Preface -- Prologue -- Chapter 1:A Framework of Conceptual Principles for Addressing Desertification -- Chapter 2:Droughts, Aridity and Desertification: The Role of Climate Variations -- Chapter 3: Badlands, What Is Not Desertification -- Chapter 4:The Harms and Benefits of Dust -- Chapter 5:Shrub Encroachment in Drylands: Scientific Basis Regarding its Positive and Detrimental Effects -- Chapter 6: Wildfires and Desertification: The Role of Fire Regime -- Chapter 7: Plant Invasions as a Symptom and Driver of Degradation -- Chapter 8: Forest Mortality: How Tree Death Can Accelerate Desertification -- Chapter 9: Moving Livestock to Reverse Desertification Landscapes -- Chapter 10: The Dehesa: A Cultural Landscape Facing Future Challenges -- Chapter 11: Desertification Due to Agricultural Land Abandonment -- Chapter 12:Tourism and Water Stress: A Worrying Convergence in Time and Place -- Chapter 13: Inherited Desertification: Mining, Deforestation and Abandonment in the Sierra de Gádor Mountains (Almería) -- Chapter 14: Irrigation as a Source of Development and Degradation -- Chapter 15: Desertification in Olive Orchards: A Complex Challenge for a Diverse Agricultural System -- Chapter 16: Hiding Desertification with Technology: Irrigation and Water Imbalance in Southern Spain -- Chapter 17: The Global Trade of Degradation Distorts the Scope of Desertification -- Chapter 18: Conclusions.

Open Access

This open access book presents sixteen case studies from Spain to explore the complex realities of landscapes and situations commonly linked to desertification. The term desertification, burdened by its colonial origins, is often misunderstood, frequently reduced to the idea of deserts expanding or seen as a flaw in arid landscapes that must be "corrected" through greening efforts. Despite decades of conceptual refinement leading to a precise definition, the term remains widely misinterpreted in both public discourse and academic contexts. Moreover, there is still no standardized methodology for measuring it. The 2018 edition of the World Atlas of Desertification exemplifies this conceptual ambiguity: paradoxically, it does not include a single map explicitly showing desertification. This book seeks to cut through that ambiguity by using clearly defined case studies to foster a deeper understanding, an essential first step toward addressing the issue effectively. These case studies illustrate the specific criteria that must be met for a situation to be classified as desertification. Escaping this conceptual labyrinth is key to laying the foundation for coherent and effective solutions. This book is an essential reading for researchers, scholars, and policymakers in environmental science, geography, and related disciplines. It offers valuable insights for anyone interested in understanding and tackling the urgent challenge of land degradation in arid and semi-arid regions.

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