In the end our goal is to improve the way we manage our finite natural resources and offer alternatives to unsustainable land management practices. I recently came across these Google earth animated Gifs that demonstrate the profound changes “development” can have on different landscapes, (these are not unique and are simply examples of common themes).
1. The effects of urbanization in the Amazon, (areas that have remained green are protected):
2. This image demonstrates the establishment of industrial crops in the Saudi Arabian desert (water/energy deficiency):
3. Lake Urmia in Iran, used for Salt extraction. Today there are proposals for accelerating this process since restoring the lake would be expensive:
Impact Forestry 
Really interesting post Juan! It’s so amazing that it takes 26+ years of tracking these unsustainable land practices for us to see such visible and drastic depletion. It absolutely takes the kinds of methods you suggest to attempt any kind of repair and hope for future generations.