BOOK COVER -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 THE DESERT -- DESERT ENVIRONMENTS -- ORIGIN OF DESERT ENVIRONMENTS -- ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS -- DESERT FLORA AND FAUNA -- POPULATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND STRUCTURE -- THE BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTIVITY OF DESERTS -- PLAYAS -- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PLAYAS -- GEOMORPHIC EVOLUTION -- DESERTIFICATION -- THE GLOBAL REACH OF DESERTIFICATION -- CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF DESERTIFICATION -- FOUR AREAS AFFECTED BY DESERTIFICATION -- SOLUTIONS TO DESERTIFICATION -- CHAPTER 2 MAJOR AND OTHER NOTABLE DESERTS OF THE WORLD -- MAJOR DESERTS -- ARABIAN DESERT -- DEATH VALLEY -- GOBI -- KALAHARI -- THE NAMIB -- THE SAHARA -- TAKLA MAKAN DESERT -- OTHER NOTABLE DESERTS -- ATACAMA DESERT -- BETPAQDALA -- THE BLACK ROCK DESERT -- GIBSON DESERT -- THE GREAT BASIN -- GREAT SANDY DESERT -- GREAT VICTORIA DESERT -- JUNGGAR BASIN -- KARAKUM DESERT -- KAROO -- KAVIR DESERT -- KYZYLKUM DESERT -- LIBYAN DESERT -- LOP NUR -- LUT DESERT -- MOÇÂMEDES DESERT -- MOJAVE DESERT -- AN-NAFUD -- NEGEV -- NUBIAN DESERT -- NULLARBOR PLAIN -- ORDOS PLATEAU -- QAIDAM BASIN -- RUB' AL-KHALI -- SIMPSON DESERT -- SINAI PENINSULA -- SONORAN DESERT -- SYRIAN DESERT -- TÉNÉRÉ -- THAR DESERT -- YUMA DESERT -- CHAPTER 3 STEPPES AND SCRUBLANDS -- THE STEPPE -- PHYSICAL AND HUMAN GEOGRAPHY -- THE EMERGENCE OF THE PASTORAL WAY OF LIFE -- SCRUBLAND -- THE ORIGIN OF SCRUBLAND REGIONS -- ENVIRONMENT -- BIOTA -- POPULATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND STRUCTURE -- BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTIVITY -- CHAPTER 4 MAJOR AND NOTABLE SEMIARID REGIONS OF THE WORLD -- MAJOR SEMIARID REGIONS -- THE ARAL SEA -- THE GREAT PLAINS -- PATAGONIA -- OTHER SEMIARID REGIONS -- THE ALTIPLANO -- THE KULUNDA STEPPE -- LLANO ESTACADO -- THE MONGOLIAN PLATEAU -- THE PAMPAS -- THE PLATEAU OF TIBET -- THE RAJASTHAN STEPPE -- CONCLUSION -- APPENDIX.

GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- DESERTS AND PLAYAS -- NOTABLE DESERTS OF THE WORLD -- STEPPES, SCRUBLANDS, AND OTHER SEMIARID REGIONS -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.