Intensification, periurbanization and specialization of agriculture as significant short-term land system dynamics in the Mediterranean basin

Mediterranean land systems are undergoing significant changes in terms of agricultural land use and practices. In the literature these changes are highlighted by a number of local or regional studies, however, an overview of the land system changes at the Mediterranean basin level is lacking. This paper identifies the main land system dynamics over a short time period (2005-2015) and their location, in order to highlight the trajectories that are also taking place in other parts of the world. We identified four significant types of change: (1) from mixed agriculture to specialized fruit groves; (2) from agricultural areas to urban and/or periurban areas; (3) from agroforestry to arable systems, and (4) from predominantly bare soils to agricultural areas. These ongoing dynamics can be characterized as intensification, periurbanization and specialization of agriculture.