Land in Africa

Only one fifth of Africa’s arable land is under cultivation. (IPBES report, 2018)

Forests and woodlands make about 23% of Africa’s land, while 27% is arable land (IPBES report, 2018)

In East Africa, some pastoralists, increasingly confined to smaller areas, are forced to keep more animals on degrading pastures or enter conflict with other land users as they move their herds. (FAO, 2015)

14.7% of Africa’s land is classified as protected. (IPBES report, 2018)

Africa hosts eight of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotpots. (IPBES report, 2018)

Marine and coastal resources contribute in some African regions to more than 35% of GDP. (IPBES report, 2018)

By 2100, agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) losses are expected to be greater in West and Central Africa than in North and Southern Africa (0.4%–1.3%). (African Transformation Report, 2017)

In Africa only about 10 per cent of rural land is registered, with 90 per cent managed informally. (World Bank, 2013)

Africa counts 369 wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites), 142 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 1,255 important bird and biodiversity areas and 158 Alliance for Zero Extinction sites. (IPBES report, 2018)

Restoration commitments

Kenya’s National Climate Change Response Strategy calls for growing 7.6 bn trees in the next 20 years. (afr100.org)

The African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) aims to restore 100 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes across Africa by 2030. (afr100.org)

The Initiative on Sustainability, Stability and Security in Africa aims to create 2 million green jobs for vulnerable groups through restoration and sustainable land management by 2025. (UNCCD report, 2018, A Rising Africa in a fragile environment)

Almost $1.5 billion: funds pledged for the AFR100. (afr100.org)

The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel, aims to create the planet’s larges living structure, stretching on 8,000 km across Africa. (UNCCD)

The Great Green Wall Initiative aims to capture 250 million tonnes of carbon and create at least 350,000 rural jobs by 2030. (UNCCD)

More than 8 billion dollars have been mobilized or pledged so far to support the Great Green Wall Initiative. (UNCCD)

Restoration potential

Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) adapts ancient woodland management practices to provide a continuous supply of trees for fuel, building materials, food and fodder without need for replanting. (FAO report, 2015)

Africa can harness the Green-Blue Economy and speed up change using sustainable development principles. (IPBES report, 2018)

Restoration successes

In Tanzania, 228,000 farmers adopted climate-smart agriculture techniques and increased rice production by 30%. (CSA Success stories in Africa, World Bank)

Soil conservation practices across Africa helped restore over 1.6 million ha of degraded lands. (World Policy Institute, 2017)

In Zambia, communities set aside 1 million ha of land as community conservation areas. (CSA Success stories in Africa, World Bank)

Rwanda’s government has made great effort to clarify land rights and fight gender inequality, issuing 6.1 million land titles. (African Transformation Report, 2017)

The World Bank-Funded West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) has increased productivity and resilience of more than 4 million hectares across 13 countries, reaching over 7 million farmers. (UNCCD, Global Land Outlook, 2017)

In Ethiopia’s Tigray region, an estimated more than 1.5 million ha of land have been rehabilitated over 20 years, benefiting about 2 million people. (FAO, 2015)

Farmer-managed natural regeneration helped restore 5 million ha of degraded land in Niger, benefitting 2.5 million people. (PROFOR report, 2011)