Ecosystems are essential to human life, livelihoods and wellbeing. Many national policies and international agreements include goals to protect ecosystem services. A new guide – commissioned by the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme and written by Professor James Bullock of…

A study just published by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Nature Climate Change shows that soils can be a net sink of greenhouse gases through increased storage of organic carbon.

The international community has, for good reason, sought to emphasize the importance of migration as a global public policy issue. With heightened awareness of the multiple implications of poorly managed migration, and with the international community focused on developing a new global compact to…

The concept of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is distinct from, and more complex than, a conventional heritage site or protected area/landscape. A GIAHS is a living, evolving system of human communities in an intricate relationship with their territory, cultural or…

Most power generation consumes water, whether to cool steam in thermoelectric plants or power turbines for hydropower. And the global demand for both water and electricity will continue to increase substantially in the coming decades. Although growth is generally a good thing for the economy, it…

The LDN Country Profiles provide evidence-based arguments that contribute to making the case for investing in measures to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation. These profiles demonstrate the importance and multiple benefits of taking actions to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality. The country…

Quantified information on land degradation and restoration is needed to support policies for sustainable ecosystem management and socioeconomic development. The arid and semiarid zones of China (ASZC) have experienced significant land degradation, and in response to such degradation, multiple…

FAO Side event at COP24 in Katowice looks into NBS via land, soil and water management

By 2050, nearly 10 billion people will live on the planet. Can we produce enough food sustainably? The synthesis report of the World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future shows that it is possible – but there is no silver bullet. This report offers a five-course menu of solutions to…

Reorienting land degradation towards sustainable land management: Linking sustainable livelihoods with ecosystem services in rangeland systems

GLOBALANDS project aims to identify promising existing land use policies and to develop possible governance tools towards a more resource efficient and sustainable global land use.

While never offering a blueprint, FOLA shares a diversity of insights, experiences, and lessons from countries across the continent, highlighting the critical role of property rights in local livelihoods and development.

Ecological restoration and the mainstreaming of the concept of ecosystem services will be critical if global society is to move toward sustainability.

For the successful upscaling of land management, more attention must be paid to the social system from the first involvement stage, up to the long term maintenance.

The key to managing conflict and cooperation over water.

Increasing affluence is often postulated as a main driver for the human footprint on biologically productive areas, identified among the main causes of biodiversity loss, but causal relationships are obscured by international trade.

Soil is a natural resource essential to human welfare by virtue of its numerous crucial functions.

There is a lack of evidence-based assessment on how engagement processes contribute to water governance objectives. This article addresses this research gap by presenting key findings and policy guidance from a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on…

This paper identifies new ways of moving from land degradation towards sustainable land management through the development of economic mechanisms.

Soil damage, climate change, water and energy availability are all challenges for farming.

The EU-funded project INSPIRATION aims to develop a European research roadmap on sustainable land management practices. The agenda would help focus Europe's research, supporting policymaking on environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and economically affordable soil and land use management.

As a celebration of national and regional efforts and achievements, this panorama of country experiences and good practices will not only help intensify the African agriculture transformation underway, but will also promote active participation of citizenry, enhance mutual accountability, and ensure…

WRI worked with experts at Mars to analyze the company’s footprint and develop sustainability targets for land, water and climate. These targets, currently under review with the company’s leadership, take into account the latest science on the global carbon budget, water stress and other ecological…

Agroforestry — managing trees alongside crop or animal-production systems — has been proposed as a means of protecting biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem service supply. A study bringing together evidence has confirmed that agroforestry does have an overall positive effect over conventional…

Land and soil are limited natural resources essential to all human life. One of the major environmental challenges facing Europe is an increasing demand for development, which threatens these ecosystem services, such as water recycling and purification, carbon storage, and food and fuel — as well as…