Nature's technology

Abstract

We are faced with a deteriorating land system across the vast low-rainfall areas of the world. This is creating serious social and environmental disruption. The Sahelian zone is a case in point. The loss of both indigenous animals and now the land resource itself is little short of catastrophic. There is, however, a system in these parts of the world that has evolved and stabilized over the millennia. This is the natural system of grassland and “wild” animals living in harmony and forming a healthy and rich ecosystem. Man has substituted domestic animals for this indigenous fauna and is now facing the disruption of the entire system as a result. This paper looks at our “modern” ranching systems and compares them with the natural entity. The implementation of the new land use is now underway, using locally adapted grazing animals within their environment. Insights that have come from this work have led to the development of a new philosophy and thinking about our land-use systems in general. In a world faced with the horrifying specter of food shortages, loss of land resources, and energy crises, “nature's technology” points the way to a new future. If we react fast enough to save our planet and ourselves, the natural systems will be reinstated and become the land use of the future, particularly through the drier lands of the world, which today are in such peril.