How a participatory map is helping reclaim 90% of a lost lake
In short: Lake Chad was once the world's sixth-largest freshwater lake, but it has nearly vanished since the 1970s. This environmental collapse sparked massive conflict and displaced millions. Now, a community-led mapping initiative is providing a blueprint for survival in one of the planet's most contested regions.
The Lake Chad Basin serves as a vital water source for four nations: Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria. However, since the 1960s, the lake has lost approximately 90% of its water volume. This rapid shrinkage transformed fertile land into cracked earth and contested territory, creating a vacuum filled by armed insurgency starting in 2009. These combined pressures of climate change and conflict have hindered more than 49 million people from pursuing their traditional livelihoods, specifically farming, fishing, and trade.
In response, the Lake Chad Region Recovery and Development Project (PROLAC) was launched in 2020 with a $170 million investment. Supported by the World Bank and three national governments, the initiative aims to restore local economies and foster regional cooperation. A total of over 434,000 individuals have received direct aid from PROLAC during a five-year period. The strategy involves high-tech and low-tech interventions: restoring 2,400 hectares of abandoned polders in western Chad with solar-powered pumps, developing oasis basins in Niger to create jobs for women-led onion and pepper value chains, and rebuilding hydraulic infrastructure in Cameroon's Far North following the 2024 floods.
The project emphasizes a dual approach: immediate relief and long-term resilience. It currently employs 50,000 people—prioritizing youth and women—in labor-intensive public works like rehabilitating 300 kilometers of roads, digging irrigation canals, and stabilizing sand dunes to prevent erosion. By combining these physical infrastructure improvements with participatory mapping, the initiative seeks to give communities the tools to navigate a landscape that was once defined by scarcity and violence, turning it back into a viable space for commerce and agriculture.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Ingenious Map Helping Lake Chad's Communities | Your Climate | BBC Studios
- Also: Feature Story How Communities Are Reviving the Lake Chad Region
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/nature-the-ingenious-map-helping-lake-chad-s-communities-your-clima.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Nature · Latest · A–Z · All topics
