THE BARDAWIL &
SINAI INITIATIVE
BLUEPRINT FOR GLOBAL REGENERATION
This Blueprint presents the Bardawil & Sinai Initiative which aims to restore the water cycle of the Northern Sinai Peninsula. The document is meant to invite organisations and individuals to be inspired and contribute into landscape scale regeneration. We must protect, restore, and manage ecosystems sustainably to ensure long-term resilience for human livelihood.
Reading guide
After a general introduction, the initiative is introduced. Hereafter a water cycle regeneration perspective is presented and a regeneration strategy which could become a blueprint for landscape-scale regeneration worldwide.
Chapters and supporting documents
CHAPTER 1.
Introduction
Blueprint
Climate chaos is here heating, drying, flooding, and eroding progress for billions.
The answer isn’t carbon cuts alone: restore the water cycle by regenerating ecosystems. Discover how The Weather Makers’ Bardawil & Sinai Blueprint turns nature-based design into rainfall, jobs, and regional stability.
Degradation in Northern Africa: A multi-causal phenomenon
Paper
Degradation in Northern Africa: A Multi-Causal Phenomenon Northern Africa’s degradation arises from orbital forcing, land–atmosphere feedbacks, and long-standing human agency not climate alone. Sahara paleorecords show aridification outpaced Milankovitch pacing, implicating vegetation loss, fire, and pastoralism; restoration must be deliberate, context-aware, and regenerative.
UN Water Conference
Video
At the UN Water Conference we’ve explored how restoring ecosystems and water cycles can enhance climate resilience, prevent conflict, and build peace with insights from The Weather Makers, HCSS, and global partners.
CHAPTER 2.
The Bardawil and Sinai initiative
Blueprint
From conflict zone to rainfall engine: a Bedouin-led, science-backed plan to regreen Sinai bringing back rain, livelihoods, and stability across MENA.
Reviving Sinai
Video
Watch how regreening Sinai cools the land, turns winter winds into rain, and recharges the peninsula sharing moisture across the Middle East and North Africa. A science-led blueprint for biosphere restoration, ready to scale worldwide.
The Holy Grail of Restoration
Essay
From dust to rain. John D. Liu’s Sinai essay shows how restoring Lake Bardawil can reboot climate, jobs, and peace. Turning industry into a force for regeneration
‘Our biggest challenge? Lack of imagination’
Article
In China, scientists have turned vast swathes of arid land into a lush oasis. Now a team of maverick engineers want to do the same to the Sinai. Read the full The Guardian article about The Bardawil and Sinai initiative.
CHAPTER 3.
Biosphere Regeneration Perspective
White paper
Bring back the rain. A Millán Muñoz–inspired, WETSUS-backed blueprint shows how coastal evaporation + regreening can restart local water cycles and boost regional rainfall.
Deserts unveiled: exploring the biodiversity of the Saharo-Arabian desert vegetation
PhD Thesis - Mohamed Zakaria Hatim
A living map of the Saharo-Arabian deserts: 6,700 plots identify 55 vegetation types and model where they’ll thrive under future climates. Guiding conservation and restoration.
Regreening for natural water production: Local atmospheric moisture recycling in Mediterranean regions
PhD Thesis - Jolanda Juliana Elisabeth Theeuwen
Can regreening make it rain? This thesis maps moisture recycling across five Mediterranean-type regions, shows where forests boost (or hinder) local/downwind rainfall, and offers an engineering playbook for “natural water production.”
CHAPTER 4.
Biosphere Regeneration Strategy
Blueprint white paper
The Sinai Regen Blueprint: A 5,000 km² plan to restore Lake Bardawil, regreen Maghara, and power 24/7 green hydrogen—using resource-based dredging, wetlands, and solar+pumped hydro to bring back rain, jobs, and biodiversity.
Resource Based Dredging
Paper
From seafloor to seedling. Resource-Based Dredging turns coastal sediments into fertile soils and nursery plants via staged desalination and bioremediation. Unlocking scalable regreening in 12–18 months.
Regeneration of Lake Bardawil
Paper
A Nature-Based Approach to Coastal Ecosystem Regeneration
Green Hydrogen Potential
Paper
24/7 green hydrogen in Sinai: A 100 MW plant pairs daytime solar with nighttime pumped-hydro to power continuous electrolysis an investable blueprint for regeneration.