The World Atlas of Desertification summarises the state of scientific knowledge on the drylands of the globe. Representing in graphic form the current stage of our understanding of desertification, as well as its extent and possible solutions, it contains an extraordinary amount of information of value to students and experts alike. The Atlas clearly shows that desertification is one of the world's most pressing environmental problems, and that it is a truly global issue. Since the publication of the first edition in 1992, over 100 countries have ratified the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This 2nd edition reflects major advances in our understanding of desertification over the past few years and has been thoroughly revised and expanded to almost twice its original size. Because combating desertification involves all aspects of environmental issues, this edition covers a broader range of topics, including concerns surrounding poverty, biodiversity, climate change and the availability of water. Social and economic conditions also have a major impact on the progress and control of desertification and this edition contains the latest information on population movements which result from, and lead to desertification. Desertification directly affects the livelihoods of more than one billion people who are directly dependent on the land for their survival. Using the latest updated digitised maps of desertification and fully referenced throughout, this Atlas is essential reading for everyone concerned with the drylands and their people.

A richly illustrated atlas of the world’s deserts and drylands, their ecosystems, and their environments Deserts and drylands account for more than 40 percent of land on our planet. Characterized by a lack of water and extreme temperatures, they are the result of atmospheric stability, large landmass characteristics, rain shadows, and cold ocean currents. They appear harsh and hostile, but deserts and drylands are also exceptionally beautiful environments. Desert ecosystems often teem with diverse forms of life that exhibit astonishing ingenuity in the face of such forbidding conditions. The World Atlas of Deserts and Drylands takes readers on a guided tour of some of the most awe-inspiring desert environments on Earth, explaining their environmental and ecological dynamics and describing the techniques used to categorize and map them. From the ever-expanding Gobi of Mongolia and China to the ancient Namib of coastal Africa, this is the ultimate reference book for deserts. Features a wealth of color photos, maps, and infographics Describes the resilient and complex biodiversity of the world’s desert and dryland terrains Covers subtropical deserts, continental deserts, rain shadow deserts, and ocean margin deserts Addresses the challenges posed by global warming and human activity, and discusses solutions and opportunities Written by a team of leading experts

Global biological diversity, ecosystem diversity.

The Atlas of the World's Deserts examines the hostile and extreme environments that characterize deserts, and is divided into chapters that concentrate on specific aspects of a desert's geology, life forms, history, and future. For more information including sample pages, visit the Atlas of the World's Deserts web site. Also includes 160 color maps and photos.

"The Atlas describes soil as habitat for the diversity of organisms that live under our feet. At the same time, it draws attention to the threats to soil biodiversity, such as invasive species, pollution, intensive land use practices or climate change. The Atlas provides current solutions for a sustainable management of soils. It was coordinated by the JRC and the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (www.globalsoilbiodiversity.org) with more than 70 contributing organisations and several hundred individual contributions. It illustrates the diversity of soil organisms, explains their geographical and temporal distribution, the ecosystem functions and services provided by soil biota. Most importantly, it draws attention to the myriad of threats to soil biodiversity. These include inappropriate land management practices (e.g. deforestation, land take for infrastructure development), agricultural systems, over-grazing, forest fires and poor water management (both irrigation and drainage). Other practices such as land conversion from grassland or forest to cropped land result in rapid loss of soil carbon, which indirectly enhances global warming. The Atlas shows that mismanaging soils could exacerbate the effects of climate change, jeopardise agricultural production, compromise the quality of ground water and worsen pollution. It also proposes solutions to safeguard soil biodiversity through the development of policies that directly or indirectly target soil health, leading to a more sustainable use."--

This book presents recent estimates on the rate of change of major land classes. Aggregated globally, multiple impacts of local land changes are shown to significantly affect central aspects of Earth System functioning. The book offers innovative developments and applications in the fields of modeling and scenario construction. Conclusions are also drawn about the most pressing implications for the design of appropriate intervention policies.

This stunning 400-page Atlas is a unique and powerful publication which brings to light stories of environmental change at more than 100 locations spread across every country in Africa. There are more than 300 satellite images, 300 ground photographs and 150 maps, along with informative graphs and charts that give a vivid visual portrayal of Africa and its changing environment that provide scientific evidence of the impact that natural and human activities have had on the continent's environment over the past several decades. The observations and measurements of environmental change help gauge the extent of progress made by African countries towards reaching the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals. More importantly, this book contributes to the knowledge and understanding that are essential for adaptation and remediation, and should be of immense value to all those who want to know more about Africa and who care about the future of this continent.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of global environmental problems - past, present and future - examining their roots and implications and suggesting, where possible, ways in which they might be mitigated or avoided by careful management.

Soil degradation has serious global impacts on agronomic, economic, and sociopolitical conditions, however, statistics regarding the degree of these impacts has been largely unreliable. This book aims to standardize the methodology for obtaining reliable and objective data on soil degradation. It will also identify and develop criteria for assessing the severity of soil degradation, providing a realistic scenario of the problem.