1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio k 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, Africa is on its way 3 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: to completing the next World Wonder, a nearly five thousand 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: mile or eight thousand kilometer belt of greenery and conservation 5 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: initiatives covering the continent's entire width. This lofty goal, The 6 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: Great Green Wall, is not a pr stunt. It's an 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: African lad movement designed to breathe life into the degraded 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: landscapes across the Sahel, which is the vast semi arid 9 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: region of Africa separating the Sahara Desert to the north 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: and the tropical savannahs to the south. This area is 11 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: experiencing a slew of ecological crises due to overgrazing, drought, 12 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: and poor farming practices, and desertification here is on the rise. 13 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: The Sahara Desert is expanding. Study published in the May 14 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: issue of the Journal of Climate shows that it's grown 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: ten percent since ninety The ambitious Great Green Wall, which 16 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: will be Earth's largest living structure once complete, is designed 17 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: to save this a hell from ecological implosion and to 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:15,839 Speaker 1: make those changes sustainable. The Great Green Wall project, kickstarted 19 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: by the African Union in two thousand seven. Was initially 20 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: designed to build a string of trees across the continent 21 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: to curb desertification, helping the hell communities survive and thrive. 22 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 1: But there were some issues early on. First and foremost, 23 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: the science behind tree planting as the sole solution wasn't 24 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,559 Speaker 1: fully there. Many of the first planted trees died, which 25 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: is when leaders acknowledged that it was time to change course. 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: The Great Green Wall team analyzed indigenous land use techniques 27 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: and adapted their methodology accordingly. From there, the project evolved 28 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: from a wall of trees to more of a continent 29 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: wide movement of mosaic of projects combating land degradation, desertification, 30 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: and drought based unproven indigenous practices. In some cases, that's 31 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: tree planting, which the Great Green Wall largely hires locals 32 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: to do. For other land stretches, it's indigenous adaptations for 33 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: agriculture or simply growing grass. In other cases, it's a 34 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: mix of all of the above. This re greening is 35 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: truly transformational for both the land and the local people. 36 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: The Great Green Wall is roughly fifteen complete, with millions 37 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: of trees planted and aspirations to quote restore two hundred 38 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: forty seven million acres or a hundred million hectares of 39 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: currently degraded land, sequester two d and fifty million tons 40 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: of carbon, and create ten million jobs in rural areas 41 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: by according to the Great Green Wall website. Another equally 42 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: impressive outcome the Pan African camaraderie and leadership. The initiatives 43 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: started out with the loving countries, but now has over twenty, 44 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: making it a truly Pan African program. Each country created 45 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: its own national action plan for implementation, which ensures each 46 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: nation has ownership instead of being told what to do 47 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: by outsiders. This puts power and potential for progress back 48 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: in the hands of those most affected. So far, the 49 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: project has created some three hundred and fifty thousand jobs 50 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: and generated over ninety million dollars in revenue across the 51 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: countries that host the Great Green Wall. Some of the 52 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: best Great Green Wall outcomes so far have been in Nigeria, Senegal, 53 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: Burkina Fasso, and Ethiopia. Rikina Fasso has seventeen million new trees, 54 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: while twelve million acres or four point eight million hectares 55 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: of degraded land in Nigeria are now restored. With Senegal 56 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: and Ethiopia seeing similar success. One Elvis Paul to hang them. 57 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: The African Union Commissioner for the Sahara and Sahel Great 58 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: Green Wall Initiative, said, the Great Green Wall is about development. 59 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: It's about sustainable climate, smart development at all levels. Each 60 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: of the thirty countries developed national action plans. That is 61 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: the bast achievement because now they own it. It's about 62 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: ownership and that has been the failure of Development AID 63 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: because people were never identified with it. But this time 64 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: they identify this is our thing. But considering that the 65 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,239 Speaker 1: total project is triple the size of the Great Barrier Reef, 66 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: it's inevitable that the Great Green Wall has faced some challenges. 67 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: The goals do vary from country to country, complicating implementation, 68 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 1: and like many conservation projects before it, funding is another hindrance. 69 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: Countries like Senegal spend two hundred million per year on 70 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:38,280 Speaker 1: planting and eco care, but other nations can't afford similar investments. 71 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,479 Speaker 1: We spoke via email with Chris mcgarrow, program officer for 72 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: the International Union for Conservation of Nature. He said within 73 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,720 Speaker 1: most of the country's investments in dry lands remain a 74 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: challenge based on the misconception that dry lands are wastelands. 75 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,840 Speaker 1: This view is rapidly changing as dry lands continue to 76 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: be recognized for their richness in bio diverse the productivity, 77 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: especially of livestock, and provision of other ecosystem services, including water. 78 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: According to its latest status report, the program needs to 79 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: restore over twenty million acres or eight million hectares of 80 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: land every year, plus invest an annual four point three 81 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: billion dollars for the hopeful twenty thirty completion. This goal 82 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: is lofty given that the Great Green Wall has restored 83 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,280 Speaker 1: only roughly forty billion acres or twenty million hectares of 84 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: land from two thousand seven to but leaders remain optimistic. 85 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: In a press release, Abraham t O, Executive Secretary to 86 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, said, the Great 87 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: Green Wall is yielding immediate benefits for the local communities 88 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: and long term ecosystem benefits At the international level. It 89 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: shows that when countries dare to dream, work together and 90 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: make the right choices, we can prosper and live in 91 00:05:55,480 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: harmony with nature, and where innovative ideas emerge, pause of 92 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: dramatic change that benefits both the local and international communities 93 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: will happen. Today's episode was written by Stephanie Vermillion and 94 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots 95 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: of other green topics, visit how stuff works dot com. 96 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I heart Radio. Or more 97 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: podcasts in my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 98 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen in to your favorite 99 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: shows