Lake Chad, once one of Africa’s largest lakes, has dramatically shrunk over the past several decades. In the early 1960s, it covered about 25,000 square kilometers, but by 2008, some reports indicated it had dwindled to less than 2,500 square kilometers, while others estimated it had fallen to less than 1,500 square kilometers. This dramatic reduction is attributed to a combination of natural and human factors, including severe droughts in 1973, 1984, and 2008, large-scale deforestation, and the increasing withdrawal of water for agricultural use. The lake’s water supply is almost entirely dependent on two rivers—the Chari and its tributary the Logone—both of which originate in the Central African Republic. Another tributary, the Komadougou Yobé, has seen its flow significantly reduced due to the construction of dams that divert water for irrigation. The population living in the Lake Chad basin has doubled since the 1960s, and irrigation activities have quadrupled between 1983 and the following decades, putting immense pressure on the lake’s water resources. The gradual disappearance of the lake has paradoxically created new lands, which some residents have begun to use for farming. This has complicated restoration efforts, as some people oppose attempts to refill the lake, fearing that doing so would flood the newly exposed fertile land they now rely on for income. Additionally, fish catches have declined sharply, from about 80,000 tons in 1960 to less than 50,000 tons by the year 2000, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Satellite images have been tracking the lake’s decline since the 1960s, but more recent data from the American EROS observatory and the GRACE program suggest that the lake’s water levels have stabilized in recent years. Between 2003 and 2016, monthly surface extractions showed an upward trend, increasing from approximately 1,242 to 2,231 square kilometers over thirteen years. A study focusing on the southern basin of the lake also observed a relatively stable phase, with a slight upward trend in water levels from 1992 to 2016. While Lake Chad is not returning to its former size, the rate of its decline has slowed compared to the period between 1963 and 1990. This suggests that while the lake is still shrinking, the pace of its loss may be stabilizing, offering some hope for future management and conservation efforts.