Grassland Conservation: A “new” theory?

You will find on this website, several references to controlled burning to address the issue of invasive species, overgrowth of successional species which change the biodiversity of the protected areas, and the increasing threat of desertification with the Northern migration of arid regions.     Allan Savory in this TED presentation presents an alternative theory which would probably be considered to be heretical to most of us . His point is  that the alternative result to his methods in many areas of the world that he has worked in is desertification.

“Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert,” begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And it’s happening to about two-thirds of the world’s grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it. He now believes — and his work so far shows — that a surprising factor can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert.

Allan Savory works to promote holistic management in the grasslands of the world. Full bio »

This is well worth the listen, as it presents a different paradigm than that which we are used to.

http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change.html