Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel
AbbreviationGreat Green Wall (GGW)
Formation2005 (2005)
2010 (2010) (Agency)
Founder African Union
PurposeCombat desertification, improve soil fertility, and promote sustainable land use practices.
Location
  • Africa
Websitegrandemurailleverte.org
The Sahel region (brown), proposed Great Green Wall (green), and participating countries (white)
Satellite photo of the Sahara

The Great Green Wall or Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel (French: Grande Muraille Verte pour le Sahara et le Sahel; Arabic: السور الأخضر العظيم, romanized: as-Sūr al-ʾAkhḍar al-ʿAẓīm) is a project adopted by the African Union in 2007, initially conceived as a way to combat desertification in the Sahel region and hold back expansion of the Sahara desert, by planting a wall of trees stretching across the entire Sahel from Djibouti, Djibouti to Dakar, Senegal. The original dimensions of the "wall" were to be 15 km (9 mi) wide and 7,775 km (4,831 mi) long, but the program expanded to encompass nations in both northern and western Africa. The concept evolved into promoting water harvesting techniques, greenery protection and improving indigenous land use techniques, aimed at creating a mosaic of green and productive landscapes across North Africa.[1] Later it adopted the view that desert boundaries change based on rainfall variations.[2]

The ongoing goal of the project is to restore 100 million hectares (250 million acres) of degraded land and capture 250 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and create 10 million jobs in the process all by 2030.

The project is a response to the combined effect of natural resources degradation and drought in rural areas. It seeks to help communities mitigate and adapt to climate change as well as improve food security. The population of the Sahel is expected to double by 2039, emphasizing the importance of maintaining food production and environmental protection in the area.[3]

History

In the 1950s British explorer Richard St. Barbe Baker made an expedition in the Sahara. During St. Barbe's 40,000-kilometre (25,000 mi) expedition he proposed a "Green front" to act as a 50-kilometre-deep (30 mi) tree buffer to contain the expanding desert.[4] The idea re-emerged in 2002, at the special summit in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, on the occasion of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. It was approved by the Conference of Leaders and Heads of States members of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States during their seventh ordinary session held in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on 1–2 June 2005.[5] The African Union endorsed it in 2007 as the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI).[6]

Lessons learnt from the Algerian Green Dam[7] and the Green Wall of China led to an integrated multi-sectoral approach.[8] Originally a tree planting initiative, the project evolved into a development programming tool. In 2007, CHSG directed the project to tackle the social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification. The countries Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Chad thereafter created the Panafrican Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW).[5]

A harmonised regional strategy was adopted in September 2012 by the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN).[9] According to AMCEN, the Great Green Wall is a flagship program that will contribute to the goal of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or RIO+20, of "a land degradation neutral world".[10]

In 2014, the European Union and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, in collaboration with African and other regional partners, launched the Action Against Desertification program to build on the GGWSSI.[11] Nigeria created an interim agency to support GGW development.[12]

Since 2014, the eco-friendly search engine Ecosia has been partnered with the local population in Burkina Faso.[13] Ecosia spread its campaign to Ethiopia[14] in 2017 and to Senegal the following year.[15]

According to Ecosia, it has planted over 15,117,046 trees and 14,137 ha (34,930 acres) were restored in Burkina Faso;[13] in Senegal it planted over 1,424,748 and restored 300 ha (740 acres)[15] and planted over 9,963,757 trees and restored 3,609 ha (8,920 acres) in Ethiopia as of September 2021.[14]

Drylands Monitoring Week (2015) assessed the state of dryland measurement and initiated collaboration toward large-scale, comprehensive monitoring.[16]

Planning (including choices of vegetation and work with local populations)[17] and plantings/land restoration followed (including in Ethiopia, Senegal, Nigeria and Sudan).[18]

In 2016, 21 countries had projects related to the GGW, including farmer-supported natural regeneration.[19]

Bare land restoration has been successfully demonstrated in Burkina Faso, although security is an issue in the face of terrorist activity.[20]

In September 2017, the BBC reported that progress was best in Senegal.[21]

As of March 2019, 15 per cent of the wall was complete with significant gains made in Nigeria, Senegal and Ethiopia.[22] In Senegal, over 11 million trees had been planted. Nigeria has restored 4.9 million ha (12 million acres; 49,000 km2) of degraded land and Ethiopia has reclaimed 15 million ha (37 million acres; 150,000 km2).[3]

On the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the launch of the program, a report was commissioned by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and published on September 7, 2020.[23] It was reported that the Great Green Wall had only covered 4% of the planned area, with only 4 million hectares (9.8 million acres) planted. Ethiopia has had the most success with 5.5 billion seedlings planted, but Chad has only planted 1.1 million. Doubt was raised over the survival rate of the 12 million trees planted in Senegal.[24]

In January 2021, the project received a boost at the One Planet Summit, where its partners pledged USD 14.3 billion to launch the Great Green Wall Accelerator, aimed at facilitating the collaboration and coordination among donors and involved stakeholders across 11 countries.[25] As of March 2023, $2.5 billion of that pledge had been disbursed.[2]

According to the second edition of the Global Land Outlook (GLO2) published by the (UNCCD) in April of 2022 one reason the project has experienced implementation challenges is the political risk associated with investing in more fragile nations as well as the fact that many "GGW projects generate low economic returns compared to the significant environmental and social benefits accrued that often have little or no market value." Furthermore, international donors seem to favor investing in more stable nations picking and choosing which projects they will fund and leaving nations with less stable governments behind.[26]

