It took years of campaigning, but in 2010, Ethiopia's wild coffee forests at last gained protected status as the UNESCO Kafa Coffee Biosphere Reserve. The forests harbor some 5000 varieties of coffee and number among the world's hotspots of bio-diversity. They are a veritable Noah's Ark of animal species.
The International Climate Initiative has provided three million euros for the protection of these forests. The 760,000-hectare forest region is Ethiopia's green lung and home to rare species of monkeys, leopards and even lions. Protecting the coffee forests would also help preserve a unique culture native to the area.