Great Green Wall (The)

In 2004, eleven african countries gathered to handle a major ecologic challange: the desertification of the Sahel. This is why the great green wall project has been created. The goal is to create a large wooded area across Africa, 7,000 km long and 15 km large.

In 2008, Senegal has launched this ambitious project. In the North the planting sites are held during the short humid period. Their development will play a major role in the forest protection, the water management but also the access of local people to basic needs (education and healthcare), thus contributing to fight against poverty.

The consequences of the great green wall are studied in Senegal, through the establishment of a "man-field" observatory created by the CNRS at Tessékéré. The observations of ecological, medical and social changes will help to evaluate the impact of this green wall on the populations.

Selected at Pariscience 2010
See the showing : Monday 11th October 2010 from 10h00 to 11h30