The Great Green Wall is the African initiative to create a restored belt of vegetation across the Sahara’s southern edge. It focuses on land restoration and resilient livelihoods across the Sahel.
The project was officially launched by the African Union in 2007. Rather than being only a continuous wall of trees, it is a broad collection of national and local projects involving reforestation, agroforestry, soil conservation and sustainable land management.
The initiative involves countries including Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. Conditions and methods vary by location because the Sahel contains different soils, climates and communities.
Its goals include reducing land degradation, improving food security and supporting people affected by drought and desertification. The name can cause confusion: the Great Green Wall is a regional restoration programme, not a single uninterrupted plantation spanning the continent.