Deforestation is one of the largest environmental crises in the African country of Mali. Furthermore, it is a growing problem, making matters worse.

According to the Ministry of the Environment in Mali, the country’s population uses over 6 million tons of wood each year. Just to satisfy this demand, 4,000 square kilometers of forest are lost each year, all but ensuring the destruction of the Savanna Woodlands.

Additionally, the country has been faced with a drought lasting decades, forcing native peoples to turn to deforestation as a means of surviving. As a consequence, 1% of the country’s forest cover is destroyed each year—and only 9.5% remains. If things don’t change within the next decade, the environmental damage will likely be irreversible—not to mention the thousands of extinct species.

Furthermore, the drought and deforestation has caused intense soil degradation and desertification. The result? The Sahara desert has grown south at a truly alarming rate.

But are forests in Mali truly that important?

Four words: NO, they’re critically important.

Mali forests contain over 280,000,000 metric tons of carbon dispersed throughout living forest biomass. As the forest continues to be destroyed, titanic amounts of carbon are realized into the environment.

Finally, as the population has continued to grow, the country is now faced with a dilemma: the amount of trees they consume far overshadows the amount being planted. And the drought makes it even harder for local communities to even attempt planting.

That’s where we come in to plant trees and make sure they last for the long haul.

8 Billion Trees has partnered with ForestNation to restore the country of Mali to preserve the many diverse species that live there—while also fighting harmful, man-made climate change.