Land, water, life.

Ecological restoration in the Qaidam Basin, seen through its plants, water, wildlife and the people who work the land.

A sand wall approaches. Wind sweeps across the ground. Visibility falls.

Restoration begins with roots.

Saxaul shrubs are grown alongside Cistanche, a medicinal plant supported by their roots. Caring for these plants connects the restoration of vegetation with a harvest and a livelihood.

How saxaul and Cistanche grow together

Saxaul is the host plant. Cistanche attaches to its roots and depends on that living connection as it grows. Cultivating them together links the care of desert vegetation with the work of growing medicinal plants.

Unrestored ground and restoration in progress, photographed from different viewpoints.

Living with wind and sand.

A wall of dust approaches. Sand races across the ground, and the horizon disappears. Restoring vegetation in this landscape takes years of planting and care.

Landscape under restoration · Qaidam Basin

Field notes · sand checkerboards

Open dunes and checkerboard barriers were photographed during a field journey through the Qaidam Basin. These images document other restoration sites in the region, outside this project.

Across the wider basin

Open dunes and sand checkerboards, photographed during a journey through the Qaidam Basin. These observations come from other sites in the region, outside the project site.

Open dunes in the Qaidam Basin. A regional landscape observation.

Sand checkerboards across dunes. Observed during a field journey in the Qaidam Basin; outside the project site.

A ground-level view of checkerboard barriers in the Qaidam Basin. Regional observation, outside the project site.

Water in a changing landscape.

Springs, open channels and wetlands are part of the landscape documented during restoration. Winter ice, moving water and green margins reveal how this place changes with the seasons.

Spring water recorded after ecological restoration · Qaidam Basin

Water channels through the landscape · Qaidam Basin

Where ice meets open water · Qaidam Basin

Open water between the dunes, bordered by shrubs and green banks.

Moving water winds through grassy banks.

Wetland vegetation spreads along shallow water at the foot of the dunes.

A place for life.

Swans gather at the edge of winter ice; insects settle among the shrubs. Alongside these encounters with wildlife, sheep and camels reflect the continuing work of local herders.

Swans at the edge of winter ice · Qaidam Basin

A dragonfly at rest. A close observation from the July field archive.

From the land, a livelihood.

Goji fields, medicinal crops and grazing connect the land with everyday work. For farming and herding families, restoration continues through planting, tending, harvesting and caring for the landscape.

Rows of goji in late summer · Qaidam Basin

Goji berries ripen on the branches · Qaidam Basin

A closer look at the crops · Qaidam Basin

Cultivated fields and shelterbelts seen from above.

Goji berries ripen on heavily laden branches.

Field films

Brief field recordings of water, wildlife and sand checkerboards across the Qaidam Basin.

Swans in flight · Qaidam Basin

Sand checkerboards · regional observation, outside the project site.

Flowing water · Qaidam Basin

Across the landscape · Qaidam Basin