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AFRICAN ENVIRONMENTS

Investing wisely in land restoration

Nature Sustainability volume 5, pages 3–4 (2022)Cite this article

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Degraded land is being restored along an 8,000 km stretch across Sahelian countries. A new analysis reveals promising economic returns from recent projects and informs the targeting of strategies for newly pledged funds.

The livelihood of smallholders largely depends on the productivity of their land, which for many is their main asset. In low-income countries, population pressure results in a growing number of settlements being established on degrading lands, therefore complicating poverty alleviation efforts2. This trend also perpetuates the root drivers of land degradation: land tenure insecurity3; poor access to markets for capital, labor and land4; and unsustainable cultivation practices on fragile land5,6. According to the authors, the costs from land degradation in the Sahel region totaled US$3 billion annually from 2001 to 2018, which makes the restoration of degraded lands and the ambitious Great Green Wall effort an attractive prospect.

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References

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  1. Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA

    Jacob Hochard

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  1. Jacob Hochard
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Correspondence to Jacob Hochard.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Hochard, J. Investing wisely in land restoration. Nat Sustain 5, 3–4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00806-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00806-3

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