During other studies on the gravel plains of the Husab area in the Namib Desert, we observed that gerbils mostly dig their burrows in colonies and that these colonies always support vigorous grass growth, even when no other vegetation can survive. We also saw that zebras eat these grasses and, putting two and two together, decided that we should investigate whether these humble little animals could actually be ecological engineers* and in this way provide other species with food. This was especially important in view of the large mine called Husab Uranium Mine, which affected a large number of gerbils. It was therefore possible that the mine’s impact could be related to not only the gerbils themselves, but also the functionally important role that they play. We realised that if we wanted to really understand the extent of the mine's impact, we have to understand these relationships much better. For this reason, the mine sponsored a Masters study at NUST to determine whether the gerbils are actually engineers.