Desertification and land degradation: origins, processes and solutions

Table of Contents

1. Authors and acknowledgements
2. Introduction
   1. Aims
   2. Definitions and key concepts
   3. Synthesis of previous and ongoing projects
   4. Key issues and outline
3. Evolution of desertification in the Mediterranean
   1. Climatic fluctuation
   2. Human influence
4. Primary drivers of desertification
   1. Biophysical and socio-economic causes
   2. Pathways of desertification
   3. Driving forces in the Mediterranean
   4. Synthesis of causes for DESIRE hotspots
   5. Conclusions
5. Processes and consequences of desertification in the Mediterranean
   1. Socio-economic and political factors
   2. Biophysical processes
   3. Conclusions
6. Indicators: monitoring desertification
   1. History of monitoring
   2. Indicators
   3. Monitoring and mapping techniques
   4. Concluding remarks
7. Modelling desertification
   1. Definition of modelling
   2. Model types
   3. Biophysical modelling
   4. Socio-economic and participatory modelling
   5. Gaps and progression in modelling
8. Solutions
   1. Biophysical solutions
   2. Political and socio-economic solutions
9. References

Authors and acknowledgements

Jantiene E.M. Baartman^a, Godert W.J. van Lynden^b, Mark S. Reed^c, Coen J. Ritsema,^a,d and Rudi Hessel^d

^a. Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

^b. ISRIC, World Soil Information, Wageningen, The Netherlands

^c. Faculty of Environment, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

^d. Alterra Green World Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

The DESIRE project is financed under the EU 6^th Framework Programme (FP6) with €9 million, and is a consortium of 28 research institutes, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and policy-makers from around the world

We would like to thank all colleagues in the DESIRE project who have contributed to this report, in particular Rick Shakesby, Nicky Geeson and Lindsay Stringer for their extensive comments and/or textual contributions.