Abstract
Since the 19th century, the grey and scientific literature on the dynamics of change in the environments and landscapes of the Sahara and its margins has been full of catastrophic descriptions. The changes affecting them are frequently described as degradation, or even desertification. Without denying the reality of the degradation of plant formations and soils, and falling into eco-skepticism, we can question the systematic application of these notions of degradation and desertification to all mutative events in these regions. An analysis of these concepts, their context of emergence and evolution, and the dynamics of environmental and landscape change in different sites both north and south of the Sahara, reveals that these representations are very much oriented by assumptions that are sometimes not very objective. And yet, this imaginary world still strongly influences the development and management of these areas. The aim of this presentation is therefore to help change the way we look at and approach the recent evolutionary dynamics at work in these environments, and to rethink so-called environmental and ecosystem restoration and protection programs, to bring them more into line with the realities on the ground. Biophysical processes, often considered in a univocal way, need to be placed in their socio-economic and political contexts, on long time scales and with regard to filters for the resilience and adaptation of socio-ecological systems. They can also be approached as dynamic processes of spatial structure production, corresponding to the construction of landscapes consistent with the social and territorial structures that create and transform them.
