Effects of changes in climate and land use on the terrestrial environment are fairly well studied for tropical forests, mesic savanna and most temperate ecosystems. By contrast, research endeavours in dryland ecosystems are relatively rare, despite their covering about 20% of earth’s terrestrial surface and with undeniably important roles in regional and global water, carbon and nutrient cycles. Moreover, these ecosystems are relatively fragile and susceptible to perturbations that include, but are not limited to, frequent and sometimes severe droughts, occasional periods of extreme intense rainfall, increase in soil salinity as well as overgrazing and a general over-exploitation by humans, especially in years where resource availabilities are low. A greater consideration of these underrated environments is a pre-requirement for an improvement understanding of the global environment.

We invite contributions that will deal with assessments, monitoring and modelling of these water-limited “semi-arid” ecosystems of the tropics, addressing topics including:
- An understanding of the factors underlying their resilience and susceptibility to climate change;
- Combined effects of changes in climate and land use on biogeochemical and water cycles, and ecosystem function;
- Trade-offs between pristine ecosystems and human-modified landscapes;
- Advances in remote sensing techniques and products to parameterize models, and monitor and assess ecosystems;
- Establishment of plots and monitoring networks;
- The contribution and role of diversity of plant species and functional groups;
- Unique aspects of the physiology of the vegetation.