Last month saw a significant shift in the politics of land restoration. G7 ministers formally declared that desertification, land degradation and drought are systemic global challenges and security risk multipliers – bringing these looming social, economic and security threats to the main agenda of global policy.

When global conversations turn to degraded land, the default image is retreating forest edges and satellite images of clearcuts. But more than half the story remains untold. In this issue we draw our focus to rangelands – grasslands, savannahs, shrublands, deserts, and tundra, covering 54% of the planet's terrestrial surface. But 2026, the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, could change this.

The Désertif'actions Summit in Djerba, convened over 500 voices from 50 countries gathered not simply to discuss the road to COP17 (17-28 August, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), but to co-construct the civil society case for it: working groups, plenary outputs, and advocacy drafts that map directly onto the formal negotiations as well as the thematic days at Ulaanbaatar. Who was in the room, what were the key takeaways and what’s coming up?

If you've worked in sustainability, agriculture, or natural resource management, you've likely experienced a pattern: high-level goals announced at global summits, generating genuine excitement and commitment, which soon morphs into the overwhelming challenge of delivering concrete actions that businesses can invest in, governments can regulate around, and communities can implement on the ground.

As we wave goodbye to the first quarter of the century, while facing the threat of losing an area the size of South America to land degradation in the next 25 years, we also have a myriad of opportunities within reach to halt this trend, support ecosystems, help tackle the climate crisis, and create up to 60 million new jobs as close as 2030 – by restoring the world’s landscapes.

World leaders, business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society came together, embracing the spirit of mutirão at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP30 (Belém do Pará, Brazil). While much has been discussed about negotiation outcomes, what was the lay of the land in Belém? And what does it all mean for the urgent need to course correct the degradation of the world’s landscapes?

Less than 30 days are left until the start of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP30:  a turning point in the global effort to tackle climate change and save our planet. Halfway through the decade for climate action and ten years after the Paris Agreement, COP30 will be critical for the global community to shift from goal-setting to concrete action. So what’s the lay of the land on the road to Belém?

The Riyadh Agenda has officially opened the process for aligned initiatives to be formally included under its umbrella.

Healthy land and soils are vital for people, the climate and biodiversity. Yet, nearly half of the world’s land is degrading at record speed. By 2030 we must conserve and restore 1.5 billion hectares of land. So what progress was made at UNCCD COP16 and what can we look forward to?