water water everywhere not a drop to drink.
Prickly pears came from Mexico to these parts of the world a few centuries ago. It seems as most of what we eat came from S.Mexico and central America. Life must have originated there. Maybe the Mayas were the first humans.
In very dry climates and pine forests fences made from these cacti serve as fire barriers, Somehow fire fronts reach them and come to a halt.
Looking at some of the pics from Morocco it is obvious that there hasn't been much vegetation in the surrounding hills in ages. Little vegetation, little organic matter to decompose and create organic matter in the soil, little water retention, nearly sand as soil that turns to clay and further prevents any water penetration and storage, nothing for
trees to grow on, other than bags of compost/soil that will retain water for the
root system to support growth. A vicious cycle, the dessertification of our lands is no joke. It is hard to accept that you can no longer survive in your
land without a global system of exploitation and oppression. This is how we can live on top of a rock and eat a washington
apple.
Invasive species from other lands and parts of the world can never be the solution. We must recover ancient seeds and restore them to bring life back to the valleys of death. They say that the most fertile part of Italy was destroyed by overproduction of sheep and goat herding during the Roman millenia.