The environment consists of the surroundings in which an organism operates including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans and their interrelation. It is this environment which is both so valuable, on the one hand, and so endangered on the other. Effects stemming from the choices made by the human population in regards to environmental health are by and large ruining the environment both for themselves and for other organisms. This series covers leading-edge research in a cross-section of fields focusing on the environment including current research data on the causes, impacts and options of desertification; the industrial and environmental sustainability of iron-making technologies and alternative approaches to iron extraction; and environmental protection and farm productivity.