The Mediterranean has been subject to changing human settlement and land use patterns for millennia. This book reviews both physical and social aspects of this region, in relation to its environment.

1. Introduction 2. The Geological Setting 3. The Mediterranean Climate and its Evolution 4. Vegetation 5. The Hydrological Cycle of the Basin and its Watershed 6. Erosion Processes 7. Fire 8. The Mediterranean Sea 9. Background to Prehistoric and Historic Land Use 10. Traditional Land-Use Patterns 1:Agriculture 11. Traditional Land-Use Patterns 2:Rural Settlement 12. Traditional Land-Use Patterns 3:Urban settlement 13. Traditional Land-Use Patterns 4:Use of Mineral resourses 14. The Present Human Landscape 15. Agricultural Changes in the Twentieth Century 16. The Impact of Depopulation 17. Pollution 18. Water Resources 19. Desertification 20. Potential Climatic Change and its Effects 21. Key Issues for Mitigation

John B. Thornes, John Wainwright