The indicator software for assessing desertification risk is an expert system designed to provide an estimation of land desertification risk through the selection of appropriate degradation processes and corresponding indicators.

Effective land desertification protection requires both appropriate land management practices and macro policy approaches

The study sites are located in areas affected or sensitive to land degradation and desertification

Land desertification is an important issue for many areas around the world.

The various indicators affecting desertification, are classified as: (a) indicators related to physical environment, (b) indicators related to socioeconomics, and (c) indicators related to land management (Table 3).

The derived methodology on assessing land desertification risk using indicators can be applied in (a) croplands, (b) grazing lands, and (c) forested areas.

DESIRE was a five years integrated research project funded by the European Commission, initiated in 2007.

Indicators are becoming increasingly important tools for communicating information to decision makers and the public,