Ethiopian researchers and artists are working to restore biodiversity in the town of Kofele. They are building a tree nursery representing an Ethiopian lion, visible from space.
The goal? To alert public authorities to the climate crisis while promoting the local agricultural sector.This ambitious project, entitled "Trees for Life", is being headed up by Ethiopian charity Rural Organization for Betterment of Agro-Pastoralists (ROBA).
It is supported by the Earth Art Studio, the British Council, the Canadian Kwantlen University and Scottish planners from the city of Dundee. They are all working to create a 50m lion-shaped nursery, which ROBA describes as the world's first living art installation.
"When I speak with elders, they describe us as victims of climate change who have lost our culture. When you ask them about trees, and how Oromos maintained them, the key players they indicate are culture and art," Hussein Watta, director and founder of ROBA, told Hyperallergic.
"When a practice is ingrained into a people's culture – in art and song, or even in technology and photography – they do it better. My goal right now is to mobilise the people around this."
The art of planting trees
The Abyssinian lion is a "keystone" species, whose predominant role determines the plant and animal species found in their habitat.
Its presence in the Ethiopian highlands determines the composition of the rest of the region's ecosystem. While it once reigned supreme on the African continent, researchers now estimate that the Abyssinian lion could disappear by 2050 due to massive deforestation of the savannah and poaching.
While the Trees of Life project can't rebuild their natural habitat, the hope is that it can raise awareness about the important role trees play in our ecosystem.
"If we can truly educate our people about the art of tree planting, to prevent soil erosion, limit pollution, create jobs, and regulate the water cycle, I believe no one would cut down a single tree again," said Watta.
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