432 THE FUTURE OF ARID LANDS 
plants of arid and semi-arid regions with a view toward deter- 
mining their usefulness and adaptability to grazing and culti- 
vation. 
24. There is reason to believe that studies of pharmaceutical 
and industrial uses of desert plants would be justified. 
25. Intensified studies should be made on the formation, 
measurement, and utilization of dew to determine its potentialities 
as a supplement to rainfall in arid regions. Such studies should 
encompass the utilization of dew by plants and the selection of 
plants most efficient in such use; the relationship of dew to soil 
moisture; and the establishment of physical relationships for ex- 
tracting dew from the atmosphere. 
26. Natural arid land ecological communities of indigenous 
animals and plants in their original habitats are essential for 
educational and scientific purposes. Areas of adequate size should 
be acquired and preserved in the various arid land countries. 
Also see recommendations 1, 2, 3, 14, 16, 17, 18, and 30(, 11). 
Organization, Communication, and Interdisciplinary Programs 
27. The UNESCO Advisory Committee on Arid Zone Research 
is urged to revise and reissue its list of national and international 
scientific institutions concerned with arid land problems. The re- 
vised list should be as comprehensive and as up to date as possible 
and should include addresses and fields of interest in order to 
serve effectively for intercommunication among workers in various 
disciplines. 
28. Permanent cooperation in connection with studies on the 
demineralization of salty and brackish water should be main- 
tained among the UNESCO Advisory Committee on Arid Zone 
Research, the U.S. Saline Water Conversion Program, and Work- 
ing Party No. 8 on demineralization of salt and brackish waters 
of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OQEEC) 
with the objective of adapting technical possibilities to local needs 
and economic resources. 
29. Interdisciplinary studies should be promoted in order to 
sharpen the concepts used in defining, delimiting, and classifying 
