The best I can do is look at it on the map using the satellite view. I don't know how old the image on Google's map is but the sand washed over the roads approaching the site isn't a good sign.
What I learned - putting rocks in the right place will literally turn a rocky dessert green. Humanity can reverse the damage its done to the environment just as easily if they had the will.
My conclusions are “the powers that be” do not want to heal the land. It’s just as easy as this to fix erosion and water problems. Every state could implement these K. I. S. S. solutions 💯
It drives me crazy that it's Easier to be eco friendly than to destroy the planet. It's easier to not mow your lawn . Easier to use a clothes line to dry clothes than work to mine the material for a clothes dryer , build the factory to build it , power the factory , hire the people to build it , build the roads to transport it , build a store to house it , go buy it , transport it to your home , pay for power to run and to maintain it..clothes line is Easier. These techs aren't making things easier . They're just trash . They're not progress . They're literally just selling us worthless trash that its easier to live without.
"We do not have to settle for being less bad for the earth. We can actually be good for the earth. We are not destructive by nature, but by habit. And our potential for destruction is mirrored by our potential for regeneration."
In my decade leading Al Baydha, I think that is the most important thing I learned from this project, and that I hope other people can take away from it. We are a keystone species, and we need to act like one.
This work deserves a Nobel prize. It is truly inspiring, groundbreaking and something many generations of humans will need to look at it in the future, unfortunately
As a massive fan of permaculture and someone who's dedicated my current situation to restoring native bee populations and wild species. This made me cry into my coffee. Thank you for the inspiration.
Ameen what do you think stops the Saudi government/rulers to not invest in this ecological restoration? I assume it would not be a big cost for them in the larger scheme of things, but the benefits endless really
Since I moved to the UAE, I’ve been periodically checking up on this project. It is a remarkable achievement that you’ve accomplished here. I am thrilled and stunned by your achievements.
Not to be a downer, but I'm looking at 2020 sat images of this place: goo.gl/maps/R9sf1Yno7WwR6Wkv7 and don't see it being much different from the surrounding areas. Maybe I don't understand something?
@@dislike__button The image you're linking to is from summertime (looking at it in June 2020 for later readers)--we're still subject to wet/dry seasonality. The trees will go dormant in the summer much like deciduous trees go dormant in wintertime in north. The difference between us and the surrounding areas is: when there is rain, we get a higher variety of grasses, a higher density of grasses, and the grass sticks around for longer. Even when we go years without rain, our trees will produce goods according to their season, whereas other areas don't have that system in place. Also, we're putting way more water in the ground from those floods than our neighbors are, because our runoff coefficient has gone down. It's not perfect, but as a prototype it shows the way forward for restoring the region to previous (or higher) levels of fertility and production.
Having lived in Saudi Arabia near Mecca and knowing it’s harsh climate, the achievement is nothing less than a miracle. I would love to the learnings of this project replicated across all other wadis in the region. It will take the same dedication as shown in the project l.
@@flip0345 that’s because you the west dictate on the ( so called tyrannical government where they should spend their money ( which are the bars and western women and fancy cars ) you fool
This is proof that if all the resources all the nations put towards their military might could be redirected towards restoring and regenerating the earth no one would be hungry anymore, there would be no more wars, the world would be a better place and people would be much happier, life would be as it was meant to be..... good. 😍😍😍
I have always thought the same. The issues of the world is not that there isn't enough, it is that it's not enough for the greed of humans. Military might is not about protection or preserving a nation, it is about subduing other nations.
Neal specifically works in the real world - not a fantasy world where arms dealers, manufacturers, governments and military organisations suddenly realize the error of their ways, and give all their money to poor people to recover the environment. Forget the military budget; the planet can be restored DESPITE military spending. It does not require nations give up their military power to recover their lands. Because unlike military dollars, every dollar spent recovering landscapes returns a lot more than one dollar in long-term benefits. Investing in land recovery is a self-perpetuating and self-sustaining process. Once it takes place in one area, the people next door want to do the same - and so the process expands naturally. This is the entire point of the process: you can't (and shouldn't) force anyone to do anything! When the economic gains are seen, the new systems are adopted! This is known as "capitalism", and more specifically "enlightened capitalism" which seeks to improve life on all levels, with no downsides. Better lives and more wealth are all the incentives local people ever need, to make the changes necessary to renew and restore their landscapes.
Profound. "We are not destructive by nature, but by habit." This rings true. The optimism and self expectation of this statement if far more empowering and motivating than those where self-hatred and guilt are pushed.
I'm a Saudi you you really need to make a version in Arabic of this film or at least translate it Such an effort need to be widely publicized through out Saudi Arabia Simple, done in association with local people with minimalist skills in restoring the land, yet effictive and can be copied in many areas Please please make an Arabic version I know the people who are going to request your services and many others in Saudi Arabia speak English but an Arabic version will make the story fly to everyone's phone who is intreasted but don't speak English (and they are a lot)
You are Saudi, you speak English. Why don't you make an Arabic version or at least make subtitles for this video and reupload it? Plus it's in your people's interest to make this video that you speak of. Why do you expect outsiders to do something that benefits you people?
A lot of effort à little results, Arabia Kingdom has the possibilities to do better with chines, Koreans or seoydaian people. This person is just job for his Contry or university.
I had the same reaction, we need to be connected to our environment. I live in the very green Northeast USA. I do not take it for granted. If our rain was cut off we would look like the desert South west.
Thanks to the princesses that paid attention to the people of that village in the first place .... Im sure the village would have disappeared on map by now if they were ignored back in 2010 . Thanks so much for this great work Mr Spackman! absolutely incredible
@robert howard I know that many of us have been conditioned in our lives to believe that the government is helping and each passing reign is better and more liberal. But the fact is, from a Muslim, looking at what the "rulers" of the so called predominately Muslim countries do is nothing but a glorified version of the Western ideology. Which is not Islam. Just taking for instance this project in Saudi. I look at the cities paved in luxury, the sky scrapers. The gold, the oil, the abundant resources. The "hired" help. I look at how the "hired help", actually slaves, are being treated. I look at how this village among others that we do not know about have suffered under this for years , decades and continue to suffer. This is NOT Islam! My Prophet (saw) would never sleep in a golden bed or drive in a limo if he knew there were people who were struggling to survive. And the rightly guided Khalif after him lived by the same principles. Alhamdullilah Umar (ra) upon hearing a complaint from one of his people about how they had no meat to eat, gave up meat until he knew all of his people under his rule were being fed equally. Alhamdullilah Now that dear Robert is a servant of Allah and a leader. He did not lead by empty words and platitudes, but by example. Alhamdullilah These governments are following the tactics of the disbeliever oppressors in the West. Since the time of Jesus (as) and before, the kings took from their subjects and then gave them crumbs to live on while they lived in luxury. Now, let's think about this Robert. IF the progressive Saud government was so vested in this project don't you think they would of taken their own laborers and machines from their big cities and made this project on their own to give their subjects who have been oppressed for so long some ease? That would be truly noble of them don't you think? Something to make the rest of the Muslim Ummah and world to aspire to, just as the Prophet (saw) and the 4 Khalifs after him(saw) .But the fact is, they made those who have been oppressed for so long "work" for this project themselves with minimal resources. And they chose to be like the "kings" around them and expect the world to give them kudos for their "little steps" Which, sadly to say, they do because they are so use to getting the crumbs from their masters.And again, that is NOT Islam! And don't you think Robert that it is time to grow up and stop taking baby steps? Walk like a man, walk like the Prophet (saw) and all of the Prophets (as) before him walked? Our time is short on the earth and we all will be held accountable for our actions on the Day of Judgement. May Allah open our eyes and guide us to the straight path. Amin
@robert howard I don't know if you viewed my earlier comments from 2 weeks ago. Please do. Your wording is quite eloquent, and politically correct and yet very misleading to those who follow only the general propaganda. Maybe you could express your views of our Prophet (saw) in order to clear up misunderstandings. From what I wrote, which is the truth couldn't be anything but encouraging. And this is something that you and many others refuse to believe. We all have aspirations Robert, I still don't think you get the point. But it is ok, we will continue to agree to disagree. You know the very people who you give special thanks to are the same people who say they follow the Prophet (saw) which you seem to have a different view about. Maybe that comment should be brought to those who you call royalty. The actual Saudi people from the view of the film were the ones who had been oppressed for generations. They were willing to try anything to bring back their land. Desperation breeds inspiration as they say. But Robert, it is neither here or there but the fact is is that a man who Allah gave a vision to and who put it into action was actually following the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) and all of the other Prophets (as) before him. Alhamdullilah And thank you Robert, you seem like a nice person as well but hiding behind cordial comments will never bring the truth to light. I do hope that you read my previous comments below. Take care Robert and may Allah guide us all to the straight path. Amin
