To facilitate the study of arid and semi-arid ecosystems and provide recent research findings in the area, we propose that the special issue address the following:
- characterizations of vegetation growth patterns and productivity along dryness gradients in China and in other areas of the world,
- assessments of dryland ecosystems with combating global warming and in contributing to the uptake and storage of greenhouse gases,
- systematic studies of desertification and related land degradation processes,
- assessments of resiliency and hydrological responses of dryland ecosystems to climate change, and
- identification and substantiation of scientifically based management strategies suitable for arid and semi-arid regions of China and other areas of the world.