What I learnt about the Australian bushfires living on the edge of the Sahara Desert

From 1981 to 1999 my family and I lived in Niger Republic, a borderland of the Sahara Desert. 

Tony Rinaudo prunes a thorny acacia tree, which helps
transform useless-looking "desert bushes" into potential trees.

I was in charge of a small reforestation project. The hard-earned lessons acquired during that period serve me to this day.

When I arrived in 1981, I was confronted by an environment on the cusp of ecological collapse and barely able to support life. 

The country was in undeclared crisis. In 1984, Niger faced famine. 

Severe drought and crop failure the previous year precipitated this crisis. 

Deforestation and land degradation over previous decades significantly exacerbated the impact. 

Read the ABC News story by Tony Rinaudo - “What I learnt about the Australian bushfires living on the edge of the Sahara Desert."