{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Battling desertification in South Africa' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54be72d8eafeecae13bb57' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54be72d8eafeecae13bb57' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nBattling desertification in South Africa\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eAP TelevisionEastern Cape Province, South Africa - August 25, 20111. Wide of Karoo drylands2. Close of Karoo drylandsCape Town, South Africa - 31 August, 2011 3. Mid of Professor Timm Hoffman at work4. Close of computer screen5....\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eEastern Cape Province, South Africa - August 25, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide of Karoo drylands\u003cbr/\u003e2. Close of Karoo drylands\u003cbr/\u003eCape Town, South Africa - 31 August, 2011 \u003cbr/\u003e3. Mid of Professor Timm Hoffman at work\u003cbr/\u003e4. Close of computer screen\u003cbr/\u003e5. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Timm Hoffman, Director, Plant Conservation Unit,  University of Cape Town:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Research which has measured the changes in productivity over the last thirty years from satellites suggests that about 25% of the global surface has lost, or is losing productivity. This is measured in response to cultivation, in response to harvesting, resource-extraction, and as a result also of over-grazing.\"\u003cbr/\u003eEastern Cape Province, South Africa - August 25, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e6. Wide of degraded Karoo landscape\u003cbr/\u003e7. Pan of gulleys, resulting from soil erosion\u003cbr/\u003e8. Close of gulleys\u003cbr/\u003e9. Wide of goats walking among Karoo shrub\u003cbr/\u003e10.  Mid of Spekboom shrub\u003cbr/\u003e11. Wide of goat eating among Karoo shrub\u003cbr/\u003eEastern Cape Province, South Africa - August 24, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e11. Mid of PhD student Marius van der Vyver walking past spekboom \u003cbr/\u003e12. Van der Vyver''''s feet while walking\u003cbr/\u003e13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Marius van der Vyver, PhD student:\u003cbr/\u003e\"300 years of goat-browsing - injudicious goat-browsing - by land-owners has degraded most of the spekboom in the area. The area is basically, naturally dominated by spekboom, which is what you see here behind me. And it is a very palatable shrub, goats love the stuff, also indigenous herbivores. But the goats, because of the numbers and the constancy of browsing, they depleted the area.''''\u003cbr/\u003e14. Spekboom plant next to a fence, tilt up\u003cbr/\u003e15. Wide of spekboom growing\u003cbr/\u003e16. Close up of spekboom shrub with distant hills\u003cbr/\u003e17. Marius van der Vyver picking spekboom \u003cbr/\u003e18. Close up spekboom shrub\u003cbr/\u003eSt Francis Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa - 23 August 2011\u003cbr/\u003e19. Professor Richard Cowling from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University at work\u003cbr/\u003e20. Close Professor Richard Cowling at work\u003cbr/\u003e21. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH), Professor Richard Cowling, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University:\u003cbr/\u003e\"And it produces a huge amount of litter, of leaf litter. It sheds lots of leaves. So if you put a little canister under spekboom you''''re going to pick up as many leaves as you would in some of the rainforests. And that enriches the soil enormously, and builds up the organic matter, which enables the soil to hold more moisture.  So it''''s a self-augmenting process of building up an ecosystem that''''s really healthy. And spekboom can kickstart that,  it''''s a kind of an ecosystem engineer.\"\u003cbr/\u003eEastern Cape Province, South Africa - 24 August, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e22. Spekboom shrub, tilt up\u003cbr/\u003e23. Close up of stony ground\u003cbr/\u003e24. Spekboom in the foreground, hills in the background\u003cbr/\u003eKingsley Farm, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa - 24 August, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e25. Man drilling a hole\u003cbr/\u003e26. Recently planted spekboom cutting planted in the ground\u003cbr/\u003e27. Kingsley sign post\u003cbr/\u003e28. Farmer Warren Rudman cutting a branch from spekboom \u003cbr/\u003e29. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH), Warren Rudman, farmer:\u003cbr/\u003e\"This is quite an amazing plant - there''''s a lot of moisture in it, even in dry periods. And it''''s amazing in the sense that you just take a cutting like this, plant it in the ground,  it can be dry ground as well. It doesn''''t need water and then it will make roots again, and re-grow from them. And eventually from a cutting like this, given time, you''''ll get a plant like this.\"\u003cbr/\u003e30. Rudman''''s spekboom cutting, tilt up\u003cbr/\u003e31. Farm worker planting a spekboom cutting\u003cbr/\u003e33. Springbok on the Karoo plains\u003cbr/\u003e34. Close up of a spekboom cutting being planted \u003cbr/\u003e35. Rudman climbing into his vehicle\u003cbr/\u003e36. Rudman driving \u003cbr/\u003e37. Waterpump in the dry Karoo landscape\u003cbr/\u003e38. close up of soil erosion\u003cbr/\u003e39. close up of a rusted tin\u003cbr/\u003eNearly thirty million acres of land are lost each year around the globe because of desertification. \u003cbr/\u003eThe UN Convention to Combat Desertification estimates that adds up to an area equivalent to South Africa every ten years. \u003cbr/\u003eChina''''s heavily degraded Loess Plateau is being restored in part by planting trees and vegetation. \u003cbr/\u003eNow a similar project is underway in South Africa itself.