As of 2023, about 18 million hectares or 18% of the target had been restored. The estimated $33 billion to fund the project experienced unfulfilled promises, delays and poor coordination.[2]

Non-profit Tree Aid partnered with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to grow an “Olympic forest” in Mali and Senegal to grow more than 589,000 trees. The team selected 55 woody/herbaceous indigenous species with economic value, including baobab (Adansonia digitata) balanite (Balanites aegyptiaca), African crabwood (Carapa procera); gum acacia (Senegalia senegal); tamarind (Tamarindus indica), and African grape (Lannea microcarpa). Pilot restorers planted 2,235 hectares, creating opportunities for sustainable income for 32,000 people. Wild-collected seeds were added to the seed.[2]

Monitoring

Little monitoring and record keeping has been conducted, including even where projects occurred.[2]

The Sudan and Southern Sudan insurgencies further complicated monitoring. Locusts have damaged multiple projects.[2]

Partners

The Initiative brings together more than 20 countries, including Algeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, The Gambia and Tunisia.[27]

Regional and international partners include:

Major principles

The project encompasses the Saharan strip, north and south borders, including Saharan oases and enclaves.

The GGWSSI intends to strengthen existing mechanisms (such as Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program, Environmental Program (CAADP) of New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), regional, sub-regional, and national action programmes to combat desertification) to improve their efficiency through synergy and coordination activities.

The Regional Harmonised Strategy emphasizes partnerships between stakeholders, integration into existing programmes, sharing of lessons learnt (especially through South-South cooperation and technology transfer), local participation and ownership of actions and developing more integrated and global planning.

The $8-billion project intends to restore 100 million hectares (250 million acres; 1 million km2) of degraded land by 2030, which would create 350,000 rural jobs and absorb 250 million tonnes (250 million long tons; 280 million short tons) of CO
2 from the atmosphere.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Morrison, Jim. "The "Great Green Wall" Didn't Stop Desertification, but it Evolved Into Something That Might". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raman, Spoorthy (3 August 2023). "Progress is slow on Africa's Great Green Wall, but some bright spots bloom". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Puiu, Tibi (3 April 2019). "More than 20 African countries are planting a 8,027-km-long 'Great Green Wall'". ZME Science. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  4. ↑ Paul Mantle; Betty J. Fisher (1 September 2014). "The Man of the Trees and the Great Green Wall: A Baha'i's Environmental Legacy for the Ages". Wilmette Institute. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 Grande Muraille Verte, p. 3.
  6. ↑ "Action Against Desertification". Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Saifi, Merdas; et al. (2015). "The Green Dam in Algeria as a tool to combat desertification". Planet@Risk. Davos: Global Risk Forum. 3 (1): 68–71. ISSN 2296-8172.
  8. ↑ Harmonized regional strategy for implementation of the "Great Green Wall Initiative of the Sahara and the Sahel" (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2016, retrieved 12 March 2017
  9. ↑ "14th Ordinary Session of the AMCEN". United Nations Environment Programme. UNEP. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "Report of the ministerial segment held from 12 to 14 September 2012" (PDF). Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania: African Ministerial Conference on the Environment. 14 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Background". Action Against Desertification. FAO. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015.
  12. ↑ "Nigeria creates agency for 'Great Green Wall' project". Premium Times. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2019. The Federal Government has approved the establishment of the Interim Office of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, GGW.
  13. 1 2 "Re-greening the Desert". Ecosia. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  14. 1 2 "Regenerating Diverse Landscapes". Ecosia. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Trees Against Poverty and Malnutrition". Ecosia. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "Drylands Monitoring Week Establishes Network for Sustainable Management of Drylands". IISD Reporting Service. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). Archived from the original on 23 November 2015.
  17. ↑ "Background documents". Action Against Desertification. FAO. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016.
  18. ↑ "The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative". The Global Mechanism. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  19. ↑ Jim Morrison (23 August 2016). "The "Great Green Wall" Didn't Stop Desertification, but it Evolved Into Something That Might". Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  20. ↑ "In Burkina Faso, the Great Green Wall is taking shape". Action Against Desertification. FAO. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019. Now, the soil takes up enough water again and crops are growing. "This plot has been restored," Sawadogo says.
  21. ↑ Martyn-Hemphill, Amelia (26 September 2017). "Why is Africa building a Great Green Wall?". BBC World Hacks.
  22. ↑ Corbley, McKinley (31 March 2019). "Dozens of Countries Have Been Working to Plant 'Great Green Wall' – and It's Holding Back Poverty". Good News Network.
  23. ↑ "The Great Green Wall: Implementation status & way ahead to 2030". UNCCD. 7 September 2020.
  24. ↑ Jonathan Watts (7 September 2020). "Africa's Great Green Wall just 4% complete halfway through schedule". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 September 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
  25. ↑ "Green Wall Accelerator". UNCCD. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  26. ↑ Global Land Outlook 2nd edition (Report). UNCCD. 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  27. ↑ "Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel initiative: The African Wall" (PDF). FAO. AU-FAO-GM UNCCD-EU. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  28. ↑ "Homepage". The Global Mechanism. Retrieved 24 November 2015.

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