PLANET WORRIOR - Africa mourns Burkinabe "who stopped desert" from spreading
Africa and the rest of the world is mourning an ecosystem warrior “The man who stopped the desert,” through his re-afforestation efforts in Burkina Faso
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (Planet Defence) - Yacouba Sawadogo, a devoted Burkinabe environmentalist and tireless advocate for the planet, has passed away at the age of 77.
On Sunday, the Burkinabe government announced the demise of Yacouba Sawadogo, recipient of the 2018 Alternative Nobel Prize, in Ouahigouya on the same day.
The government paid tribute to “a visionary and a man of action” who “lived a purposeful life.”
“Yacouba Sawadogo’s legacy should serve as an inspiration for the current generation to unconditionally protect Earth's resources for our maximum benefit,” Captain Ibrahim Traoré shared on the social media platform, previously known as Twitter.
Fondly referred to as “The man who halted the desert,” Yacouba Sawadogo gained recognition for reclaiming degraded land and reforesting a 27-hectare area in the Ouahigouya commune.
Since the 1980s, this internationally renowned individual had been planting a tree daily.
Today, his forest hosts over 90 different species, boasting a rich biodiversity of both plant and animal life.
A recipient of numerous awards, he was honored with the “Right Livelihood Award,” also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, in 2018.
The AFR100 Initiative, a landscape restoration project spanning across the continent, also commemorated the environmentalist.
“We are saddened by the loss of Burkina Faso's eco-hero, Yacouba Sawadougou, 'The man who halted the desert.' His innovative use of Zai pits transformed a decade-old desert into a flourishing forest, amplifying crop yields by 500 percent. A genuine inspiration for forest landscape restoration in Africa,” expressed a condolence message.
Two years later, the UN Environment Programme bestowed upon him the Champions of the Earth prize.