According to the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, an estimated five to ten percent of wild lands across the globe are currently held by religious organisations. The forests are said to be necklaces around the church, and the tree canopy is believed to prevent prayers from being lost to the sky. The tree canopy is believed to prevent prayers from being lost to the sky ©Christian Boix.ĭebresna church forest from above. ©Raïsa Mirza.Ī white cheeked-turaco is just one of many extraordinary birds depending on the forests. Worshippers wait under old growth trees at the church in Aunara, Bahir Dar region. Worshippers make their way through a church forest. There, bright-green patches of trees surround 3,500 Orthodox Tewahido Churches – a consequence of the Church’s belief in maintaining a woodland home for all God’s creatures around the place of worship. In the highlands of Ethiopia, American scientist Meg Lowman is working with local forest ecologist Alemayehu Wassie to protect ancient church forests.Īs in many developing countries, much of Ethiopia’s original forests have been cleared for subsistence agriculture and for harvesting timber and firewood, diminishing northern Ethiopia’s forest cover from 45% of its territory in the early 20th century to less than 5 percent today.Ī large portion of the remaining forests is concentrated in the northern part of the country, especially in the Lake Tana area.