Desertification has been clearly labelled as a global environmental issue.The interest in and the convening of the United Nations Conference on Desertification in Nairobi, Kenya in 1977 confirms the global interest in this form of environmental degradation centered in and around arid and semiarid areas of the world. The book is divided into four parts: natural and socio-economic aspects of desertification (8 papers); world experience of combating desertification (10 papers); integrated development of arid lands in the USSR (5 papers); and integrated approach to economic development (1 paper). All papers except the last one are noticed separately.The conclusion reflects the need for integrated economic development programmes for arid lands. This monograph represents the culmination of the stage of the project that began with international training courses in USSR in 1980 and was later followed by an international symposium in Tashkent 1981, entitled" Combating desertification through integrated development"