500 tortoises are transforming the land

[Catherine]

Sulcata tortoises are native to Africa, but their numbers are declining. They are gone from some parts of their natural territory.
They released 500 Sulcata Tortoises into the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in 2021. Five years later the results are noticeable from space.
There are patches of green in the barren land. 

The tortoises don't plant anything, they dig tunnels in the barren soil to escape the extreme desert temperatures. This allows water to penetrate the baked surface of the land. What water there is can now stay in the ground. Seeds, long dormant can now germinate. This isn't a sudden return of forests. It is a slow steady process of vegetation establishing itself in the barren desert. The return of vegetation has brought a return of insects and small animals. It is a gradual return of biodiversity.
The tortoises are Ecosystem Engineers that reshape the land for the benefit of other species.

https://indiandefencereview.com/african-...-recovery/


https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/artic...4DtroYFPEg


It has only been 5 years and there is a noticeable difference. Who knows what more time will bring. It is a conservation project that is bringing results.
If more tortoises can be released in more areas a lot of good changes can happen.

When keystone species are returned to the land, the land is restored. It is a slow process, but it works.