Land degradation is both a cause and consequence of conflict, fuelling a vicious cycle that renders societies, economies and ecosystems increasingly vulnerable to climate change and biodiversity loss.
That is especially the case in sub-Saharan Africa, where soil erosion and the loss of ecosystem services are threatening the livelihoods of an estimated 500 million people. As natural resources dwindle, competition intensifies, often triggering instability, forced displacements and disrupting cultural values.
Restoring land and ecosystem degradation can help lay the foundations for peace, but only if efforts are informed by an understanding of how to operate in conflict-sensitive settings. The Great Green Wall (GGW), an African-led initiative to revive 100 million hectares across diverse ecological and socio-economic contexts with a focus on the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions, provides a rich testbed for such approaches.
On 17 July, the Knowledge for Great Green Wall Action (K4GGWA) and Regreening Africa —both co-led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and supported by the European Union (EU) — hosted an online event to explore what effective restoration looks like in conflict-prone areas.
Here are five key recommendations and resources, as illustrated by case studies from across the Sahel and Horn of Africa.
1. Tailor restoration strategies to conflict dynamics
Understanding the nature of conflicts in degraded land areas, their root causes and the groups most affected is essential to designing inclusive, lasting interventions that involve the right stakeholders and turn competition into long-term cooperation.
“For restoration to advance healing and resilience, we must pay attention to the people and the social, political and economic dynamics on the ground,” said Samaila Abdullahi, senior lecturer and researcher at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Nigeria.
In Sokoto State in northern Nigeria, land degradation and conflict arise from overlapping land use (farms and grazing), insecure tenure— particularly for women and youth— corporate land grabs and displacement —all of that against the backdrop of climate change.
The state government has responded with hybrid peacebuilding and restoration efforts anchored in the local culture. These include a religious-based endowment, or Waqf, for a date palm orchard; moringa cooperatives to support women in securing nutrition and income; nurseries and school orchards to address youth unemployment, and “peace farms” in insecurity-prone areas.
“The model combines top-down support with local knowledge and faith-based legitimacy, which contributes to the acceptability and continuity of the initiatives,” explained Abdullahi.
In conflict-sensitive areas, environmental and peacekeeping indicators—such as food security, livelihoods, participation, gender inclusion and trust—are essential for tracking progress in such settings, added Héctor Morales Muñoz, senior advisor at the think tank adelphi.
2. Facilitate inclusive dialogue
Restoration that strengthens social cohesion requires inclusive platforms that bring stakeholders together in decision-making—and keep them engaged.
On Senegal’s Velingara Ferlo plateau, the Senegalese Institute for Forestry Research is piloting land restoration methods to bolster climate resilience under the GGW. At the heart of the effort are pastoral units, where herders and farmers agree on how to share land and water, designate activity zones, and grow fodder in paddocks to curb overgrazing.
“Many of the conflicts we once had have been resolved and the pastoral unit mediates in any disputes that may arise between herders and farmers,” said vice president of the pastoral unit Coumba Sambel Dia.
3. Work around insecurity
Restoration can support peace, but what happens when insecurity prevents external actors from accessing project sites?
“Some priorities are fostering strong community engagement, building the technical capacity of local actors and harnessing innovations like apps to provide remote guidance,” said Malefia Tadele, Regreening Africa project manager, reflecting on work in Ethiopia’s Tigray, Oromia and Amhara regions.
Daoda Traoré, MEL Regional Coordinator at Burkina Faso’s NGO platform SPONG, agreed. “Local champions are essential to maintaining momentum when conflict flares,” Traoré said. “Coordination with government institutions is also key, along with including local leaders, women and youth and planning for the added cost of working in insecure zones”.
4. Tie restoration to livelihoods
While restoring land is ultimately beneficial for people and nature, tying it to livelihood activities from the get-go is essential to create local ownership and incentivize communities, as emphasized by Tadele.
Kodou Choukou Tidjani, Director General of Chad’s National Great Green Wall Agency, stressed this point in the context of refugee-hosting landscapes. In Chad, more than 1.4 million refugees and asylum seekers place pressure on surrounding ecosystems, leading to tree felling for firewood, erosion, dwindling water supplies and rising tensions with host communities.
In response, the GGW Agency is scaling up assisted natural regeneration around refugee camps, undertaking reforestation, and establishing community farms that support both local and displaced populations.
5. Elevate land restoration as a global security priority
Land underpins nearly every aspect of life—from food systems to biodiversity to climate stability—yet 40 percent of the world’s land area is now degraded. The majority of countries most vulnerable to land degradation and climate change are also the most fragile.
“The EU fully recognizes the links between land, climate and peace at the policy level,” said Bernard Crabbé of the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships. “Tackling environmental degradation and climate change is key to reducing instability and conflict.”
Crabbé highlighted the EU regulation on deforestation-free products and support for integrated land management, the GGW and transboundary water cooperation frameworks in regions such as the Lake Chad Basin.
“We cannot tackle these challenges through geopolitical competition,” Crabbé said. “We need cooperation and by strengthening the synergies between the Rio Conventions on Land, Climate, and Biodiversity.”
For adelphi’s Morales, land restoration’s peacebuilding potential is still overlooked on the global stage. “Restoration must rise on the international agenda as a matter of human security, peace and sustainable development,” Morales said. “And that means long-term funding and cooperation to restore land at the scale and pace we need.”
“Through the case studies presented, the event produced a practical checklist to guide other restoration practitioners and their interventions in conflict-sensitive contexts.” – Yeliz Mertz
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