@robert howard Mr. Howard, my God (Allah) and HIS Messenger (saw) commands us to be honest, so why would I say my name would be any other than it is? That is deception, a disbeliever, a snake, a manipulator may do such things but not a believer in Allah and the next life. Also Mr. Howard, why would you assume that I am a follower of ISIS? I find it interesting how you throw these accusations and assumptions, "buzz words" in so easily, but in a polite way. Very good strategy from yours side I do have to say. You know all too well how to manipulate the masses. What a good PR person you are for your cause. But not everyone believes your words, especially not a believer in all of Allah's Books. I could easily say that your name is not your name and that you have a hidden agenda to mislead the average person when they speak out against oppression in any form. I follow no one but Allah and HIS Messenger. PERIOD! People of every culture have skills Mr. Howard. Saying they don't would be disrespectful of Allah because HE and only HE gave the skills to them. It is not the skills that a person has but how they use them that matters to Allah. I would also assume that the people who were involved from Saudi were also Muslim, those who follow Allah and HIS Messenger (saw), because when you say you are a Muslim you are following just that Allah and HIS Messenger (saw) and nothing else. Just as the Christians and Jews profess. I wonder what my Prophet Moses (as) or Jesus (as) would think about those who profess they believe in them and do what they are doing today against the world. I know, for a fact that, even though America is the melting pot and that as an American I have to right under the Constitution to practice my religion, America has proudly professed that it is a Christian Nation. So, what cha think Jesus ( as) feels about the invasion and Genocide all over the world in his (as) name? Especially since he (as) is still alive. And will witness against all of this on the Day of Judgement. Jesus (as) said, " I did not come to change the laws, but to fulfill them." The "laws" being the ones sent down to Moses (as) 1. Worship God and only God. 2. Put no one beside or above HIM, which includes humans.....Thou shalt not KILL, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors wife......From what I see and have experienced first hand all of these Commandments sent down from Allah have been broken. I am also a strong supporter of stopping Genocide not just of Armenian descent but world wide. And so was the Prophet (saw) as were all of the Prophets (as). You may have your point of view from a few people you know. Which is on the same line as saying, I have a black friend so I know what it's like. Very general, but a irrelevant statement. In today's world that is nothing new. You consider yourself an open person and yet you are very defensive, in a polite way, when the truth comes to you. Any philosophy that does not line up with Allah and all of HIS Messengers is not a religious philosophy at all but a man manipulated ideology. The Jews and Christians are held accountable for this as well. But I will not go into history details, Allah does that very clearly and simply in HIS Last and Final Revelation. And if your Yemen friend is Jewish then he knows that they are not to follow the Talmud (written by 70 Rabbi's) but the Torah. The actual Book sent down by Allah to Moses (as) And all of my points are IF you are only talking about the monolithic religions of that region. You talk of the US as being your homeland, do you not know your own history of how it was founded on Genocide of the Native Americans and exploitation of all if it's people living there till this day and around the world? Do you by chance see ANY German or English or any other military bases in the US? NO, but they have their "boots" in everybody else's backyard. Case in point, what is now going on with Germany. Are those tactics the Christian way, the way of Jesus? Do you know that it was the US government and those who back them who put the Sauds into power for a mir penance because they saw the economical and political advantages? And it has not changed to this day, that is why I spoke out to let people who are well intention see the reality of what it really is. The smoke screens of deception need to be removed. Even today the administration announces what every administration prior has said, but more politely, "That is OUR oil, we have the right to take it." I do not like anyone invading and raping and pillaging and killing for greed whether in my own country or anywhere for that matter. Again, Allah makes it very clear in HIS Last Revelation, that HE made us of many tribes and nations and we are to come together and learn from each other not oppress and exploit one another. Tell me Mr. Howard, what has America and it's allies taught the rest of the world? To be greedy, to conform to their way of thinking or else, to exploit and over consume and manipulate the resources Allah has given them. And then when it is depleted or near extinction they blame it on climate change or individuals who are less in power, saying it is their fault for the hole in the ozone or whatever else they want to pull out of their butts. That "they the people" are causing the carbon footprints. OH even the cows are to blame! God! They have no shame! That's mighty Christian of them don't cha think? WWJD? I say these truths Mr. Howard, because I was born and raised in the US. And I have the right under the Constitution to speak out against oppression. And the "history" that was taught to me in primary school and till this day, does not line up with the reality of what the founding fathers and its allies, then and now, have done to the Native Americans, the Asians, the Africans, the Irish, the Italians, South Americans and the list goes on.......But let me bring you to today's events for example.... Flint Michigan, the water system in general, the GMO's, chemical preservatives, the Chem trails, Big Pharma, who by the way founded the GMO's and" Round UP" distribution all over the world. The Genocide of humans especially of African descent and low income by the methods of vaccinations and abortion clinics. Not just in the US but particularly in Africa as well, which by the way is funded by Bill Gates. All in the guise of,"They know what's best." Do they know better than the ONE who created us!? Isn't God in control of everything? I believe as a Muslim American that my home country should clean up their own mess first before they even "look" into someone else's backyard to judge. We all struggle Mr. Howard, that is a fact of life. That is how Allah designed it. Life can be very hard, but we don't need someone's boot on our necks pushing us further into the dirt or scaring us with twisted propaganda, trying to take the very core of our souls, striping us of our dignity and our right to flourish. Now that Mr. Howard is true oppression, true evil. Allah calls them the Zalimun. No matter what name they put in front of them, their actions speak for themselves. And I say this about those who profess to be Muslim as well. Allah knows all that is in the hearts of man no matter what they "cover" themselves with. Alhamdullilah And Mr. Howard, if this was not your agenda to refute what I said in the manner in which you said it, and you did not want to reflect your views, you would have passed by my first comment to begin with. There are many other comments with such views and I do not see you commenting on them. So, now we are ALL clear on what your intentions really are. Thank you very much clarify that to the rest of the world, but most importantly to Allah. But hey, HE knew that to begin with. He just had to make it clear for the rest of HIS creation who may not be as well informed. Alhamdullilah And have a great day! And know that Allah's truths will always be revealed no matter how much the disbeliever hates it. Alhamdullilah! Salam
Regenerative agriculture is amazing. What I appreciated even more, however, is the investment in the people which gave them skills to help continue to heal the land and lift themselves out of abject poverty. This was an awesome project.
I'm a regenerative farmer in northern Ontario and I'm so proud and humbled by your accomplishments in such a harsh climate. This must be how it was generations ago.
Neal you cannot go through such a long term project without growing. Although the achievement is spectacular and inspiring and I’m sure it had its ups and downs all along the way. You and your team are the greatest achievement of the project. Your capacity to affect change has been tested, your perseverance and persistence has stood. Now you can take on greater challenges. All the best in your new venture.
This is AMAZING! I just bought 5 acres in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Fort Garland in the United States. The particular area that I bought land in is desert. and very arid. The property is 8,235 feet in elevation, so it is high desert land. There is no soil, Just sand and as few pinion pine trees , but mostly sand and sage brush. About the only water it gets is from the snow melt and a bit of rain in early spring. The land is slightly sloped and I can see how the water sheds off the property causing gullies and erosion. My plan for the property is to build an all natural medicine retreat center where people can come to heal. I have studied permaculture under Matt Powers and many others. And this plot of land is where I plan to build an oasis of abundant life in the middle of a desert, where patients can come and be restored in a beautiful environment where once only sand and sage brush existed. I want to thank you and all the permaculture people who are leading the way for us to learn from and carry on the work of restoring the planet.
Don't forget to include rumenants if you want faster soil building. Their rumen is what primes the biology to grow soil - even if you could rent a cow once or twice a year that doesn't have some chemical pour on it, you would get a kickstart to the land.
Thinking of ourselves as a keystone species is so much better than an apex predator. Thank you for inspiring me to continue in the college of forestry.
Thank you very much for this beautiful video. We are working in Spain, less desertified but exact same principles for restoration! Greetings from Al-Andalus (الأندلس)
I can't stop my eyes 😭 tears 😭 seeing how this Change will make impact to the whole world. I been in Egypt, moroco, Saudi, UAE, and I've seen this kind of system watering plants by hoses. I a can't stop thinking how blessed I am in living in o country that full of everything . PHILIPPINES. 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🙏🙏🙏🙏 Oh Lord GOD Thank you for everything
I have been checking the site on Google Maps regularly since I found this channel, and seeing that the trees continue to die out ever since the irrigation was stopped, I thought that the whole project had failed. Never knew that the region can have no rain at all for such a long period of time. This has been a trial by fire for the system. Congratulations to the whole Al Baydha team. Looking forward to get an update from the Google Map satellite images.
Would be easier work as the climate is a lot more forgiving. I was devastated by the deforestation in my rural homelands but it's nothing that cant be fixed.
It was not actually resilient without rainfall, as they mentioned plants and trees began dying off. When the rain came again is when everything came back to life though, and all that did survive became battle tested for the conditions. They should be planting as many Acacia trees as possible as they are native to the area and climate.
@@seanregehr4921 Exactly... Sean. Trees and Grass, " but the right kind of trees and grass". There is an interesting story about re-establishing forest in the desert areas of the Grand canyon and Colorado river, and it was all about finding the right trees out of 25 or more varieties of cottonwood and birch trees. Those forests were cut down in the 1800s to be used in the steam powered riverboats of that era.
@@RagbagMcShag And lack of foresight. There was an attitude of, "There's more where that came from." If people are not educated about consequences, and how everything is connected to everything else, they are unlikely to imagine how their behaviours have impact on the world around them. Do we think that most people who toss their plastic water or soft drink bottles out of the window of their cars are intentionally contributing to the monstrously huge Pacific Gyre of garbage, killing fish and other marine animals? Please tell me "no."
I've watched tens of thousands of permaculture and regenative ag videos. This guy makes some wonderfully nuanced points at the end. Inspiring as hell. My Phoenix food forest is starting its 4th year, and has been very successful.
I've seen this video more than 10 times, just to remind me that I have a huge responsibility to start regenerating the soil on my land. Finally I got the guts to leave my tech job in order to get into the land and do something beautiful for mother nature.
Neal - I always thought Al Baydha was an impossible mission with a negative ROI that was a bridge too far for you - especially during the multi-year period with no rain around the time you left for Stanford. I have to give you credit for what you achieved with all of those stone earthwork check dams and terraces and dry land systems when the flood rain finally returned after several years. This is the sort of land repair task that will cost billions and required government money but it is one that you proved that can stop the desertification and that can repair the landscape (even though it may take a decade). Your work is also an inspiration showing that good regenerative design can (slowly) fix landscapes severely damaged by mismanagement and bad practices. Job well done...
After dedicating myself to promoting land regeneration since 1998 this brings me tears of joy. Thanks you so much for this huge work. Well done!! so inspiring and thank you for the visual documentation and presentation.
Is that so, so how about you tell us what you have done beside "promoting"? I see you have not responded to arun. Are you part of the problem, all talk and no action? I posted under Rocky Mountain MT what I have done, starting when I was 58 and what it is now when I am 75. "Promoting" is nothing without your own action. Are you a fake?
I found this story at the moment I needed to hear something positive. I was so moved by this story and the incredible message that I've always resonated with: That humans are inherently good and when inspired and activated by this message, can bring about such positive affects on each other and the environment. My 7th grade son is having to do a science project about how humans are destroying the world and our negative impact on the environment. He is supposed to find supporting evidence of this. Instead, he will be using this video as an example of what we are doing right for the planet. Thank you so much for your work, your message, and your inspiration.
You are definitely putting your hands on the solution to so many environmental issues. Not maintaining, you're bringing real solutions. Well done Neal 🙏
I had been holding my breath... I hadn't seen you post in so long that I was afraid that the project had failed. SO HAPPY to see that you all pulled it off. So inspiring!
it certainly is the most sensible allocation of financial resources from the Saudi perspective but this brings up an interesting problem when you consider it further: the proceeds from the production and distribution of oil, a product that leads to the creation of carbon dioxide that furthers climate change around the world, would be used improve the environment local to it's source extraction at the cost of environment outside of it.
@Aedin Ridmash I think you mean. "The USA's money goes to buying oil." Your sentence structure had that backwards. Understandable if English isn't your first language.
Cost billions, but MBS wants to spend a Trillion Dollars building the Line City. If that money was spent on these projects, rivers would flow in Saudi again.
Tragedy of the commons. Who owns the environment? Projects like this will require large scale government and private sector cooperation for a benefit that will take at least a few years to see. So no one does it.
thanks to the people of Saudi Arabia for their initiative, willingness, trust, commitment, hard work, learning, persistence and other great human qualities to see the project through to this awesome hopeful result. And not just hope, for me its the realisation that with design and the above qualities, that shows as you say Neil 'humans being good for the planet'. Awesome. I did shed a tear of happiness! And, thank you Neil thank you. I have so enjoyed watching the journey through the videos. Go Well.
Congratulations to the people of Al Baydha! It took 6 years of hard labor and another 4 years of growth to see the fruits of your labor. You have so much to be proud of.
No matter how many times I watch this video, 1 day since it was uploaded, my tears flow, just seeing how the patience and resilience of everyone involved helped with the restoration of the environment by the grace of the ALMIGHTY.
It worked, and thank you 🙏 I was greatly impressed by what was shown in the video, it has made me rethink of where to buy land, with this possibility of regeneration.
What's so amazing about these sorts of water management techniques is they get better the larger you scale them up, which we're used to water usage getting less efficient as scale grows up. If an entire region uses these techniques, the atmospheric humidity can start to rise, furthering the amount of water available for system. It's also what makes desertification so easy. A little overgrazing in one area can quickly lead to collapse.
Is it such a massive undertaking to build terraces? Are the local people continuing to build them on their own? Or do they only do it when outsiders tell them to?
@@nonenoneonenonenone The Al-Baydha project was funded by one of the Saudi princes as a proof of concept; the immediate economic benefits compared to working in the urban centers is so little that many locals have no choice but to abandon these initiatives because of the massive upfront costs in manpower, time, and money it takes to dig swales, pile on berms, and terrace the mountains. While other states like India and China implement these on much larger scales because of the much more forgiving climate, Saudi Arabia's overreliance on oil money (which tends to be concentrated in the families that do control oil fields) and outsourcing of industrial / agricultural power means that there's very few people with the know-how to do this kind of thing, much less the willpower to implement the project with their own funds and time in the relatively harsher conditions of the Arabian Peninsula.
In the video he mentioned that they could replicate their small project across the region and possibly return rivers to the area. I think scaling up would quickly improve the area. It is amazing how just adding cover crops or mulch can cool the surface of an area. Cool the surface of several areas the size of their project and so much would change for the better. I sure hope they keep the project going and growing. There are spots here in the southwest USA that had similar projects. With these projects, they have had natural springs return that feed water sources. Ponds that were lost are back. With the retained water, the life of the area has greatly increased. Nature is good to us when we are good to it.
What is so inspiring about this story is that if we have the willpower, we can learn from our mistakes and fix degraded lands anywhere in the world. So much of the news cycles is how bad humans can be, but we are also capable of doing great things. I look at this ecological project as something that is as beautiful as any museum painting. Both made by humans and we are richer for their existence.
This land is blessed by the royals family ability to raise the Wadie ability to retain water and bless their family’s land. Bless all families who help other families prosper
I've been following this project for years and was very sad when the videos stopped. Seeing that grass sweep in the wind at 12:10 makes me very happy. Congratulations! And please, keep updating!
Two key things to note; nature/wildlife is resilient and persistent. You took the time to nurture the plants enough and we'll enough at the beginning, giving them time and strength to root in before the droughts. I think this is critical as to where a system can survive sever drough in its infancy. That's my two cents. 🙂
this had me teary eyed, the perseverance, commitment, and trust that the earth will do its part in helping you out. I'm so touched, its so inspiring. this earth needs more people like you . Big salute, and thank you for sharing.
@@holgerchristensen4021 look around the scenery. do you really need someone to point that out to you? no wonder these folks find it so easy to fool people
@@TWOCOWS1 Its funny you said that, because I did and its quite obvious that they are filming the same spots, but from a different angle. So you have to rewatch the clips and keep an eye on the cliffs. You only fooled yourself.
with only 3 inches of rain a year, and sometimes 3 years with no rain...now that's a challenge. In West Texas there are many areas that only get 12 inches of rain a year. Ground looks similar to the Al Bayda area as well. i've always thought being able to harness the runoff from the mountains was key to transforming the watershed.
@@WadcaWymiaru you cant have mass migration dude The world is already doing that as millions are getting displaced. It's not sustainable obviously. Gotta fix what we messed up and we gotta learn to work with nature instead of "conquering" it
@@gustavohopkins242 There was ALWAYS a "mass migration" in the history. All mongol rides in China, the Vikings...thousands migrated, rest died from hunger and cold because were UNABLE to rise the crops! Think before you wrote! And now new "ice age" is coming!
@@WadcaWymiaru yes im quite aware that there has been mass migration. That's why we should try to avoid it.... because what the huns and Mongolians did is an indication of what desperate people with nothing to lose can do.
we already know how to build terraces..weve been doing this for 1000s of years he told you.. it was nabatean and yemeni agricultural methods. we just have corrupt governments
a multi level peace making endeavor , we can divert funding from massive military campaigns into this and create life supporting systems that will restore hearts and minds
Reality is that doesn't need military money. The amounts are pocket change for the Saudis. Saudi could easily afford to do this. They could even invest in designing equipment that could make swales fast
Bless the royal family for their work and continued success on all of your Water ways to enhance the life of your peoples, from Bloomington Indiana United States
"We are not destructive by nature, but by habit. Our potential for destruction is mirrors by our potential for Regeneration. The Al Baydha project shows that if we recognize our role as a keystone species on Earth, then we can become the primary vector for regenerating our planet." BRAVO! This is miraculous work that must be studied and replicated in every desert region.
Wow! Well done Neal. I don't think I could have resisted boughten irrigation for that long. Not after all that work. But what a smack right in the face type of proof. Well done!
4 года назад+5
Regenerative agriculture IN A DESERT! This project proves that even with extreme weather patterns that climate change will likely cause in the future we can still feed the world if we employed the right practices! Very inspiring, thank you!
Hi Paul -- i haven't been back in 4 years, and the project's mostly focused on a housing development for the tribes there. But keep an eye out on the Green Saudi Initiative...
I was really worried about this project caus it kinda dissappeared from sight. This video just BLEW my mind away im sooooo happy to see that it was a success and I cant wait to collaborate with these folks in the future!
شكرا جزيلا لتجسيد مشروع البيضاء،،،لمكافحة التصحر،،،بغرس شجيرات على مستوى الجبال،،،للوقاية من انجراف التربة،،،ولتلطيف الجو بهذه المنطقة الحارة،،،ولتيسير العيش للساكنة،،،،،عموما،،،نتمنى الاستمرار في تجسيد هذا المشروع الطموح لهذا البلد الطيب،،،ولاهله الطيبون الكرماء،،،،حفظكم الله ورعاكم،،،،وجعل الجنة مثواكم،،
Truly inspirational. I've followed your journey from the start. I hope to one day see all of middle east flourishing in the same beauty. I would love to see a walkthrough and tour of the lands where you talk more in detail about successes and failures. How you built your dams to not wash away during floods would be more than interesting.
I watch this and feel real hope for our planet and man kind , let’s all embrace such practices ,where ever we are , close the loop and seek renewable systems of sustainability.
There is no reason to lack hope. God already designed and created everything and made it to work efficiently and sufficiently. The key to restoring His kingdom (the earth), is to stop the destructive practices. They have been going on for far too long and look how well it still works under such duress with little to no attention en mass. Certainly only a little consistent care will go a long way to restoring all the earth's natural systems.
Breathtaking achievement. I’m sorry your funding dried up, but such a brave decision,to cut the irrigation, and such a payoff. Seeing those grasses swaying is just wonderful. Congratulations to all the people involved and I hope this is now the.sustainable system everyone wanted. As long as overgrazing doesn’t happen, it should help lots of people have a better life. Thank you for this film! 🙏
We’ve been using these techniques thousands of years at southern province in the mountains , but the main difference is the weather we have cold weather all year , that’s impressive.. good work
This is amazing. Thank you for posting this update and for showing the progress Through Time. I commend your steadfast commitment to persisting through the drought. What you gain from coming through that with without compromising and irrigating is a wealth in itself. I Look to this project as a model of my own 2.5 acres of desert land, and my hope to bring rural prosperity and ecological abundance to an otherwise degraded piece of desert. Keep up the good work, you are inspiring to us all!
Anyone seeing this in New Mexico? Let me know when you're ready for large scale implementation, im ready when you are! Ive built earthships for 20 years and been living off the grid with water catchment only, and in the last few years intensely studying regenerative ag and holistic management. Im ready when you are-
Awesome! I'm saving up to hopefully buy some land to try permaculture here. Although I am not rich so I will probably have to start pretty small. I'm so glad to hear someone else interested in balancing the drought here:D
@@emh.1178 What area are you looking at? There's lots of land available for leasing in NM, which is something to consider as your looking. A lot of the good land is sky high expensive and owning is not always a necessity for improving..
@@khassan2964 yes my friend! A very good resource is the book 'holistic management' by Allan Savory. Pasticultores del Desierto is an organization countering desertification with the use of ruminants.. Dr Christine Jones from Australia is a good source as well. Don't let the rain leave your lands! That's number one!! Build swales and keep the ground covered.. Hard work and long term thinking pay off!
what amazing work. Permaculture can teach us so much. I love that everyone on this project had so much patience and kept the vision alive through all those dry intervening years. All over the world there are pockets of such good work. Together we are strong and can help the earth sustain us once more
"A typical flood on Wadi Al Lith" involves enough water to irrigate 1.3E8 trees for three years. The watershed of Wadi Al Lith is 3820 sq km according to the map on the video. I did the math for acres, the unit of area I'm familiar with for establishing trees. That's more than 100 trees per acre across the watershed ... an enormous potential in that flood runoff.
The vast majority of arid regions on this planet, involve a watershed capacity enough to take them out of "desert" condition. Rather easily. Provide a lot of correction work is supplied. As we all know, by now, the desertification process. Considerably reduces the water content of a landscape. Dumping it straight into rivers and eventually the sea/ocean. Or in other words total waste of water! BTW We already do that, also in very large scale, with our sewage and storm water systems. We "collect" precious water and dump it directly into the sea/ocean! No wonder most underground water is going down and out. As fast as Humans gather in the landscape. Cities sinking >9m and more it's a cruel reality, totally Human made! Among hundreds of case studies known to mankind. There's the very interesting "Niger paradox"! Describing the phenomena how, in this case, the Niger river, in Africa. Increased it's water displacement, dumping it into the Ocean. While the desert left behind increase exponentially, year after year!! ;-)
This is amazing! I'm a big supporter of regenerative agriculture and living, and this is so inspiring to see. To demonstrate that this can work in the desert, shows what can be done in more forgiving environments as well.
When I co-designed Hoku nui, 2012-2016, a Regenerative Farming Community on 260-acres of dead soil, that was former toxic, poisoned pineapple farming for 15 years, I watched our 160 cattle, 1,000 chickens, 107 sheep, a few goats, + pigs and our Keyline Design and Yeomans plow restore vibrant life, a flourishing ecosystem and beautiful grasses! We are Nature and when we act like it, MIRACLES replace the confusion, desertification of loving hearts, and the soil. Aloha, Claire
@@ferchopuentes1901 they have to plant grass. Not trees. Start from trees is a mistake. People need to make the succession in the right way, not to jump right into trees, it's not natural. The environment will not hold it easily
@@ferchopuentes1901 You are not wrong. And trees are eventually going to be necessary. And yes, trees are much better then grasses... But there is more to it. If you try to start a environment with trees is the same as trying to start a house in the roof. You wiil need to hold it in your own hands, because there is no structure under it. The first dry season, the first cold, the moment that you stop watering, the first plague... And all your really hard work is gone. Start small and you won't never ever even need to be watering or fertilizing
Am I the only one who wants an update?
Me too, it's been 4 years almost since this video was posted. The area surely must be even greener now and is so inspiring to see
The best I can do is look at it on the map using the satellite view. I don't know how old the image on Google's map is but the sand washed over the roads approaching the site isn't a good sign.
But the water slowing structures the made seem to be working. There is some life there.
Nope ❤
Me!!!
What I learned - putting rocks in the right place will literally turn a rocky dessert green. Humanity can reverse the damage its done to the environment just as easily if they had the will.
Absolutely. Thank you.
ALL of our environmental problems can be solved with “will”….
My conclusions are “the powers that be” do not want to heal the land. It’s just as easy as this to fix erosion and water problems. Every state could implement these K. I. S. S. solutions 💯
It drives me crazy that it's Easier to be eco friendly than to destroy the planet. It's easier to not mow your lawn . Easier to use a clothes line to dry clothes than work to mine the material for a clothes dryer , build the factory to build it , power the factory , hire the people to build it , build the roads to transport it , build a store to house it , go buy it , transport it to your home , pay for power to run and to maintain it..clothes line is Easier. These techs aren't making things easier . They're just trash . They're not progress . They're literally just selling us worthless trash that its easier to live without.
@@ReelCoast79 That's why individuals should start permaculture projects on their own, without relying or caring about what the powers that be want.
"We do not have to settle for being less bad for the earth. We can actually be good for the earth. We are not destructive by nature, but by habit. And our potential for destruction is mirrored by our potential for regeneration."
In my decade leading Al Baydha, I think that is the most important thing I learned from this project, and that I hope other people can take away from it. We are a keystone species, and we need to act like one.
That's a beautiful quote. Lovely. :)
Absolutely, agree!!! Thank you, Sara!!
Yes, agree with you. It’s late but not too late for us to do right as a keystone specie.
What you and that community of people accomplished is wonderfully amazing! High fives, hugs and copious pats on the back for you all! Inspiring...
"We are not destructive by nature but by habit" Well said, what wisdom, what inspiration.
I came here to write this comment
I wrote that one down in my memo pad...
This work deserves a Nobel prize. It is truly inspiring, groundbreaking and something many generations of humans will need to look at it in the future, unfortunately
couldnt agree more
As a massive fan of permaculture and someone who's dedicated my current situation to restoring native bee populations and wild species. This made me cry into my coffee. Thank you for the inspiration.
Bees would help that area regenerate. I would love to be a beekeper în the area.
Bought tears to mey eyes too. Outstanding work. What we can do when we work with nature and her systems and not against her? Truly Beautiful. Enjoy.
You are part of the solution. Hats off to you!
RMMC Calgary I had the same reaction like you... I started crying when I saw the change. Thanks for this inspiring video.
I had the same response. Thank you for this work and this video.
I've had the privilege to visit Al-Baidha project and meet with Neal back in 2016. This will inspire generations to come. Thanks for sharing.
Are other people copying these methods? Just the water catchment would be a start to growing more plants.
You mean we can be friends? Andhelp eachother outiwinde4 why not plant date palm's
To think what a few hardy cotton woods might do
Ameen what do you think stops the Saudi government/rulers to not invest in this ecological restoration? I assume it would not be a big cost for them in the larger scheme of things, but the benefits endless really
Y
Since I moved to the UAE, I’ve been periodically checking up on this project. It is a remarkable achievement that you’ve accomplished here. I am thrilled and stunned by your achievements.
Not to be a downer, but I'm looking at 2020 sat images of this place: goo.gl/maps/R9sf1Yno7WwR6Wkv7
and don't see it being much different from the surrounding areas.
Maybe I don't understand something?
@@dislike__button Interesting
@@dislike__button The image you're linking to is from summertime (looking at it in June 2020 for later readers)--we're still subject to wet/dry seasonality. The trees will go dormant in the summer much like deciduous trees go dormant in wintertime in north. The difference between us and the surrounding areas is: when there is rain, we get a higher variety of grasses, a higher density of grasses, and the grass sticks around for longer. Even when we go years without rain, our trees will produce goods according to their season, whereas other areas don't have that system in place. Also, we're putting way more water in the ground from those floods than our neighbors are, because our runoff coefficient has gone down. It's not perfect, but as a prototype it shows the way forward for restoring the region to previous (or higher) levels of fertility and production.
@@albaydha702 okay cool, thanks for the answer.
@@albaydha702 Well done! Can you give an idea of cost for earth works and trees? could you also do a panorama next time it rains Great project
Having lived in Saudi Arabia near Mecca and knowing it’s harsh climate, the achievement is nothing less than a miracle. I would love to the learnings of this project replicated across all other wadis in the region. It will take the same dedication as shown in the project l.
Hello, I am sorry you live with a tyrannical govt, hopefully it changes someday
Go back and do it!
@@flip0345 that’s because you the west dictate on the ( so called tyrannical government where they should spend their money ( which are the bars and western women and fancy cars ) you fool
@@flip0345i bet your government helped set it up
@@flip0345We all live under the same gvmnt. The differences are just in name and appearance, not in nature.
This is proof that if all the resources all the nations put towards their military might could be redirected towards restoring and regenerating the earth no one would be hungry anymore, there would be no more wars, the world would be a better place and people would be much happier, life would be as it was meant to be..... good. 😍😍😍
Umegonga ndipo
I have always thought the same. The issues of the world is not that there isn't enough, it is that it's not enough for the greed of humans.
Military might is not about protection or preserving a nation, it is about subduing other nations.
faith you said it all.Love your insights
Neal specifically works in the real world - not a fantasy world where arms dealers, manufacturers, governments and military organisations suddenly realize the error of their ways, and give all their money to poor people to recover the environment.
Forget the military budget; the planet can be restored DESPITE military spending. It does not require nations give up their military power to recover their lands. Because unlike military dollars, every dollar spent recovering landscapes returns a lot more than one dollar in long-term benefits.
Investing in land recovery is a self-perpetuating and self-sustaining process. Once it takes place in one area, the people next door want to do the same - and so the process expands naturally. This is the entire point of the process: you can't (and shouldn't) force anyone to do anything!
When the economic gains are seen, the new systems are adopted! This is known as "capitalism", and more specifically "enlightened capitalism" which seeks to improve life on all levels, with no downsides.
Better lives and more wealth are all the incentives local people ever need, to make the changes necessary to renew and restore their landscapes.
@@Chris.Davies Wow.... what insights. Thanks for sharing.
Profound. "We are not destructive by nature, but by habit." This rings true. The optimism and self expectation of this statement if far more empowering and motivating than those where self-hatred and guilt are pushed.
Oh yes, I’m so glad I found this video 😭❤️
This is so inspiring. It shows the power of one who believes with all his heart.
An example to us all.
As a Saudi I would like to thank you for this magnificent job... you guys gave life to those people... what an achievement 👏 👌 🙌 😍
Not life but help
جزاك الله خير
I want to like your comment but it's at 69
@@johne7123 someone liked it lol
@@michaelmcgee2026 I guess I can like it now 😆
I'm a Saudi
you you really need to make a version in Arabic of this film or at least translate it
Such an effort need to be widely publicized through out Saudi Arabia
Simple, done in association with local people with minimalist skills in restoring the land, yet effictive and can be copied in many areas
Please please make an Arabic version
I know the people who are going to request your services and many others in Saudi Arabia speak English but an Arabic version will make the story fly to everyone's phone who is intreasted but don't speak English (and they are a lot)
You are Saudi, you speak English. Why don't you make an Arabic version or at least make subtitles for this video and reupload it?
Plus it's in your people's interest to make this video that you speak of. Why do you expect outsiders to do something that benefits you people?
@@aaaaaa2206 I should do that! 😃
Now I found a project to work on for the day! Thanks guys for the idea! 🙏 😊
Also. We can share it with Saudi youtubers so they would talk about it and spread awareness. 👍
That is very smart of you! Thank you for your efforts.
🙏
The changes made there almost brought me tears, and as a person who rarely gets emotional, this was unexpected. But it’s beautiful. I’m so inspired.
A lot of effort à little results, Arabia Kingdom has the possibilities to do better with chines, Koreans or seoydaian people. This person is just job for his Contry or university.
So ur going there 2 hlp😳
Absolutely,it is emotionally overwhelming ,how amazing this project turned out ,very inspiring
I had the same reaction, we need to be connected to our environment. I live in the very green Northeast USA. I do not take it for granted. If our rain was cut off we would look like the desert South west.
🖐️♥️
Thanks to the princesses that paid attention to the people of that village in the first place .... Im sure the village would have disappeared on map by now if they were ignored back in 2010 .
Thanks so much for this great work Mr Spackman! absolutely incredible
did the men all desecrate the land for profit?
@@savannahsmiles1797 Same reason they restored it: they did what they thought was best.
This is fantastic, I hope the Saudi government takes note and makes this a pilot project and not a forgotten experiment. We can all learn from this
The Saudi government only does what they are told by their master.
If you like this project, check out the restoration of the Chinese desert...
ruclips.net/video/IDgDWbQtlKI/видео.html TRULY inspirational!
@robert howard I know that many of us have been conditioned in our lives to believe that the government is helping and each passing reign is better and more liberal. But the fact is, from a Muslim, looking at what the "rulers" of the so called predominately Muslim countries do is nothing but a glorified version of the Western ideology. Which is not Islam. Just taking for instance this project in Saudi. I look at the cities paved in luxury, the sky scrapers. The gold, the oil, the abundant resources. The "hired" help. I look at how the "hired help", actually slaves, are being treated. I look at how this village among others that we do not know about have suffered under this for years , decades and continue to suffer. This is NOT Islam! My Prophet (saw) would never sleep in a golden bed or drive in a limo if he knew there were people who were struggling to survive. And the rightly guided Khalif after him lived by the same principles. Alhamdullilah Umar (ra) upon hearing a complaint from one of his people about how they had no meat to eat, gave up meat until he knew all of his people under his rule were being fed equally. Alhamdullilah Now that dear Robert is a servant of Allah and a leader. He did not lead by empty words and platitudes, but by example. Alhamdullilah These governments are following the tactics of the disbeliever oppressors in the West. Since the time of Jesus (as) and before, the kings took from their subjects and then gave them crumbs to live on while they lived in luxury. Now, let's think about this Robert. IF the progressive Saud government was so vested in this project don't you think they would of taken their own laborers and machines from their big cities and made this project on their own to give their subjects who have been oppressed for so long some ease? That would be truly noble of them don't you think? Something to make the rest of the Muslim Ummah and world to aspire to, just as the Prophet (saw) and the 4 Khalifs after him(saw) .But the fact is, they made those who have been oppressed for so long "work" for this project themselves with minimal resources. And they chose to be like the "kings" around them and expect the world to give them kudos for their "little steps" Which, sadly to say, they do because they are so use to getting the crumbs from their masters.And again, that is NOT Islam! And don't you think Robert that it is time to grow up and stop taking baby steps? Walk like a man, walk like the Prophet (saw) and all of the Prophets (as) before him walked? Our time is short on the earth and we all will be held accountable for our actions on the Day of Judgement. May Allah open our eyes and guide us to the straight path. Amin
@robert howard I don't know if you viewed my earlier comments from 2 weeks ago. Please do. Your wording is quite eloquent, and politically correct and yet very misleading to those who follow only the general propaganda. Maybe you could express your views of our Prophet (saw) in order to clear up misunderstandings. From what I wrote, which is the truth couldn't be anything but encouraging. And this is something that you and many others refuse to believe. We all have aspirations Robert, I still don't think you get the point. But it is ok, we will continue to agree to disagree. You know the very people who you give special thanks to are the same people who say they follow the Prophet (saw) which you seem to have a different view about. Maybe that comment should be brought to those who you call royalty. The actual Saudi people from the view of the film were the ones who had been oppressed for generations. They were willing to try anything to bring back their land. Desperation breeds inspiration as they say. But Robert, it is neither here or there but the fact is is that a man who Allah gave a vision to and who put it into action was actually following the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) and all of the other Prophets (as) before him. Alhamdullilah And thank you Robert, you seem like a nice person as well but hiding behind cordial comments will never bring the truth to light. I do hope that you read my previous comments below. Take care Robert and may Allah guide us all to the straight path. Amin
@robert howard Mr. Howard, my God (Allah) and HIS Messenger (saw) commands us to be honest, so why would I say my name would be any other than it is? That is deception, a disbeliever, a snake, a manipulator may do such things but not a believer in Allah and the next life. Also Mr. Howard, why would you assume that I am a follower of ISIS? I find it interesting how you throw these accusations and assumptions, "buzz words" in so easily, but in a polite way. Very good strategy from yours side I do have to say. You know all too well how to manipulate the masses. What a good PR person you are for your cause. But not everyone believes your words, especially not a believer in all of Allah's Books. I could easily say that your name is not your name and that you have a hidden agenda to mislead the average person when they speak out against oppression in any form. I follow no one but Allah and HIS Messenger. PERIOD! People of every culture have skills Mr. Howard. Saying they don't would be disrespectful of Allah because HE and only HE gave the skills to them. It is not the skills that a person has but how they use them that matters to Allah. I would also assume that the people who were involved from Saudi were also Muslim, those who follow Allah and HIS Messenger (saw), because when you say you are a Muslim you are following just that Allah and HIS Messenger (saw) and nothing else. Just as the Christians and Jews profess. I wonder what my Prophet Moses (as) or Jesus (as) would think about those who profess they believe in them and do what they are doing today against the world. I know, for a fact that, even though America is the melting pot and that as an American I have to right under the Constitution to practice my religion, America has proudly professed that it is a Christian Nation. So, what cha think Jesus ( as) feels about the invasion and Genocide all over the world in his (as) name? Especially since he (as) is still alive. And will witness against all of this on the Day of Judgement. Jesus (as) said, " I did not come to change the laws, but to fulfill them." The "laws" being the ones sent down to Moses (as) 1. Worship God and only God. 2. Put no one beside or above HIM, which includes humans.....Thou shalt not KILL, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors wife......From what I see and have experienced first hand all of these Commandments sent down from Allah have been broken. I am also a strong supporter of stopping Genocide not just of Armenian descent but world wide. And so was the Prophet (saw) as were all of the Prophets (as). You may have your point of view from a few people you know. Which is on the same line as saying, I have a black friend so I know what it's like. Very general, but a irrelevant statement. In today's world that is nothing new. You consider yourself an open person and yet you are very defensive, in a polite way, when the truth comes to you. Any philosophy that does not line up with Allah and all of HIS Messengers is not a religious philosophy at all but a man manipulated ideology. The Jews and Christians are held accountable for this as well. But I will not go into history details, Allah does that very clearly and simply in HIS Last and Final Revelation. And if your Yemen friend is Jewish then he knows that they are not to follow the Talmud (written by 70 Rabbi's) but the Torah. The actual Book sent down by Allah to Moses (as) And all of my points are IF you are only talking about the monolithic religions of that region. You talk of the US as being your homeland, do you not know your own history of how it was founded on Genocide of the Native Americans and exploitation of all if it's people living there till this day and around the world? Do you by chance see ANY German or English or any other military bases in the US? NO, but they have their "boots" in everybody else's backyard. Case in point, what is now going on with Germany. Are those tactics the Christian way, the way of Jesus? Do you know that it was the US government and those who back them who put the Sauds into power for a mir penance because they saw the economical and political advantages? And it has not changed to this day, that is why I spoke out to let people who are well intention see the reality of what it really is. The smoke screens of deception need to be removed. Even today the administration announces what every administration prior has said, but more politely, "That is OUR oil, we have the right to take it." I do not like anyone invading and raping and pillaging and killing for greed whether in my own country or anywhere for that matter. Again, Allah makes it very clear in HIS Last Revelation, that HE made us of many tribes and nations and we are to come together and learn from each other not oppress and exploit one another. Tell me Mr. Howard, what has America and it's allies taught the rest of the world? To be greedy, to conform to their way of thinking or else, to exploit and over consume and manipulate the resources Allah has given them. And then when it is depleted or near extinction they blame it on climate change or individuals who are less in power, saying it is their fault for the hole in the ozone or whatever else they want to pull out of their butts. That "they the people" are causing the carbon footprints. OH even the cows are to blame! God! They have no shame! That's mighty Christian of them don't cha think? WWJD? I say these truths Mr. Howard, because I was born and raised in the US. And I have the right under the Constitution to speak out against oppression. And the "history" that was taught to me in primary school and till this day, does not line up with the reality of what the founding fathers and its allies, then and now, have done to the Native Americans, the Asians, the Africans, the Irish, the Italians, South Americans and the list goes on.......But let me bring you to today's events for example.... Flint Michigan, the water system in general, the GMO's, chemical preservatives, the Chem trails, Big Pharma, who by the way founded the GMO's and" Round UP" distribution all over the world. The Genocide of humans especially of African descent and low income by the methods of vaccinations and abortion clinics. Not just in the US but particularly in Africa as well, which by the way is funded by Bill Gates. All in the guise of,"They know what's best." Do they know better than the ONE who created us!? Isn't God in control of everything? I believe as a Muslim American that my home country should clean up their own mess first before they even "look" into someone else's backyard to judge. We all struggle Mr. Howard, that is a fact of life. That is how Allah designed it. Life can be very hard, but we don't need someone's boot on our necks pushing us further into the dirt or scaring us with twisted propaganda, trying to take the very core of our souls, striping us of our dignity and our right to flourish. Now that Mr. Howard is true oppression, true evil. Allah calls them the Zalimun. No matter what name they put in front of them, their actions speak for themselves. And I say this about those who profess to be Muslim as well. Allah knows all that is in the hearts of man no matter what they "cover" themselves with. Alhamdullilah And Mr. Howard, if this was not your agenda to refute what I said in the manner in which you said it, and you did not want to reflect your views, you would have passed by my first comment to begin with. There are many other comments with such views and I do not see you commenting on them. So, now we are ALL clear on what your intentions really are. Thank you very much clarify that to the rest of the world, but most importantly to Allah. But hey, HE knew that to begin with. He just had to make it clear for the rest of HIS creation who may not be as well informed. Alhamdullilah And have a great day! And know that Allah's truths will always be revealed no matter how much the disbeliever hates it. Alhamdullilah! Salam
Those terraces with rock walls are incredible and beautiful
I had mentioned earlier the Yemenis taught the Saudis,
Regenerative agriculture is amazing. What I appreciated even more, however, is the investment in the people which gave them skills to help continue to heal the land and lift themselves out of abject poverty. This was an awesome project.
I'm a regenerative farmer in northern Ontario and I'm so proud and humbled by your accomplishments in such a harsh climate. This must be how it was generations ago.
Those who participated in this projects are truely heroes, Great job guys👏👏👏👏
Neal you cannot go through such a long term project without growing. Although the achievement is spectacular and inspiring and I’m sure it had its ups and downs all along the way. You and your team are the greatest achievement of the project. Your capacity to affect change has been tested, your perseverance and persistence has stood. Now you can take on greater challenges. All the best in your new venture.
It's with great surprise finding your comment here Stefan. How's your work doing?
Hello Stefan! I love your content!
This is AMAZING! I just bought 5 acres in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Fort Garland in the United States. The particular area that I bought land in is desert. and very arid. The property is 8,235 feet in elevation, so it is high desert land. There is no soil, Just sand and as few pinion pine trees , but mostly sand and sage brush. About the only water it gets is from the snow melt and a bit of rain in early spring. The land is slightly sloped and I can see how the water sheds off the property causing gullies and erosion.
My plan for the property is to build an all natural medicine retreat center where people can come to heal. I have studied permaculture under Matt Powers and many others. And this plot of land is where I plan to build an oasis of abundant life in the middle of a desert, where patients can come and be restored in a beautiful environment where once only sand and sage brush existed.
I want to thank you and all the permaculture people who are leading the way for us to learn from and carry on the work of restoring the planet.
Don't forget to include rumenants if you want faster soil building. Their rumen is what primes the biology to grow soil - even if you could rent a cow once or twice a year that doesn't have some chemical pour on it, you would get a kickstart to the land.
I would love to see before & after photos of your project. Is there a website we can watch the progress? Thanks!
My friends Deb and Gary just bought property there 3 years ago! I wonder if you know them? Your plans sound awesome and I hope they work out.
@@nataliemarino7581 , Hi! No I do not know them, but who knows, we may meet one day!
How much was it? if you don't mind me asking
Thinking of ourselves as a keystone species is so much better than an apex predator. Thank you for inspiring me to continue in the college of forestry.
Thank you very much for this beautiful video. We are working in Spain, less desertified but exact same principles for restoration! Greetings from Al-Andalus (الأندلس)
I can't stop my eyes 😭 tears 😭 seeing how this Change will make impact to the whole world.
I been in Egypt, moroco, Saudi, UAE, and I've seen this kind of system watering plants by hoses.
I a can't stop thinking how blessed I am in living in o country that full of everything . PHILIPPINES.
🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🙏🙏🙏🙏 Oh Lord GOD
Thank you for everything
I have been checking the site on Google Maps regularly since I found this channel, and seeing that the trees continue to die out ever since the irrigation was stopped, I thought that the whole project had failed. Never knew that the region can have no rain at all for such a long period of time. This has been a trial by fire for the system. Congratulations to the whole Al Baydha team. Looking forward to get an update from the Google Map satellite images.
Can you point us to the map? I've been trying to find it and it's a needle in a haystack.
@@marcheck3400
Many thanks !!
This is wonderful, some Rural Areas in South Africa can benefit from this.
Would be easier work as the climate is a lot more forgiving. I was devastated by the deforestation in my rural homelands but it's nothing that cant be fixed.
That would be wonderful to see. We can’t say that animals don’t need it. A lot more mouths to feed and thirsts to quench.
So very pleased that they system has survived and shown to be resilient without rainfall. Thanks heaps for sharing this update. We rejoice with you.
David Whyte 2
It was not actually resilient without rainfall, as they mentioned plants and trees began dying off. When the rain came again is when everything came back to life though, and all that did survive became battle tested for the conditions. They should be planting as many Acacia trees as possible as they are native to the area and climate.
@@seanregehr4921 Exactly... Sean. Trees and Grass, " but the right kind of trees and grass". There is an interesting story about re-establishing forest in the desert areas of the Grand canyon and Colorado river, and it was all about finding the right trees out of 25 or more varieties of cottonwood and birch trees. Those forests were cut down in the 1800s to be used in the steam powered riverboats of that era.
@@rodneycaupp5962 Really annoying how the greed of the past can destroy so much of potential for the future
@@RagbagMcShag And lack of foresight. There was an attitude of, "There's more where that came from." If people are not educated about consequences, and how everything is connected to everything else, they are unlikely to imagine how their behaviours have impact on the world around them. Do we think that most people who toss their plastic water or soft drink bottles out of the window of their cars are intentionally contributing to the monstrously huge Pacific Gyre of garbage, killing fish and other marine animals? Please tell me "no."
I've watched tens of thousands of permaculture and regenative ag videos. This guy makes some wonderfully nuanced points at the end. Inspiring as hell. My Phoenix food forest is starting its 4th year, and has been very successful.
I've seen this video more than 10 times, just to remind me that I have a huge responsibility to start regenerating the soil on my land. Finally I got the guts to leave my tech job in order to get into the land and do something beautiful for mother nature.
Best of luck to you! This work is hard, but it's worth it.
Neal - I always thought Al Baydha was an impossible mission with a negative ROI that was a bridge too far for you - especially during the multi-year period with no rain around the time you left for Stanford. I have to give you credit for what you achieved with all of those stone earthwork check dams and terraces and dry land systems when the flood rain finally returned after several years. This is the sort of land repair task that will cost billions and required government money but it is one that you proved that can stop the desertification and that can repair the landscape (even though it may take a decade). Your work is also an inspiration showing that good regenerative design can (slowly) fix landscapes severely damaged by mismanagement and bad practices. Job well done...
The paani foundation in India uses watershed technology in much the same way. Good to see people making a difference
After dedicating myself to promoting land regeneration since 1998 this brings me tears of joy. Thanks you so much for this huge work. Well done!! so inspiring and thank you for the visual documentation and presentation.
Ma'am do you have your own organisation ?
Please share website
Is that so, so how about you tell us what you have done beside "promoting"? I see you have not responded to arun. Are you part of the problem, all talk and no action? I posted under Rocky Mountain MT what I have done, starting when I was 58 and what it is now when I am 75. "Promoting" is nothing without your own action. Are you a fake?
I found this story at the moment I needed to hear something positive. I was so moved by this story and the incredible message that I've always resonated with: That humans are inherently good and when inspired and activated by this message, can bring about such positive affects on each other and the environment. My 7th grade son is having to do a science project about how humans are destroying the world and our negative impact on the environment. He is supposed to find supporting evidence of this. Instead, he will be using this video as an example of what we are doing right for the planet. Thank you so much for your work, your message, and your inspiration.
You are definitely putting your hands on the solution to so many environmental issues. Not maintaining, you're bringing real solutions. Well done Neal 🙏
Love the comment that we shouldn't aim to be less bad, but to be good!
less bad is a good start
I had been holding my breath... I hadn't seen you post in so long that I was afraid that the project had failed. SO HAPPY to see that you all pulled it off. So inspiring!
this is where oil money should go...restore Saudi desert.
it certainly is the most sensible allocation of financial resources from the Saudi perspective but this brings up an interesting problem when you consider it further: the proceeds from the production and distribution of oil, a product that leads to the creation of carbon dioxide that furthers climate change around the world, would be used improve the environment local to it's source extraction at the cost of environment outside of it.
Agreed 100%
@Aedin Ridmash I think you mean. "The USA's money goes to buying oil." Your sentence structure had that backwards. Understandable if English isn't your first language.
@Aedin Ridmash Nope.
Agricultural prosperity is _true_ wealth as it gives self-sufficiency and if people share and help one another it will ensure long lasting peace.
Cost billions, but MBS wants to spend a Trillion Dollars building the Line City. If that money was spent on these projects, rivers would flow in Saudi again.
Agree the cost of this is minor compared to the city that MBS wants to build. Saudi Arabia' can afford to fund a 100 of this type of project.
why isn't this type of water capture being done on a grand scale in the southwest USA? Perfect for Arizona and it's flash flooding rains.
If nothing else at least now you know it is possible.
American Politicians refuse to accept thstvthere is a problem do no need to try and fix it. 😪
I guess, it was Truman, who started to build swales in south of US. Don´t know exactly. Mollisson shows it in one of his movies.
@@tss9886 farmers are also extremely slow to embrace change. In my experience with them anyways
Tragedy of the commons. Who owns the environment? Projects like this will require large scale government and private sector cooperation for a benefit that will take at least a few years to see. So no one does it.
Beautiful documentary. It was wise to recruit locals and elders. Take care of Mother Earth and always protect your land.
thanks to the people of Saudi Arabia for their initiative, willingness, trust, commitment, hard work, learning, persistence and other great human qualities to see the project through to this awesome hopeful result. And not just hope, for me its the realisation that with design and the above qualities, that shows as you say Neil 'humans being good for the planet'. Awesome. I did shed a tear of happiness! And, thank you Neil thank you. I have so enjoyed watching the journey through the videos. Go Well.
Congratulations to the people of Al Baydha! It took 6 years of hard labor and another 4 years of growth to see the fruits of your labor. You have so much to be proud of.
No matter how many times I watch this video, 1 day since it was uploaded, my tears flow, just seeing how the patience and resilience of everyone involved helped with the restoration of the environment by the grace of the ALMIGHTY.
I love how hyped everyone gets at the tumbling boulders, very relatable
The vegetation looked amazing. Since oil is becoming less important, more of Saudi Arabia needs to do this.
Commenting to help the RUclips algorithm spread this even further.
Amazing work Neal!
Who has summoned me?
@@dislike__button lol
It worked, and thank you 🙏
I was greatly impressed by what was shown in the video, it has made me rethink of where to buy land, with this possibility of regeneration.
What's so amazing about these sorts of water management techniques is they get better the larger you scale them up, which we're used to water usage getting less efficient as scale grows up. If an entire region uses these techniques, the atmospheric humidity can start to rise, furthering the amount of water available for system. It's also what makes desertification so easy. A little overgrazing in one area can quickly lead to collapse.
Is it such a massive undertaking to build terraces? Are the local people continuing to build them on their own? Or do they only do it when outsiders tell them to?
@@nonenoneonenonenone The Al-Baydha project was funded by one of the Saudi princes as a proof of concept; the immediate economic benefits compared to working in the urban centers is so little that many locals have no choice but to abandon these initiatives because of the massive upfront costs in manpower, time, and money it takes to dig swales, pile on berms, and terrace the mountains.
While other states like India and China implement these on much larger scales because of the much more forgiving climate, Saudi Arabia's overreliance on oil money (which tends to be concentrated in the families that do control oil fields) and outsourcing of industrial / agricultural power means that there's very few people with the know-how to do this kind of thing, much less the willpower to implement the project with their own funds and time in the relatively harsher conditions of the Arabian Peninsula.
In the video he mentioned that they could replicate their small project across the region and possibly return rivers to the area. I think scaling up would quickly improve the area. It is amazing how just adding cover crops or mulch can cool the surface of an area. Cool the surface of several areas the size of their project and so much would change for the better. I sure hope they keep the project going and growing.
There are spots here in the southwest USA that had similar projects. With these projects, they have had natural springs return that feed water sources. Ponds that were lost are back. With the retained water, the life of the area has greatly increased.
Nature is good to us when we are good to it.
Great point and cause for great hope!
Masha Allah, thanks for your helping my Muslim brothers.
thank you for restoring life on our land, neal.
What an incredible project! I hope it gets adopted all over Saudi Arabia and the world. Thank you for sharing, what an inspiration!
What is so inspiring about this story is that if we have the willpower, we can learn from our mistakes and fix degraded lands anywhere in the world. So much of the news cycles is how bad humans can be, but we are also capable of doing great things. I look at this ecological project as something that is as beautiful as any museum painting. Both made by humans and we are richer for their existence.
this is truly one of the biggest achievements of our time.
This is a great project and a great message. Praise the Lord.
This land is blessed by the royals family ability to raise the Wadie ability to retain water and bless their family’s land. Bless all families who help other families prosper
These men are building a real future. Projects like this one are blooming all over the world, and bring hope for our children...
"When we recognize our role as a Keystone species"
Talk about a reframe! So inspiring!
Absolutely! We have the ability to transform ecosystems into paradises.
@@aaronlohr8477 yet so little of us are doing it... 😩
Basically what conservatives have believed all along.
@@fareshajjar1208 doubt that. We wouldnt be mowing lawns "they" did. 😣 If you know you know.
I've been following this project for years and was very sad when the videos stopped. Seeing that grass sweep in the wind at 12:10 makes me very happy. Congratulations! And please, keep updating!
Two key things to note; nature/wildlife is resilient and persistent.
You took the time to nurture the plants enough and we'll enough at the beginning, giving them time and strength to root in before the droughts. I think this is critical as to where a system can survive sever drough in its infancy.
That's my two cents. 🙂
so glad i re-found this video since the beginning of the pandemic...
♥♥
“We are not destructive by nature, but by habit” beautifully said
Big Respect from Hawaii!!! You are a hero of humanity and this needs to be replicated across the whole planet!
This made me cry. It’s so beautiful what they are doing
This is so beautiful, thank you so much for sharing this project, I wish we could do this all over the world, 🙏🌎❤️
Sir, you are a living legend! That is a legacy that you live behind that will inspire future generations.
That made me cry. What a magnificent transformation. Congratulations to all who made a dream come true.
this had me teary eyed, the perseverance, commitment, and trust that the earth will do its part in helping you out. I'm so touched, its so inspiring. this earth needs more people like you . Big salute, and thank you for sharing.
Those shots over the fields of grass were so beautiful.
yes, except they are NOT from that spot, but worked into the film for the gullible to think it is
@@TWOCOWS1 proof?
@@holgerchristensen4021 look around the scenery. do you really need someone to point that out to you? no wonder these folks find it so easy to fool people
@@TWOCOWS1 Its funny you said that, because I did and its quite obvious that they are filming the same spots, but from a different angle. So you have to rewatch the clips and keep an eye on the cliffs. You only fooled yourself.
Its 2022 Now , more than ever , we need green ! Respect for your beautiful work ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We are all for you. Good job. This is what we love seeing! And love enabling! The Earth300 Team.
with only 3 inches of rain a year, and sometimes 3 years with no rain...now that's a challenge. In West Texas there are many areas that only get 12 inches of rain a year. Ground looks similar to the Al Bayda area as well. i've always thought being able to harness the runoff from the mountains was key to transforming the watershed.
Those people should MOVE from them,mother nature will be NOT always that nice to them...this is NOT uncommon in those regions.
@@WadcaWymiaru you cant have mass migration dude
The world is already doing that as millions are getting displaced. It's not sustainable obviously. Gotta fix what we messed up and we gotta learn to work with nature instead of "conquering" it
@@gustavohopkins242
There was ALWAYS a "mass migration" in the history. All mongol rides in China, the Vikings...thousands migrated, rest died from hunger and cold because were UNABLE to rise the crops! Think before you wrote!
And now new "ice age" is coming!
@@WadcaWymiaru Dude you should check out what permaculture is! :D
ruclips.net/video/Jr78Fn-wnR8/видео.html
@@WadcaWymiaru yes im quite aware that there has been mass migration. That's why we should try to avoid it.... because what the huns and Mongolians did is an indication of what desperate people with nothing to lose can do.
This is what Middle East needs... and this is what the people there need to be thought about
we already know how to build terraces..weve been doing this for 1000s of years he told you.. it was nabatean and yemeni agricultural methods. we just have corrupt governments
@@saudaltamimi8637 but there weren't that many built before apparently.
a multi level peace making endeavor , we can divert funding from massive military campaigns into this and create life supporting systems that will restore hearts and minds
Reality is that doesn't need military money. The amounts are pocket change for the Saudis.
Saudi could easily afford to do this.
They could even invest in designing equipment that could make swales fast
Bless the royal family for their work and continued success on all of your Water ways to enhance the life of your peoples, from Bloomington Indiana United States
"We are not destructive by nature, but by habit. Our potential for destruction is mirrors by our potential for Regeneration. The Al Baydha project shows that if we recognize our role as a keystone species on Earth, then we can become the primary vector for regenerating our planet."
BRAVO! This is miraculous work that must be studied and replicated in every desert region.
This is absolutely inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wow!
Well done Neal. I don't think I could have resisted boughten irrigation for that long. Not after all that work.
But what a smack right in the face type of proof. Well done!
Regenerative agriculture IN A DESERT!
This project proves that even with extreme weather patterns that climate change will likely cause in the future we can still feed the world if we employed the right practices! Very inspiring, thank you!
amazing story, I teared up seeing the transformations of the landscape
Every time I watch this video it is better than I remembered it. Amazing project, would love to see more updates.
Hi Paul -- i haven't been back in 4 years, and the project's mostly focused on a housing development for the tribes there. But keep an eye out on the Green Saudi Initiative...
Totally wonderful. The shots 12-13 minutes in show the absolute magic of permaculture. Al-Hamdulillah!
I was really worried about this project caus it kinda dissappeared from sight. This video just BLEW my mind away im sooooo happy to see that it was a success and I cant wait to collaborate with these folks in the future!
God I love that statement, “we are not destructive by nature but by habit”, that is so true. Great job!
شكرا جزيلا لتجسيد مشروع البيضاء،،،لمكافحة التصحر،،،بغرس شجيرات على مستوى الجبال،،،للوقاية من انجراف التربة،،،ولتلطيف الجو بهذه المنطقة الحارة،،،ولتيسير العيش للساكنة،،،،،عموما،،،نتمنى الاستمرار في تجسيد هذا المشروع الطموح لهذا البلد الطيب،،،ولاهله الطيبون الكرماء،،،،حفظكم الله ورعاكم،،،،وجعل الجنة مثواكم،،
this is the sort of stories that should be made viral. Congratulations!
Truly inspirational. I've followed your journey from the start. I hope to one day see all of middle east flourishing in the same beauty. I would love to see a walkthrough and tour of the lands where you talk more in detail about successes and failures. How you built your dams to not wash away during floods would be more than interesting.
Congratulations! What a great wholistic approach to regeneration . Long live Al Baydha!
I watch this and feel real hope for our planet and man kind , let’s all embrace such practices ,where ever we are , close the loop and seek renewable systems of sustainability.
There is no reason to lack hope. God already designed and created everything and made it to work efficiently and sufficiently. The key to restoring His kingdom (the earth), is to stop the destructive practices. They have been going on for far too long and look how well it still works under such duress with little to no attention en mass. Certainly only a little consistent care will go a long way to restoring all the earth's natural systems.
Isaiah c35 v1 says The wilderness and the parched land will exult and the desert plain will blossom as the saffron
What an amazing project.. Thanks to all who participated, I am inspired.
We can not settle for being less bad to the earth, we should be good for the earth 🌍
Breathtaking achievement. I’m sorry your funding dried up, but such a brave decision,to cut the irrigation, and such a payoff. Seeing those grasses swaying is just wonderful. Congratulations to all the people involved and I hope this is now the.sustainable system everyone wanted. As long as overgrazing doesn’t happen, it should help lots of people have a better life. Thank you for this film! 🙏
yes my thoughts on hoping the grazing is managed
We’ve been using these techniques thousands of years at southern province in the mountains , but the main difference is the weather we have cold weather all year , that’s impressive.. good work
This is amazing. Thank you for posting this update and for showing the progress Through Time. I commend your steadfast commitment to persisting through the drought. What you gain from coming through that with without compromising and irrigating is a wealth in itself. I Look to this project as a model of my own 2.5 acres of desert land, and my hope to bring rural prosperity and ecological abundance to an otherwise degraded piece of desert. Keep up the good work, you are inspiring to us all!
Anyone seeing this in New Mexico? Let me know when you're ready for large scale implementation, im ready when you are!
Ive built earthships for 20 years and been living off the grid with water catchment only, and in the last few years intensely studying regenerative ag and holistic management.
Im ready when you are-
Awesome! I'm saving up to hopefully buy some land to try permaculture here. Although I am not rich so I will probably have to start pretty small. I'm so glad to hear someone else interested in balancing the drought here:D
@@emh.1178 What area are you looking at? There's lots of land available for leasing in NM, which is something to consider as your looking. A lot of the good land is sky high expensive and owning is not always a necessity for improving..
Hi i am from a land where drought affects every year i want know can anyone do this and can you list books or information on how this can be done thx
@@khassan2964 yes my friend! A very good resource is the book 'holistic management' by Allan Savory. Pasticultores del Desierto is an organization countering desertification with the use of ruminants.. Dr Christine Jones from Australia is a good source as well. Don't let the rain leave your lands! That's number one!! Build swales and keep the ground covered.. Hard work and long term thinking pay off!
@@khassan2964 I'll be happy to discuss with you or suggest more info if you want. Just let me know-
Way to go Neal and those involved. This is an uplifting and important work.
what amazing work. Permaculture can teach us so much. I love that everyone on this project had so much patience and kept the vision alive through all those dry intervening years. All over the world there are pockets of such good work. Together we are strong and can help the earth sustain us once more
"A typical flood on Wadi Al Lith" involves enough water to irrigate 1.3E8 trees for three years. The watershed of Wadi Al Lith is 3820 sq km according to the map on the video. I did the math for acres, the unit of area I'm familiar with for establishing trees. That's more than 100 trees per acre across the watershed ... an enormous potential in that flood runoff.
The vast majority of arid regions on this planet, involve a watershed capacity enough to take them out of "desert" condition. Rather easily. Provide a lot of correction work is supplied.
As we all know, by now, the desertification process. Considerably reduces the water content of a landscape. Dumping it straight into rivers and eventually the sea/ocean. Or in other words total waste of water!
BTW We already do that, also in very large scale, with our sewage and storm water systems. We "collect" precious water and dump it directly into the sea/ocean! No wonder most underground water is going down and out. As fast as Humans gather in the landscape.
Cities sinking >9m and more it's a cruel reality, totally Human made!
Among hundreds of case studies known to mankind. There's the very interesting "Niger paradox"! Describing the phenomena how, in this case, the Niger river, in Africa. Increased it's water displacement, dumping it into the Ocean. While the desert left behind increase exponentially, year after year!! ;-)
This is amazing! I'm a big supporter of regenerative agriculture and living, and this is so inspiring to see. To demonstrate that this can work in the desert, shows what can be done in more forgiving environments as well.
When I co-designed Hoku nui, 2012-2016, a Regenerative Farming Community on 260-acres of dead soil, that was former toxic, poisoned pineapple farming for 15 years, I watched our 160 cattle, 1,000 chickens, 107 sheep, a few goats, + pigs and our Keyline Design and Yeomans plow restore vibrant life, a flourishing ecosystem and beautiful grasses! We are Nature and when we act like it, MIRACLES replace the confusion, desertification of loving hearts, and the soil. Aloha, Claire
Excellent work. Very inspiring. Thank you.
Look who I just found here 😆
Excellent work, but they have to plant trees in the upper parts of the mountains so that the water table rises and water sources are created.
@@ferchopuentes1901 they have to plant grass. Not trees. Start from trees is a mistake. People need to make the succession in the right way, not to jump right into trees, it's not natural. The environment will not hold it easily
Grass - bushes - small trees - medium trees - big trees. A nd all plants related to each level
@@ferchopuentes1901 You are not wrong. And trees are eventually going to be necessary. And yes, trees are much better then grasses...
But there is more to it. If you try to start a environment with trees is the same as trying to start a house in the roof. You wiil need to hold it in your own hands, because there is no structure under it.
The first dry season, the first cold, the moment that you stop watering, the first plague... And all your really hard work is gone.
Start small and you won't never ever even need to be watering or fertilizing
Very satisfying to watch bare desert turn into greenery...please keep updating...thanks
Inspiring initiative proving that will and resilience can mitigate climate change