This introduction highlights the practical application of geomorphology and geomorpho-logical hydrology to environmental management through four major themes: ground instability and land management, the effect of land use on the hydrological response of geomorphological systems, geomorphological aspects of environmental impact and risk, and aspects of the modelling and management of geomorphological systems undergoing environmental change. The chapter sets the volume of contributions in the context of changing environments and human impact, and brings attention to the scale problem in geomorphological research. It outlines issues and strategies of land management, and comments briefly on the prospects for “environmental geomorphology”. <...>

Geodiversity and biodiversity are the two fundamental components of Nature that must be analyzed simultaneously for good management of the natural environment. Geodiversity, including geomorphodiversity, has values that make it possible to define the geosystem services on the basis of which it is possible to establish protocols for the sustainable development of the territory analyzed. Both the values of geodiversity and the geosystem services they provide are key elements for the definition of Natural Protected Areas (NPAs). Furthermore, it is also necessary to consider the assessment of the geodiversity and geomorphodiversity of the territory under consideration, so that a zoning can be established in terms of the geodiversity index (geodiversity/geomorphodiversity gradient) that favors the establishment of specific geoconservation protocols according to the value of these indices. In addition, NPAs should be considered as elements belonging to a network in which the different natural systems of the territory in which the network is defined are represented. In the case of geodiversity or geomorphodiversity, the network must be supported by the definition of geological contexts, representative of the major geological units that are observable in the territory. <...>

The notion that the desert areas of the world possess a distinct geomorphology has a long history and, in many ways, is informed by the popular concept of deserts as places that are different. Not surprisingly, early explorers in deserts, particularly Europeans travelling in the Sahara from the late 18th century onwards, were impressed by, and reported on, the unusual features of these areas.