Haidar el Ali has been planting trees since 2009 – and his efforts have been no small feat. What he’s done has produced one of the most historical successes in modern large-scale reforestation. He is responsible for the restoration of an entire Senegalese mangrove swamp.

Forests are known to be one of the most resilient habitats in the world, and they are also one of the most exploited. The scientific community began to encourage tree planting in order to “re-wild” the lost forest ecosystems. Some people, Haidar el Ali being one of them, stepped up, rolled up their sleeves, and produced some remarkable results.

Making an Impact on the Environment

Haidar el Ali was the former Minister of Ecology in Senegal and at 67-years, he was able to bring the citizens together to help him plant 152 million mangrove buds by hand. In turn, it created a beautiful mangrove forest on the coast of Senegal that stretches hundreds of square miles and is now one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Current estimations state that 2.4 billion acres of additional forest cover the earth, and they are responsible for sucking 25% of all carbon that is pumped into the atmosphere. Due to this, trees and mangroves help to filter river mud from entering the sea as well as by absorbing tidal waves and tsunamis. They also provide habitat to near-shore wildlife like birds, insects, fish, reptiles, and monkeys.

Committing to the Goal

The mangrove trees are planted by taking a burgeoning or mangrove leaf and planting the lower third portion of it into the mud. You then take 2 steps and plant another one. Haidar enjoys making a positive impact on the environment by planting these trees, and he takes a lot of satisfaction in doing it. In an interview, he mentions that he is ready to plant these trees every day, every evening, and for the rest of his life.

While climate change is bothering humankind, it is affecting the animal kingdom much more. Scientists and conservationists are now coming up with more and more unique engaging ideas to monitor and preserve endangered species, keeping the global ecology in balance. The new collaborative project of the British Antarctic Survey and WWF will directly involve animal lovers worldwide in the important task of monitoring an Arctic species.

The Project

The ‘Walrus from Space’ research project is a joint collaboration of WWF and the British Antarctic Survey and is designed to get a clearer picture of the population and activities of the Arctic walrus without disturbing the animals physically. Under the project, the scientists used space satellites to capture a range of high-resolution images of the walrus population. In literally thousands of images, the walrus groups are seen to be congregated on more than 9,653 square miles along the Arctic coastline. Cumulatively, the area is larger than all of Wales. Walruses are a culturally significant iconic species of the Arctic coastline, threatened continuously by the global climate crisis.

The Real-Life Involvement

Under a real-life inclusive initiative, named ‘Where’s Wally?’, scientists are now appealing to the common people to help them count the number of Walrus from the satellite images. The unique project will directly involve animal lovers and enthusiasts across the globe in scanning the images helping the project scientists to monitor the Walrus population. According to the chief polar adviser at WWF Rod Downie, anyone from any background can take part in this voluntary project of Walrus census and can do the task by using their own computers. They just have to undergo a short online training module before jumping into action.

The Vision Behind

The climate crisis is becoming a serious global threat with each passing day. Feeling powerless in the face of nature is only natural here. This project aims to increase global awareness, and scientists and conservationists are hoping to enable individuals to take direct action.