This painting shows a farmer praying in a desert in the Punjab. Amongst the arid landscape there are smatterings of small lichens and moss on the surface of the soil. Known as biological soil crusts (biocrusts), they form a living skin at the soil surface in many low productivity ecosystems. Around the world, biocrusts are under threat from climate change, livestock ranching, and recreation, among other human activities. Scientists are now working to restore these damaged ecosystems by planting biocrust-forming organisms in disturbed areas to save the disappearing desert ’skin’.