Study site description: Guadalentín Basin, Spain

Table of Contents

1. Responsible partner
2. General Information
3. Biophysical description
   1. Climate, geology and geomorphology
   2. Soil, vegetation and land use
   3. Land use change
   4. Groundwater, water transfers, and irrigation
4. Socio-economic description
   1. Demography and education
   2. Livelihood, migration, land conversion and land degradation
5. Institutional and political setting
6. Relevant stakeholders
7. Past and ongoing projects in the Guadalentín
   1. Previous assessments of erosion rates and land degradation
   2. Conceptual frameworks and model applications
8. References

Biophysical description

With a climate varying from semi-arid to sub-humid; a geology of mixed limestone and marl; soils which are rich in gypsum, calcium carbonate and with high levels of salinity; land degradation in the Guadalentín basin is largely driven by changes in land use. Water use, and over use has long been an important factor in influencing those land use changes.