Kano Tree Rescue Hub
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GWW Kano Climate Youth
GWW Kano Climate Youth is a youth-led chapter of Guardians Worldwide based in Kano, Northeastern Nigeria.
How is climate change affecting youth in Sub-Saharan Nigeria?
The Sub-Saharan region of Nigeria is one of the areas in the world most affected by climate change. The current rate of desertification is 0.6 kilometres per year, one of the highest in the world. To make matters worse, Nigeria has the world's highest rate of deforestation and overgrazing. Kano State, in particular, is facing many climate emergencies. We have experienced the worst floods in living memory, and since 2019, the region has experienced three severe heatwaves, with temperatures reaching 45 C in the city. This has caused a massive upsurge in heatstroke,, heat stress, economic slowdown, even heat related deaths.
Because women and girls in Kano often work in the fields and in the health sector, climate change is seriously impacting our livelihoods and future, causing loss of economic opportunities and severe threats to mental and physical health, as well as insecurity.
We are a team of youth climate activists, working to mitigate climate change, transform our environment and create a better future for young women and girls in Kano. We are doing this by greening our city.
The best way to prevent floods and mitigate the devastating impact of heatwaves is by greening our city.
Previous attempts at increasing tree coverage have been undertaken in the region, with the Nigerian central government establishing the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) in 2015, in the hope to plant 3 million trees.
Unfortunately, this initiative has shown little success, not least due to lack of government commitment and delivery of funds.​​​​​
Guardians Worldwide volunteers have begun work on the project with the purchase of 100 African Mahogany (Khaya Ivorensis) trees, currently categorized by the IUCN as vulnerable due to the activities of above regeneration timber harvesting. We believe that the African Mahogany is also a perfect starter tree for our pocket forests as it is prized for its fast and robust growth properties, drought resistance and deep routing nature. It will also aid in essential soil enrichment for arid sites whilst also delivering supplementary value through its medical applications to the communities the specimens will be planted within. We therefore believe that it is a perfect beginning species to combine with initial phases of education based on the diversity of coverable subject matters. Our current specimens are currently cared for by a community of volunteers on land rented by GWW within Kano City itself. ​ GWW has also identified 20 species into which we hope to expand our nurturing project to provide a high level of biodiversity from the very beginning. These species include Kawo, Baure, Marke and many more.In the project’s first phase we plan to nurture indigenous and endemic tree species to a level of maturity high than other projects to greatly improve survival rates. In the pursuit of sustainability, we hope to then plant these specimens in groupings to create pocket forests in formally disused pieces of municipal and public land. We will build partnerships with the local government to deliver this project directly to the community through Kano schools, with a potential number of over 1500 in this region alone. With this planting taking place at a minimum tree age of 1.5 years, we will in the meantime, begin phase two of the project.
We will build an education programme alongside the nursery and transplantation project to create the essential dual benefit. This will incorporate hands-on experience, indigenous knowledge and a programme reflecting the essential tenets of tree conservation and care. We will then provide supplementary assistance to hosting communities, helping with ongoing care and the continued commitment to our education program for Kano students and residents.We believe this offers the greatest opportunity for a sustainable plan for the essential growth of tree coverage and diversity within the Kano region, the protection of cultural heritage, the provision of environmental and indigenous knowledge education whilst overall demonstrating the holistic benefits of tree care reducing further resource exploitation.With many of the indigenous species reaching reproductive age between 2050 and 2060 the key dates for both the UN’s and Nigeria’s net zero deadlines, if planted within the next 2 years, we believe it is essential this project starts at a pace now. We are therefore seeking to increase funding for this project in order that we may rapidly expand our nurturing project and be ready to begin early-stage sustainability education by the end of next year. Funds will be used to increase the purchasing of species, land rental fees, create paid employment opportunities for the staff essential for greater survivability rates and used within the communities assisting on the creation of a thorough educational programme.We also hope that with project maturity will come the opportunity to sync up with other ongoing GWW projects to create a cross-community tree education, rehabilitation and growth nursery. We hope this will assist in the reforesting of culturally important forest lands in Nigeria more broadly.
Our Approach
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We follow a rights based approach to reforestation. That means we prioritize human rights and rights of nature in everything we do.
A view of Kano River, outside of Kano City
The Right to Land
A forest starts from with the land. We promote territorial rights as well as the right to clean soils and waters. Collective lands and community access to land is vital to our understanding of forest as community.
The Right to Seed
We believe that communities have a right to seed and future growth. It is especially important that communities have stores of native species, and that seed diversity is secured for future food stability and protection of biodiversity.
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The Right to Growth
We support the right to grow life-- to cultivate, to nurture, to enliven and to invigorate land and community without the risk of degradation, debilitation and destruction for the sake of economic interests.
The Right to Lifecycles
Our approach finally requires support of a woodland’s existing efforts at regeneration through life cycles; nitrogen, water, soil and food cycles especially.
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