Cryptobiotic Soil

... forms a crust that protects the desert. It is easily damaged and takes thousands of years to repair itself.

I think it would be fascinating to study this crust and see if there are ways to assist its regeneration in damaged areas.  Perhaps if we were to wet the soil and provide nutrients for the cyanobacteria, that would help.  Or maybe like coral, small pieces of healthy crust could expand to restore broken crust.