FenNet: the reusable fence

FenNet is a reusable and movable fence that enables landscape restoration through reforestation in western Africa.

Smart nature restoration
With its smart design, FenNet is an important tool against the desertification of pastoral regions in the Sahel (western Africa). The reusable and movable fences enable landscape restoration by keeping grazers out initially and then, by moving the fences, using them in a controlled way for restoration. 

For the first few years, FenNet protects newly planted and seeded sites from grazers such as goats and sheep. This allows young trees to fully mature, allowing the ecosystem to recover on its own. In a second phase, FenNet allows rotational grazing by dividing the site into enclosed zones. 

Own land
FenNet wants to avoid giving local communities the impression that they have come to “take” land. The angled design standing on the ground (unlike agricultural fences, which stand in the ground) shows that this is something temporary that can also be moved. It is also much cheaper than a traditional fence system because everything is produced locally with simple materials that are readily available. Which in turn contributes to local employment.