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• Where are the world's drylands?. Approximately 40 percent of the global land area (excluding Greenland and Antarctica) is considered dryland. Commonly recognized drylands include the African Sahel, Australian Outback, South American Patagonia, and North American Great Plains.

• Unappreciated Gifts: Recognizing the value of Drylands. What do you think when you hear the term DRYLANDS? Most people think of dry and useless areas where nobody lives. A new WRI report shows the benefits provided by DRYLANDS could be valuable to companies.

• Who lives in the world's drylands?. Drylands are inhabited by over two billion people worldwide. As lands that sometimes are poorly understood and thought of as unproductive and barren, they support nearly 40 percent of the world’s population.

• Drylands, forage and livestock. From cattle, sheep, and goat herds, to horses and camels, drylands support large numbers of domestic animals, which become the source of meat, milk, wool, and leather products for humans.

• Measuring soil condition. Scientifically credible global assessments of soil degradation.

• Drylands and food production. Low total rainfall and high variability in rainfall patterns present difficult challenges for growing crops.

• Drylands and biodiversity. Dryland species must adapt to an environment known for its variation in climate, both in terms of temperature and water availability.

• Drylands and carbon storage. Drylands, as an ecosystem with extensive surface area across the globe, have been suggested as a potential candidate for major carbon storage efforts.

• Drylands and tourism and recreation. Drylands can be popular tourist destinations.