At the beginning of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and reflecting the increasing focus on drylands, the topic of this 60th edition of ETFRN News is very timely. Drylands cover some 40% of the world’s land area and contain some of the most severely degraded landscapes on Earth. They are also home to a third of the world’s population including a disproportionate number of the poorest people, along with unique ecosystems and biodiversity. And these issues are more acute in Africa than in any other continent.
This compilation of knowledge on dryland restoration focuses on the Sahel and the Greater Horn of Africa where levels of poverty, land degradation and out-migration are acute. It collates 36 contributions, including interviews from distinguished experts, and many examples of success and hope. These include long-term analyses of remarkable increases in tree cover and improved agricultural yields over large areas of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal that have never before been published, examples of landscape restoration in Ethiopia, and related experiences from Cameroon, Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
