Addressing desertification, land degradation and drought in the Northern Mediterranean

The lands around the Mediterranean Sea (the Mediterranean Basin) form the largest of the five world regions subjected to a Mediterranean climate - long warm to hot dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. These climatic conditions make the Mediterranean vegetation (woodlands, scrubs and grasslands) well adapted to survive dry conditions and to recover from droughts, floods and fires. Yet, land degradation and desertification do occur in croplands, rangelands and woodlands in the Mediterranean Basin. They have led to economic and social impacts such as land abandonment, migration to urban areas and reduction of the economic value and social function of the land. Population growth in both rural and urban areas increases food demand and leads to intensive cultivation which often exacerbates land degradation and desertification, and causes declining productivity and poverty. Addressing land degradation, desertification and drought in the Mediterranean Basin includes policy reforms and enforcement, as well as research and extension that promote sustainable land use and restoration of already degraded lands.