A vast study of semi-arid ecosystems or dry lands from every continent except Antarctica finds that biodiversity protects the soil and acts as a buffer against climate change. The findings reported in the Journal Science --> http://www.sciencemag.org/content/335/6065/174.summary are important because dry lands currently cover over 40 percent of the Earth’s land surface and support 40 percent of its human population.
Global Drylands
Semi-arid landscape near Pilcaniyeu, Argentina. (Photo: Fernando T. Maestre)
Semi-arid savanna in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. (Photo: Vicente Polo)
Semi-arid savanna in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. (Photo: Vicente Polo)
Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. (Photo: Vicente Polo)
African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. (Photo: Vicente Polo)
Badlands in Morocco. (Photo: Cristina Escolar)
Festuca orthophylla grassland in the high Andes of south Peru (Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca). (Photo: Jorge Monerris)
Semi-arid steppe dominated by Stipa tenacissima near Carabaña, Spain. (Photo: Fernando T. Maestre)
Semi-arid shrubland near Quíbor, Venezuela. Photo: Fernando T. Maestre)