The annual Report provides UN system-wide data on the environmental impact areas and management functions identified in the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System 2020-2030, Phase I: Environmental Sustainability in the Area of Management. The SUN team are excited to…

Across Africa, the world’s longest wall is being built. Not a wall to keep immigrants out or oppressed people in. Rather, a wall to unlock the potential of millions of people in the Sahel. This is the Great Green Wall – an African-led initiative that the entire international community should throw…

More countries are rightly recognising nature as a climate hero, as there is no pathway to limit global warming to 1.5°C without protecting and restoring nature.

Marking COP26 Nature Day, the British Academy has published two briefings and supported two digital maps examining how nature-based solutions can help address the climate and biodiversity crises, contribute to human wellbeing and help build an inclusive and sustainable economy.

The nomination process for the Glinka World Soil Prize 2017 is now open and organizations and individuals are invited to propose appropriate candidates. Supported by the Russian Federation, the Prize is awarded annually under the auspices of the Global Soil Partnership on World Soil Day, consisting…

The study, published last month (July) in Scientific Reports, has developed the first-ever Global Rainfall Erosivity Database and a Global Erosivity Map. It notes that while rainfall provides moisture critical for plant growth, it is also one of the prime causes of soil degradation, referred to as…

Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems(SRCCL) has been approved. Over two years in the making, the Special Report on Climate Change and…

The journal Land (ISSN 2073-445X) is currently running a Special Issue entitled "Collaboration and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement in Landscape Governance and Management in Africa: Lessons from Practice".

The Land Degradation-Neutrality (LDN) framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is underpinned by three complementary interactive indicators (metrics: vegetation cover, net primary productivity; NPP and soil organic carbon; SOC) as proxies for change in land-based…

The number of publications on environmental footprint indicators has been growing rapidly, but with limited efforts to integrate different footprints into a coherent framework. Such integration is important for comprehensive understanding of environmental issues, policy formulation and assessment of…

Environmental Science & Policy journal special issue on Implementing Land Degradation Neutrality: from policy challenges to policy opportunities for national sustainable development. Edited by Graciela Metternicht, Mariam Akhtar-Schuster, Victor Castillo.

Climate Box is an interactive learning programme targeting school children to teach them about the science behind climate change, including practical tips on how to reduce their carbon footprint and adapt to impacts of climate change. It was developed by a multidisciplinary team of authors -…

Erosion caused by water flow wearing down soil surfaces could rise by up to two-thirds compared to today, according to a JRC-led study that modelled changes until 2070.

Global strategies to halt the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change are often formulated separately, even though they are interdependent and risk failure if pursued in isolation. The Global Safety Net maps how expanded nature conservation addresses both overarching threats. We identify…

Land-use change is currently the most important direct driver of biodiversity loss on land, with climate change, overexploitation, pollution and invasive species not far behind. Human activities are altering natural habitats and reshaping life on Earth’s surface says "Living Planet Report 2020 -…

This year's AASR focuses on Feeding Africa’s Cities by assessing the opportunities, challenges and policies required to enable African farmers and agribusinesses to serve the rapidly growing urban food markets. The report was launched at the 10th edition of the AGRF, an annual gathering that has…

Policymakers can improve the chances of achieving climate goals and limiting global warming to 1.5oC by making more specific commitments to transforming national food systems. Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for Food Systems, a new report published today by WWF, the UN…

The data in this report debunks the myth that nature conservation and global food production are a zero-sum game,” said Dr Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General. “Agriculture has often been portrayed as a threat to biodiversity conservation. Yet conserving living, biodiverse soils and landscapes can…

Three major reports on nature say we’ve missed our set 2020 targets

If you are someone actively restoring land, we hope that this inspires you to invest in showing the impact of your work. If you are funding restoration, we hope that you will gain a new appreciation for this challenge and recognize why measuring progress is key to success. And if you are a…

Against a backdrop of environmental crisis, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a chance to revive the natural world that supports us all. A decade may sound like a long time. But it is these next ten years that scientists say will count most in the fight to avert climate change and the loss…

In collaboration with FAO, through a GEF funding project, the Global Ecosystem Management Programme has been working with the Commission on Ecosystem Management to develop and test a methodology to assess and monitor rangeland and grassland health for the last 3 years.

This is not “pie in the sky,” as you might think. It is exactly what the European Commission has proposed as the basis for a €750 billion “European Green Deal.” The package would include major investments in protecting and restoring forests, soils, wetlands, and rivers as well as transforming…

The 2020 Africa SDG Index and Dashboards Report provides an assessment of where African countries stand with respect to the SDGs and their progress toward the goals, with the additional lens of “leave no one behind.” The report also includes a preliminary analysis of the impact of COVID‑19 on the…

The COVID-19 pandemic is “interrupting efforts” to achieve gender equality and threatening to “reverse hard-won gains” over the past decades