Part 2/11:
Africa's forests are vanishing at an alarming rate, faster than any other continent. Tanzania alone loses approximately 469,000 hectares of forest each year—a staggering amount equivalent to the size of Luxembourg. This relentless loss fuels desert expansion into areas once covered in trees, threatening local ecosystems, agriculture, and communities.
Despite numerous initiatives, efforts such as large-scale tree planting have often fallen short. Over the past two decades, billions of dollars have been invested in planting trees across Africa's drylands, only for many projects to fail due to poor management, unsuitable planting conditions, and limited local engagement. Even high-profile efforts, like the Pope planting trees, haven't stemmed the tide of deforestation.