August 2011
2 posts
At the desert's edge →
This is not new, but this video by ChinaGreen (link in post title above) was also shot in the Horqin Sand Land not far from my field sites at Naiman, so I thought I’d pass it on. Lovely cinematography, and great off-the-cuff comments by the ‘locals’.
Mature trees are an important source of fuelwood and provide wind blocks in this notoriously windy region, but I wonder why no...
3 tags
Reign of Sand →
In 2008 and 2010 the reporting group Circle of Blue sent a group of reporters to the Horqin Sand Land of Inner Mongolia to talk with local people about their experience with desertification. They have put together a nice multimedia package of videos, photos and written pieces.
This is the same region of Inner Mongolia where I did my fieldwork in 2009, and much of what they report echoes the...
July 2011
1 post
Impacts of shrub encroachment on ecosystem... →
Interesting new review & meta-analysis by Eldridge and colleagues in Ecology Letters makes the important point that shrub encroachment does not necessarily equal desertification. In fact, in some Mediterranean systems it may signify desertification reversal.
I have a longer post brewing with regards to this and few other recent pieces that collectively emphasize the point that arid regions...
June 2011
2 posts
The Forgotten Billion →
”…drylands are habitually perceived as peripheral and unimportant and hence neglected by the political and business communities.”
I would argue that top journals & major funding institutions should be included in this quote.
1 tag
March 2011
1 post
January 2011
2 posts
“Dalai Lake is the kidney of the Hulunbuir grasslands – and of course you’re...”
– http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4068
What is desertification? →
Nice brief synopsis
December 2010
2 posts
"desertification fuels social and political...
Story in the Guardian today on the UN’s Decade to Combat Desertification.
Of note in the article is the emphasis on soil conservation,
The top 20cm of soil is all that stands between us and extinction.
and the socio-political tensions that land degradation creates, as more people are forced to compete for fewer resources.
exploring the deserts →
Deconstructions regarding objectivism aside, this BBC slideshow of British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger’s photos captures some incredible landscapes behind the people. It makes me wonder about how these landscapes have changed over the past 50-70 years since he took these photos. The mid-late 20th century marked a turning point in many African countries as colonial powers were driven...
Mexico protects 1.3 million acres of desert... →
Efforts to stop desertification ... →
(select title for link to video on CCTV)
The Chinese government is undertaking a huge tree planting program in an effort to halt desertification. At first glance it seems like a great idea, but the reality is much more complicated.
Tree planting is a catchy and buzz-wordy kind of policy that generates lots of positive emotions, but the reality is that planting monocultures of non-native trees...
November 2009
1 post
August 2009
1 post
July 2009
8 posts
3 tags
3 tags
not just china's problem →
3 tags
3 tags
June 2009
6 posts
3 tags
