Enabling pastoralist management of rangelands to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality

Rangelands cover 54% of the global terrestrial area and are threatened by land conversion and degradation, which erodes their global value and weakens the livelihoods of pastoralists who manage them. Sustainable Development Goal Target 15.3 on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) provides a framework for sustainable rangelands management, but countries face several challenges in achieving LDN targets in rangelands. Overcoming these challenges requires countries to enable appropriate investment in sustainable rangelands management by enhancing governance and land tenure, strengthening policies across several sectors, halting conversion of rangelands, and adopting suitable progress indicators for monitoring rangeland health and pastoral governance. Governments should place greater emphasis on the value of sustainable rangelands management for delivering national environmental and development commitments and should encourage investment and interdisciplinary research to promote the multiple values of healthy rangelands.

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Louhaichi, M., Davies, J., Herrera Calvo, P.M., Masumbuko, B., Liniger, H., Mekdaschi Studer, R., Harari, N. and Niamir-Fuller, M. (2026), Enabling pastoralist management of rangelands to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality. Front Ecol Environ e70037. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70037