Every year, research by the World Resources Institute WRI indicates that Africa losses nearly 3 million hectares of forests. The continents 65% of the land is affected by degradation, and three percent of GDP is lost annually from soil and nutrient depletion on cropland.
To tackle the high rates of degradation, African countries, after the Paris agreement, pledged to restore 100 million hectares of land by 2030 under the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100)
Listen to previous episodes on the restoring drylands series
Today, Bernadette Arakwiye, a research associate at the WRI Africa Forest Program, says 31 African countries have pledged to restore 128 million hectares of forests by 2030. Four million hectares are currently under Restoration across the 31 countries.
AFR100 is A country-led effort contributes to the Bonn Challenge, the African Resilient Landscapes Initiative (ARLI), the African Union Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals, among other targets.
As you listen to today’s episode, remember the GLF Africa 2021 Conference happens online on the 2nd and 3rd of June this year. Click here to register.
The Restoration of the African Dryland series is a six-part series on the upcoming Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Africa Digital Conferenceled by the Center for the International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). In collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank and Charter Members.The GLF 2021 Conference will be happening online on the 2nd and 3rd of June this year.