in a region already scarred by war, famine, and displacement.
