20 years have passed since the last atlas of desertification was published by the EU.  Within that short period, the environment has undergone enormous global changes due largely to human activities.  Fortunately, because of the massive increase and growth in the availability of global and regional datasets, and the tools necessary to analyze them, significant progress has been made in understanding human-environment interactions. 

World Atlas of Desertification “Rethinking land degradation and sustainable land management” JRC, M. Cherlet, C. Hutchinson et al. (eds.), 3rd ed., Louxembourg 2018 PDF, 248 pages, colored maps, graphs, and illustrations, extensive text, 6 sections: Introduction, Global patterns of human domination, Feeding a growing global population, Limits to sustainability, Convergence of evidence, Solution, Appendices

Download the atlas for free by clicking below.  Be aware the PDF size is about 1.2GB!  Lots of maps, graphics, and photos.