
Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of Tree Planting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
-
Our SAVi assessment of tree planting in Addis Ababa shows tree planting can avoid costs of air pollution, flooding, and heat. Thus, trees increase climate resilience while also sequestering carbon.
-
Trees provide more value for money and create more jobs than installing rainwater harvesting tanks and replacing diesel/petrol cars with electric vehicles. Even with a large enough investment, these grey infrastructure alternatives may not be able to provide the same services as trees in Addis Ababa.
-
Trees provide a range of services for communities and public agencies, alike, but only if they survive. Thus, this report demonstrates the value of urban green spaces for climate adaptation and the importance of investing not only to build, but also to maintain NBI.
In response to environmental and climate stresses, the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, plans to plant 25 million trees over 5 years starting in 2021. In this report we present the results of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) for tree planting in Addis Ababa. Using spatial models to generate inputs for an integrated cost-benefit analysis and financial assessment, we show that planting trees generates value for society and can increase climate resilience.
Specifically, we calculate the benefits of trees in terms of air quality, stormwater retention, ambient air temperatures, carbon storage, job creation, and fruit production under two climate scenarios. We also show that trees are a more feasible investment than grey infrastructure alternatives. The results can inform the city’s plans to plant 25 million trees over the next 5 years.
The report demonstrates the value of urban green spaces for climate adaptation and the importance of investing not only to build but also to maintain nature-based infrastructure (NBI). Trees provide a range of services for communities and public agencies alike—but only if they survive. Furthermore, many of these impacts are not direct cash flows. This highlights some challenges in valuing and funding NBI. It is our hope that this integrated assessment can allow for these non-monetary impacts to be included in decision making.
Participating experts
You might also be interested in
Sustainable Asset Valuation of Land Restoration in Sodo District, Southern Ethiopia
This report presents a SAVi assessment that quantifies the social, economic, and environmental outcomes of assisted natural regeneration in Ethiopia.
IISD Welcomes New Deal on Global Biodiversity Framework
IISD congratulates the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which will guide work within and outside the UN system on tackling biodiversity loss and help lay the groundwork towards the CBD’s vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050.
The 'spongy' cities of the future
Tangled mats of muddy vegetation line the footpaths of Underwood Park, a narrow stripe of green winding along a creek beneath the small volcanic cone of Ōwairaka (Mt Albert) in Auckland, New Zealand. In the water, clumps of sticks and the occasional plastic bag are marooned on protruding rocks and branches.
Investing in natural infrastructure for a shared future for all life
The Living Bridge of Meghalaya documents the story of the indigenous Khasi people who trained the living aerial roots of the Indian rubber fig tree to serve as bridges. These living root bridges crisscross rivers that swell in violent monsoons, which would likely wash away any other form of bridge. They have provided reliable and safe passage to local populations for hundreds of years and are a stunning example of natural infrastructure.