Restoration and Rehabilitation of Degraded Land in Arid and Semi-Arid Environments: Editorial.

Abstract

The capacity of ecosystems to regenerate is limited, and therefore restoring degraded land is becoming essential to repair the integrity of impacted forests, rangelands, mine-affected areas, and numerous habitats around the globe (Ockendon et al., 2018). Land restoration and rehabilitation can enhance the natural capital of land and the provision of soil ecosystem services play a key role for climate change mitigation as well as adaptation (Hobley, Garcia-Franco, Hübner, & Wiesmeier, 2018; Nunes et al., 2016). This special issue of Land Degradation & Development compiles 23 articles reporting on research conducted across all global geographic regions except Antarctica, that is: Africa, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. These papers address current and upcoming challenges and opportunities for the Restoration and Rehabilitation of Degraded Land in Arid and Semiarid Environments