Land comprises a range of biophysical components such as soil, water, flora, and fauna, embedded in a
landscape shaped by its geomorphology and subjected to a climate that is often under different forms of
human manipulation. Land provides natural habitats and serves many purposes – for agriculture, forestry,
pastoralism, infrastructure development, mining, and tourism. Apart from these so-called economic uses,
land provides a range of ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and water and
air purification; it also fulfills social and spiritual needs.
Chapter 1. Introduction 1
P.L.G. Vlek and L. Tamene
Chapter 2. The trade-offs in multi-purpose land use 5
P.L.G. Vlek with H. Azadi, A. Bhaduri, L. Bharati, A.K. Braimoh, Chr. Martius,
T. Sunderland, and F. Taheri
2.1 Introduction 5
2.2 Land for food and climate change mitigation 6
2.3 Land for food and the provision of water 10
2.4 Land for food and biodiversity 12
2.5 Land for food and infrastructure 14
Chapter 3. Land resources and the SDGs 17
A. Khamzina, J.P.A. Lamers, J. Börner with
O.O. Cofie, P. Drechsel, Chr. Gordon, J. Miranda, S. Mukherjee, L.Verchot,
H. Vereecken, L. Weihermüller, S. Zelaya-Bonilla, F. Ziadat
3.1 Introduction 17
3.2 SDG 15: Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and promote sustainable
use of natural resources 18
3.3 SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 20
3.4 SDG 2: Food security and sustainable agriculture: the role of combating land degradation 22
3.5 SDG 3: Healthier lives through avoidance of soil pollution 24
3.6 SDG 12: Target 12.5 Ensure sustainable consumption and
production patterns: Resource recovery and land degradation 26
3.7 SDG 13: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning 28
Chapter 4. The extent and cost of land degradation 32
Q.B. Le and A. Mirzabaev with E. Nkonya, and G.W.J. van Lynden
4.1. Assessing global land degradation 32
4.2 Mapping hotspots of land degradation 33
4.3 The costs of land degradation 35
4.4 Bright spots of land restoration and rehabilitation 37
Chapter 5. Strategies and policies to reach a land-degradation neutral world 39
A.M. Whitbread with M. Akhtar-Schuster, A. Erlewein, F. Kizito, E. Nkonya, S. Scherr,
S. Shames, L. Tamene, and L. Winowiecki
5.1 Strategies to meet land degradation neutrality 39
5.2 The management of landscapes in meeting the SDGs 40
5.3 Landscape restoration and rehabilitation 42
5.4 The institutional realm for LDN 43
CONCLUSIONS 46
P.L.G. Vlek and A. Khamzina
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 48
REFERENCES