Many governmental and civil society organizations in Ethiopia are committed to advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, significant challenges arise from the tendency to cherry-pick specific SDGs and a lack of alignment among initiatives. These often lead to unaddressed trade-offs and missed opportunities for synergy, hindering progress toward inclusive and sustainable development. Trade-offs arise when pursuing one SDG undermines another such as economic growth leading to environmental degradation while synergies occur when advancing one SDG enhances other SDGs.

Land restoration initiatives related to SDG 15 (Life on Land) illustrate both synergies and trade-offs. Reforestation enhances biodiversity and improves soil quality, benefiting agricultural productivity and food security (SDG 2). However, expanding agricultural land often leads to deforestation, threatening ecosystem services and negatively affecting water quality (SDG 6) and climate resilience (SDG 13). Sustainable land management practices can promote economic growth and access to clean water while preserving natural habitats, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to balance development and conservation effectively. Such integrated approach is crucial for fulfilling Ethiopia’s commitment to the SDGs.

To address these issues, our project is part of the WUR-Governing SDGs interactions project and aims to enhance alignment among development actors engaged in landscape restoration efforts in the Lake Tana sub-basin. The project explores governance mechanisms for cross-level and cross-sector alignment to transform fragmented SDG governance into an inclusive and effective polycentric system.

By fostering collaboration among stakeholders—including government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector—we seek to identify common goals, navigate conflicts of interest, mandate overlap, and develop innovative solutions. This inclusive approach helps to tackle the complexities of SDG interactions and improve the effectiveness of sustainable development-related initiatives in Ethiopia.

Our project involves stakeholder engagement, data collection through surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and workshops, and analysis of governance frameworks. With the involvement of two PhD students and one postdoctoral researcher, we aim to co-produce knowledge with policymakers and practitioners, ultimately contributing to a more coherent and synergistic approach to achieving the SDGs in Ethiopia.