This Saves Dying Land, Everywhere

What if we could turn dying land into a thriving complete ecosystem? Because there is a simple solution, and in this video I'm going to show you a place where it's already working. But what's happening here isn't just a local success story, the same process is restoring land in the UK, in the US and even in parts of Africa. And this isn't just about nature, it's about food, water, resilience and ultimately weather if our landscapes can support us into the future. Let's start things off in the Cambrian Mountains of Wales, on a very cold and very windy day. Gloves, gloves would have been a really good call today. UK uplands are exposed, you've got absolutely no shelter out here, anywhere in the UK. Well, there's almost nowhere that hasn't been touched and influenced by man. And when we look at our uplands, these landscapes, they're man-made. They're not meant to be treeless, they're not meant to be these monocultures of grass. These landscapes look wild, they look natural. To some, they might even look healthy, but they aren't. They're dominated by a single plant species, purple moorgrass, which is often called millennia. Compared to what these landscapes once were, and what they could be, they now function as biological deserts. Millennia has shallow root systems, which means the land holds far less water and erodes more easily. And during droughts, exposed soil dries out quickly. And when rain falls, water runs straight off the surface instead of soaking in. And because millennia supports very little wildlife, life above ground collapses too. It's a tough, resilient grass, and once it takes hold, it spreads fast. But millennia isn't the problem, it's a symptom. So what's actually broken here? Well, at its core, this is a broken relationship between plants and animals. In the UK, landscapes like this have been reshaped over centuries. Apex predators were wiped out, ancient forests were cut down, and peat bogs were drained. All the while, fences and enclosures went up. Wild herbivores were replaced by non-native livestock, and without the forces that once controlled their movement. Grazing became continuous. There was no pause, no recovery, and no time for the land to reset. And in the uplands, millennia is one of the few plants that can survive under this constant pressure, largely because most of the year, it's unpalatable to even sheep. So it begins to dominate, year after year after year. And to halt this dominance, and to bring the millennia back, huge areas are burnt. It's a cycle that never recovers, but only slowly degrades. And this pattern isn't unique to Britain. In places like Montana, in the United States, vast herds of bison were replaced by cattle. Predators were removed, and miles of fencing stopped natural movement across the landscape. Grasslands that evolved with intense short bursts of grazing, followed by long periods of rest, became continuously grazed instead. Deeper rooted grasses disappeared, bare soil ground expanded between plants, and soils compacted, and water stopped soaking in. In Africa's Sahara region, the story looks different on the surface, but the process is the same. For centuries, herders moved livestock across huge distances. Grazing was intense, but brief, and the land was given time to recover. But then borders were drawn, and people were encouraged or forced to settle. Permanent wells removed the need to move, and in many areas, conflict made movement unsafe. The animals didn't change, but the grazing patterns did. Continuous pressure replaced seasonal movement, and perennial grasses collapsed into short-lived annual weeds, and bare soil expanded, accelerating desertification. So, in essence, the problem we're seeing is this. Across the world, land breaks down when movement of herbivores is replaced by boundaries. Different places, different animals, but the same broken system. If you value videos like this, the best way to support the channel is through the Leave Curious Patreon, where members help fund these stories and get extra behind the scenes content. So, if continuous grazing is the problem, what does the solution actually look like? It doesn't mean removing animals completely, and it doesn't mean abandoning the land. What it actually means is restoring something that has been missing for a very long time. Movement, rest, and recovery. Here in Wales, you can see this clearly at the Gilfac Nature Reserve. While this is an old hill farm, grazing is still at the heart of its management, so they manage it through extensive grazing, and they do it through cattle. I think there are some of these guys roaming around here. Having that big cattle in here, you know, barging over some of these, you know, like This land was once managed in a very similar way to the surrounding uplands. Grazing pressure was constant, vegetation was simplified, and recovery never really had a chance to begin. But at Gilfac, grazing has been carefully changed. Cattle are used instead of sheep, and are excluded from certain areas for long periods, or removed entirely where necessary. This isn't the end goal, but it's a way of allowing the land to reset. And along with some tree planting, the recovery here at Gilfac has been immense. It's the old trees which really give you the best clues about what was here, and what could still be here. This old apple tree is showing us that, you know, this is in the temperate rainforest zone. It's just covered in lichens, mosses, polypoly ferns. This whole valley could be temperate rainforest. Mate, what is it with monster calves? I tell you, it's either... Oh, I've got it all over the camera. It's either monster calves or stellar calves. If you want to drink this stuff, take it home with you. What often gets missed in conversations about land restoration is why this matters beyond wildlife and landscapes. Functioning land doesn't just support nature, it supports people. It holds water during droughts, and it reduces flooding during storms. And in times of uncertainty, it can sustainably produce high quality food. And this is where the story begins to widen. When I started looking into how similar ideas are being applied in the United States, I came across a story I generally don't think I would have found without Ground News, who are partners for this video. So it's a story about Native American tribes restoring bison to their land, and how those herds became a vital food source when government food assistance became uncertain. What stood out wasn't just the story itself, but how differently it was being covered. One of the things Ground News does really well is shows how the same story is reported across the political spectrum. Left-leaning coverage focused on food cuts and government responsibility, and right-leaning coverage emphasised self-reliance and government dysfunction. But what Ground News made clear to me is that almost no one focused on the ecological reason the tribes were able to respond at all, which is that the land had been restored, and the bison herd existed because of that. Another feature I really like is Blindspot, which highlights important stories that are disproportionately covered by one side, or easy to miss entirely depending on where you usually get your news. And for me, Ground News has become a genuinely useful tool, especially when I'm trying to understand global issues like land, food, security, and restoration, without getting trapped into a single narrative. And right now, Ground News is offering 40% off their Vantage plan, which includes everything I've just mentioned. You can scan the QR code on screen, or just head to ground.news.org using the link in the description and comments. Thank you to Ground News for supporting this video and helping me stay informed. When you look past the headlines and actually focus on what's happening on the ground in the US, the pattern is very familiar. In places like Montana, grazing systems are changing. Branches are moving away from continuous grazing, and instead using planned, rotational approaches. Cattle are kept in tighter groups, allowed to graze for shorter periods, and then they're moved on. The land is given long rest periods to fully recover. And the result is deeper-rooted grasses, healthier soils, and all-round better water retention. Vegetation stabilises riverbanks, and the land becomes more resilient to both drought and heavy rainfall. It's the same land and the same animals, but the difference is the timing. In parts of Africa's Sahel region, the solution looks different again, but the principle is exactly the same. For centuries, communities moved livestock seasonally across vast distances. Grazing was intense but brief, and land was given long periods to rest. As borders hardened, people were forced to settle. Permanent water points were introduced, and conflict made movement unsafe. And that system of grazing broke down. It became continuous, and the land began to degrade. But where movement is now being restored, even partially, the land responds. Perennial grasses return, bare soils shrink, and productivity begins to rebuild. So I think the honest thing to say about Gilfac is that the reason why it's been able to flourish and recover is because it's owned by the Wildlife Trust. And the sole aim here is to restore nature. And, you know, I don't think that that's necessarily the goal for the wider parts of the landscape, for the uplands. But I do think, and we are beginning to see it, is that landowners, you know, farmers who work in the uplands, you know, they really need to be incentivized to manage their land in a different way. Places like Gilfac, they are the blueprint, they are the inspiration to show us just how the land can change, and just how the land can be. If you've enjoyed watching this video, then please do like and subscribe to Leave Curious. Check out this video on the screen here, I think you're going to enjoy it. The membership is here if you want to see that. But in the meantime, thank you so much for watching. Leave Curious.