the invention of a device in the uk has raised the hopes of regenerating degraded lands by promoting growth of trees. The invention could prove to be a boon as about one-fourth of the world's land is degraded drylands and nearly one-fifth of the world's population is facing the constantly increasing risk of starvation due to soil erosion caused by deforestation and desertification. Besides, all steps to prevent desertification have proved ineffective.

The device is called Ecosphere, and its inventor is Alasdair Macgregor, the founder of the London-based company Airaim db Limited. Ecosphere consists of a pod that encapsulates seeds, along with nutrients to feed it and moisture to water it, protecting the seeds till their roots have grown big enough to tap into the water table. Macgregor says Ecosphere is "a self-contained backpack for seeds and seedlings which would absorb, hydrate, filter and hold moisture and nutrients and prevent evaporation once rain or groundwater had dried up' ( LPS Weekly Newsletter , August 3, 1999).

On the outside, the pod is a "reflective, biodegradable, semi-permeable, temperature-smart' filter shell with an osmotic pressure membrane on the inside, containing a nutrient-based polymer to absorb rainwater in the ground and store it. While growing, the germinating seedling can tap into this. Macgregor says Ecosphere has been designed to be versatile and can be disseminated across land in several ways: in pod form by air, or in a strip or "cable' form by a truck or even by hand.

The inventor has visualised a "best-case scenario' for Ecosphere. It is "to contour hillsides with the cable version using unmanned aerial vehicles so as to avoid eroding the soil any further'. Macgregor is also the founder of the Desert Bloom Foundation. "Operation Desert Bloom is not an attempt to change nature; rather, it is a soft blend of technology specifically designed to give nature a kick-start in its own healing process,' says Macgregor.

He points out that the aim of developing Ecosphere is: "to relieve poverty and malnutrition among indigenous populations and developing countries by seeking to halt degradation of land caused by deforestation and desertification.' Ecosphere has already been patented in the uk and the us . It is proposed that the invention be developed further before beginning trials.

For further information contact:

Alasdair Macgregor, 16 Lexton Gardens,
London, UK, SW12 8AY