Investigating biodiversity loss through desertification

Desertification means less the dramatic advance of the desert than a gradual almost imperceptible thinning out of vegetation where plant species as a whole may not be threatened with extinction but many of their individual populations are.

Desertification has significant impact on soils, the maintenance of the hydrological cycle and the conservation of different ecosystems. It leads to decreasing soil productivity and the potential local extinction of wild species. Problems caused by desertification are particularly relevant in the Mediterranean and other regions outside Europe.