Good morning, and welcome to The Discourse and this morning, we turn our attention to one of the most pressing issues facing our region - the state of biodiversity and land degradation across Southern Africa, and what is being done to address it. The Southern African Great Green Wall Initiative, is emerging as a key regional platform by SADC member states aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening climate resilience, and unlocking economic opportunities through nature-based solutions. This week, South Africa is hosting a regional capacity building workshop in Sandton - bringing together governments, development partners, and the private sector to move from policy commitments to investment-ready programmes. To unpack this, Peter Ndoro spoke to The Deputy Director-General for Biodiversity and Conservation at the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment,  Flora  Mokgohloa ----- and Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Senior Environmental Officer at the SADC Secretariat, Sibongile Mavimbela.....

<p>Good morning, and welcome to The Discourse and this morning, we turn our attention to one of the most pressing issues facing our region - the state of biodiversity and land degradation across Southern Africa, and what is being done to address it. The Southern African Great Green Wall Initiative, is emerging as a key regional platform by SADC member states aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening climate resilience, and unlocking economic opportunities through nature-based solutions. This week, South Africa is hosting a regional capacity building workshop in Sandton - bringing together governments, development partners, and the private sector to move from policy commitments to investment-ready programmes. To unpack this, Peter Ndoro spoke to The Deputy Director-General for Biodiversity and Conservation at the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, &nbsp;Flora &nbsp;Mokgohloa ----- and Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Senior Environmental Officer at the SADC Secretariat, Sibongile Mavimbela.....</p>