Transforming land management within planetary boundaries key to addressing global land use crisis

Land is the foundation of Earth’s stability, the report “Stepping back from the precipice: Transforming land management to stay within planetary boundaries” underlines. It regulates climate, preserves biodiversity, maintains freshwater systems and provides life-giving resources including food, water and raw materials. For the first time, scientists have applied the planetary boundaries framework to study the role of land degradation and land management for Earth system resilience. Drawing on approximately 350 information sources, the report examines the state of global land degradation and identifies opportunities for action from a planetary boundaries perspective. Land is central to seven of the nine planetary boundaries. According to the latest update of the planetary boundaries framework, six out of nine planetary boundaries have already been crossed, including the boundary for land-system change defined by global forest cover: only 60 percent of the world's original forest cover remains, well below the safe threshold of 75 percent.

Deforestation, urbanisation and unsustainable farming are driving global land degradation at an unprecedented scale, the authors state, destabilising ecosystems and reducing crop yields. Climate change and weak governance worsen these impacts, particularly in dry and low-income regions, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. National reports to the UNCCD indicate that at least 1.2 billion people, and an area of approx. 15 million km², more than the entire continent of Antarctica, are already affected by land degradation. Moreover, the deterioration of forests and soils undermines Earth’s capacity to cope with the climate and biodiversity crises, which in turn accelerates land degradation. Land degradation also disrupts food security, drives migration, and fuels conflicts. The economic cost of land degradation is estimated to range between 6.3 and 10.6 trillion US Dollar annually, according to the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative.

To combat land degradation, the authors suggest transformative actions rooted in fairness and justice. These include farming practices like agroforestry and conservation agriculture, the restoration of savannas, grasslands and forests, sustainable water management through wetland creation, digital applications that can modernize agriculture and securing land tenure rights. Evidence-based policies, supported by enabling frameworks and investments, are key to scaling these solutions. The authors conclude that strong governance, equitable land management, and corporate accountability are essential, as many existing agreements, including the Glasgow Declaration from COP26 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, have yet to produce meaningful results.