You are the Solution
"Species are not declining because they forgot how to breed, eat, or otherwise secure what they need to survive. Species are declining because of human activity and our choices.
As such, because people are the problem, people also need to be the solution."
- Dr. James Danoff-Burg, Vice President of Conservation.
Introducing the "You Are the Solution Wall" at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens—an interactive experience that inspires conservation actions. This vibrant mural showcases local wildlife and encourages guests to engage with hidden messages, make pledges, and share their experiences. It's a call to action, reminding everyone that they can make a difference in preserving our planet's beauty and biodiversity.
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Social Science Workshops
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens conducts social science training workshops around the world to collaborate with and provide ongoing assistance to hundreds of local field conservationists and students in over 30 different countries. These collaborative programs promote species survival and ecosystem prosperity by helping local conservationists work more effectively with and on behalf of their communities.
Dr. James Danoff-Burg works with students in Sizinda, Zimbabwe, during the Painted Dog Research Trust BCCS Workshop.
The Living Desert conducts interview surveys throughout five communities in South Africa to assess the social impacts of the programs.
The Living Desert conducts interview surveys throughout five communities in South Africa to assess the social impacts of the programs.
Participate in social science by becoming a community scientist!
Download the iNaturalist or Seek to catalog the wildlife you see.
Take the time to visit a local park or nature preserve and go on a nature walk to spot wildlife!
How does this help? Your submissions contribute to wildlife management research, including population and migration data.
To learn more about this topic, explore the following content.
Community Conservation in Zimbabwe
Torrez Martinez Tribal Youth Restoring California Deserts
Building Community Conservation Success in Zimbabwe
Building Community Conservation Success in Zimbabwe: Best Teaching Experience Ever
Building Community Conservation Success in Zimbabwe: Rhino Reintroduction
Building Community Conservation Success in Zimbabwe: Imvelo Safari Lodges -
Headstart Hatchling Project
The Living Desert is participating in an effort to rescue the endangered desert tortoise. We have implemented a distinctive headstarting program, which involves nurturing cohorts of desert tortoise hatchlings. This program significantly improves the juvenile tortoises’ odds of survival during their critical first year. These hatchlings are then reintroduced into their natural habitats approximately one year later.
Join the Nesting Fun: Protect the Desert Tortoise at Home!
Always dispose of waste properly (no littering!) and cover your trash.
Human trash is bad for the environment for a variety of reasons, but in particular, it can provide an unnatural food source for wild animals. In our Coachella Valley over the past 50 years, ravens have become dependent on human food waste as a food source, and their population has increased to a number that the ecosystem cannot support. Juvenile desert tortoises provide a natural food source for ravens, but the increased number of ravens is wreaking havoc on the desert tortoise population. Always cover your trash cans to prevent ravens from relying on your waste as a food source.
Take your action one step further by encouraging your favorite local restaurants to always cover their dumpsters, or only patronizing those restaurants who do so.
To learn more about this topic, explore the following content.
Desert Tortoises Take Next Steps
Helping Wild Tortoises Win
Desert Tortoise Headstart Project -
Desert Flora and Fauna
The Living Desert, a leader in the cultivation of native California desert flora, annually propagates more than 3,000 plants from dozens of species for reintroduction into protected natural areas. This ongoing initiative contributes to the restoration of native habitats, while simultaneously ensuring that natural communities in the Coachella Valley and throughout Southern California are thriving.
Transform Your Home into a Native Oasis: How to Take Action with The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens!
Join The Living Desert in restoring native habitat by adding native, drought-tolerant plants around your home – whether in your yard, on a balcony or patio, or even on a windowsill!
Plant native milkweed species like desert milkweed or rush milkweed to provide a place for butterflies to lay their eggs. Check out our native pollinator plant guide:Click here.
Save water and money by xeriscaping, or replacing a thirsty lawn with native, low-maintenance landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. Xeriscaping can reduce your water bill by up to 80%!
To learn more about this topic, explore the following content.
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Pollinator Pathways
Insect pollinators are confronting significant challenges, primarily stemming from habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of climate change. In response, The Living Desert has launched an initiative to grow and plant native pollinator gardens. The Living Desert collaborates closely with local communities to create these pollinator pathways, which cater to resident and migratory species across the Coachella Valley.
To learn more about this topic, explore the following content.
A Pollinator Pathway in the Coachella Valley
A Super Time for Desert Blooms
Pay it Forward for Pollinators
Help Ensure that the Desert is truly a Living Desert
The Monarchs are on the Move
Propagation in the Coachella Valley Preserve