\u003cbr/\u003e40 percent of the world''''s land - home to about two billion people - is arid or semi-arid.\u003cbr/\u003eThe Karoo drylands are just one example of where the earth has dried up so that it is no longer agriculturally productive. \u003cbr/\u003eProfessor Timm Hoffman is Director of the University of Cape Town''''s Plant Conservation Unit.\u003cbr/\u003eHe says land degradation is widespread globally.\u003cbr/\u003e''''Research which has measured the changes in productivity over the last thirty years from satellites suggests that about 25% of the global surface has lost, or is losing productivity. This is measured in response to cultivation, in response to harvesting, resource-extraction, and as a result also of over-grazing.''''\u003cbr/\u003eAccording to the United Nations Conference on Desertification, 73% of Africa''''s drylands are affected by desertification. \u003cbr/\u003eSouth Africa is largely arid or semi-arid, and according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute, about a quarter of the country is severely degraded. \u003cbr/\u003eThis sometimes manifests as eroded gulleys following over-grazing of vegetation.\u003cbr/\u003eIn the Eastern Cape province, over-grazing by non-indigenous angora goats farmed for mohair, has resulted in a large shrub known locally as spekboom being severely depleted. \u003cbr/\u003eSoil fertility and water-holding ability have become lost as a result.\u003cbr/\u003eOnly about 14% of the original healthy spekboom-rich thicket remains, as PhD student Marius van der Vyver explains.\u003cbr/\u003e''''300 years of goat-browsing - injudicious goat-browsing - by land-owners has degraded most of the spekboom in the area. The area is naturally dominated by spekboom, which is what you see here behind me. And it is a very palatable shrub - goats love the stuff, also indigenous herbivores. But the goats, because of the numbers and the constancy of browsing, they depleted the area.''''\u003cbr/\u003eVan der Vyver''''s PhD is in the restoration of spekboom-dominated areas, much of which is now degraded land.\u003cbr/\u003eThe shrub is very valuable in preventing desertification in the dry thicket landscape.\u003cbr/\u003eIt grows quickly, and prevents erosion by binding the soil.\u003cbr/\u003eFor these and more reasons, the South African government''''s Working For Land programme has for the last seven years, been restoring large tracts of degraded land, and already more than 2000 hectares have been replanted with spekboom.\u003cbr/\u003eProfessor Richard Cowling of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the Restoration Research Group explains the value of reintroducing spekboom.\u003cbr/\u003e'''' it produces a huge amount of litter - leaf litter. It sheds lots of leaves. So if you put a little canister under spekboom you''''re going to pick up as many leaves as you would in some of the rainforests. And that enriches the soil enormously, and builds up the organic matter, which enables the soil to hold more moisture, so it''''s a self-augmenting process of building up an ecosystem that''''s really healthy. And spekboom can kickstart that - it''''s a kind of an ecosystem engineer.''''\u003cbr/\u003eFor a dry area plant, spekboom sequesters, or stores, a high amount of carbon.\u003cbr/\u003eThe Restoration Research Group is working on accessing further funding for spekboom restoration from the carbon credit market.\u003cbr/\u003eStarting with early field trials by farmers, this method of restoration is now being implemented in nature reserves.\u003cbr/\u003eOne of the farms is Kingsley, located west of Port Elizabeth.\u003cbr/\u003eFourth generation farmer Warren Rudman says spekboom is easy to propagate.\u003cbr/\u003e''''This is quite an amazing plant - there''''s a lot of moisture in it, even in dry periods. And it''''s amazing in the sense that you just take a cutting like this, plant it in the ground - it can be dry ground as well. It doesn''''t need water. And then it will make roots again, and re-grow from them. And eventually from a cutting like this, given time, you''''ll get a plant like this.''''\u003cbr/\u003eThe first rains after a four-year drought have left Rudman''''s farm unusually green.\u003cbr/\u003eThis can only help the spekboom being planted now to grow well.\u003cbr/\u003eThese shrubs will prevent soil erosion and provide fodder, utilised at a sustainable level, for the game on his farm. \u003cbr/\u003eAlready 300 spekboom experimental plots have been established across the 550 kilometre extent of the former spekboom-rich thicket.\u003cbr/\u003eTogether with the trend of farmers using land more sustainably these days, the spekboom restoration project is an excellent weapon in the fight against desertification in South Africa.\u003cbr/\u003eThe UNCCD says it''''s vital to be able to sustain human development. \u003cbr/\u003eThe global population is projected to hit around nine billion by 2050 - which means food production is an ever growing challenge, according to the current president of the UN General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan class=\"star-rating\" aria-label=\"3.5 out of 5 stars\" role=\"img\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star-half-stroke text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-regular fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt class=\"educator-rating-title\"\u003eEducator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"educator-rating-details\" data-path=\"/educator_ratings/rrp_data?resourceable_id=1114039\u0026amp;resourceable_type=Boclips%3A%3AVideoMetadata\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"not-yet-rated\"\u003eNot yet Rated\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eGrade\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd title=\"Grade\"\u003eHigher Ed\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSubjects\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=1\u0026amp;subject_ids%5B%5D=1216220\"\u003eAll Subjects\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eMedia Type\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=2\u0026amp;type_ids%5B%5D=4543650\"\u003eNews Clips\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSource:\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eDate\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e2011\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-solid fa-language'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eAudiences\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?audience_ids%5B%5D=371079\u0026amp;grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=1\"\u003eFor Teacher Use\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\u003cdd class=\"text-muted\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-lock mr5\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e2 more...\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='concepts-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='concepts-heading'\u003eConcepts\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='details-list concepts' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator' data-type='concepts'\u003eafrica, living things, litter, business, desertification, area, south africa, erosion, nelson mandela, animals, productivity, soil, forests, deserts, leaves\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='concepts-toggle-buttons' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' class='more btn-link' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-down ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='true' class='less btn-link' style='display: none;' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow Less\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-up ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='additional-tags-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='additional-tags-heading'\u003eAdditional Tags\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='details-list keyterms' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator' data-type='keyterms'\u003eland degradation, response, natural resource management, ecosystem, measured, warren rudman, southern africa, amazing, plant, land management, cape town, environment, environmental concerns, ground, agriculture, moisture, land restoration and reclamation, rain forests, food and beverage manufacturing, browsing, industries, land environment, cutting, united nations, environment and nature\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='keyterms-toggle-buttons' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' class='more btn-link' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-down ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='true' class='less btn-link' style='display: none;' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow Less\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-up ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='educator-ratings-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title sr-only' id='educator-ratings-heading'\u003eEducator Ratings\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"educator-ratings-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"all-educator-ratings-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"educator-rating-form-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Show resource details' class='rp-show-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nShow resource details\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Video player' class='player' id='player-wrapper' role='region'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='relative container mx-auto' id='lp-boclips-visitor-thumbnail'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"block\" data-html=\"true\" data-placement=\"bottom\" data-trigger=\"click\" data-content=\"\u003cdiv class=\u0026quot;text-center py-2\u0026quot;\u003e\u003ca class=\u0026quot;bold\u0026quot; href=\u0026quot;/auth/users/sign_in\u0026quot;\u003eSign in\u003c/a\u003e or \u003ca class=\u0026quot;bold text-danger\u0026quot; data-posthog-event=\u0026quot;Signup: LP Signup Activity\u0026quot; data-posthog-location=\u0026quot;body_link_boclips\u0026quot; data-remote=\u0026quot;true\u0026quot; href=\u0026quot;/subscription/new\u0026quot;\u003eJoin Now\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\" data-title=\"Get Full Access\" data-container=\"body\" rel=\"popover\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Play video: Battling desertification in South Africa\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"resource-img img-thumbnail img-responsive z-10 lp-boclips-thumbnail w-full h-full lozad\" alt=\"Battling desertification in South Africa\" title=\"Battling desertification in South Africa\" onError=\"handleImageNotLoadedError(this)\" data-default-image=\"https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/missing.png\" data-src=\"https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/missing.png\" width=\"315\" height=\"220\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAD/ACwAAAAAAQABAAACADs\" /\u003e\n\u003cspan aria-hidden='true' class='flex justify-center items-center bg-white rounded-full w-16 h-16 absolute top-1/2 left-1/2 -mt-8 -ml-8 cursor-pointer z-0 border-2 border-primary drop-shadow-md lp-boclips-thumbnail-playBtn'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fa-solid fa-play text-primary text-3xl ml-1 drop-shadow-xl'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"}