Regenerating The Desert
Why regenerate deserts?
Not all deserts are natural. In Mongolia alone 13% of the desert is caused by man made factors, such as over grazing, deforestation and unsustainable irrigation. 40% of the earth if covered by drylands and this is where desertification is most vulnerable to man made factors. 30% of the worlds land mass is desert where 1 billion people reside, this number is growing exponentially due to large urban centers attracting growing populations. These cities are situated in the most water stressed regions on the planet and in the midst of climate uncertainty. This is why humanity needs a total paradigm shift in how we manage our natural resources.
We have been greening a section of The Chihuahuan Desert, it’s the largest desert in North America.
This desert was only formed about 8,000 years ago, which is considered young, however the process of desertification has grown exponentially in the last 150 years.
When the Spanish first arrived in the region they mentioned that the area was covered in grasses that grew to the belly of their horses. These grasses have now made way to a shrub desert landscape.
Most of the bushes that grow in the desert today are the creosote bush yucca and mesquite plants that thrive in the sandy soil.
Only around 20% of the grasses remain today. The main reason they have disappeared is from overgrazing and converting land into agricultural fields resulting in the desert conservation status being described as “vulnerable.”
The Chihuahuan desert wild grasses are crucial for migrating grassland birds of North America which have been severely in decline, dropping by 53%
This is why we have been working on restoration projects to bring back native grasses. Thanks to our regenerative members, we have been able to secure an area of land, previously over grazed.