An environmental group in Britain warns that the Tigray war is causing deforestation. Blockades restricting fuel and aid to Tigray have forced Tigrayans into cutting down trees, increasing food insecurity in a region that the U.N. considers at risk of famine.
Tigray has been under de facto humanitarian blocksade for over nine months now. Both Ethiopian government forces as well as rebels accuse each other in preventing aid reaching the war-torn region.
According to the U.N., Tigray is experiencing one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world. There is an acute shortage of food. Tigrayans living in the ordinary are struggling to find resources for their day-to-day lives.
The Conflict and Environment Observatory, a U.K.-based nonprofit group, has reported that Tigrayans could face long-term problems due to the lack of aid and war in the region.
By analyzing satellite images in Tigray, the report concludes conflict driven-deforestation” is happening at an alarming rate.
Trees play a significant role in conserving soil, water and food. Aid agencies warn that Tigray is already at risk of starvation.
Henrike Schulte (author of the report, and conservation scientist at Zoological Society of London) said that conflict-driven forest destruction usually occurs for two reasons.
One is the collapse of environmental governance,” she stated. “For example, if a war zone is not protected, people can move in to remove vegetation. This can lead to deforestation.
Raphael Edou (Africa program manager at The Environmental Investigation Agency), a Washington-based non profit group, stated that rebel groups in Africa often turn towards logging as a source for funding.
He said that conflicts and deforestation are two of the greatest threats to African social development. Illegal logging is one way to quickly get money. The forest has become a source of weapons for rebels. They always cut down the trees in the forest.
Edou said that deforestation rates are high wherever there is conflict.
There has been a successful effort to restore Tigray’s forests over the past few years to support development and the economy as well as food security. According to the report, this effort is currently in trouble.
The Tigray people may be more concerned with survival in the short-term.
According to the U.N., 9.4 million people in northern Ethiopia, Tigray, and parts of neighboring Afar, Amhara, need humanitarian aid.
Schulte stated that the best way of stopping deforestation was to end conflict. However, even then, it will take decades to reverse the environmental damage.