Toward a global monitoring framework of soil and rangeland health: Building on 20 years of the LDSF

Healthy soil and land underpin food security, climate resilience, biodiversity and livelihoods, yet decisions about land use, especially in rangelands, are often made with limited or inconsistent data. This research highlights the scale of the problem by reviewing existing rangeland monitoring frameworks, standards and remote sensing platforms, revealing significant gaps and a lack of harmonization in how land health is measured and reported.

The LDSF enables more targeted and efficient investments in landscape restoration, sustainable land management and climate adaptation by identifying where degradation is occurring and which interventions are most effective. By providing a stronger, more coherent evidence base, this research contributes to more informed policies, improved land management practices and, ultimately, more resilient landscapes and livelihoods at local, regional and global scales.