Functional ecology and sustainable management of the Munessa forest, Ethiopia - Central project and coordinating scientist

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Georg Guggenberger
• Subject Area: Forestry
• Term: from 2007 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 42123571

The project package "Functional ecology and sustainable management of the Munessa forest, Ethiopia" aims at generating and analysing variables that govern the functioning of a mountain forest ecosystem in Ethiopia. The findings are expected to lay strong scientific bases for the sustainable management of Ethiopian forests. The studies are based at experimental sites located close to a field station constructed with the financial supports of DFG and DFG/BMZ in the previous project phase. In the coming project phase, the silvicultural experiments are foreseen to serve as a nucleus for the different scientific disciplines. The enlargement of the project in the upcoming phase needs a more robust coordination of the administrative and scientific works and Project Package Munessa Forest, Ethiopia - Central Project and Coordinating Scientist collaboration among the participating scientists, which requires the employment of a project coordinating scientist. His tasks are: 1) to coordinate the fieldwork, 2) to administer the project car and the field station, 3) to manage plots established for scientific work, 4) to update Ethiopian foresters on the findings of the project by organising training seminars, 5) to liaison the German researchers with their Ethiopian partners, 6) to strengthen inter and intra-networking (e.g. with regular newsletter and updating the project website), and 7) to lead the preparation of a manual for the sustainable management of the Munessa forest. This proposal also includes activities and costs that are indispensable for running the project package successfully. Such activities include administration of the field station, running of the project car as well as the effective management of the silvicultural experimental plots, which are central for the whole package.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Ethiopia
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Masresha Fetene; Dr. Alemu Gezahegne