08/07/2024

Tackling deforestation in the midst of war in Sudan

Desert
Expanding deserts threaten Sudan's ecosystems and people.

Alwiua Serelkhatim Mohammed Babiker is exploring how to combat deforestation in Sudan's Atbara River region through a youth-driven climate initiative, aimed at restoring the environment and improving local livelihoods.

Within the scope of IKI´s ‘Action for Regional Climate Help’ project, local youth-led organisations have achieved outstanding results by drafting comprehensive national and regional policy papers to address relevant climate hazards in their regions.

To highlight one of the project‘s achievements in Sudan, this interview with one of the participants, Alwiua Serelkhatim Mohammed Babiker, explores her national policy paper. One of the most crucial climate issues facing Sudan today is deforestation, and in the midst of a war, the situation is even more dire. This interview is about how the problem is affecting local people and what they’re doing to mitigating these adversities.

What inspired you to focus on deforestation in your policy paper?

Alwiua Serelkhatim Mohammed Babiker: Deforestation has severely impacted the biological systems in northern Sudan, particularly in the Atbara River area, where I live. Sand covers up to 4 meters above the ground, equivalent to the height of a tree, and advances at a rate of 15 meters per year towards the Nile and Atbara Rivers. The middle of the Nile is now covered with by the Rumaila dunes, increasing erosion along its banks, which deeply concerned me.

Sandstorms have become a year-round occurrence, temperatures are rising more and more each year, and droughts and severe desert conditions have made life impossible in some areas. Initially, I tried to understand these changes as natural phenomena, but the situation worsened every year with the rising Nile levels and frequent floodings, displacing villages and destroying livelihoods. This prompted me to write a policy paper on the issue. During the project, I realized the complexity of the problem and the need for concerted efforts and collaboration with associations, unions, organisations, and decision-makers here in the region to reforest the area.

Can you share a little about your background and how it has influenced your interest in environmental issues?

Since childhood, I have loved agriculture. During my primary and secondary school years, I was part of agricultural associations, and during the summer holidays, my father gave me a small plot in our garden where I grew potatoes, watermelons, ornamental trees, and flowers.

After graduating from university, I volunteered with various civil society organisations in Atbara, where I live. Since 2013, I have been working with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, the Nafir Organization, We Are All Values and the Youth of Atbara to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by floods. My roles have included providing assistance, collecting material and in-kind support, and conducting field visits to assess affected areas, with a particular focus on providing health supplies for women and girls.

These experiences raised my awareness of climate change and environmental issues. Now, I am dedicated to improving the climate by distributing seedlings to schools, mosques, and markets for planting and care.

Why do you think it is necessary to implement these policies at the local and national levels?

To combat desert encroachment and preserve the remaining arable land, we need to focus on reforestation and sustainable agriculture. This will ensure biodiversity, boost local and national food production, and increase economic security through export revenues.

How do you envisage the implementation of your policy recommendations to improve the situation in the Atbara River region?

The Atbara River area is crucial to the country's economy due to its pastoral and agricultural density. However, it has been severely affected by sand encroachment and human migration. I believe that reforestation and soil treatment by stabilising sand dunes with grasses, fruit trees, and shade trees will significantly improve the desert climate over the next 2 to 5 years.

Recent recommendations have highlighted the environmental damage previously dismissed as natural climatic conditions. It is essential that policy makers recognise and address these significant impacts.

How did the training and mentoring you received from the project activities help you develop this policy paper?

The project helped me to improve my skills. It gained many valuable connections and insights from both the trainers and other participants. We met daily on the WhatsApp group to discuss our policies to support each other in drafting and editing them. This work was very useful as, draft by draft, I became fully aware of what strengths, weaknesses and skills I had and needed so that I could write a concise and effective policy paper.

Can you share an example of a lesson or key skill you gained from the project that was particularly useful?

During the session on the current main regional (Sudan and Egypt) conceptual framework, the aim was to understand the impact of desert encroachment, the subject of my policy paper, at local and regional scales. I undertook extensive research to determine how desert encroachment affects different areas across Africa. Initially, I didn’t realise that desertification was such a transnational issue affecting many areas not just regionally but globally. This experience has significantly improved my scientific research skills, which have been invaluable in preparing research papers.

What is the most useful part of this experience for you?

All stages of the project have been beneficial to me, but the most valuable experience was the simulation game designed by CRISP e.V. at the beginning of the project. In the game, I played a crucial role as an environmental defender in a village, that gave me a new perspective on how to approach the current issue at hand. In addition, the discussion about writing policy papers with the youth group from Egypt was incredibly useful for teamwork and identifying common ideas. Despite the diversity of topics, our collaboration focused on how to effectively tackle climate change.

The link has been copied to the clipboard

Contact

IKI Office
Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH
Stresemannstraße 69-71

10963 Berlin

iki-office@z-u-g.org

Interview partner

Portrait of Alwiua Serelkhatim Mohammed Babiker

Alwiua Serelkhatim Mohammed Babiker has been volunteering in the field of Humanitarian work since 2013, where she later went on to establish the Leaders Organization for Sustainable Development in 2020 to focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Sudan's Nile River State by building the capacities of the local community, especially in relation to climate action.

Related news

4 young people stand together and are looking on their mobile devices
08/11/2023

Young people share on their journey on climate and biodiversity action

read more Young people share on their journey on climate and biodiversity action