Land degradation is a complex socio-environmental threat, which generally occurs as multiple concurrent pathways that remain largely unexplored in Europe. Here we present an unprecedented analysis of land multi-degradation in 40 continental countries, using twelve dataset-based processes that were modelled as land degradation convergence and combination pathways in Europe\uffe2\uff80\uff99s agricultural (and arable) environments. Using a Land Multi-degradation Index, we find that up to 27%, 35% and 22% of continental agricultural (~2 million km2) and arable (~1.1 million km2) lands are currently threatened by one, two, and three drivers of degradation, while 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9311% of pan-European agricultural/arable landscapes are cumulatively affected by four and at least five concurrent processes. We also explore the complex pattern of spatially interacting processes, emphasizing the major combinations of land degradation pathways across continental and national boundaries. Our results will enable policymakers to develop knowledge-based strategies for land degradation mitigation and other critical European sustainable development goals.Retreating glaciers, icons of climate change, release new potential habitats for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. High\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation species are threatened by temperature increases and the upward migration of lowlands species. Improving our understanding of successional processes after glacier retreat becomes urgent, especially in the tropics, where glacier shrinkage is particularly fast. We examined the successional patterns of aquatic invertebrates, ground beetles, terrestrial plants, soil eukaryotes (algae, invertebrates, plants) in an equatorial glacier foreland (Carihuairazo, Ecuador). Based on both taxonomical identification and eDNA metabarcoding, we analysed the effects of both environmental conditions and age of deglacierization on community composition. Except for algae, diversity increased with time since deglacierization, especially among passive dispersers, suggesting that dispersal was a key driver structuring the glacier foreland succession. Spatial \uffce\uffb2\uffe2\uff80\uff90diversity was mainly attributed to nestedness for aquatic invertebrates, terrestrial plants and soil algae, likely linked to low environmental variability within the studied glacier foreland; and to turnover for soil invertebrates, suggesting competition exclusion at the oldest successional stage. Pioneer communities were dominated by species exhibiting flexible feeding strategies and high dispersal ability (mainly transported by wind), probably colonising from lower altitudes, or from the glacier in the case of algae. Overall, glacier foreland colonisation in the tropics exhibit common characteristics to higher latitudes. High\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation species are nevertheless threatened, as the imminent extinction of many tropical glaciers will affect species associated to glacier\uffe2\uff80\uff90influenced habitats but also prevent cold\uffe2\uff80\uff90adapted and hygrophilous species from using these habitats as refuges in a warming world.
", "keywords": ["Colonization", "[SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics", "550", "Early succession", "glacier retreat", "Sociology", "[SDV.EE.ECO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", " environment/Ecosystems", "Environmental DNA Sequencing", "Glacier", "Ecology", "Geography", "early succession", "Life Sciences", "Phylogenetics and taxonomy", "Biodiversity", "[SDV.BV.BOT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology/Botanics", "Threatened species", "FOS: Sociology", "Multiple-taxa", "multiple-taxa", "Habitat", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "Physical Sciences", "environment/Ecosystems", "570", "Physical geography", "Population", "Global Diversity of Microbial Eukaryotes and Their Evolution", "[SDV.BV.BOT] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology/Botanics", "Ecological succession", "Biochemistry", " Genetics and Molecular Biology", "Biological dispersal", "[SDV.BID.SPT] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics", " Phylogenetics and taxonomy", "equatorial glacier foreland", "Equatorial glacier foreland", "Glacier retreat", "Molecular Biology", "Biology", "Demography", "Marine Microbial Diversity and Biogeography", "Colonisation", "South America", "15. 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Climate action", "FOS: Biological sciences", "[SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", "Environmental Science", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "early succession; equatorial glacier foreland; glacier retreat; multiple-taxa", "Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Monitoring"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/851699/2/rosero%202021.pdf"}, {"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ecog.05478"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05478"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecography", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ecog.05478", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ecog.05478", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ecog.05478"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-05-06T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.0zpc86730", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-13T16:22:27Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data for: Vegetation and soil ecology of threatened Himalayan Trillium habitats in Kashmir, Himalaya", "description": "unspecifiedData was collected by carrying out field surveys across the different sampling sites. The data was written on already prepared datasheets and arranged on spreadsheets for further ananlysis using different softwares.", "keywords": ["threatened species", "FOS: Biological sciences", "Soil Analysis", "Himalaya", "Biodiversity", "Conservation", "15. Life on land", "Phytosociology"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Rashid, Kausar, Rashid, Sufiya, Islam, Tajamul, Ganie, Aijaz, Nawchoo, Irshad, Khuroo, Anzar,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0zpc86730"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.0zpc86730", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.0zpc86730", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.0zpc86730"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-05-17T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11590/484290", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-13T16:26:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-05-08", "title": "A unifying modelling of multiple land degradation pathways in Europe", "description": "AbstractLand degradation is a complex socio-environmental threat, which generally occurs as multiple concurrent pathways that remain largely unexplored in Europe. Here we present an unprecedented analysis of land multi-degradation in 40 continental countries, using twelve dataset-based processes that were modelled as land degradation convergence and combination pathways in Europe\uffe2\uff80\uff99s agricultural (and arable) environments. Using a Land Multi-degradation Index, we find that up to 27%, 35% and 22% of continental agricultural (~2 million km2) and arable (~1.1 million km2) lands are currently threatened by one, two, and three drivers of degradation, while 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9311% of pan-European agricultural/arable landscapes are cumulatively affected by four and at least five concurrent processes. We also explore the complex pattern of spatially interacting processes, emphasizing the major combinations of land degradation pathways across continental and national boundaries. Our results will enable policymakers to develop knowledge-based strategies for land degradation mitigation and other critical European sustainable development goals.