topic: | Deforestation |
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located: | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria |
editor: | Bob Koigi |
The pressure to feed a burgeoning global population, the unprecedented demand for timber, and the energy needs at the household level are fueling the felling of trees and wanton deforestation at an alarming scale, which is fanning biodiversity loss, escalating desertification and exacerbating the climate change impacts.
Fifteen billion trees are cut down annually, with up to 39 per cent of the world's deforestation driven by global trade, which has turned trees into timber and farming land into deserts. As a result, the scale of deforestation has become one of the most pressing global problems as the planet stares at a bleak future.
In Africa, which is the world's third largest continent for global forest area with up to 43 billion trees, close to four million hectares are cut down every year from the dry forests of West and Southern Africa to the Congo basin rainforests in Central Africa, at almost double the rate of the world's deforestation average. This has weakened the African ecosystem's ability to withstand the impacts of climate change.
Agriculture, both subsistence and industrial, is the primary culprit, contributing an estimated 75 per cent of the deforestation.
Some interventions like the Great Green Wall initiative introduced to green the continent have shown tangible results, with approximately 18 million hectares of degraded land being restored and about 350,000 jobs created. Others, like Nigeria's green bond National Afforestation programme, however, have failed despite heavy investment due to a lack of community input. New trees have died of neglect, while farmers prioritise other engagements for not being consulted when the initiatives are introduced.
Community-led tree planting and growing schemes like the One Billion Trees for Africa have become the silver bullet to the endemic loss of African forests while increasing the forest cover in the continent.
These initiatives work with farmers from the start, training them on the importance of trees, finding alternatives to their energy needs in areas where fuelwood is the primary source of energy and pointing community members to economic opportunities that come with planting trees.
The One Billion Trees for Africa project responds to the mass degradation of African land from the felling of trees, which has intensified the adverse impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. The initiative has planted over 3 million trees, restored more than 80 hectares of land and created hundreds of jobs across communities.
Agroforestry is a crucial element of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration from 2021-2030. This initiative aims to reverse decades of damage caused to biodiversity and forests globally.
As the adverse effects of climate change reach epidemic proportions, community-led groups and programs play a vital role in the restoration of forests, promoting biodiversity and generating income for communities. Regenerative agroforestry for a green and sustainable future deserves global attention and support, a community engagement at a time.
Image by Javi Lorbada.