More than 70% of Mongolia’s land is degraded, which has implications for the country’s nomadic herders. Credit: Timothy Allen/Getty

Rising temperatures, desertification and overgrazing are taking a heavy toll on Mongolia’s iconic desert grasslands, as well as its nomadic herding culture. But a team of researchers might have hit on an underground solution. They’ve found clues that protecting key fungal networks that support life above the surface could help to preserve biodiversity, boost climate resilience and revive degraded lands.

In most ecosystems, invisible networks of fungi trade resources with plants by interlocking with their roots.…