We watched a DW (a German public broadcast service) documentary (42 min) about the baobab tree and the communities it supports – plant, animal, and human. It is a thought-provoking examination of community as well as the stresses that drought and development impose.
In watching that film, I was reminded of an earlier, perhaps more hopeful video we watched of John Liu and the Loess Plateau. The plateau is a very large area in China that had been totally denuded of vegetation due to centuries of over-farming and overgrazing. The Chinese government decided to replant vegetation. The results almost seem impossible and the work was largely done using hand labor. It gives me hope when I look at my yard and think how much I have to do. I found a more recent video by a Dutch public broadcast company, VPRO, that interviews Liu and looks at both the Loess and other projects: Regreening the desert with John D. Liu (2012): 47 min 30 min
The information that accompanies the video states: “It all started in 1995 when Liu filmed the Loess-plateau in China. He witnessed a local population who turned an area of almost the same size as The Netherlands from a dry, exhausted wasteland into one green oasis. This experience changed his life. From that moment on, Liu has been travelling all over the world to convince and inspire government leaders, policy-makers and farmers with his film material and knowledge. Liu diligently spreads the message that restoration of ecosystems is not only possible, but also economically very meaningful.”
The 1995 project that started it all for Liu resulted in this 2007 film.
As for revegetation projects closer to home, I found this video and a link to the organization doing the work. We didn’t watch this during our movie and potluck night.
Planet Wild: America’s ambitious plan to restore the Wild West.
American Prairie:
Their focus is on shortgrass prairie. Looking at their website, they seem to be based in Montana and working there exclusively. The shortgrass prairie, however, runs through a far greater area including the eastern half of NM.
And then, just as a bit of video to watch during breaks, I showed this wonderful time-lapse series of plants starting from seeds through up to a year or two of growth. It’s eye candy for the gardener!