In one historic day, Ethiopians planted 700 million trees—fighting deforestation, restoring hope, and proving what’s possible when a country unites for its future.
Ethiopia has set a new benchmark in environmental restoration by mobilizing millions of citizens to plant more than 700 million tree seedlings on July 31, 2025.
The record-breaking one-day campaign is regarded as one of the world’s largest reforestation efforts, attracting widespread attention across Africa and beyond.
The tree-planting drive is part of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Green Legacy Initiative, launched in 2019 to plant 50 billion trees by 2026.
We kicked off this year’s one-day #GreenLegacy planting early this morning. Our goal for the 7th year: 700 million seedlings. Let’s achieve it together! pic.twitter.com/6CbwXPEBxo
— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) July 31, 2025
Nearly 15 million Ethiopians—including schoolchildren, farmers, government officials, and visiting dignitaries from Kenya and Somalia—participated in the campaign, transforming large areas of both rural and urban land.
Officials say the Green Legacy aims not only to combat deforestation and land degradation but also to enhance food security through fruit-bearing trees and create jobs in the nursery and agroforestry sectors.
Since the program's inception, Ethiopia’s forest cover has increased from 15.5% in 2013 to over 23.6%, with almost 48 billion trees expected to be planted by the end of 2025.
The initiative emphasizes critical catchment areas like the Blue Nile Basin, where targeted planting is improving water supplies and reducing soil erosion.
Ethiopia’s efforts are now inspiring other countries—there have been expressions of solidarity and knowledge exchanges with nations like Pakistan.
Despite the impressive figures, sustaining the survival of millions of seedlings, especially in drought-prone and degraded areas, poses ongoing challenges.
Experts say maintaining the gains will require continued investment, community involvement, and strong monitoring to ensure the long-term health of newly planted forests.
Ethiopia’s Green Legacy is widely hailed as a model for Africa and a sign that coordinated national action can restore ecosystems and boost climate resilience, though success will ultimately be measured by the trees that take root and thrive.
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