The Role of the Emdeber Catholic Secretariat and Environmental NGOs in Environmental Protection: A Case Study of Cheha Woreda in Gurage Zone"

Abstract

The need to protect the environment is unavoidable. Every entity and being, whether at the institutional, local, regional, or national level, has a responsibility to defend it. In order to preserve natural resources, stop degradation, and promote sustainable development for the benefit of the environment and the people who live there, environmental protection is the practice of safeguarding the environment through laws and practices. Environmental awareness and enforcement are more important and essential than ever in the modern day. The environmental issue persists despite the Ethiopian Constitution's environmental protection clauses and other legal safeguards. The primary cause of the ongoing environmental issue is the absence of an adequate system for resource management, which is exacerbated by a lack of environmental consciousness and a lack of public and organizational participation. NGOs' participation in environmental protection is an organized civil society reaction to places where the state has either not reached or has not sufficiently addressed the issue. This study looks at how NGOs contribute to environmental protection, with a particular emphasis on how they help with climate adaptation and mitigation. Emdeber Catholic secretariat (EMCS) spearheaded myriad campaigns centered on eco-preservation in Cheha Woreda, situated in Ethiopia's Gurage Zone. This manuscript explores tactics utilized by non-governmental bodies, notably EMCS, to shelter the natural world and cultivate sustainable habits within the area. Through rigorous scrutiny of accessible written works and empirical investigation, the dissertation aims to gauge the success of EMCS ventures and the consequences of grassroots ecological endeavors. The conclusions drawn from this exploration underscored the importance of non-state actors like EMCS in raising environmental awareness and promoting behavioral changes within rural communities. Short-term initiatives focused on reforestation and education alongside longer-term efforts centered on alternative livelihoods and stewardship of local resources. However, periodic evaluation of initiatives and participation of diverse stakeholders remained crucial to the durability and scalability of such community-driven sustainable development drive.