CATENA VERLAG GMBH Homepage

Most continents of the Earth have arid and semi-arid regions. These regions in sum contain 20% of the world's population and comprise over 30% of the world's total land area. Many developing countries are composed of extensive arid and/or semi-arid areas, where the needs of the rapidly increasing population have often led to misuse of the land. In recent years the consequences of such misuse have been compounded by drought, initiating a severe desertification process. Desert eco-systems are so delicately balanced and fragile such that once disturbed they may require a length period of time to recover.