The figure above depicts the outline of the Great Green Wall Initiative.
Where it began
The Great Green Wall Movement was developed by the African Union in the region of Sahara and Sahel to mitigate the consequences that extreme desertification in those areas were causing to the natives living there as well as the drought-like conditions that it was increasingly giving rise to in its vicinity.
Historically, during an expedition back in the 1950s, a British explorer named Richard Baker suggested the development of a kind of green buffer zone with trees to contain the expanding desert. This idea resurfaced again in 2002 at a special summit convened in N’djamena, Chad, on account of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. Eventually, it was approved in 2005 by the Conference of Leaders and the Heads of States members of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States in Burkina Faso, and then further endorsed officially by the African Union in 2007.
What it is and how it works
In simple words, it is a massive green barrier extending from the east to the west of the sub-Saharan region, covering most of the width of the African land and running for an estimated length of 8000 km. It is reported to soon become the World’s Greatest and largest living structure, almost three times the size of the one and only Great Barrier Reef.
The degradation of the land had resulted in millions of people immigrating to other countries like Europe, in search of a means for survival and better livelihoods, but with only ten years of implementation of the goals for such an ambitious undertaking down the line, we are already starting to notice several positive impacts like the rise in availability of jobs in the market, food security and also a kind of belief or hope in the overall situation.
This movement seeks to contribute at a global scale by countering the severe
consequences of drought, climate change, famine, conflict and migration. It serves as a global symbol of hope by combating against the biggest threat to humanity until now, that is, our rapidly degrading environment.
Influence on other countries
The Great Green Wall Movement may not have stopped or eradicated the problem of desertification yet, but the compelling fact is, it might have evolved into something that would possibly become the solution in the near-future. The ultimate goal is to strengthen regional resilience and natural ecological balance through the combined efforts of preventing or minimizing the exploitation of natural resources and encouraging sustainable development in the affected areas.
With just 15 % of the program completed, restoration of lands have been taking place at an unprecedented rate and this is only the beginning of the upwards trajectory.
Currently, this phenomenal integrated initiative has undoubtedly become a major topic of discussion in global meets or conferences related to environmental
preservation and this has resulted in its heavy influence on different countries all over the world to try their luck with the same program. However, funding for such a massive level of implementation to take place is necessary, without which the
movement will remain stagnated.
Significance in the present
More than anything, by taking root at one of the poorest regions on Earth, this movement is showing the world how we can still fight back against detrimental forces of nature, be it climate changes or man-made disasters and dwindling natural resources. It proves that if we can manage to work with nature and preserve the biodiversity and overall ecological balance in even the most challenging places like Sahel, we can overcome adversities and build a better world for future generations.
This isn’t only about planting trees and expanding the green cover, but in fact, the Great Green Wall is transforming the lives of millions of people in the African
regions. The movement is creating a crucial difference in the way it is associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals by developing into and contributing towards a global agenda which aspires to achieve the unthinkable, a more sustainable and diversely rich world by 2030.
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