Field remote sensing, and modelling observations from a degraded Mojave Desert shrubland were used to develop a model of the progressive degradation of areas adjacent to sites of direct anthropogenic disturbance. Aeolian removal and transport and dust, sand, and litter are the primary mechanisms of degradation, killing plants by burial and abrasion, interrupting natural processes of nutrient accumulation, and allowing the loss of soil resources by abiotic transport. It is concluded that any arid shrubland with wind-erodible soils is susceptible to degradation, and where possible development of these lands should be avoided.