Chris Packham, Joanna Lumley and Zoë Wanamaker are some of the celebrities backing an appeal that launched earlier this month to save a special forest in Ethiopia.
Without urgent action, the Metema forest in Ethiopia could be extinct in 20 years, gripped by the devastating effects of the climate crisis. The tree-growing charity, Tree Aid, is calling for support from the public to bring the forest back from the brink of extinction, stopping it being engulfed by the creeping desert.
Chris Packham, one of the high profile supporters of the appeal, explains: “People in the Sahel are living with the devastating effects of our global climate crisis. Temperatures are rising, land is becoming infertile and the desert is spreading south, like a wave in slow-motion.”
Tree Aid’s Future Forest appeal will contribute to the Great Green Wall movement. This African-led movement aims to restore and re-green 8,000kms across the entire width of Africa – stopping the advancing Sahara desert and securing a sustainable future for the millions of people living in poverty in the Sahel.
“The Great Green Wall is one of the most inspiring restoration movements of our time,” Packham explained, “and Tree Aid is making a long-lasting contribution. I urge people to support the Future Forest appeal to back this inspiring African solution to the climate crisis.”
The appeal aims to raise £352,875 to save one of the last green belt areas before the desert, tackling the climate crisis with a solution based in nature. Donations from the public will be matched by the UK government until 11th July, doubling the fundraising total.
Matched funds from the UK government will enable Tree Aid to provide communities in Metema, Ethiopia with tools and training to restore the forest, protect the frankincense trees and create a more sustainable income from them. The Metema forest is extra special as it is made up of Boswelia trees, which produce frankincense – a precious tree resin that is used in essential oils around the world.
Joanna Lumley, Tree Aid’s patron, commented: “I have been supporting Tree Aid for almost 30 years because it provides such an effective, practical solution to tackling poverty and the climate crisis. I urge people to please give what they can to the Future Forest appeal, knowing their gift will be doubled by the government. Together, we can fight the effects of the climate crisis to secure a greener, more sustainable future for millions of people.”
The Future Forest appeal comes at an important time, when the UK is set to host the world’s biggest climate change conference, COP26, on home soil in Glasgow this November. 2021 also marks the launch of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, calling for urgent, global action to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide.
To find out more, visit treeaid.org
