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Land degradation occurs in all kinds of landscapes over the world. Desertification can be seen as a specific type of land degradation, occurring mainly, but not exclusively, in dryland regions. The issue of desertification has received and continues to receive much attention. This attention was caused, in first instance, by the drought that hit the Sahel in the 1970s. In 1977, through the United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD), desertification was identified as a worldwide problem. The area threatened at least moderately by desertification was stated to be 3.97 billion hectares or 75.1% of the total drylands, excluding hyper-arid deserts (UNCOD, 1977). Also in the popular press, the issue of desertification got attention: ‘Spread of Deserts Seen as a Catastrophe Underlying Famine’ (New York Times, Jan.8th, 1985); ‘Sahara Jumps Mediterranean into Europe’ (Guardian of London, Dec. 20th, 2000). Opposed to these, also more critical headlines appeared at times: ‘Threat of Encroaching Deserts May be More Myth than Fact’ (New York Times, July 23rd, 1991). The United Nations General Assembly declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification to spread the awareness of the worlds deserts and the problem of desertification. The UNCCD (United Nations Convention the Combat Desertification) states that nowadays, 250 million people are directly affected and the livelihoods of one billion are threatened by desertification (UNCCD, 2007). In the scientific literature, desertification and related issues are widely and intensively studied and some authors question the notion that desertification is increasing.