>response would be "government overreach!" on one side and "what about threatened species X that thrives in the sparse desert?" on the other. And if you did get such a project approved

Maybe what is needed is a project to teach people how to think without making unforced errors.

> some elaborate supply chain would arise to provide plant seedlings at 10x the normal price

The beauty of it is, this one stone could kill many birds, even giant ones like this.