Wendy campbell purdie top 7 facts
Wendy Campbell Purdie was a New Zealand woman who worked with a British timber firm in Corsica. She was born and mostly brought up in New Zealand. When travel became easier after the second world war she set off on the young New Zealander's traditional grand tour. In Hampshire, England, she called upon Richard St. Barbe Baker, a tree expert, and learned about his idea that green wall agriculture could tame the desert.
Campbell-Purdie went to a desert in Tiznit, Morocco, in 1964 and created an oasis with 2,000 trees that she planted. Later, Purdie traveled to Algeria, where she was given a 100 hectare plot which used to be a French military dump. Campbell successfully planted 1,000 seeds, and the Algerian government subsequently offered help. She ended up planting 130,000 trees in and around Bou Saada.
Purdie formed the Bou Saada Trust to raise money for her war against the Sahara.