Preventing Desertification With a Wall of Trees

<p>Officials in Africa have approved a plan to plant a "wall of trees" across the continent to prevent the southward spread of the Sahara desert due to winds and drought.</p>

"The 'Great Green Wall' will involve several stretches of trees from Mauritania in the west to Djibouti in the east, to protect the semi-arid savannah region of the Sahel - and its agricultural land - from desertification."

"A plan for the proposed US$3 million, two-year initial phase of the project - involving a belt of trees 7,000 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide - was formally adopted at the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (Cen-Sad) summit on rural development and food security in Cotonou, Benin, last month (17-18 June)."

"North African nations have been promoting the idea of a Green Belt since 2005 (see African nations agree to boost desert research). The project has been scaled down to reinforce and then expand on existing efforts, and will not be a continent-wide wall of trees, despite the name of the project."

"The Green Wall will involve two planting projects on the east and west sides of Africa."

Full Story: African 'wall of trees' gets underway

Comments

Comments

Dubious

Desertification is largely a result of climate change. Why do all of these proposed 'solutions' address the effects of climate change instead of the systemic causes - such as excess CO2 emissions? It seems so shortsighted. Of course, it is shortsightedness which got us into this situation, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Address the causes first - shun the band aid solutions!

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"Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends." -Lewis Mumford

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