Introduction: Drylands. Opportunities, challenges, and threats

Authors

  • Jaime Martinez-Valderrama University of Alicante
  • Emilio Guirado University of Alicante
  • Fernando T. Maestre University of Alicante

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.13.24248

Abstract

Hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid and dry-sub-humid climate zones (all of them considered drylands) occupy over 40 % of the Earth’s land surface and are home to more than 2 billion people. Contrary to the popular image of this important set of biomes, drylands are home to 36 % of carbon stores, 30 % of forested areas, 50 % of the world’s livestock, and 44 % of croplands. These figures give an idea of their social, economic, and ecological importance – the focus of the monograph’s first article – and argue for the need to know and understand their functioning and manage human activities in an increasingly changing climate scenario. This is key to enabling their development and preventing their desertification.

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Author Biographies

Jaime Martinez-Valderrama, University of Alicante

PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and postdoctoral researcher at the Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Alicante (Spain). He is a specialist in desertification, system dynamics modelling, and global change.

Emilio Guirado, University of Alicante

PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Almeria and postdoctoral researcher at the Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Alicante (Spain). He is a specialist in ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, with a remote sensing and deep learning perspective.

Fernando T. Maestre, University of Alicante

PhD in Biology from the University of Alicante. He is Full Professor of Ecology at the Rey Juan Carlos University (currently on a leave of absence) and is a distinguished researcher at the University of Alicante (Spain) where he directs the Dryland Ecology and Global Change Lab. He specialises in dryland ecology, desertification, and the impacts of climate change on these ecosystems.

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Published

2023-02-23

How to Cite

Martinez-Valderrama, J., Guirado, E., & Maestre, F. T. (2023). Introduction: Drylands. Opportunities, challenges, and threats. Metode Science Studies Journal, (13), 6–7. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.13.24248
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Issue

Science. The genesis of ideas (vol. 13, 2023)

Section

Drylands. Opportunities, challenges, and threats

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