Robit Bata Church Forest (Est. A.D.)
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Olea grows slowly but has high survival success once established even under environmental stress. Its seeds are easily dispersed by birds from one habitat to another and so Olea appear widely in the Church forests.
-- Photo by Trees ForTheFuture -
Dung beetles provide an important service by both removing human and animal waste from the forest floor and by spreading seeds through out the forest.
-- Photo by Heather and Mike -
Small islands of forests around the churches are almost all that is left of the once vast forests of N. Ethiopia. The church forest communities protect the forests for spirituality and ecosystem services.
-- Photo by Tree Foundation -
There are approximately 30,000 Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Churches with 40 million followers. The Church perceives nature to include people, trees, animals, water, land features and the nation as a whole.
-- Photo by Tree Foundation
Forest Health Indicators for Robit Bata Church Forest
Hectares
of Forest
Remaining
of Forest
Remaining
5.0
Woody
Species
Remaining
Species
Remaining
34
Number of
Cattle Trails
In the Forest
Cattle Trails
In the Forest
0.0
Number of
Cut Trees
In the Forest
Cut Trees
In the Forest
0
Percentage of
Wall
Completed
Wall
Completed
60%
Data from Dr. Alemayehu Wassie Eshete (2007)
Located about 15km from the bustling city of Bahir Dar on a vast plain east of Lake Tana is the Robit Bata church, one of the few remaining areas of native forest along the paved road north of Bahir Dar. The nearly circular forest lies on very flat ground adjacent to the Gondar-Bahir Dar road and has no wall or other formal boundaries to indicate its perimeter. On Sundays the forest fills with people from the community and for many hours the sound of church services reverberate through the mixed evergreen and coffee trees. The calls of Black-headed Orioles, White-cheeked Turacos, and Red-billed Firefinches fill the forest. The surrounding land, though dotted with scattered indigenous trees, is mostly used for grazing and agriculture, with the most common crops being maize and tef.
Church Forest Area: 6.8 hectares (67743 m2)
Land-Use Breakdown:
• Agricultural Land: 60.28%
• Grazing Land: 21.80%
• Church Forest: 5.14%
• Urban Land: 5.82%
• Tree Cover: 6.97%
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