Seeds of Hope

The incredible change is part of an international effort to plant millions of trees and other vegetation in a 9-mile-wide belt across Northern Africa. The Great Green Wall, as the project is called, is being planted in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara. It will stretch from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east (see map). The hope is that the 4,750-mile-long barrier of trees and other plants will halt the desert’s spread southward and reverse land degradation in the once-fertile area.

Launched in 2007, the African-led Great Green Wall movement aims to restore 250 million acres by 2030. So far, roughly 10 million acres have been reclaimed, with more than 20 African countries taking part. 

“These restoration efforts are a testament that ordinary people with conviction can have an extraordinary impact on their world,” says Djibril Diallo. He is the executive director of Nature Mauritania, a conservation group in Africa. 

The incredible change is part of an international effort to plant millions of trees and other vegetation in a 9-mile-wide belt across Northern Africa. The project is called the Great Green Wall. It is being planted in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara. The Great Green Wall will stretch from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east (see map). The hope is that the 4,750-mile-long barrier of trees and other plants will stop the desert’s spread southward and reverse land degradation in the once-fertile area.

The African-led Great Green Wall movement was launched in 2007. It aims to restore 250 million acres by 2030. Roughly 10 million acres have been reclaimed so far. More than 20 African countries have taken part.

“These restoration efforts are a testament that ordinary people with conviction can have an extraordinary impact on their world,” says Djibril Diallo. He is the executive director of Nature Mauritania. This is a conservation group in Africa.

The Sahara is the largest sandy desert in the world, covering 3.5 million square miles. That is roughly the size of the continental United States. As Northern Africa gets hotter and drier, the Sahara is growing even bigger. In the past century, it has expanded by 10 percent, scientists say. 

The Sahel region has become more barren and at greater risk of drought over the decades. Rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall, both linked in part to human-induced climate change, have led to poor soil and a lack of vegetation. The United Nations (U.N.) estimates 135 million people in the Sahel are plagued by food insecurity and poverty. With their food sources and livelihoods threatened, millions have already left. 

Salima Mahamoudou, an official at the World Resources Institute, grew up in Niger and has witnessed the land’s degradation. As a child, she used to go bird-watching in the dense vegetation of her family’s village. 

“My mom would be scared because it was so lush that if we stepped too far away from her, she couldn’t see us,” Mahamoudou says. “Today, close to 30 years later, when I go there, I can see for 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) because it’s just bare.”

The Sahara is the largest sandy desert in the world. It covers 3.5 million square miles. That is roughly the size of the continental United States. As Northern Africa gets hotter and drier, the Sahara is growing even bigger. Scientists say it has expanded by 10 percent in the past century.

The Sahel region has become more barren and at greater risk of drought over the decades. Rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall are both linked in part to human-caused climate change. They have led to poor soil and a lack of vegetation. The United Nations (U.N.) estimates 135 million people in the Sahel are plagued by food insecurity and poverty. Their food sources and livelihoods are threatened. Millions have already left.

Salima Mahamoudou is an official at the World Resources Institute. She grew up in Niger. She has witnessed the land’s degradation. As a child, she used to go bird-watching in the dense vegetation of her family’s village.

“My mom would be scared because it was so lush that if we stepped too far away from her, she couldn’t see us,” Mahamoudou says. “Today, close to 30 years later, when I go there, I can see for 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) because it’s just bare.”