Landscape Restoration for Ecosystem Recovery
Mitigating Climate Change: Wetlands, forests, and pastures act as carbon-stores and micro-climates promoting rainfall
Landscape Restoration for Ecosystem Recovery
Mitigating Climate Change: Wetlands, forests, and pastures act as carbon-stores and micro-climates promoting rainfall
Our project calls for "Landscape Restoration for Ecosystem Recovery (LRER)", aiming to restore watersheds, rebuild pasturelands and promote agroforestry in the drought-ridden Azawak region. By restoring these habitats, we plan to recreate the environmental landscape that existed for thousands of years, and has recently been thwarted by climate change.
We are pleased to announce that Amman Imman has been chosen to participate in the Trillion Trees Challenge for the Sahel sponsored by the World Economic Forum and 1t.org.
An Innovative Solution
Wetlands, forests, and pastures in Niger play a significant role in the preservation of biodiversity, reducing gender inequality, promoting resilience and economic opportunity. They specifically mitigate the effects of climate change by acting as carbon-stores and micro-climates promoting rainfall.
AI is launching LRER, the first landscape restoration project in the Azawak, to:
- restore/create wetlands
- restore pasturelands
- replenish soils, catch/stock rainwater, and prevent pastureland/wetland erosion
- utilize agroforestry / permaculture methodologies for reforestation and sustainable food production
- train/mobilize local environmental leaders for project sustainability
- educate and mobilize students in partner schools throughout the world on climate change and Africa’s Great Green Wall
- Serve as model to replicate throughout the Sahel and desertified regions worldwide

I truly believe that of all the amazing work Amman Imman has done over the past 16 years, this has the potential for the most long-lasting and wide-reaching impact for both our communities and for wildlife. We are combating desertification and creating sustainable resilience.
Founder - Ariane Kirtley
What's the Problem
40-years ago, the Azawak had abundant pastures, permanent ground-water, and large acacia forests thanks to a 5-month rainy season. Livestock and wildlife abounded.
Today, rains last approximately one month. Desertification and water scarcity are settling in. Groundwater evaporates rapidly; forests and pasturelands have all-but disappeared. During the dry-season, villagers travel up to 50 km/day to find water; people subsist on less than 6 litres/water/person/day. 80% of livestock herds and biodiversity have dissipated. Infant mortality is at 25%, with rates of 14.7% child acute-malnutrition, and 37% chronic malnutrition (OCHA).
Climate-related geopolitical issues -- like migration and religious radicalization -- impact women and girls disproportionately. There are over 100,000 climate refugees (IOM); 80% of which are women vulnerable to slavery, prostitution, rape, and trafficking. Without their refugee-parents, children left to themselves are vulnerable to disease, lack of water, and malnutrition. Daylong water and food chores make attending school nearly impossible, thus explaining the 99% illiteracy rate.
Impact
LRER scientific and sociological experts will develop an M&E plan and gather baseline measures to develop corresponding indicators. These will be used to evaluate project impact over the short, mid and long-terms on: biodiversity; local ecosystems and weather patterns; human resilience. Monitoring will be ongoing. An internal evaluation will take place yearly, while an external evaluation will be undertaken every 2 years.
Following are examples of indicators and impact goals:
- School children and youth leaders mobilized for climate mitigation in 100% of our current partner schools (and new schools) within two years.
- Jobs and other economic opportunity (goal: 35%increase over 3 years)
- Flood and erosion prevention (35% decrease/5yrs)
- Pastures restored (55% increase/5yrs)
- Food production (65%increase/5yrs)
- Livestock herds (55%increase/5yrs)
- Rainfall quantity in and around restored sites (40%increase/5yrs)
- Food availability/decreased acute child malnutrition (45%decreased malnutrition/5yrs)
- Migration (50%reduction/5yrs)
- Year-round groundwater existence in watersheds (70%increase/10years)
- Water-table recharge (goal: 60% increase/10yrs)
- Forests restored (75%increase/10yrs)
- Local fauna (70%increase/10yrs)
Next Steps
Amman Imman will
- Identify partners to share responsibility for certain program components, including staff training and community workshops.
- Establish financial partnerships. €200 000 is needed for the initial pilot project. More funding will be necessary when we launch LRER in additional sites.
- Publicize LRER through traditional and social media.
- Create an online education package for school partners.
- Seek the support of national and international experts from the government, the private sector, institutions and NGOs during all project phases.
- Hire one or more local environmental-expert staff to monitor projects, work with project partners, and educate/train additional farmers/herders and community members.
- Increase on-ground materials/equipment to facilitate project logistics and its growth (vehicle, excavation equipment not provided by contractors, etc.)
- Hire exterior consultants to conduct project evaluations every two years.
We are seeking to do a feasibility study to launch the project.
Direct your inquiries to info@ammanimman.org.
