Green Wall to stop shifting sands of Sahara

25 January 2012

Following in the steps of China who have grown a ‘green wall’ to control the advance of the Gobi Desert, Africa will now attempt the same.

Eleven countries in Africa will be working together to stop the Sahara advancing southwards by planting a ‘Great Green Wall’ of trees.  The tree wall will be 15 km deep and 7,800 km across the continent from the Horn of Africa in the east to Senegal in the west.

This is a long-term plan not just to save the land which many depend on but also to create a carbon sink which will help to counteract global warming.

A green wall of this size could not only provide sustainable fuel but change climate patterns and increase much needed rainfall.  If the project uses ‘drought-resistant or adapted’ varieties of trees, this would slow soil erosion, reduce wind damage and help filter water.

It is however taking a long time to get started as this plan and agreement was mooted five years ago but the African leaders are still dithering.  Five years is precious when you consider the straights of the African countries and their need to feed their peoples.  And the pace at which land is being lost to desertification - every minute, 23 hectares of land are lost to drought and desertification - according to Louise Baker, senior adviser at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

“To give trees the best chance in an often unforgiving environment – only one in five may survive – the choice of species is crucial, according to forest expert Dr Simon Lewis from the University of Leeds. ‘It’s imperative to have more than a monoculture of trees – because if you have one bad year your whole forest is put at risk.”

The UNCCD is wholly supporting the project and backed by $119million (£78million) from international donors and supported by the African Union, thousands of hectares have already been reforested in Senegal with young saplings fenced off to give them the best chance of survival.