LAND USE RECONVERSION IN THE DROUGHT – AND ARIDITY –AFFECTED AREAS IN SW ROMANIA (BECHET, DOLJ COUNTY) IULIANA VIJULIE 1 , ELENA MATEI, GABRIELA MANEA, LAURA TÎRLĂ, ROXANA CUCULICI Abstract In the terms of current climate change, reconversion of land use in the drought-and aridity- affected south-western Romania, is an issue of utmost priority. Thus, the present study aim represents a diachronic analysis of the land use within the Bechet town area and proposes viable solutions for soil drought and aridity mitigation. Since 1989, uncontrolled and abusive logging affected the black locust forest areas, enabling the sand dunes expansion and causing ecological disturbance. The main research methods were: field observation, statistical-mathematical methods and GIS mapping. The analysis of topographic maps and orthophotographs in 1970 to 2008 revealed a very low spatial distribution of both the forest shelterbelts and shelterwoods. We proposed a reconstruction of these forest areas, which today can no longer perform their fundamental function of land protection, because of intensive degradation. The positive consequences on long term would be the mitigation of climate change impact and prevention of further land degradation. Key-words: land use, dune, aridity, land degradation, shelterbelt, restoration. Introduction Romania is one of the countries having a number of regions prone to edaphic drought and aridity (south and south-east of the Wallachian Plain, south of Moldavian Plateau and Dobrudja). These phenomena were caused by the summer droughts triggered both by some climatic disturbances, and the decrease of forested areas and forest belts in the lowlands (Costăchescu et al., 2010; Achim et al., 2012; Vijulie et al., 2013). In the context of climate change, land use conversion in the southern regions of Romania, affected by drought and aridity, is a priority. Thus, the present study concerned on a diachronic analysis of the land use in Bechet town and proposed a set of solutions for combating edaphic drought and aridity, by planting new forest shelterbelts and restorating the old ones on the croplands. 1 Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, <iuliana.vijulie@g.unibuc.ro>.