Sitting on Lawrence’s rock ( as in Lawrence of Arabia ) in Wadi Rum , Jordan , I could admire the dramatic sight of acres of desert sand interspersed with rock towers ; similar to Monument Valley, USA . This was an especially famous rock as it was adjacent to Lawrence’s spring , well more like a dribble ! In his time it was a strategically important site , being a watering point for men and camels whilst outflanking the Turks confined to their railway . Lawrence had to travel light , with small water bag, larger bag of flour ; weight rationed to carry sufficient tools of war. ; all on camels . Heat forces a slower pace of life , giving time to reflect , and camels did little damage to the deserts fragile ecosystem .
That was then ; we arrived in grotesquely large 4X4 ‘s which , whilst providing an exhilarating , and cool, drive across the sand dunes , totally destroyed any nascent vegetation. With spring rains , undisturbed desert busts into bloom from seemingly nothing . That is where the Bedouin’s goats hadn’t eaten what little exists . To prove a point , and burnish their ‘ green ‘ credentials ; a large tract of the Jordan Valley’s hillside had been fenced off to form a nature reserve ( Dana ) . We had a particular insight as a family member produced a business plan for them ; and we stayed overnight in comfortable accommodation to admire the results . Buzzards circled overhead doing the same , but expecting to eat the by-products .
Closer to home , in Argeles , large areas of the sand dunes have been fenced off ( to prevent human damage ) ; the result is a wildlife paradise of grasses populated by birds . A marked contrasted to the area inhabited by the tourists . A small part of the beach at Empuriabrava has been similarly demarcated and subsequently nature has returned . Man’ footprint on nature can be catastrophically large.
Meanwhile our dry garden ‘s cactus’s have produced some spectacular blooms this year . I wonder if that is the result of our near desert climate over the last winter . Is this what the future holds ?
