Sand to soil. The transformation of deserts to forests.
The Sahara desert, once the largest desert in the world, is slowly being transformed into a lush forest. The Sahara covers 9.4 million square kilometers (3.6 million square miles), which is about the size of the entire United States of America.[1] But through a mix of efforts and projects meant to hold back the encroaching sands, the deserts are being held back.
The projects are a mix of natural and human endeavours. The natural processes include the growth of trees and grasses, which help to stabilize the soil and create a microclimate that is more conducive to forest growth. The human endeavours include afforestation projects, in which people plant trees in areas that were previously deserts.
The Sahara desert is not the only desert that is being transformed into a forest. The Gobi desert, which covers parts of China and Mongolia, is also slowly being turned into a forest. In 1978, China implemented the Great Green Wall project to hold back the desert and support the lumber industry. There is also a project of the same name that is battling the expansion of the Sahara, initiated in the Sahel region of Africa. Since the beginning of this project, it has grown into a pan-African effort stretching across Eritrea, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali, Sudan and more.[2] In Nigeria, anti-desertification efforts have led to the restoration of more than 12 million acres, equal to 49,000 km2. Researchers are even tracking how the implementation of these projects will alter migration patterns between rural and urban centres.[3]
You will find more infographics at StatistaDesert to forest transformation projects are becoming more and more popular as people become more aware of the benefits they can provide. Climate change is exacerbating the effects of desertification and making it more difficult to hold back the deserts. The increased temperatures and changes in weather patterns are causing droughts and making it harder for trees and other plants to grow. This, in turn, makes the desert conditions even worse and leads to the spread of sand dunes.
By converting barren, dry land into lush forests, these projects can provide a number of important benefits, including:
Increased soil fertility – Forests help to improve soil fertility by adding organic matter and returning minerals and nutrients to the soil. This can benefit both the forest itself and any nearby agricultural land.
Improved water quality – Forests help to improve water quality by intercepting rainfall and reducing runoff. This helps to prevent downstream flooding and can also recharge groundwater supplies.
Climate change mitigation – Trees and other plants help to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen. This helps to offset some of the greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change.
Habitat creation – Forests provide homes for a wide variety of plant and animal species. By creating or restoring forests, we can help to preserve biodiversity and provide habitat for endangered species.
Human health – Forests can provide several benefits for human health, including improved air quality, reduced stress levels, and increased opportunities for exercise.
Food security - Depending on what species are planted, creating more arable land tended to by responsible farmers can help increase the food security of a region.
Desert to forest transformation projects can have a significant impact on the environment and on the lives of people who live nearby. If you are considering undertaking such a project, it is important to do your research and to work with a qualified professional. With careful planning and execution, these projects can be highly successful and can bring a wide range of benefits to the area.
While the transformation of deserts into forests has many benefits, there are also some disadvantages to consider.
It can take a long time for a desert to become a forest. In some cases, it can take hundreds or even thousands of years for a desert to fully transform. Plus, in the case of
The process of transforming a desert into a forest is often expensive and requires a lot of resources. The Great Green Wall initiative has been a multi-year, multi-billion dollar commitment. The World Bank alone committed $5.6 billion to flow to the 11 countries involved in the project.[4,5]
The transformation of deserts into forests can also have negative impacts on local wildlife. When a desert becomes a forest, it changes the habitat of many animals who live there. This can cause problems for the animals, as they may not be able to adapt to their new environment or find the food and water they need to survive.
Finally, the transformation of deserts into forests can also impact the local climate. Forests are cooler than deserts, and this temperature change can be disruptive to local plant and animal life.
One of the main factors to be considered is maintenance after the projects are completed. The cost of maintaining a forest can be much higher than the cost of creating one. Some locals near these projects receive a stipend from the government to maintain the forests to ensure the encroaching sands do not swallow them again.
Despite the disadvantages, the transformation of deserts into forests is a process that offers many benefits. Forests are vital to our environment, and they provide us with many benefits, including improved air quality, water quality, and soil fertility. If you are considering undertaking such a project, it is important to do your research and to work with a qualified professional. With careful planning and execution, these projects can be highly successful and can bring a wide range of benefits to the area.
References
Ross, Rachel. "The Sahara: Earth's Largest Hot Desert." LiveScience. January 25 (2019).
Goffner, Deborah, Hanna Sinare, and Line J. Gordon. "The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative as an opportunity to enhance resilience in Sahelian landscapes and livelihoods." Regional Environmental Change 19.5 (2019): 1417-1428.
Duboz, Priscilla, et al. "Assessing health impacts of an environmental pan-African development project: A migration perspective." SSM-population health 11 (2020): 100633.
Malpass, David. Remarks at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference: Aligning Finance and Building Capacity for an Ecological Civilization. World Bank, 2021.
Zhongming, Zhu, et al. "One Planet Summit." (2021).