A scenic view of African mountain flora featuring succulents and vibrant pink flowers.
Land degradation is a significant issue in Africa, with over 23% of the continent’s land already degraded and an additional three million hectares degrading annually. Major drivers of this degradation are biological invasions, climate change-linked events, extractive activities (like mining), habitat transformation (like deforestation), and pollutants (like sulfur dioxide). Beyond these, development demands, dependence on natural resources, poor agricultural practices, weak governance, poverty, and population growth continue to worsen the already precarious situation. To reverse this damage, it is necessary that the continent pursues the ecological restoration, a process that assists the recovery of ecosystems through the creation of conditions that enable plants, animals, and microorganisms to take center stage in their own recovery. It involves the removal of invasive species and the reintroduction of native plants. Ecological restoration has been used to great success in South Africa, through programs like Working for Water and the Greater Cape Town Water Fund.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION