Onecontributingfactor:sincethe1990s,whenthe
region’ssocialisteconomiesgavewaytomorecapitalist
models,anexpandinglivestockpopulationhasled
toovergrazedpasturesthataremoresusceptibleto
erosion.Desertification,theprocessthatseesfertilesoil
turningintopowderydesertunabletosustainplants,is a
growingproblem.Moreanimalsandlessgrassalsomeans
undernourishedlivestock;andwhenit comestocashmere
goats,thatmeansa coarserfibrethatfetchesa lowerprice
onthemarket.Inresponse,someherdersbreedbigger
herds,perpetuatinga viciouscycle.
In2009,LoroPianadecidedtodoitsparttohelp
restoresomebalancetothisecosystem,believingit
wasnotonlyimportantforsafeguardingthequality
ofitsproducts,butalsoanethicalresponsibility.The
brandlauncheda selectivebreedingprogrammecalled
theLoroPianaMethod,breedingsmallerherdsof
cashmeregoatsthatcouldyieldhigherquantitiesof
qualitycashmere.Theinitiativeseededbothsocialand
ecologicalsustainability.Besideseasingpressureonthe
land,herderswereabletomakea decentlivingeven
withfewergoats.
TheLoroPianaMethodwasfirstintroducedinAlashan,
andlaterextendedtothewholeofInnerMongolia.It was
developedincollaborationwithChina’sJilinAgriculturalall the time, so each minute means something different
than the next. Shooting there is like playing a game with
the light, the sky, the dunes”.
In Alashan, Inner Mongolia, his driver told him about an
obscure spot that locals call the Canyon of Strange Rocks.
“When I checked it out, it was very obvious to me that we
had to shoot there. I am not able to say why this special
location gives me a certain vibration, but I have learned in
my life to hear this kind of vibration.”
I was able to visit the canyon during this trip, and
its sinuous rocks were indeed strange. The canyon felt
otherworldly, like a land before time where you might see
dinosaurs around the next bend; or perhaps like a different
planet altogether. But these surreal rocks actually embody
forces that are quite concrete—their curves were sculpted
over a long period of time by the wind, thus making the
implacable impact of these invisible elements visible.
Because, of course, this is not a region untouched by
time, as ancient as it may still look to untrained eyes.
Climate change, that haunting spectre of the modern
age, has made its presence felt here. According to the
United Nations, average annual temperatures in Mongolia
rose by 2.1°C between 1940 and 2014—three times the
global average. Blistering dzuds, which used to occur once
every decade, have become more frequent.
Average annual temperatures in Mongolia
rose by 2.1°C between 1940 and 2014
—three times the global average
Alashan’s Canyon of Strange Rocks
is a visually striking location that greatly
inspired French fi lm-maker Luc Jacquet