Background  The Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF) is an Ethiopian Resident Charity registered and Licensed on November 5, 2009 by the Charities and Societies Agency of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Registration No. 0378) in accordance with the Charities and Societies Proclamatiuon No. 521/2009. Originally, ECFF was established on November 9, 2005 as per the Ethiopian penal Code No. 404 issued in 1960 (Registration No. 2396). The Charity was established by a group of professionals, prominent individuals, scholars, and community leaders, in order to strengthen and promote networking among different institutions and organizations involved in the conservation and use of forest resources in Ethiopia. It focuses on developing strategies for sustainable use and conservation of forest coffee and other non-timber forest products, conservation of biodiversity, research, conservation education and communication and implementation of sustainable use concepts developed from research findings. Vision of ECFFBe a leading civil society organization in conservation research, education, communication and sustainable forest resources management, and thereby contribute to biodiversity conservation, poverty alleviation, social equity and policy dialogues in Ethiopia.
Mission of ECFF- To contribute towards sustainable use of coffee and other forest biodiversity through research, education, information dissemination and practical implementation of scientifically proven concepts,
- To develop strategies for conservation, use and financing of the coffee forest, by taking into consideration the improvement of the livelihood of local farmers who have guarded the forest resources and biodiversity for generations.
Objectives of ECFF- Create a network and a joint discussion forum of governmental and non-governmental organizations engaged in the conservation and use of forest resources, to exchanges information and share experiences with the endeavor of developing a common approach for sustainable use of forest resources;
- Develop a management plan for sustainable production of forest coffee and other non-timber forest products, and publicize, so that such management also contributes to the conservation of biodiversity;
- Carryout research, support those engaged in research and provide professional advisory services on sustainable forest use and conservation of biodiversity;
- Develop criteria and standards which fulfill the sustainability of the production of different forest products, by taking into consideration the Ethiopian and international conditions;
- Evaluate forest coffee and other non-timber forest products production practices based on the developed standards, and issue certificates freely for those fulfilling the standard;
- Advocate the need for community participation in forest resources utilization and conservation of biodiversity in different fora, organize fora for such discussions, and develop innovative ideas for the success of such effort and avail to the relevant stakeholders;
- Publish materials dealing with forest resource utilization and management, as well as the conservation of biodiversity, and disseminate such materials to different target groups freely;
- Give training and awareness creating education to the public, governmental and non-governmental organizations regarding forest resource utilization and management, as well as the conservation of biodiversity.
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