For years, mining was the only major source of revenue for the country and so this was encouraged by the national government.
[2] Significant strides towards sustainability and environmental recovery had originally been made by the Government of Eritrea.
Although, the Eritrean Government had embarked on a program to reforest[3] Eritrea (which in 1900 was 30% forested land, despite heavy logging[4]) and prevent wood from being used as a fuel source, plans have been hampered in recent years because of a mass exodus of working Eritreans from the country.
The government of Eritrea, with the assistance of the UN Development Program had enacted a Coastal Marine and Island Biodiversity Conservation Project which was designed to protect the entire coastal zone of Eritrea.
[6][7] In recent years, the project has been hampered by the Eritrean government's continual encouragement of mining within the country which has affected the environmental stability of both highland and coastal regions.