Tiny, rootless plants and microorganisms known as biocrusts are helping to protect some landmark sites and other valuable lands by forming miniature ecosystems that are preserving culturally and historically important environments. Among those places is the Great Wall of China, which is in an area where two-thirds of the land is extensively stabilized by biocrusts. Emmanuel Salifu, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, who studies nature-based sustainable engineering solutions, explains how biocrusts could be used in efforts to address structural conservation challenges around the world through their capacity to improve the structural integrity, longevity and durability of earthen structures.