What is the Great Green Wall?
The Great Green Wall is a symbol of hope in the face of one of the biggest challenges of our time – desertification.
Launched in 2007 by the African Union, this game-changing African-led initiative aims to restore Africa’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in one of the world’s poorest regions, the Sahel.
Once complete, the Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet – an 8,000 km natural wonder of the world stretching across the entire width of the continent.
The Great Green Wall is now being implemented in more than 20 countries across Africa and more than 19 billion dollars have been mobilized and pledged for its support.
The initiative brings together African countries and international partners, under the leadership of the African Union Commission and Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall.
Objectives
By 2030, the ambition of the initiative is to restore 100 million ha of currently degraded land; sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs. This will support communities living along the Wall to:
- Grow fertile land, one of humanity’s most precious natural assets
- Grow economic opportunities for the world’s youngest population
- Grow food security for the millions that go hungry every day
- Grow climate resilience in a region where temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth
- Grow a new world wonder spanning 8000 km across Africa
Key Results (2020 data)
The Great Green Wall snakes the Sahel region(The Sahel region is a large swathe of territory in the northern part of Africa that stretches from the Atlantic coast of the continent to the Red Sea coast) from Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the East of Africa.
Several achievements have been recorded in most of the GGW member states, with some countries being more successful than others.
While some countries started the implementation of the GGW activities as early as 2008, others joined as late as 2014, when the GGW declaration was ratified.
The 11 countries selected as intervention zones for the Great Green Wall are: Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan.
The total area of the GGW initiative extends to 156 Mha, with the largest intervention zones located in Niger, Mali, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The Great Green Wall Documentary:
About the Project
A bold and visually epic documentary feature following the emergence of a new world wonder changing lives on the African continent. The Great Green Wall tells the incredible story of one of the planet’s most timely and ambitious endeavors taking route on the edge of the Sahara desert. A dream to grow a wall of trees and plants across the entire width of Africa, and stop the ravages of climate change firmly in its tracks. By the time it’s completed in 2030, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet – three times the length of the Great Barrier Reef.
Renowned filmmaker Fernando Meirelles collaborates on a film narrating an extraordinary initiative, featuring Malian singer Inna Modja’s perspective.
Inna’s captivating journey showcases Africa’s resilience, from strife to a hopeful pan-African movement, through striking visuals and music.
Click to see the Documentary
Similar Initiatives:
In COP14 of UNCCD held in India, a similar initiative called Peace Forest Initiative (PFI) to develop forests in conflict areas between South and North Korea including the demilitarized zone was announced.
The PFI has been inspired from the Peace Park between Peru and Ecuador.
The green wall of India is being planned from Porbandar to Panipat. Which will help in restoring degraded land through afforestation along the Aravali hill range. The overarching objective is to address the rising rates of land degradation and the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert. It will also act as a barrier for dust coming from the deserts in western India and Pakistan.
