On 17 June, the world marked the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, hosted this year in Kenya, a rangeland-rich country that is highly exposed to the compounding pressures of land degradation and recurrent drought. With a triple-COP year seeking alignment across the land, biodiversity, and climate agendas more than ever before — the window to turn that message into integrated, accountable, financeable action for water and drought resilience is open.

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.