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Dryland management

The dilemma of global dryland management

Nature Plants volume 11, pages 1983–1984 (2025)Cite this article

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When aridity levels exceed a threshold, dryland vegetation productivity decreases dramatically. A new global study shows that high levels of protection within conservation areas enhance the capacity of drylands to withstand more drying, significantly advancing the aridity threshold. This finding highlights the dilemma of global dryland management, that is, whether we should prioritize protection or continue dryland development.

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Fig. 1: The effects of aridity on dryland vegetation productivity depend on conservation status.

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Acknowledgements

L.W. acknowledges funding support from National Science Foundation grants DEB-2307257 and DEB-2406931.

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  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Lixin Wang

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  1. Lixin Wang
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Correspondence to Lixin Wang.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Wang, L. The dilemma of global dryland management. Nat. Plants 11, 1983–1984 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02102-w

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