Healthy rangelands sustain ecosystems, rural economies & pastoral livelihoods.
As we mark the #YearOfRangelandsAndPastoralists, check out how a @theGEF-funded @FAO project restored 60 ha of degraded rangeland in Nuristan, bringing life back to the area.
Source: FAO in Afghanistan (@FAOAfghanistan)
[ https://x.com/FAOAfghanistan/status/1995730869441409471 ]
Around 25% of Africa’s Land is Damaged: This is How We Fix It!
Almost 25% of all land in Africa has been damaged. Land degradation is worrying issue across the continent of Africa. This is being driven by climate change and deforestation for extractive industries like rare mineral mining and monocultures like palm oil and cocoa. Other big drivers includes invasive species and environmental pollutants and toxins. Mlungele Nsikani is a land restoration specialist and environmental scientist. He explains how ecological restoration and agroecology is a great way to reverse land degradation so that people, plants and animals can thrive. Another powerful way to make an impact is through boycotting industries destroying the world like gold mining, palm oil and the meat industry. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
25% of #land in #Africa is damaged by #climatechange #mining and #palmoil #deforestation. Yet strong policies for #agroecology would restore land for people, plants and animals to thrive #BoycottPalmOil #ClimateActionNow #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-90N
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterWritten by Mlungele M. Nsikani, Senior scientist, South African National Biodiversity Institute. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
What’s driving land degradation on the continent?
Africa is one of the most degraded continents in the world. About 23% of the surface of Africa, or over 700 million hectares of land, is already degraded. Another three million hectares is being further degraded annually.
Degraded land is land that has lost some of its natural productivity through processes caused by humans. It’s estimated that up to 40% of the planet’s land is degraded.
The “big five” drivers of land degradation globally and in Africa are:
Factors that have made the situation worse in Africa include: development demands; a high dependency on natural resources at the household level (such as the use of firewood for cooking); agricultural practices (including clearing indigenous plants to grow cash crops); weak governance; insecure land tenure; pervasive poverty; and population growth.
What is ecological restoration?
Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. Removing invasive plants and reintroducing indigenous species is one way to reverse damage. Ecological restoration is about helping to create conditions in which plants, animals and microorganisms can carry out the work of recovery themselves.
Assisting recovery can be as complex as altering landforms (intentionally changing aspects of the landscape), planting vegetation, changing the hydrology (water flow), and reintroducing wildlife. It can also be as simple as removing an invasive species or reintroducing a lost plant species to the land.
For example more than 8,750 plant species have found their way to South Africa. Over 785 species have made the country their permanent home on a significant scale and have had negative impacts. These include at least 14 Australian Acacia tree species which are invasive across South Africa. These cover about 554,000 hectares of the country.
They use up water resources and reduce grazing land. They also change soil microbial community structure, diversity and function. Invasive Acacia trees have established extensive woodlands that compete against native species, leaving little room for native plants and trees to grow. This costs more than R4 billion annually (about US$214 million) – the combined cost of clearing invasive species and the value of reduced ecosystem services in invaded areas.
The fynbos biome, which covers large parts of South Africa’s Western Cape province, has been the most affected. Since 1995, the publicly funded Working for Water programme has cleared invasive species, leaving ecosystems to recover naturally. The Greater Cape Town Water Fund has also funded the removal of thousands of thirsty invasive trees in mountain areas in a bid to save water and restore indigenous fynbos. This is known as passive restoration.
Planting native vegetation (often done through seed) – active restoration – has also helped the land recover. However, it has been applied at a smaller scale than passive restoration because it is more expensive. Planting native vegetation after clearing invasive species is often a more effective way to help native species recover in the restoration site, particularly if the native soil seedbanks have been depleted by the long duration of invasion.
How can people help?
Anyone can contribute to the restoration of ecosystems. The first thing is to advocate for and actively engage in the conservation of intact ecosystems. As the old adage goes, prevention is better than cure.
Ecological restoration is a great tool to tackle land degradation. But it’s not a quick fix. It’s still necessary to protect and conserve natural ecosystems.
Secondly, everyone should get involved in ecological restoration efforts, no matter how small. We can help remove invasive species or plant native species where we live. We can donate or be part of organisations that are involved in ecological restoration.
Above all, we should continue to spread the ecological restoration message and show that we are #GenerationRestoration!
The need for ecological restoration on the continent is great. Only functioning landscapes can provide affordable food, water and energy. These are the cornerstones of economic development. Ecological restoration can protect and enhance environmental assets and natural resources, provide employment, and help national development, security and social stability.
Written by Mlungele M. Nsikani, Senior scientist, South African National Biodiversity Institute. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
ENDS
Read more about conservation and reasons to be hopeful
Around 25% of Africa’s Land is Damaged: This is How We Fix It!
Almost 25% of all land in Africa has been damaged driven by climate change and deforestation for mining palm oil and cocoa. Take action and protect forests!
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Join 3,521 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Africa #agroecology #agroforestry #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #ClimateActionNow #climatechange #conservation #deforestation #environment #GenerationRestoration #land #mining #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #ReasonsToBeHopeful
Communities worldwide are reviving ecosystems through restoration projects, boosting biodiversity and resilience. From Thailand’s agroforestry to China’s panda habitats, these initiatives inspire action. Start your own project with our practical guide and join #GenerationRestoration!
Good health relies on a clean environment, clean air, safe water, and thriving ecosystems.
At #HLPF, UNEP is highlighting the benefits of #GenerationRestoration. https://www.unep.org/events/conference/unep-high-level-political-forum-2025
Laten we met respect omgaan met wat ons gegeven is. Laten we zorg dragen voor Gods Schepping. Laten we het goed beschermen zodat we het door kunnen geven aan volgende generatie.
Kijk eens op de website van @arochanederland om meer te leren over zorg voor de schepping. Dit kan thuis, in je kerk of bijvoorbeeld op school. https://www.arocha.nl/nl/doe-mee/
#Klimaatcrisis #zorgvoordeschepping #GenerationRestoration #WereldMilieuDag #WorldEnvironmentDay #natuur
RT by @EU_ENV: Dear Mother Earth,
Thank you for the countless gifts you share with us every day, year after year—clean air, fresh water, abundant life, and endless beauty.
Let us honor your generosity by protecting and restoring what sustains us all.
Always with care,
#GenerationRestoration
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https://nitter.privacydev.net/UNEP/status/1871789720847462511#m
Dear Mother Earth, Thank you for the countless gifts you share with us every day, year after year—clean air, fresh water, abundant life, and endless beauty. Let us honor your generosity by protecting and restoring what sustains us all. Always with care, #GenerationRestoration
Meet 6 trailblazers are tackling land degradation, drought, and desertification while empowering communities.
The UN’s highest environmental honours have been announced for 2024: https://www.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2024
Cities around the world will see 50 #GenerationRestoration murals by 2030.
Through their free mobile app called Behind the Wall®, you can discover the story behind each mural when passing by or online.
Street Art for Mankind info: https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/free-app-connects-street-art-action
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