Africa leads the largest mobilization in history ― 8,000 km, 11 countries and 100 billion trees
There is a wave of bravery sweeping over Africa, one that can regenerate the continent and the world. The Great Green Wall is the biggest campaign of the world environment and comprises 8,000 kilometers of numerous countries and plants 100 billion trees. It is not an initiative to plant a tree—it is about hope, determination, and continental momentum in unity.
The Great Green Wall: Africa’s answer to land and climate deterioration
Great Green Wall is an aspiration to regain desert land in the Sahel, the Sahara Desert borderlands. Mongabay recalls the initiative, from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, 8,000 km long and 11 nations wide. Through 100 billion trees and 100 million hectares of land, there is the promise of the green mosaic that will combat desertification, enhance food safety and touch millions of lives by 2030.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has welcomed the Great Green Wall as “dynamo of an African-led process with a heroic vision to nourish an 8,000 km natural wonder across the width of Africa.”
It is by this that innovation and collaboration are propelling the Great Green Wall forward
The success of the Great Green Wall demands record-breaking levels of intergovernmental cooperation, people, NGOs, and international players. New technology, monitoring, and data collection are used to gauge the progress and make it sustainable and effective as well. Mongabay reports that “collaboration, data, and tracking are driving Africa’s Great Green Wall towards its dream,” where technology is being used for land restoration and nature mapping and people are keen on monitoring.
The size and reach: 8,000 km, 11 countries, and 100 billion trees
The numbers for the Great Green Wall are mind-boggling. It will run 8,000 kilometers or roughly from New York to Buenos Aires—over 11 countries: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. It will cover 100 billion trees, restore 100 million hectares of lost lands, and lock away 250 million tons of carbon.
UNCCD reports that the job has already been undertaken on millions of hectares, and thousands of young women have been employed by the project. The Wall has stopped the spread of the Sahara Desert, enhanced the fertility of the land, and brought food, water, and cash to some of the world’s poorest individuals.
Aside from the environmental benefits, the Great Green Wall is a victory of human resilience and resourcefulness. Human beings are using traditional wisdom married with frontier science to plant water-saving trees, save water, and adopt sustainable farming. The Wall is also ushering in harmony and cooperation where otherwise it would be a war-torn and poor area.
What’s next: Challenges, progress, and the road to 2030
Even though the Great Green Wall works, there are issues. Political turmoil, insufficient financing, and sheer scale guarantee that success is by no means assured. African countries and their allies are not however indifferent to the commitment.
Mongabay reports: “The initiative is moving towards its ambitious targets, thanks to better data, coordination, and common vision for the future.”
The coming five years will be critical. Using the current investment and innovation, the Great Green Wall can serve as an example to the other parts of the world of mass restoration and show the world that you can restore the planet, you can green the planet, and you can make the planet sustainable.
The Great Green Wall of Africa is not a row of trees, but a revolutionary project, which is covering the territory of 11 countries and millions of people under one mission. With the increasing size of the Wall, there is hope of a healthier world and a brighter future for the generations.
– www.eldiario24.com
