The “great green wall” project to curb the desert in Africa

Eight thousand kilometers long and fifteen kilometers wide.These are the impressive measures of the Great Green Wall, a tree belt that the African Union is building in order to counter the advance of the desert.The ambitious project aims to cross the African continent horizontally.From Senegal to Djibouti, the tree-lined line will pass through 11 nations with the noble aim of combat environmental degradation and poverty in the region.The costs have been estimated at approximately 33 billion dollars, of which 14 have already been invested.More than ten years after the official launch of the project, approximately 20% of the route has been completed.According to several sources, however, the initiative is already changing things for the better.Because, to be honest, the Great Green Wall is not just a work aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change.More than a line, it is in fact a “restoration mosaic” which protects agriculture, offers jobs, promotes social cohesion and limits climate migration.

The project was officially presented in 2007 by the African Union, the international organization and free trade area including all the states of the African continent.In 2013, the year in which the initiative found renewed support from the most important intergovernmental organizations in the world, further ecological and social objectives were integrated, such as the restoration of 100 million hectares of land, the creation of 10 millions of jobs in rural areas, as well as a parallel series of local community-led regenerative agriculture projects.At present, more than 100 million woody plants have been planted and as many as 18 million hectares of land have been revitalized.Since the underlying problem is the lack (not to say absence) of rainfall, the project involved the planting of native plant species capable of surviving and proliferating in extreme conditions.We are talking, for example, about the Baobab, a symbolic tree of Africa capable of growing in extremely arid environments and which, among other things, produces edible fruit and bark that can be used for various purposes.Then there is theAcacia tortilis, another typical plant of the region well known to the Saharawi people who it has always used its leaves for healing purposes.And again, among the protagonists of the green wall there is also the Combretum glutinosum, a shrub, capable of growing luxuriant in the desert, used for the production of dyes, fabrics, looms and tools.But these are just some of the species that will be planted.The key to resilience lies in diversification.

To understand the importance of the Great Green Wall, just think that it will be born in the African region of the Sahel, on the southern edge of the Sahara desert, one of the poorest places on the planet.It is no coincidence that it is also one of the geographical areas most affected by the consequences of climate change.Millions of people are already struggling with persistent drought and related food shortages and wars over dwindling natural resources.The dramatic result is incessant and risky mass migrations both within the African continent and towards Europe.As a “nature-based solution”, the Great Green Wall therefore represents a unique opportunity to foster climate change adaptation and mitigation in one of the areas of the planet that needs it most.An opportunity for redemption for a continent that has been considered second-class for too long.But for it to become a reality everyone should do their part.In fact, there is still a long way to go, especially if there are funds to support the initiative are fluctuating.“There is no doubt that the progress and results achieved in the last decade can only be consolidated and increased through strong continuous support,” explained the Global Environment Fund, a partner organization of the Great Green Wall.Alain-Richard Donwahi, the president of the 15th COP on desertification, also joined the appeal. «We need to find more resources, more funds and allocate them to the right projects – declared Donwahi – we also need the countries involved to include this initiative in their plans development agencies and in their annual budgets, so that funds are dedicated to advancing the Great Green Wall and supporting communities."

[by Simone Valeri]