DistrictAs cropland management and land use shifted towards more intensive practices, global
land degradation increased drastically. Understanding relationships between ecological and
socioeconomic drivers of soil and landscape degradation within these landscapes in economically
dynamic contexts such as the Mediterranean region, requires multi-target and multi-scalar approaches
covering long-term periods. This study provides an original approach for identifying desertification
risk drivers and sustainable land management strategies within Italian agro-forest districts. An
Environmental Sensitivity Area (ESA) approach, based on four thematic indicators (climate, soil,
vegetation and land-use) and a composite index of desertification risk (ESAI), was used to evaluate
changes in soil vulnerability and landscape degradation between the years 1960 and 2010. A
multivariate model was developed to identify the most relevant drivers causing changes in land
susceptibility at the district scale. Larger districts, and those with a higher proportion of their
total surface area classified as agro-forest, had a significantly lower increase in land susceptibility
to degradation during the 50 years when compared with the remaining districts. We conclude
that preserving economic viability and ecological connectivity of traditional, extensive agricultural
systems is a key measure to mitigate the desertification risk in the Mediterranean region