Soildegradation is perceived as a major threat in the Mediterranean region due to changes in land-use and possible future climate change. Soil aggregation parameters are used here to demonstrate their potential as a key-indicator for land degradation studies. The monitoring of these indicators offers a means of establishing the vulnerability and resilience of geo-ecosystems. Soil aggregation stability and distribution were studied on soils with an open shrubby vegetation cover, from several places in southeasternSpain and southern France, by applying drop tests and determining aggregate size distributions. Keywords: soil, degradation, vegetation.