Future Tense is one of ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation's podcast programmes. This episode looks at the Great Green Wall project in northern Africa and the Green Great Wall initiative in China, two ambitious projects aimed at halting desertification and returning soil to productivity.

The Great Green Wall is a symbol of hope in the face of one of the biggest challenges of our time – desertification. Launched in 2007 by the African Union, this game-changing African-led initiative aims to restore Africa’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in one of the world’s poorest regions, the Sahel. Once complete, the Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet – an 8,000 km natural wonder of the world stretching across the entire width of the continent.

The Great Green Wall is now being implemented in more than 20 countries across Africa and more than eight billion dollars have been mobilized and pledged for its support. The initiative brings together African countries and international partners, under the leadership of the African Union Commission and Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall.

Guests in this episode include:

Ibrahim Thiaw – Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Dr Jonathan Davies – Global Drylands Coordinator, IUCN
Mohamed Bakarr – Lead Environment Specialist, Program Strategy, Global Environment Facility
Vince Beiser - author and journalist