Land degradation and global warming are currently highly active research topics. Land degradation can both change land cover and surface climate and significantly influence atmospheric circulation. Researches have verified that carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) are major greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere and are directly affected by human activity. However, to date, there is no research on the spatial distribution of GHG concentrations and also no research on how land degradations affect GHG concentrations in arid and semi-arid regions.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the study of climate change effects on plant phenology. However, the effects of other more localized components of global change such as land degradation have been almost completely ignored. In this paper we evaluate the phenological patterns of 10 plant species at three sites with contrasting levels of land degradation due to overgrazing in the Patagonian Monte, Argentina, and their relationship with plant morphology, browsing intensity, and plant competition.

This paper investigates the interplay of the catchment geomorphology, hydrology and soil properties on the development of waterlogging and land degradation within different dry land catchments in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Multi-temporal remote sensing data of the Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper were collected and processed to detect the land cover changes and development of cultivations within the two areas.

Multifunctional landscapes are characterized by various functions and values that sustain directly or indirectly the quality of human life, through the provision of natural capital flow. Primary production (PP), representing a measure of the solar energy captured by the system and available to drive its functioning, is recognized as a fundamental supporting service. Several biophysical modification and conversion altering the primary production are due to land-use change.

A soil survey and mapping program financed by the municipality of Gazi located on the north–central part of Crete was carried out. The studied area is characterized by a moist meso-Mediterranean climate and different degrees of land degradation from human activities. Surface soil horizons are eroded, resulting in fertility decline for olive trees, the dominant crop. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture classification, the soils at higher altitudes are classified as Entisols xerorthents and those at lower altitudes as E. xerofluvents.

Traditional olive growing can survive only by improving olive farmer income and recognizing its multifunctional role. In this study, we propose a sustainable management model which entails the recycling of urban wastewater and its distribution by drip irrigation and the use of soil management techniques based on the recycling of polygenic carbon sources internal to the olive orchard (cover crops, pruning material). The model was applied for a 8-year period in an olive orchard located in a semi-arid marginal area of Southern Italy.

Although the importance of science, in both desertification control and other types of environmental governance, has been emphasized by many studies, little is known about how science influences institutional changes. Based on a method combining surveys, interviews, observation, and a meta-analysis of the literature, this study explored the roles of science in institutional changes associated with desertification control in northern China.

Global consumption of natural resources and ecological degradation continues unabated as a result of human activity and economic growth in countries individually and collectively. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to determine the countries that are the main drivers of ecological change. This study provides rankings of countries according to their impact on global natural resource consumption and ecological degradation, based on aggregate impact (across categories/variables) and ranking within each category/variable separately.

This study reviews the potential use of biochar as soil amendment in afforestation, reforestation, agroforestry, fruit tree orchards, and bio-energy plantations. Implementing this practice could sequester large amounts of carbon (C) over the long-term, potentially offsetting anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, and mitigating climate change. On a global scale, this practice could sequester between 2 and 109.2 Pg biochar-C in 1.75 billion ha of degraded and deforested lands and agroforestry systems.

There is an ongoing debate on the effect different property regimes have on the use of natural resources and land conversion (i.e., deforestation or reforestation). Much of the discussion has been centered on the two main forms of tenure regime: common-pool system and private property. Case studies around the world have provided evidence on whether one is more effective at preventing deforestation than the other, but there is not a clear pattern. Part of the problem is that evidence comes from theoretical models or isolated case studies instead of comparative studies across large areas.

Recent remote sensing studies have documented a greening trend in the semi-arid Sahel and Sudan zones of West Africa since the early 1980s, which challenges the mainstream paradigm of irreversible land degradation in this region. What the greening trend means on the ground, however, has not yet been explored. This research focuses on a region in central Senegal to examine changes in woody vegetation abundance and composition in selected sites by means of a botanical inventory of woody vegetation species, repeat photography, and perceptions of local land users.

Our view of the future of biodiversity remains limited to a restricted number of taxa, and some taxa, such as spiders, have been largely omitted. Here we provide the first assessment of effects of global change on threatened spiders using a red-listed vulnerable spider, Dolomedes plantarius (Clerck, 1757) as an example. We aim at applying this assessment to assist two conservation actions for this species, including a translocation program. We compiled all the available data on D.