The Great Green Wall: Reforesting the Sahel | Dynamic Planet

The Great Green Wall project is one of the world’s largest-scale efforts to fight regional desertification and rebalance Earth’s carbon cycle. Spanning the Sahel region of Africa, including Senegal, this massive tree-planting project aims to stop the spread of the Sahara Desert by restabilizing the land, reducing dust storms, and restoring moisture to the atmosphere.

This reforestation is creating microclimates that are supporting a return of agriculture to the Sahel. With over 10 million people trained and more than 50 million acres impacted, the Great Green Wall regenerative economy initiative blends biogeographical knowledge with global economic initiatives and local knowledge to restore lost ecosystems and empower communities.

This video resource will engage students in communicating complex environmental ideas in creative, accessible ways—and to help them see the human stories behind climate solutions.

Students will be able to explain the causes and effects of desertification (particularly in the Sahel region of Africa), analyze how environmental restoration projects, like the Great Green Wall, use science and community action to address global challenges, and evaluate the environmental, social, and economic impacts of regenerative land practices.

About the Author
Jody Cook is a passionate science educator with 22 years of secondary teaching experience. Holding a M.Ed. from Indiana Wesleyan University and a BS in Biology from Eastern Illinois University, her journey is fueled by creativity, innovation, and collaborative learning. Formerly from the Midwest, she is now currently enjoying all that nature has to offer on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Her genuine love for science inspires her belief that transformative education can spark lifelong curiosity and meaningful change.