The SDM Project Activities
SDM Project Title: "Restoration and Conservation of Globally Endangered Cordeauxia edulis Woody Species in the Drylands of Ethiopia's Somali Region"
| Scientific name | Common name | Species type | IUCN status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cordeauxia edulis | Yeheb | Plant | Endangered |
Implementing Organization: Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) The SDM Project Coordinator and Focal Contact Points – the Contractor: Dese Yadeta Edesa Project Type: Field implementation Project Location: The Bookh District in the Dolo Zone of the Somali Region is where the Project activities are carried out.
INTRODUCTION:
Cordeauxia edulis (C.edulis) commonly called Yeheb is a small tree/shrub species endemic to Ethiopia and Somalia. The SEPLS in Bookh District can be characterized by arid and semi‐arid climates, and Acacia‐Commiphora ecosystems in which more than 85% of the community is entirely pastoral and the main livelihood is livestock breeding. C.edulis has the potential to diversify income and improve the livelihood of the rural population and is socio‐economically important as a source of human and livestock food, building materials, medicinal purposes, and cash income from the sale of C.edulis seeds. It is also important for soil protection and landscape management in dryland ecosystems inhabited by pastoral communities in the arid zones of the Bookh District of Dolo Zone of the Somali Region.
RATIONALE:
Despite the socioeconomic and ecological importance of C.edulis, its population has decreased significantly and has disappeared from many areas because of severe land degradation, lack of integrated landscape management systems, overgrazing, overharvesting, and unsustainable use. It has already disappeared from Somalia and is confined to the Bookh District in the Somali Region of Ethiopia.
Currently, C.edulis has vanished from Somalia and is only found in Ethiopia's Somali Region Ismail et al., 2015). C.edulis has been assessed as globally an Endangered (EN) Species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN, 2021; Beech et al., 2018; Yeneayehu & Girma, 2017).
OBJECTIVE:
The overall objective of the project is to Restore and Conserve Globally Endangered Cordeauxia edulis Tree Species in the Drylands of Ethiopia's Somali Region
Project Activities: The methods/approaches we will use to achieve those objectives and elevate C.edulis from its endangered status are through the following activities:
- Capacity‐building on nature‐based solutions (NbS) for local communities and stakeholders;
- Mapping of C.edulis distribution and ecosystem services through GIS;
- In‐situ, Ex-situ, and Nursery sites establishment;
- Seed collection and planting of seedlings
