iv PREFACE 
Several factors combined to bring together the scientists who 
took part in the International Arid Lands Meetings in New 
Mexico, April 26-May 4, 1955. A group within the Southwestern 
and Rocky Mountain Division of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR 
THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE under the chairmanship of Peter 
Duisberg had felt that much could be learned from an interna- 
tional exchange of thinking on arid lands research problems. The 
national Association, interested in promoting the cooperation of 
scientific groups and also in bringing basic research needs to the 
attention of a wider public, lent its formal support and the able 
guidance of John Behnke to the enterprise. Under its broad pro- 
gram for fostering the development of arid lands the United 
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization gave 
its strong backing and the weight of its experience in sponsoring 
other international explorations of this character in Israel, 
Turkey, France, and India. A program committee (listed else- 
where in this volume) was appointed by the Board of the Associa- 
tion to draw up plans for the meetings. It was decided to arrange 
a public symposium around a few key problems and to invite 
thinking without regard to traditional boundaries of academic 
fields. The chairmen were to offer summary statements at the 
conclusion of each session. At the same time it was felt important 
to provide for informal discussion among participants so as to 
make the most of possible exchange of ideas and experience among 
those who were at the forefront of their respective fields. Accord- 
ingly, a series of discussion groups were planned for the final day 
of the symposium, a two-day field trip was scheduled, and a con- 
ference was planned for a smaller group selected so as to represent 
the various countries and disciplines. 
With this program in hand, financial aid was sought and ob- 
tained. The National Science Foundation, the Rockefeller Foun- 
dation, and UNESCO granted funds which made it possible to 
pay the expenses of some of the scientists who would not otherwise 
be able to attend, thus assuring a highly representative group. 
Substantial support was given by local business groups through a 
finance committee of the Division. The University of New Mexico 
generously served as host for the Symposium, and the New 
