Eleven countries (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Senegal) in North Africa have joined forces to revitalize the land immediately south of the Sahara desert, bringing native plant life back to the region.

The original plan for the “Great Green Wall” initiative was for it to run from Djibouti, Djibouti heading west towards Dakar, Senegal. It was to have been 15 km (9 miles) wide and 7,775 km (4,831 miles) long. The new plans call for it to be even bigger, including more countries in North and West Africa.

The program intends to support ecological renewal through a variety of plans, such as planting trees, improving the soil quality in agricultural areas, and many other practices. Each country will study its own areas to apply targeted solutions to the diverse landscapes of the region. For instance, Senegal has planted more than 50,000 acres of trees, about 90% of which are an acacia species that will become an economically valuable source of gum arabic, a popular food additive.

Read more about it in the National Geographic article “The Great Green Wall” by Ryan Schleeter.