Learning More
About Deserts…
While the foundational arguments of aesthetics, primitive recreation, and solitude remain compelling reasons to preserve wild places, they fail to commuicate the intrinsic human dependence upon our environment.
About Drylands…
Drylands include arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas all over the world cover nearly 40% of the Earth's total land surface. These areas are defined by their modest water supply; less than that found in the world's forest regions, yet greater than that of the deserts. Drylands go by many names: plains, grasslands, savannas, steppes or pampas. The Earth's hyper-arid areas, which include the great deserts, are not considered part of the drylands.
Human and natural interactions in the Earth's vast drylands have global-scale influence. Dryland ecosystems play a major role in global biophysical processes by reflecting and absorbing solar radiation, maintaining a balance of atmospheric constituents, and sustaining biomass and biodiversity.