Desertification and droughts are complex processes that integrate physical and human aspects, erroneously presented as coeval in the genesis of landscapes that structurally have no vegetation cover, degraded soils and hardly any humidity. The circumstantial situation (drought sequence) is confused with the geographical structural condition (aridity) as processes that favour the loss of vegetation and soil vitality in a geographic area. In Spain, due to climatic conditions, different types of droughts occur, related to a diverse evolution of regional atmospheric dynamics. The south-east of the Iberian Peninsula is the geographical area most frequently affected by drought periods, due to the confluence of atmospheric factors and its geographic location. In addition, geological, lithological and geomorphological factors also determine a state of natural aridity. However, aridity is not synonymous with desertification. Desertification requires the intervention of human factors and its territorial manifestation can exceed the geographic boundaries of arid areas. The future climate development in many Spanish regions suggests a scenario of lower rainfall and greater irregularity in its genesis, higher actual evaporation and potential evapotranspiration rates and greater water stress; all of which favour the spread of steppe and desert climates and, if human activity does not adapt to this new climate reality, accelerated desertification processes.