To learn more, please visit our project on Uplink:
Amman Imman: Landscape Restoration for Ecosystem Recovery (LRER).
To support the project, please donate on our Donation page:
Amman Imman donation page.
Our project calls for "Landscape Restoration for Ecosystem Recovery (LRER)", aiming to restore watersheds, rebuild pasturelands and promote agroforestry in the drought-ridden Azawak region. By restoring these habitats, we plan to recreate the environmental landscape that existed for thousands of years, and has recently been thwarted by climate change.
We are pleased to announce that Amman Imman has been chosen to participate in the Trillion Trees Challenge for the Sahel sponsored by the World Economic Forum and 1t.org.
An Innovative Solution
Wetlands, forests, and pastures in Niger play a significant role in the preservation of biodiversity, reducing gender inequality, promoting resilience and economic opportunity. They specifically mitigate the effects of climate change by acting as carbon-stores and micro-climates promoting rainfall.
AI is launching LRER, the first landscape restoration project in the Azawak, to:
- restore/create wetlands
- restore pasturelands
- replenish soils, catch/stock rainwater, and prevent pastureland/wetland erosion
- utilize agroforestry / permaculture methodologies for reforestation and sustainable food production
- train/mobilize local environmental leaders for project sustainability
- educate and mobilize students in partner schools throughout the world on climate change and Africa’s Great Green Wall
- Serve as model to replicate throughout the Sahel and desertified regions worldwide

Founder - Ariane Kirtley
I truly believe that of all the amazing work Amman Imman has done over the past 16 years, this has the potential for the most long-lasting and wide-reaching impact for both our communities and for wildlife. We are combating desertification and creating sustainable resilience.
What's the Problem
40-years ago, the Azawak had abundant pastures, permanent ground-water, and large acacia forests thanks to a 5-month rainy season. Livestock and wildlife abounded.
Today, rains last approximately one month. Desertification and water scarcity are settling in. Groundwater evaporates rapidly; forests and pasturelands have all-but disappeared. During the dry-season, villagers travel up to 50 km/day to find water; people subsist on less than 6 litres/water/person/day. 80% of livestock herds and biodiversity have dissipated. Infant mortality is at 25%, with rates of 14.7% child acute-malnutrition, and 37% chronic malnutrition (OCHA).
Climate-related geopolitical issues -- like migration and religious radicalization -- impact women and girls disproportionately. There are over 100,000 climate refugees (IOM); 80% of which are women vulnerable to slavery, prostitution, rape, and trafficking. Without their refugee-parents, children left to themselves are vulnerable to disease, lack of water, and malnutrition. Daylong water and food chores make attending school nearly impossible, thus explaining the 99% illiteracy rate.
LRER scientific and sociological experts will develop an M&E plan and gather baseline measures to develop corresponding indicators. These will be used to evaluate project impact over the short, mid and long-terms on: biodiversity; local ecosystems and weather patterns; human resilience. Monitoring will be ongoing. An internal evaluation will take place yearly, while an external evaluation will be undertaken every 2 years.
Following are examples of indicators and impact goals:
- School children and youth leaders mobilized for climate mitigation in 100% of our current partner schools (and new schools) within two years.
- Jobs and other economic opportunity (goal: 35%increase over 3 years)
- Flood and erosion prevention (35% decrease/5yrs)
- Pastures restored (55% increase/5yrs)
- Food production (65%increase/5yrs)
- Livestock herds (55%increase/5yrs)
- Rainfall quantity in and around restored sites (40%increase/5yrs)
- Food availability/decreased acute child malnutrition (45%decreased malnutrition/5yrs)
- Migration (50%reduction/5yrs)
- Year-round groundwater existence in watersheds (70%increase/10years)
- Water-table recharge (goal: 60% increase/10yrs)
- Forests restored (75%increase/10yrs)
- Local fauna (70%increase/10yrs)
Next Steps
Amman Imman will
- Identify partners to share responsibility for certain program components, including staff training and community workshops.
- Establish financial partnerships. €200 000 is needed for the initial pilot project. More funding will be necessary when we launch LRER in additional sites.
- Publicize LRER through traditional and social media.
- Create an online education package for school partners.
- Seek the support of national and international experts from the government, the private sector, institutions and NGOs during all project phases.
- Hire one or more local environmental-expert staff to monitor projects, work with project partners, and educate/train additional farmers/herders and community members.
- Increase on-ground materials/equipment to facilitate project logistics and its growth (vehicle, excavation equipment not provided by contractors, etc.)
- Hire exterior consultants to conduct project evaluations every two years.
We are seeking to do a feasibility study to launch the project.
Direct your inquiries to info@ammanimman.org.
To learn more, please visit our project on Uplink:
Amman Imman: Landscape Restoration for Ecosystem Recovery (LRER).
To support the project, please donate on our Donation page:
Amman Imman donation page.