If the sky falls we shall catch larks: Rethinking Land Quality and Desertification Risk into a Regional Science Framework

Land Degradation and Desertification are recognized as leading processes of natural resource depletion and key issues in the political agenda for the 21st century. The objective of this short paper is to specifically contribute to the debate on Mediterranean desertification from the regional science perspective, trying to (re)think the importance of unifying concepts (process, region, scale, sustainability and policy) to better understanding the dynamic phenomena of land degradation. Conclusions summarize the original 'vision' proposed in this study and provide a fresh outlook on future research on desertification risk and its drivers in developed countries.