Clocking in 4,750 miles long and 9 miles wide, the Great Green Wall of Africa is as ambitious as it is necessary.

While only 330 miles of greenery have currently been planted in northern Senegal, international organizations have pledged over $3 billion towards the completion of this massive environmental project, designed to help stop land degradation. But the Great Green Wall is about more than just protection from desertification. Thousands of jobs, increased environmental diversity, land management research, and tourists drawn to visit the planned forest are all additional benefits. 

The successful growth of the Great Green Wall won’t just benefit the local region, it will have an impact on the entire African continent and beyond, stabilizing an unstable region, and helping fight the effects of climate change on a global scale.