Summary
Between 1970 and 2020, the country experienced at least 40 major climate shocks, with drought affecting around 400,000 people each year and reducing crop revenues by US$9.5 million annually, according to the World Bank.
Full Text
Trees and forests have begun to regenerate, reducing regional conflicts and floods Originally published on Global Voices A dry landscape in Bamako, Mali. Image courtesy of World Bank Flickr . License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 This article by Tara Abhasakun was originally published by Peace News Network on January 13, 2026. An edited version is republished on Global Voices as part of a content partnership agreement. Mali is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change . Between 1970 and 2020, the country experienced at least 40 major climate shocks, with drought affecting around 400,000 people each year and reducing crop revenue by USD 9.5 million annually, according to the World Bank . In Mali, climate change is a major factor in conflict, according to an August 2025 report by the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). Due to the degradation of grazing lands from declining soil fertility, the report says, farmers are expanding their cultivation into traditional herding routes. This has led to violent conflicts between farmers and herders. Read more: Environmental defenders work to maintain the peace-building role of nature in northern Uganda In order to recruit more members, violent extremist groups have exploited these tensions, taking advantage of ethnic and religious differences and land rights disputes. Young people are particularly vulnerable to falling prey to extremist groups in this context. The climate crisis is also a factor in this region and often disproportionately impacts women, who are crucial to farming and household survival, by forcing them to travel farther for fuelwood and water. Escalating conflicts are putting women at increased risk of gender-based violence. The UNSDG provides examples of some projects that have shown success in building resilience to climate change and reducing conflict. It also, along with other organizations, recommends several further steps for the Malian government and international partners to take to resolve the climate conflict and build peace in Mali. The UNSDG notes that local authorities and communities can improve early warning systems, providing advanced information about approaching hazards such as droughts and floods. This, the UNSDG says, has helped by allowing people to evacuate to safer places and letting farmers take steps to protect their crops. Training programs combining science with traditional knowledge is improving the situation. These training programs focus on assisted natural regeneration and land and water management and are helping farmers and pastoralists adapt to changing climatic conditions, according to UNSDG reports. Another solution is reviving traditional laws for environmental sustainability. Salif Aly Guindo, president of Barahogon , a traditional institution of the Dogon ethnic group, said the group has re-established traditional laws for sustainable use of forests. Since then, she said, “trees and forests have begun to regenerate, reducing conflicts and floods.” Now, people in towns like Djénné and Mopti are following the group’s model, she added. Maliki Hamadoun Sankaré, a young Malian entrepreneur who launched Socco-Agro-Business to boost local rice and vegetable production, is working to provide young people with jobs. He said, “We want to create several jobs in the agricultural sector by 2030, especially for the youth in rural areas, to reduce rural exodus.” Read more: The DRC’s Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor aims to create a new green economy for peace and sustainable development The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) recommends in a 2023 report , “long-term development strategies on issues where the impact of climate change entails conflict risks: livelihood security, herder-farmer relations, resource disputes, community conflict, governance, social marginalisation and exclusion.” SIPRI encourages the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to work with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to appoint an Environmental Security Advisor for prioritising climate, peace, and security risks within MINUSMA, as well as for “coordinating effective responses with the rest of the UN system, the Malian government, civil society, international and regional partners.” Another suggestion for the Malian government by SIPRI is to strengthen the leadership and participation of women and girls in decision-making on conflict-sensitive resource management, climate adaptation, and responses to climate, peace, and security risks. Finally, SIPRI recommends that the Malian government and its partners, which include the African Union (AU), European Union (EU), and United Nations (UN), agree on a climate-sensitive stabilisation strategy. This strategy, SIPRI says, should combine security and attention to development needs, governance reforms, and political dialogues, to tackle the causes of conflict in Mali’s ten regions and in transboundary areas like the Liptako-Gourma. This includes causes affected by climate change. Meanwhile, further research is continuing. According to a March 2025 report by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Malian stakeholders recommend “designing programs that enhance the ability of local communities to cope with climate impacts and security threats.” These research-based recommendations, the report says, are expected to guide a technical committee in developing Mali’s first national climate security strategy. Written by Peace News
Climate action efforts in Mali show promise in reducing conflict and flood risks
Short summary: Projects in Mali that restore forests, improve land management, and expand climate resilience are helping ease tensions between farmers and herders while supporting peace.
Long summary: Mali, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, has faced at least 40 major climate shocks between 1970 and 2020, with drought affecting about 400,000 people annually and cutting crop revenue by an estimated USD 9.5 million each year. Climate-related land degradation has intensified disputes between farmers and herders, while extremist groups have exploited those tensions. Reports from the UN Sustainable Development Group and other organizations say local early warning systems, training in assisted natural regeneration, and traditional environmental rules are helping communities adapt. In some areas, restored forests are already linked to fewer conflicts and floods. Analysts also recommend more jobs for youth, stronger leadership for women and girls, and a national climate-security strategy that ties together development, governance, and peacebuilding.
Climate change is deepening insecurity in Mali by damaging farmland, grazing routes, and water access, contributing to violence between farmers and herders and increasing risks for women and young people.
According to international assessments cited in the article, Mali experienced at least 40 major climate shocks from 1970 to 2020. Drought affects roughly 400,000 people each year and reduces crop revenue by around USD 9.5 million annually.
Community-based responses are showing results. Local early warning systems for droughts and floods have helped residents move to safer areas and protect crops. Training that blends scientific methods with traditional knowledge is supporting assisted natural regeneration and better land and water management.
Traditional institutions are also playing a role. In the Dogon community, leaders say revived rules on sustainable forest use have helped trees and forests regenerate, with reported reductions in both conflicts and flooding. Similar approaches are being adopted in places such as Djénné and Mopti.
