Aravalli Green Wall Project
Topic: Natural Vegetation and Forests of India · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Aravalli Green Wall Project was launched in 2023. It aims to green a 5 km buffer (a protective strip of land) around the Aravalli range across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. The Aravallis act as a natural wall against the Thar Desert. Planting trees and restoring degraded land (land that has lost its soil quality and plant cover) in this belt is meant to stop the desert spreading east. This spreading of desert conditions is called desertification.
Example
The belt runs along the Aravallis from Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana up to Delhi. It forms a green line between the Thar Desert to the west and the plains to the east. It is modelled on Africa's Great Green Wall along the southern edge of the Sahara.
Don't confuse with
- Great Green Wall (Africa): a tree belt across the Sahel, the dry strip south of the Sahara. India's project copies the idea but covers only the Aravalli region.