CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA Archives

Hierotopia: Spirituality and Ecology of Ethiopian Church Forests

On December 22, 2022 / CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA

Watch this fascinating panel discussion: Hierotopia: Spirituality and Ecology of Ethiopian Church Forests, with Kieran Dodds, Dr. Margaret Lowman, and Dr. Alemayehu Wassie Eshete. Recorded: November 10, 2022 / courtesy BridgeportProjects.com From Bridgeport Projects: In the last 100 years, over 90% of Ethiopia’s forests have been lostRead more →

TREE Funds New Church Wall in Ethiopia

On November 1, 2022 / CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA

Kidist Aresema Monastary of women priests

TREE Foundation continues to fund the building of walls in Ethiopia to protect the last remaining forests of that country. This work is directed by TREE Foundation Board Member Dr. Alemayehu Wassie Eshete, the CEO of ORDA (Organization for Restoration of Degraded Areas) in northern Ethiopia. HeRead more →

Don’t Miss this Virtual Discussion of Spirituality and Ecology of Ethiopian Church Forests

On October 27, 2022 / CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA, EVENTS

Register for this FREE virtual roundtable In the last 100 years, over 90% of Ethiopia’s forests have been lost to drought and deforestation. Yet in the area east of Lake Tana, the shady canopies of the Ethiopian Orthodox church are scattered like arbors across the arid landscape.Read more →

Meg Lowman Interviewed for Black History Month on WSLR Sarasota Radio

On February 25, 2021 / CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA

In honor of Black History Month, Sarasota community radio station WSLR hosted its second “African American Takeover Day” on Saturday, February 20 from 7am-7pm. TREE Foundation executive director Meg Lowman was the featured guest for an interview conducted by Snousha Glaude who talked about Meg’s work establishing

Students Create Greeting Cards to Raise Funds for Church Forests of Ethiopia

On January 16, 2021 / CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA, EDUCATION

Last fall (2020), the K-1 Crew students at Wellspring Catholic Academy located in Lakewood,Colorado embarked on an “expedition” to learn about trees. As part of the program, students researched the trees in their community and trees native to Colorado, where the school is located. They also researched

NatGeo Report: Assessing the church forests of Ethiopia as critical reservoirs of herpetofaunal diversity

On April 20, 2020 / ARTICLES, CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA, National Geographic Grant Project, PUBLICATIONS

TREE Foundation is grateful to National Geographic for finding biodiversity surveys in endangered Ethiopian church forests. Read about our herpetology expedition, and help us save the last 3% forests (aka Noah’s Ark) fragments in Ethiopia. (Hi-Res Version)

The Church Forests of Ethiopia – A Mystical Geography

On February 9, 2020 / AUDIO, CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA, MULTIMEDIA, RESEARCH, VIDEO

From Emergence Magazine: The Church Forests of Ethiopia A Mystical Geography Nearly all of Ethiopia’s original trees have disappeared, but small pockets of old-growth forest still surround Ethiopia’s churches, living arks of biodiversity amongst the brown grazing fields. In this film and essay, Jeremy Seifert and FredRead more →

TREE Foundation’s Forest Conservation in Ethiopia Featured in New York Times “Op-Docs” Series

On December 11, 2019 / ARTICLES, CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA, MULTIMEDIA, VIDEO

December 10, 2019 / Sarasota, FL — The Sarasota, Florida-based TREE Foundation’s efforts to save the “church forests” of Ethiopia were highlighted in a short film published by The New York Times as part of its award-winning Op-Docs (opinion documentary) series. The work of independent filmmaker Jeremy

Biodiversity of Church forests – Update

On September 12, 2019 / CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA, National Geographic Grant Project, PROJECTS

We’ve now been in the field for about 2 weeks, and have visited 6 different church forests in the South Gondar region. Every day brings new discoveries, underscoring how much there is still to learn about the ecology of these ecosystems. As of this day, we’ve recorded

Assessing the biological diversity of Church forests in South Gondar, Ethiopia

On August 28, 2019 / CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA, National Geographic Grant Project, PROJECTS

Arriving back in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, I was struck by the transformation of the landscape relative to my last visit in the dry season. The barren red soil that once dominated has been replaced with lush green carpets of grass, wildflowers, and burgeoning croplands. I’ve come here