Experts say broader action is still needed, including creating rural jobs for young people, expanding women’s participation in climate and resource governance, and developing a climate-sensitive stabilization strategy to address the roots of conflict across Mali.
Tags: Mali, climate change, peacebuilding, farmer-herder conflict, forest regeneration, Sahel, food security, women and girls, youth employment
Hashtags: #Mali, #ClimateCrisis, #Peacebuilding, #FoodSecurity, #Sahel
In Mali, restoring nature is also becoming a path to peace
Short summary: Community-led climate action in Mali is helping regenerate forests, cut flood risks, and ease tensions tied to land and livelihoods.
Long summary: Climate change is worsening conflict in Mali by degrading farmland and grazing routes, increasing pressure on communities, and exposing women and youth to greater risks. But local solutions are making a difference. Early warning systems, better land and water management, assisted natural regeneration, and revived traditional environmental rules are helping communities adapt. In some areas, leaders say regenerating forests has already reduced both conflicts and floods. Experts say Mali now needs to build on these efforts with youth jobs, stronger roles for women and girls, and a national strategy linking climate action, development, and peace.
Mali’s climate crisis is not only an environmental story — it is also a peace and security story.
Years of drought and land degradation have intensified disputes between farmers and herders, while extremist groups have taken advantage of those tensions. Women face longer journeys for water and fuelwood, and young people are more exposed to instability when livelihoods disappear.
But communities are showing that solutions exist. Early warning systems are helping people prepare for droughts and floods. Training in natural regeneration and land management is helping farmers and pastoralists adapt. And in some areas, revived traditional rules for protecting forests are leading to visible regeneration.
Local leaders say that where trees and forests are returning, conflicts and floods are declining too.
The next step, experts say, is to scale up what works: support rural jobs, include women and girls in decision-making, and build a climate-security strategy that tackles the root causes of conflict.
Tags: Mali, climate action, peace, forest restoration, community resilience, Sahel, conflict prevention
Hashtags: #Mali, #ClimateAction, #Peace, #ForestRestoration, #Sahel, #ClimateSecurity
How climate resilience projects in Mali are helping communities reduce conflict
Short summary: From forest regeneration to early warning systems, climate resilience initiatives in Mali are being linked to lower conflict risks, better disaster preparedness, and stronger local peacebuilding.
Long summary: Mali’s climate crisis is increasingly tied to insecurity, as drought, degraded grazing land, and declining soil fertility fuel disputes over land and resources. International reports say these pressures have worsened violence between farmers and herders and created openings for extremist groups to recruit, especially among vulnerable youth. Women are also disproportionately affected as they travel farther for water and fuelwood and face heightened risks of gender-based violence amid instability. But local and community-led solutions are showing measurable promise. Early warning systems, training in assisted natural regeneration, improved land and water management, and the revival of traditional environmental rules are helping communities adapt while reducing conflict and flood risks. Experts are urging Mali and its partners to build on these gains with more inclusive governance, youth employment, women’s leadership, and a national climate-security strategy.
Mali is facing a climate crisis that is increasingly intertwined with insecurity and social tension.
The country is considered among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change. Between 1970 and 2020, it experienced at least 40 major climate shocks. Drought alone affects around 400,000 people every year and reduces crop revenue by an estimated USD 9.5 million annually.
Climate stress is aggravating conflict on the ground. As soil fertility declines and grazing land degrades, farmers are pushing cultivation into traditional herding corridors. That has intensified violent clashes between farmers and herders, according to international assessments referenced in the article. These tensions have also been exploited by violent extremist groups seeking recruits, often by manipulating ethnic, religious, and land-rights disputes. Young people are seen as especially vulnerable in this environment.
Women are bearing a heavy share of the burden. Climate pressures often force them to travel farther to gather fuelwood and water, while rising insecurity increases the risk of gender-based violence.
Even so, several responses are showing encouraging results.
Local authorities and communities have improved early warning systems for hazards such as droughts and floods. These systems provide advance notice that can help families evacuate, protect assets, and allow farmers to take steps to save crops.
Training programs that combine scientific approaches with traditional knowledge are also helping farmers and pastoralists adapt. These efforts focus on assisted natural regeneration as well as land and water management, strengthening resilience to changing environmental conditions.
In some communities, traditional governance is contributing to environmental recovery. A Dogon institution reintroduced rules for sustainable forest use, and local leaders say that trees and forests have started to regenerate. They also report that this has helped reduce both conflicts and flooding. The model is now being followed in areas including Djénné and Mopti.
Economic opportunity is another part of the peace equation. One youth-led agribusiness initiative aims to expand local rice and vegetable production while creating agricultural jobs in rural areas by 2030, with the goal of reducing rural exodus and giving young people alternatives to instability.
Policy experts say these local gains should be matched by broader reforms. Recommendations include long-term development strategies focused on livelihood security, herder-farmer relations, resource disputes, governance, and social exclusion. Other proposals call for stronger participation by women and girls in conflict-sensitive resource management and climate adaptation.
Researchers and policy groups are also pushing for a climate-sensitive stabilization strategy that links security responses with development, governance reform, and political dialogue. Such a framework could help Mali address the deeper drivers of conflict across its regions and border areas while preparing communities for intensifying climate risks.
Further research is expected to inform Mali’s first national climate security strategy, with local stakeholders emphasizing the need for programs that strengthen communities’ ability to cope with both climate impacts and security threats.
Tags: Mali, climate security, Sahel, peacebuilding, environment, resource conflict, women, youth, agriculture, early warning systems
Hashtags: #Mali, #ClimateSecurity, #Peacebuilding, #Sahel, #WomenAndGirls, #YouthEmployment