Can Somalia really be Greened

[Hilmaam]

I have seen a lot of people say we should plant trees everywhere. But trees require good amount of water how is this possible

 

[Hilmaam]

The whole country is mostly arid climate which means very little rain

 

[Vapour]

Apparently, Somalia is going to become wetter over time:

Interactive Map: Precipitation in the 2050s • The Revelator

How will climate change affect rainfall and snow in your community? We mapped what the world will look like under current climate-change projections.

therevelator.org

And many more.

Don't listen to the doomers. Somalia is not going to become drier.

 

[Hilmaam]

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[Hilmaam]

For example Savannahs have lush grass and get decent amount of rain but has very scarce trees. This is because trees need more water and savannas also get lots of fires due to dry seasons which grass is able to bounce back from faster

 

[Hilmaam]

The other thing that throws me off is when people say somalia has 7 million hectares of forest. But what you have to remember is this is number can be misleading without considering density. Most of the trees have very low density in number of trees and also the size of the trees

 

[Hilmaam]

"Somali forest and woodland resources represent small percentage of land area. It suffered badly from recurrent droughts and serious tree cutting practiced recently. Irrespective to charcoal exports, it can hardly to meet the local demands for wood-fuel, charcoal, building materials, feed, furniture etc."

 

[Vapour]

"Somali forest and woodland resources represent small percentage of land area. It suffered badly from recurrent droughts and serious tree cutting practiced recently. Irrespective to charcoal exports, it can hardly to meet the local demands for wood-fuel, charcoal, building materials, feed, furniture etc."

I posted a thread about this:

Surprising or nah?

Some of you might find this interesting.

www.somalispot.com

 

[Hilmaam]

I posted a thread about this:

Surprising or nah?

Some of you might find this interesting.

www.somalispot.com

Thats good post. I really like this picture that shows the forest and tree types in somalia. This is the acacia tree which is a desert resistant tree that survives in the harsh climate

 

[Hilmaam]

Many folks think of forests like this which are dense and have big trees that can be used to build homes, furniture, boats, etc... But forest is very generic term and when we just talk hecatres you can see how its misleading when comparing the two pictures

 

[Step a side]

Hormuud decided to tackle climate change by working with the minister of environment and climate change. This was last week.

 

[Hilmaam]

Hormuud decided to tackle climate change by working with the minister of environment and climate change. This was last week.

Yes the ecosystem is very fragile its good what they are doing using influence to limit tree cutting and using renewable energy

 

[Hilmaam]

Environmentalists: Demand for Somali Charcoal Fueling Desertification, Drought

An estimated 8.2 million trees were cut down for charcoal in Somalia between 2011 and 2017

www.voanews.com

The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, known as UNCCD, says an estimated 8.2 million trees were cut down for charcoal in Somalia between 2011 and 2017, increasing land degradation, food insecurity, and vulnerability to flooding and drought.

 

[Removed]

Somalia could work on improving water retention. Alot of Somalias dry areas could be like a prarie for most of the year if managed well

Heres an example of the wet season for Moholin in the Hawd and Bari both extremely dry uninhabitable areas…

 

[Hilmaam]

This 8.2 million trees to me is not that much for a country of our size especially over 6 years, alot of these studies probably using guestimates and satellite data since on the ground studies are limited. A lot of people cut down trees for cooking building fences and even charcoal for foreigners. But this is because people desperate to earn money. All over world alot more trees are cut down using huge machinery with thousands employeed and cutting happening day and night. The reasons we are so impacted is reoccuring droughts and climate being harsh.

 

[Hilmaam]

Here is a site that estimates how many trees cut per year in world.

 

[Hilmaam]

I asked chatgpt to estimate number of trees cut in congo and it came up with 250 million trees a year. Probably decent margin off error as its using acres lost and mulitplying density of trees be area to come up with rough number. But shows the difference climate makes

Raft by Raft, a Rainforest Loses Its Trees (Published 2022)

The Congo River Basin rainforest, vital in the fight against climate change, has long been protected in part by its remoteness. But the river acts as a highway for sprawling flotillas of logs, sent downstream by tiny villages and international lumber companies alike, all seeking profit from a...

www.nytimes.com

 

[Hilmaam]

Some picture of Congo tree after being cut. Look at how huge these trees are and how dense there forests are. Thats why the areas of forest can be so misleading to me

 

[Hilmaam]

Somalia could work on improving water retention. Alot of Somalias dry areas could be like a prarie for most of the year if managed well

Heres an example of the wet season for Moholin in the Hawd and Bari both extremely dry uninhabitable areas…
View attachment 331179View attachment 331180

100% we lose alot of rain water like we saw this year from El nino that went to waste and on top caused destruction because we werent ready

 

[Vapour]

Somalia could work on improving water retention. Alot of Somalias dry areas could be like a prarie for most of the year if managed well

Heres an example of the wet season for Moholin in the Hawd and Bari both extremely dry uninhabitable areas…
View attachment 331179View attachment 331180

Good article on that topic: