AbstractFrom the 1980s onward studies on interrill soil erosion were intensified in SE Spain. The main achievements of the research carried out in the field areas of Alicante and Murcia concern: first, (1) the estimation of erosion rates directly in the field under a wide range of methodologies, different scales and different environmental conditions; (2) estimations based on existing models, such as the USLE, carried out for different subcatchments of the Segura and Júcar catchments; and (3) other parametric and physical event‐based models have also been calibrated and validated.Second, the progress of the knowledge in understanding erosion mechanisms. New and reviewed concepts regarding mainly hydrological behaviour and sediment movement and transport at patch, slope and catchment scale have improved our understanding of soil‐erosion processes in Mediterranean‐type ecosystems. These concepts focus on: (1) the definition of runoff generation models more appropriate to Mediterranean conditions; (2) the definition of thresholds for runoff generation; (3) the definition of models of soil water redistribution within soils and at landscape level; (4) the establishment of conditions and controls for sediment detachment and movement; and (5) the characterization of the change in the controlling factors of soil erosion and degradation under different environmental characteristics (climatic or human‐induced). The insights into soil‐erosion processes obtained and the renewed hydrological and geomorphological concepts achieved can be very valuable for the design of new strategies of erosion management and ecosystems restoration. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.