Stretching across Africa, this hotspot is a mosaic of forests, grasslands and wetlands that provide life-sustaining services to tens of millions of people. These landscapes regulate climate, secure freshwater, and maintain fertile soils that underpin agriculture and regional stability. Despite their richness, they remain under pressure from entrenched poverty and extractive development models that prioritise short-term gains over long-term resilience. Restoring these ecosystems is vital not only for protecting unique biodiversity but also for ensuring the wellbeing and livelihoods of the communities who depend on them.

At the Western end of the Great Green Wall in Senegal, WeForest is driving a unique consortium of international and African partners with decades of experience, regional presence and complementary knowledge to pilot test an effective and cost-efficient restoration model which is both ecologically suitable and socially accepted. By 2024, 1000ha of degraded and dry land will be restored with pastoralist communities front and centre of the restoration, working alongside our local partners AVSF, and national research institutes ISRA and CIRAD. On-site scientific research with the new native and fruiting tree crops like the baobab - the “Mother of the Sahel” and social research with pastoralist communities will unlock the potential for successful restoration in this region.

Discover all four WeForest programmes at https://www.weforest.org/programmes/