Role of University in Addressing Climate Change

August 24, 2020

Workshop on Enhancing Capacity of Ethiopia to Address Climate Change

Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources

• WGCFNR was established in 1978 to train forest technicians

– Over 40 years of teaching, research and community service in forestry and other natural resource management areas.

Dean

President

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

12 departments

Associate Dean for Research and

Technology Transfer

Research, community service

and technology

Managing Director

Admin (Team leaders)

1011 supporting staff178 Academic Staff

BSc programs

1. Agroforestry

2. General Forestry

3. Forest Management & Utilization

4. Urban Forestry & Greening

5. Natural Resource Management

6. Natural Resource Economics & Policy

7. Geographic Information Science (GIS)

8. Soil Resources & Watershed Management

9. Environmental Science10. Land Administration and Surveying

11. Wildlife and Protected Area Management

12. Ecotourism & Cultural Heritage Management

MSc programs

1. Climate Smart Agriculture

2. Agroforestry & Soil Management

3. Natural Resource Economics & Policy

4. Climate Change in Development

5. Forest Resource assessment and Monitoring

6. Urban Forestry & Greening

7. Watershed Management

8. Renewable Energy Utilization and Management

9. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

10. Biodiversity Conservation and Management

11. Production forestry 12. Geographic Information Science

PhD in Climate Change and Bioenergy development

PhD in Agroforestry soon

1692

321

250

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

BSc MSc PhD

Number of students, 2020

Various research and community service activities by faculty and MSc and PhD students

Will focus on community service carried out with local, regional and federal partners – mainly related to REDD+ and MRV

Research areas

• Thematic based research •Multidisciplinary

• Also few disciplinary research

Government funded

• Thematic based research • With foreign universities

Collaborative

Task Training Participants Training Title #

I Regional Experts Training of Trainers on REDD+ 200

II Journalists and Public Relation

experts

Concepts of Climate Change, the

role of forestry and REDD+

activities

50

III Regional experts Forest Governance 60

IV CBO/community leaders Negotiation skill and conflict

management

100

Total 410

REDD+ Readiness phase (EFCCC)

Training on Wide Variety of Issues of REDD+ (Oromia)

• ToT on different aspects of REDD+

• Experts involved in the ToT

• GIS and Remote sensing and Forest inventory

• Activity data and emission factor

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Protection Authority - SNNPRS

National Forest Inventory - EFCCC

• Created platform for trainings for field crew

• Two foresters from the College involved as technical advisors during the initial stage of the inventory

• Support with forest equipment

Committees

• Technical working groups (REDD+) – National, Oromia, SNNPR

• National REDD+ learning Network

• REDD+ Steering committee – National, Oromia

14

National Measuring, Reporting and

Verification (MRV) Capacity Building towards

Climate Resilient Development in Ethiopia

15

Organize dedicated short-term training in MRV methods for staff of WGCFNR

❑ Total planned 12

❑ Forestry - 5

❑ Renewable Energy – 3

❑ GHG measurement techniques – 4

Support sabbatical and research leaves (6)

PhD education ❑ 2 in Forest resources assessment & Monitoring❑ 2 in Renewable Energy utilization &Management❑ 1 in CSA

WGCFNR possesses adequate institutional capacity

Post-graduate MRV programmes established

❑ Three MRV related MSc programs❑ Forest resources assessment and Monitoring

❑ Climate smart agricultural landscape assessment

❑ Renewable energy utilization and Management

❑Three batches of students enrolled

❑167 enrolled

❑From all regions and two city administrations

Strengthened infrastructure and facilities for training and research

❑Strengthen spatial data infrastructure

❑Upgrade field equipment

❑Strengthen laboratories facilities❑Procurement and installation of Gas chromatography ❑Modern equipment for renewable energy lab ❑Computer center established to support various courses

❑Provide short-term trainings to professionals from relevant federal institutions ❑Professionals from nine regions and two city administration trained in MRV methods❑Total = 300

❑Coordinate interdisciplinary participatory action research❑Wondo Genet and Guji forests❑Research projects cover forest resources assessment, climate smart

agriculture and renewable energy 17

Laboratory

GHG monitoring - CO2, CH4, N2O

Carbon stocks - Biomass and Soil

Growth monitoring - sequestration potential,

Trainings, workshops, student and staff research support, GHG measuring equipment ………………

Growing to more collaborations

Expected new project with GGGI

Collaborations• Helsinki University – Mitigation and adaptation potential of Agroforestry

practices

• Dresden University, Sokoine University, Mekerere University – WoodCluster –biomass production

• Czech University of Life Sciences – Capacity building in Agroforestry, Ethnobotany …

• Colorado University – Biodiversity, Ecotourism

• Korea University – Climate Change and role of forests

• Norwegian University of Life Sciences – MRV

• Swedish University of Agriculture – Sida

• Institute of Bio- and Geoscience (German) – Climate change Mitigation

Better resource and experience

Expect new additions soon - 5 PhDs in MRV

Center of excellence in forest management

Hawassa University, Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources