In southern Russia, there are places where fertile land is gradually turning to sand. In the arid regions of Dagestan, Kalmykia, and Astrakhan, the soil has been losing moisture and vegetation for years as a result of heat. The situation is worsened by overgrazing – a global problem which occurs when animals graze on the same pasture for too long, without giving the land time to recover. Local people and specialists are looking for ways to halt the advance of the desert.
In Dagestan, shepherds use a traditional migratory grazing method – every spring, they drive their sheep from lowland pastures up into the mountains, where summers are cooler and grass is more abundant. While the animals graze on high-altitude meadows, the lowland pastures have time to rest and regenerate.
In Kalmykia and Astrakhan Region, specialists monitor soil conditions and plant juzgun – a shrub with a powerful root system that helps stabilise the sandy soil and keep it from spreading.
Green Sheep Drive is the story of people fighting desertification and striving to restore the land’s fertility.
