Ecological-oriented Options for the Sustainable Development of Drylands

“Desert” is a range of terrestrial ecosystems. An ecosystem is a production enterprise: its biota appropriates from the environment raw materials such as minerals and water, and energy such as solar energy, for the production PROCESS. From an ecological standpoint “development” is an induced increase of ecosystem production. From the human standpoint ecosystems also provide “services,” such as the sequestration of carbon. “Sustainable development” is a process that increases ecosystem production without impairing the generation of ecosystem services.