Here you can find a series of topic questions for each of the Ecosystem Restoration Program Areas. Each topic question guides you through about 10 minutes of learning material and offers insight into the fascinating story of Project Wadi Attir and the Ecosystem Restoration Program. If you are brand new to the site, you might want to investigate the first Intro Lesson to learn more about the site and this learning tool.

Intro to the Program for Ecosystem Restoration at Project Wadi Attir

Biodiversity

• Is biodiversity in the drylands particularly low?
• Why is plant biodiversity at Project Wadi Attir especially high?
• Why did the megafauna that once existed in the project area go extinct?

Soil Rehabilitation

• What are the characteristics of degraded dryland soils, and what makes them unique?
• How can degraded dryland soils be restored?

Dryland Agriculture

• How can “Sustainable Agriculture” be defined?
• To what extent can Sustainable Dryland Agriculture contribute to global food security?

Desertification and Climate Change

• What is Global Warming or Climate Change and what are its causes and risks?
• Can human activity impact the global climate and atmosphere?
• How do land degradation, desertification, and land rehabilitation affect the global climate?
• Can rehabilitation of degraded drylands for agriculture and agroforestry mitigate global warming?

Agroforestry and Permaculture

• Why is agroforestry the most sustainable farming technique in drylands?
• Why do Permaculture systems require very low inputs of pesticides, fertilizer and water?

History and Geography

• Why have arid and semi-arid areas, such as the one near Project Wadi Attir, been widely used in the course of human history?
• Has human activity caused the spread of deserts in the Middle East and worldwide, and can human intervention reverse it?

Water and Soil Conservation

• Is water the decisive factor determining productivity in drylands?
• Can there be one optimal ecosystem design for maximal efficiency of precipitation use?