Expanding human population and economic growth have led to large-scale conversion of natural habitat to human-dominated landscapes with consequent large-scale declines in biodiversity.

The status of many invasive plant species that are also of high commercial value is contentious. Management of negative impacts depends on the support and co-operation of people who regard the species as an asset.

Natural disasters and pandemics are evolving as major global threats that are posing an enormous challenge to socio- economic and environmental wellbeing.

Many ongoing processes in today's landscapes impact our environment considerably. Thus, it is enormously important to gather information on qualitative characteristics of our landscapes in order to effectively counteract the negative developments.

Conversion of native prairie land for agricultural production has resulted in significant loss and redistribution of soil organic matter (SOM) in the soil profile ultimately leading to declining soil fertility in a low-productivity semiarid agroecosystem.