In the recent past, especially in this century human society has been utilizing and even exploiting natural resources and ecosystem services, offered by various landscapes in a more intensive way than ever. The overexploitation of landscapes leads to landscape degradation. Landscape degradation is one of the most urging problems of the Globe today with an ever-growing importance. According to various estimations, 20–75% of global land area is presumably already degraded. The consequence is a persistent decline in land productivity and of the provision of other ecosystem services.

This book gives an overview of landscape degradation in Hungary and contains also research results of Project No. 108 755 of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH), entitled: “Analysis of the natural micro-regions of Hungary from the aspect of landscape degradation.” This study was supported by NKFIH and this support is gratefully acknowledged here.

Altogether twelve degradation processes are dealt with: (1) sheet erosion, (2) gully erosion, (3) wind erosion, (4) mass movements, (5) soil sealing, (6) landscape aesthetics, (7) salinization, (8) acidification, (9) wounds in the landscape, (10) physical degradation, (11) desertification, (12) degradation of waters. The areal distribution of the degradation processes is presented on maps as well.

In addition to the survey of landscape degradation processes acting in the country, an analysis of degradation sensitivity is provided. The expected results have not only theoretical but also practical relevance for policy makers at local, regional and country level.