Desert-map | Nature Adventure

The Desert

Welcome to the desert!

Deserts are created in areas where little rainfall occurs; they may be completely sandy, or full of short shrubs and some special plants, like cacti. Some deserts are even cold, like in the polar regions!

While it may look empty at first, there are many unique species that call this environment home! To explore the desert yourself, scroll down. If you're interested in what kinds of scientists work in this environment, check the tabs above!

Biologists, horticulturalists, range and land managers, and many others all have a place in the desert ecosystem.

With climate change turning more parts of the world into desert environments, we have to learn how to adapt! The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service help farmers and ranchers manage their crops and animals in this difficult environment. They study soil health, environmental changes, new agricultural technologies, and even find alternative crops and animals to farm that lessen the strain on the fragile desert ecosystem!

The Bureau of Land Management helps protect publicly accessible deserts for recreation and conservation, and the US Fish and Wildlife department studies the animals that live there!

Local state and tribal governments also employ scientists to help to preserve the land and come up with sustainable methods of farming.

click any animal or plant to learn more about them!

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