Ecological and socio-economical thresholds of land and plant-community degradation in semi-arid Mediterranean areas of southeastern Spain

► Semiarid ecosystems of southeastern Spain were driven by reduced rainfall. ► Degraded semiarid ecosystems are associated to random spatial distribution. ► Preserved semiarid ecosystems are associated to spatial self-organization. ► There exists significant relationship between satellite-based and ground-based data. ► The relation between satellite-based and ground-based data depends on data species propagation.