Matthew Birch Media
Through intimate portraits and environmental documentation, this series explores the human impact of environmental degradation in West Africa's fragile Sahel region. In collaboration with Uni Ekologic Foundation, this project focussed on engaging with various local communities who are acutely affected by the effects of environmental degradation in Senegal and The Gambia, and to document their collective resilience in the face of climate change.
Photographs by Matthew Birch
Sahel
December 2023
Sahel
December 2023
Through intimate portraits and environmental documentation, this series explores the human impact of environmental degradation in West Africa's fragile Sahel region. In collaboration with Uni Ekologic Foundation, this project focussed on engaging with various local communities who are acutely affected by the effects of environmental degradation in Senegal and The Gambia, and to document their collective resilience in the face of climate change.
Photographs by Matthew Birch
I vividly remember looking at satellite images of the African continent and being struck by the clear and dramatic divide between the Sahara Desert and one of the world's largest rainforest regions, separated by what appeared to be only a thin line. I found out that this 'line' is called the Sahel region - a 200km transition zone between the arid north and the more fertile regions of the south. In late 2023, working with environmental organisation Uni Ekologic in Senegal and Gambia, I discovered how this seemingly simple geographical boundary holds countless human stories, and is an example of humanity's complex relationship with a rapidly changing environment.
In the Sahel region, climate change and environmental degradation has set off a devastating chain reaction - contributing to large-scale displacement of populations, food insecurity, armed conflicts and extremism, clashes over scarce resources, mass migration, and more, all of which are interconnected.
I travelled through regions of Senegal and Gambia to explore how environmental degredation directly impacts communities. I stayed with local families and heard many different stories from people across all reaches of society - interconnected narratives that revealed how ecological collapse cascades through every aspect of society - villagers struggling to secure staple food sources, farmers watching their once fertile land turn arid, fishermen facing empty seas due to industrial overfishing. Men who were unable to provide for their families resorting to desperate and illegal ways to make a few dollars.
These personal accounts highlight the complex relationship between environmental change and human adaptation.
I vividly remember looking at satellite images of the African continent and being struck by the clear and dramatic divide between the Sahara Desert and one of the world's largest rainforest regions, separated by what appeared to be only a thin line. I found out that this 'line' is called the Sahel region - a 200km transition zone between the arid north and the more fertile regions of the south. In late 2023, working with environmental organisation Uni Ekologic in Senegal and Gambia, I discovered how this seemingly simple geographical boundary holds countless human stories, and is an example of humanity's complex relationship with a rapidly changing environment.
In the Sahel region, climate change and environmental degradation has set off a devastating chain reaction - contributing to large-scale displacement of populations, food insecurity, armed conflicts and extremism, clashes over scarce resources, mass migration, and more, all of which are interconnected.
I travelled through regions of Senegal and Gambia to explore how environmental degredation directly impacts communities. I stayed with local families and heard many different stories from people across all reaches of society - interconnected narratives that revealed how ecological collapse cascades through every aspect of society - villagers struggling to secure staple food sources, farmers watching their once fertile land turn arid, fishermen facing empty seas due to industrial overfishing. Men who were unable to provide for their families resorting to desperate and illegal ways to make a few dollars.
These personal accounts highlight the complex relationship between environmental change and human adaptation.