The UNCCD Knowledge Hub presents best practices in sustainable land management (SLM) technologies, including examples of best practices categorised by land use type and technology group. Policy makers, researchers, land users, and other stakeholders interested in land management can find practical…

Land provides vital environmental functions and ecosystem services, including provisioning and regulating services. It is also inextricably linked to human well-being and plays a role in food security and livelihoods. When land resources are over-exploited and degraded, quality of life is negatively…

Definition Croplands are lands that are used for the cultivation of crops ( WOCAT, 2016 ). According to the IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, this can include “all annual and perennial crops as well as temporary fallow land (i.e., land set at rest for one or several years…

Definition Grazing lands are lands where grass or grass-like vegetation grows and is the dominant form of plant life, and are used mainly for animal production. Grazing lands cover a broad range of land use types and include: Pastures: a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing…

Definition Forests/woodlands are lands where the predominant land use and canopy cover consist of trees. This includes natural or semi-natural forests composed mainly of indigenous trees, plantations, or other planted forest areas, with monoculture or mixed tree varieties ( WOCAT, 2016 ). The area…

Definition Mixed land use systems combine two or more types of land use within the same land unit at a spatial or temporal scale, for example forest/woodland and cropland ( WOCAT, 2016 ). This includes agroforestry (cropland and forest/woodland), agro-pastoralism (cropland and grazing land), agro…

Definition Other land uses comprise usage that does not fall into the other land use types as defined by the report on sustainable land management (SLM) by the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI). This includes mines and extractive industries, settlements, roads, infrastructure network, and others…

In its practical application, sustainable land management (SLM) can be a technology, approach, or practice, or a combination of these, involving agronomic, vegetative, management or structural measures. SLM aims to integrate socio-economic principles (the ability to meet changing human needs) with…

Definition Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) is a set of soil fertility management practices that aim to optimize nutrient use efficiency and improve crop productivity. WOCAT describes ISFM as a technology that "is based on three principles: maximizing the use of organic sources of…

Definition Minimum soil disturbance are actions that reduce the level of soil manipulation, for example by applying low soil disturbance to shallow depths or on small strips of land. This includes zero tillage (no-till), reduced (minimum) tillage, mulch tillage, ridge tillage and contour tillage,…

Definition Fire, pest, and diseases control are measures that manage, prevent, or control fire, pests, and diseases, with the aim of reducing their negative effects on land, vegetation, and ecosystems. This sustainable land management (SLM) technology can be applied to several land use types,…

Definition Soil erosion control is the prevention or control of wind or water erosion that leads to the detachment, transportation and re-deposition of soil particles and the loss of soil fertility. Soil erosion control can be used on different land use types, such as cropland and forest/woodland.…

Definition Vegetation management involves practices to manage vegetation (such as crops, forage, or timber) to improve its quality, quantity and very often, diversity, for example through the selection and management of plant and grassland species. Vegetation management also includes the management…

Definition Water management is the management of water resources, including ground-, surface- and rain water, to promote efficient use and protect water resources from pollution and over-exploitation. This also includes the removal of excess water from the ground surface or from the root zone. Water…

Definition Reducing deforestation involves measures that aim to prevent or reduce the removal or clearance of a forest or stand of trees, or the conversion of forest land to non-forest land. The technology is applied to land with forest areas, such as forest/woodland. Benefits According to the…

Definition Afforestation is the planting of trees or forest cover on land which historically did not contain forests, and reforestation is the planting of trees or forest cover on land which previously contained forest that was converted to another land use ( WOCAT glossary ). The technology is…

Definition Sustainable forest management (SFM) aims to responsibly manage natural and planted forests, and combines both forest productivity and forest conservation to sustainably increase benefits derived from forests and forest ecosystems. The technology is applied to land with forest areas, such…

Definition Forest restoration supports the recovery or restoration of a degraded forest, with the aim to re-establish the forest structure and its ecological functioning, biodiversity, and productivity levels. The technology is applied to land with forest areas, such as forest/woodland. There are…

Definition Grazing pressure management assess the maximum livestock population that a habitat or ecosystem can support on a sustainable basis (the carrying capacity), to ensure that resources such as vegetation, soil, and water, are not damaged, degraded, or depleted. The technology is applied…

Definition Animal waste management is the proper collection, handling, storage, and utilization of waste generated from animals (manure and urine), with the aim of recycling as much of the collected material as possible. The technology is mainly used in land involving livestock production, such as…

Definition Agroforestry is the integration of trees with crops and/or animals within the same land unit, and includes agro-silviculture (crops and trees), silvo-pastoralim (pasture/animals and trees), and agro-silvo-pastoralism (crops, pasture/animals and trees). Agroforestry is a common land use…

Definition Agro-pastoralism is the integration of crop production and livestock production, and is practiced amongst settled, nomadic, and transhumant communities. The type of livestock kept by agro-pastoralists varies according to culture, climate, environment, natural resource availability, and…

Sustainable land management (SLM) has been widely promoted through many land-use projects in different countries and is increasingly promoted at policy and international levels, due in part to the extensive scientific evidence of its multiple benefits and synergies with sustainable development…

There are already many actions and initiatives on sustainable land management (SLM) and ways to support SLM adoption and implementation at the national and international levels. You can search for organizations in your country to find out about SLM activities across your country, how to get involved…