The International Rangelands Congress is held every four years to promote the interchange of scientific and technical information on all aspects of rangelands: research, planning, development, management, extension, education and training. Its most recent gathering in Adelaide, Australia in early July 2025 was a welcome opportunity to get feedback from the good and the great of rangelands science and practice on the global rangeland standard and monitoring framework being developed with support from the GEF-funded project STELARR (Sustinable Investment for Large-Scale Rangeland Restoration). It also contributed to the momentum of discussions on the role of private sector investment in rangeland restoration—a hot topic for Congress attendees!

Every year on 17 June, the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) joins in with our global partners, allies, and Coalition members in celebrating World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. CA4SH is firmly rooted in the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD). In this op-ed, Dr Leigh Winowiecki (CA4SH Co-Lead and Soil and Land Health Research Theme Lead for CIFOR-ICRAF) looks to this day as a beacon to celebrate our successes and reflect on our way forward as a multistakeholder organization committed to restoring and protecting land.

Rangelands are a critical ecosystem, deeply rooted in traditional, indigenous land uses and livelihoods, and a major player for carbon sequestration, food and nutrition security, biodiversity, and climate adaptation. As scientific and multistakeholder organizations, the CIFOR-ICRAF Soil and Land Health Research Theme and the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) attended and led several sessions at the 2025 International Rangelands Congress (IRC) from 2-6 June 2025 in Adelaide Australia, including a two-day pre-congress workshop toward a Global Rangelands Standard & Monitoring Framework.