“Toneladas de frutas y verduras pudriéndose en el campo, otro síntoma de un modelo agrario insostenible”
An article published in The Conversation discussing how large-scale food waste reflects structural problems in current agricultural systems and sustainability challenges.
This piece highlights the need to rethink production, distribution, and consumption models in order to reduce waste and improve the resilience of food systems under global change.
Read article (in Spanish)
The Conversation · March 31, 2026
Dryland Ecology and Global Change Lab at KAUST – “BioBooths 2025”
Led by Prof. Fernando T. Maestre, our lab was proud to take part in this KAUST event celebrating biodiversity and engaging with the wider community.
At our booth, we highlighted the role of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) in supporting biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem functioning in dryland environments—one of the core research areas of our group.
KAUST · 2025
Safeguarding drylands to achieve sustainable development goals
Drylands cover more than 41% of the Earth’s surface and support nearly 40% of the global population, yet they are increasingly threatened by land degradation, desertification, and climate change.
In this seminar, Prof. Fernando T. Maestre explores the main environmental challenges affecting drylands and discusses solutions to promote sustainable resource use, protect biodiversity, and contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development
Goals.
Watch seminar
KAUST · Jun 6, 2024
The Middle East as a natural laboratory to advance our understanding of global hyperarid drylands
In this seminar, Dr. Javier Blanco Sacristán presents the Middle East as a unique natural laboratory for advancing our understanding of global hyperarid drylands.
The talk explores the diversity of dryland ecosystems in the region, from mangroves and grasslands to shrublands and biological soil crusts, and discusses how studying them across temporal, spatial, latitudinal, and altitudinal gradients
can provide valuable insights into the functioning and future responses of drylands worldwide.
Watch seminar
KAUST · 2024
