Investigating tree planting in Ethiopia and the extent to which scheme implementation aligns with good governance practices

Tree planting schemes are implemented to achieve social, cultural, economic, and environmental goals. Various frameworks and guidelines outline good governance practices to aid the achievement of these goals. However, there is rarely sufficient monitoring and reporting of tree planting schemes for it to be possible to determine whether schemes adhere to good governance practices. Here, we assessed the performance of 16 tree planting schemes in Ethiopia using focus group discussions with local communities, interviews with scheme managers and beneficiaries, remote sensing, and reviewing official documentation. We used a qualitative comparative case study approach to analyse (1) implementation adherence to three standard tools and guidelines, (2) legitimacy of schemes through beneficiary satisfaction, and (3) delivery of socioeconomic and environmental outputs. We found that most tree planting schemes did not adhere to the implementation guidelines but that those that did perform better by securing legitimacy and delivering their targeted outputs. We contend that an integrated performance assessment is vital to check whether a tree planting scheme has good governance practice and ultimately is sustainable.