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.

In a nutshell:
• Rangelands managed by pastoralists are globally substantial in extent and value, but they are threatened by degradation driven by land conversion and mismanagement
• Many countries include rangeland restoration in their National Voluntary Targets for Land Degradation Neutrality under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, but implementation rates are constrained by low levels of public and private investment
• Investors and policy makers need better indicators for monitoring and validation of rangeland restoration and for safeguarding pastoralists’ rights
• Unconventional thinking is urgently needed to support pastoralist adaptations, such as herd mobility and communal tenure, and to secure rangeland governance for large-scale rangeland restoration and resilient pastoralist livelihoods