Artemisia sphaerocephala and A. ordosica are two dominant shrub species in Mu Us sandy land (Inner Mongolia, China) and are widely used for vegetation restoration. However, there are two different conclusions about the effect of light on their germination: light promotes germination versus light inhibits germination. The aim of this study was to evaluate these two conclusions and relate the results to instances of failure of these two species to germinate well when air-dispersed in revegetation projects.

The interaction between land use/cover change and landscape pattern is pivotal in research concerning global environmental change. This study uses three different Landsat images of 1989, 1998 and 2009 to study the land use/cover and landscape pattern changes in the middle reaches of the Tarim River basin. envi®, erdas®, ArcGIS® and fragstats® software were used to analyse the land use/cover changes. The objectives of study were to map and study the changes in land use/cover and landscape pattern, and propose some possible factors in making the land use/cover changes from 1989 to 2009.

Impacts of land use and climate change on runoff were investigated by studying the runoff in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, China. Trends in precipitation, mean air temperature, and runoff were analysed by non‐parametric Mann‐Kendall tests. Land‐use changes were examined with land‐use transition matrix and geographic information system tools. Land‐use and climate changes showed several characteristics, including increased reforestation, decreased grassland, retreat of glaciers and increased desertification.

Understanding ecosystem resilience to human impacts is critical for conservation and restoration. The large‐scale die‐off of New England salt marshes was triggered by overfishing and resulted from decades of runaway crab grazing. In 2009, however, cordgrass began to recover, decreasing die‐off ∼40% by 2010. We used surveys and experiments to test whether plant–substrate feedbacks underlie marsh resilience. Initially, grazer‐generated die‐off swept through the cordgrass, creating exposed, stressful peat banks that inhibited plant growth.

Fossil fuels are being heavily depleted due to increasing anthropogenic activities worldwide, and burning them contributes to global climate warming and air pollution. Vegetable oils are one of the main feedstocks for biodiesel: they are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Rising global population, decreasing arable lands and a decline in crop yields from desertification and salinization demands that biodiesel feedstock be grown on unproductive agricultural lands.

The Huajiang and Hongfenghu demonstration areas represent typical karst landforms and rocky desertification landscapes in Guizhou, China. These were selected for a comparison of rocky desertification and land use cover. Based mainly on 5� m resolution Spot 5, remote sensing images, topographic maps (1:10,000) and land use maps, the intensity and extent of rocky desertification, and slope characteristics of the two areas were interpreted. Spatial overlay analysis was used to compare the land use/land cover (LULC) and rocky desertification within each.

Whether people like it or not, landscapes change. Accepting this and understanding processes of landscape change are prerequisites for the maintenance and development of specific landscape- or ‘natural’ values. This paper discusses the relevance of landscape historical information and insights to the management of landscape change. The focus is on the Netherlands, especially the Pleistocene inland part of the country and on the period 1000BP - present.

Desertification, which affects more than two-thirds of the world's arid and semi-arid regions, is a significant global ecological and environmental problem. There is a strong link between desertification of the drylands and emission of CO₂ from soil and vegetation to the atmosphere. The Horqin Sandy Land is a severely desertified area in China's agro-pastoral ecotone due to its fragile ecology, combined with unsustainable land management.

Estimates of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and changes under different land use systems can help determine vulnerability to land degradation. Such information is important for countries in arid areas with high susceptibility to desertification. SOC stocks, and predicted changes between 2000 and 2030, were determined at the national scale for Jordan using The Global Environment Facility Soil Organic Carbon (GEFSOC) Modelling System.

A very effective tool to combat desertification is revegetation. Promising species for this purpose are the evergreen shrubs of the genus Atriplex. The objective of the research was to study the growing responses of Atriplex halimus under different thermal regimes and to evaluate the biomass accumulation of selected clones. The test was carried out in four sites of Sardinia Island (Italy) characterized by different latitude, altitude and air temperature trends along the year. In every site, potted plants of five clones of A.