This special issue contains a wide range of papers presented at the Symposium on Sustainable Use and Management of Soils in Arid and Semiarid Regions. The objective of this symposium was to bring together an expert group for consultation to identify strategies, priority issues, and technical options for the sustainable use of arid and semiarid lands. The Main Topics of the Symposium included Genesis, classification, and cartography of soils, Mineralogy of soils in arid and semiarid regions, Chemistry and physics, Soil biology and ecology, Land evaluation for different uses, Soil management techniques (conservation tillage, residue management, agroforestry), and sustainable use of fertilizers, Intensive agricultural production in Mediterranean agro-ecological conditions, Soil erosion, Soil-water-plant relationship, Indicators of soil quality, Carbon sequestration in arid and semiarid regions, Soil degradation (desertification) and mitigation technologies for degraded lands, Application of geographical information systems and remote sensing, Anthropogenic influence, Soil contamination and remediation, Soil salinization, and Technologies to improve soil quality.
