Rangelands cover 80 million square kilometers, over 54 per cent of the terrestrial surface, constituting the largest land use type in the world. As much as 50 per cent are degraded, imperiling 1/6th of humanity's food supply and 1/3rd of Earth's carbon reservoir. The majority of these grazing lands are in the drylands characterised by hyper-arid to sub-humid climates. Rangelands are highly diverse, both biologically and culturally, and include a range of biomes and ecosystems. They support the livelihoods of approximately two billion people, with a diversity of uses and management systems that support extensive livestock and pastoralist production systems.

The article summarizes the UNCCD's Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists, outlining a conceptual framework for managing rangelands as social-ecological systems and provides several recommendations for preserving, managing and restoring rangelands.