I define myself as a semiarid ecosystems ecohydrologist, like the ones Frank Herbert dedicated his novel Dune (“To the people whose labors go beyond ideas into the realm of “real materials” to the dry-land ecologists, wherever they may be, in whatever time they work, this effort at prediction is dedicated in humility and admiration.“).

My entire career has been connected to Mediterranean landscapes, involving semiarid savanna-type (e.g., dehesas) and agricultural ecosystems (e.g., vineyards, olive orchards), driven by my concerns about the agricultural and livestock production model, its sustainability, and potential alternatives.

Savannas are among the most complex, variable and extensive agrosilvopastoral systems on Earth (~20%). One fifth of the world’s population depend upon them, although they are extremely vulnerable to changes in land use and climate. These changes affect not only ecosystem functioning, but also the land-atmosphere linkages and regional carbon cycle, in ways still unknown. Since savannas are greatly influenced by human activities, private and institutional practices play a key role in their conservation.

The integration of Earth Observation data into process-based models will enable us to map the evolution of the ecosystem health, improving their management, productivity and resilience.