Wetlands in drylands: Diverse perspectives for dynamic landscapes
Abstract
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP
1997) classifes global drylands according to an Aridity Index (AI), defned as the ratio between mean
annual precipitation (MAP) and potential evapotranspiration (PET). Drylands are areas where AI is
<0.65, collectively incorporating subhumid, semiarid, arid and hyperarid settings (UNEP 1997; see
Fig. 1). Wetlands in drylands (hereafter WiDs) have
distinctive hydrogeomorphological, biogeochemical, ecological, and social-ecological features, and as a
result, they require carefully tailored research and
management strategies.