The Great Green Wall
The Sahara Desert is slowly extending its reach, but one pan-African project is planning to stop it in its tracks.
The Sahara Desert is slowly extending its reach into the verdant south. Climate change and over-exploitation of resources by humans has opened the way to sandstorms, droughts and deforestation, destroying both environments and livelihoods.
To counter this desertification, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States launched the Great Green Wall, an ambitious project that aims to plant and nurture a tree belt 15km wide and nearly 8,000km long, crossing Africa coast to coast through 11 countries.
Geraleh Darabi travels to Senegal to meet the people who have begun work on the reforestation project, which could have an incredible impact on both the environment and the lives of the Senegalese.
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