Dire Dawa Forestry Development Centre

Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute (EEFRI). Since 14th April,2022 Dire Dawa Environment and Forest Research Center (DDEFRC) has been renamed as DFRC and all the duties and responsibilities of DDEFRC transferred to DFRC. The center is found/located at a distance of 515 km Southeast of Addis Ababa with latitudinal and longitudinal range of 9°36′N and 41°52′E, respectively and it is based in Dire Dawa city. DFRC’s mandate area covers all zones (Afder zone, Dollo zone, Erer zone, Fafan zone, Jarar zone, Korahe zone, Nogob zone, Shabelle zone and Sitti zone) of Somali Region of Ethiopia excluding only Liben Zone; East Harargie and West Harargie zones of Oromiya region; two zones of Afar region, Harari region and Dire Dawa administration. The center has one sub-center at Jigjiga and many research stations throughout the zones including Gelemso and Babile.Predominantly, there are three major agro-ecologies across the mandate area: highland, midland and lowland. The later covers significant proportion of the total area where woodland and dry forest dominates. The woodland and dry forest has a lot of opportunities to support the live and livelihoods of the communities, the regional and the national economies. However deforestation, forest and land degradation, and recurrent drought have seriously affected the woodlands in the area. Just to mention few, abnormal and non-regulated mass charcoal production both for domestic as well as export markets have impacted the woodland ecosystem seriously and its ripple effects are often reflected on the livelihood of the community through hunger, food insecurity, migration, etc. DFRC strives to conduct problem solving forest-development oriented research and generate information and technologies to mitigate the stated problems and maximize the gains from the system.

At present the center has 9 researchers on duty and 9 researchers on study leave, 2 technical staff and 32 administrative staff. The center is doing its research under three main research programs, namely, Plantation Research Program, Natural Forest and Climate Change Research Program and Policy and Socio-economics Research Program. The center closely works with stakeholders including the community, universities, regional Environment Protection Authorities, NGOs, etc. Besides to research DFDC also provides technical supports related to forest development to the stakeholders including the regional forest development sectors and the community.

Contact Address

Abebaw Shimeles (PhD)
Director, Ethiopian Forest Development (EFD), Dire Dawa Center

• Tel Mob: (+251) 915736405,
• Office: (+251)254115510;
• o.box: 1708,
• Email: shabebaw2070@gmail.com

Dire Dawa, Ethiopia