The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences announce the launch of the Global Drylands Center at Arizona State University. Led by Julie A. Wrigley Professor Osvaldo Sala, GDC will engage key actors of dryland stewardship in developing use-inspired research, training and solutions for arid ecosystems around the world.

While working with multiple global partners – from Ben-Gurion University to the University of New South Wales and King’s College London – GDC endeavors to establish ASU as a leader in crosscutting research and education pertaining to drylands. The center will focus on a broad array of issues, including the impacts of climate and land-use change, the ecology of desertification, and the societal dimensions of productive ecosystems and healthy lives in drylands.

According to Sala, GDC will soon become a one-stop shop for individuals working and living in drylands around the world. It aspires to become the world's leader in dryland discovery and education, helping to secure a sustainable future for drylands. Since ASU is situated in the center of North America’s four great drylands, the university is well-suited to develop solutions that can be applied both locally and globally.

GDC is a unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The ASU Wrigley Institute – the hub of Arizona State University’s sustainability initiatives – advances research, education and business practices for a rapidly changing world. Its School of Sustainability, the first of its kind in the U.S., offers transdisciplinary degree programs focused on finding practical solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges.