___1"--- _ The Man-Made Desert Effects of Economic and Demographic Growth on the Ecosystems of Arid Southeastern Spain Juan Garcia Latorre, Andres Sanchez Pic6n, and Jesus Garcia Latorre The European Desert Southeastern Spain isthe most arid zone in Europe, the only one that contains genuine deserts. The province ofAlmeria is particularly characterized by its aridity (see Figure 1). The most surprising feature of this province is the desert and scru- bland aspect of its landscape that resembles that of the American Southwest. Many Westerns, including Sergio Leone's Man with No Name series and the famous Lawrence of Arabia, were filmed in Almeria. Until a short time ago, scholars gave little thought to the question of the natural or anthropic origin of these ecosystems. Based on a study of current vegetation, researchers (traditional phytosociologists) have accepted shrublands as the natural vegetation for about 75 percent of the province (lands under 800-1,000 meters above sea level). According to these re- searchers, oak woodlands would have existed only in the mountains above 900- 1,000 meters above sea level.' Inquisitive historians or naturalists will be dramatically surprised when they examine the ecological history of this region. Archaeological remains, as well as historical documents and place-names, prove that forests played an important role in this territory up to the nineteenth century, and that a great diversity of fauna, including forest species such as the bear ( Ursus arctos) , lynx (Lynx pardina), deer (Gervus e1aphus), and roe deer (Gapreolus capreolus) roamed the area up to the early modern period. Forest ecosystems under extremely arid conditions are presently known in other parts of the world, in Chile and North Africa in particular. In addition, palaeoecological and historical research has demonstrated the presence of forests in arid zones of the Mediterranean area in historical times. Forests change the environment. The special soil structure under the forest canopy facilitates water infiltration, avoids erosion, and regulates stream flow. 2 at Xi'an Jiaotong University on July 26, 2011 envhis.oxfordjournals.org Downloaded from