1. GEO Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Initiative
Antje Hecheltjen, Sasha Alexander
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Bonn, Germany
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

2. The loss of productive soil is a global problem
Total area affected by declining soil productivity over the last 30 years (red)
… globally (around 30%)
…in sub-Saharan Africa
40% of grazing land
l Improvement
l No significant change
l Deterioration
12%
of arable land
Short background
Land/soil degradation is a global problem -> we all know the numbers
But soil and land degradation usually not high on the political agenda (especially if compared it with its direct consequences for livelihoods in rural areas)
Soil/land degradation continues to be perceived as a local problem of land users and not as a global environmental and development challenge (unlike CC, biodiversity, forests, water etc.)
-> this was seen as a problem
-> efforts to raise the profile of land/soils on the international and national agenda
-> inclusion in Agenda > SDG target
26%
Over 10 million hectares of arable land worldwide are degraded every year -
an area roughly 1/3 the size of Germany.
of woodland
17% of the world’s degraded land can be found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sources: Pimentel 1995, Nkonya et al. 2016, Le et al. 2014

3. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3: “by 2030, combat desertification, and restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world”
UNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification) established SDG 15.3/LDN as the central objective of the Convention
UNCCD took over SDG 15.3 as central objective of the Convention
LDN firmly established as a global, overarching target to fight land/soil degradation
(cp. LDN is to land degradation what the 2 degree target is to climate change)

4. LDN means no net loss of healthy land
What does LDN actually mean?
Balancing degradation (losses) with restoration (gains)
Baseline 2015
Objective: maintain or improve the status of healthy land by 2030
No net loss/neutrality implies that degradation processes cannot be stopped completely
BUT: ongoing degradation can be balanced by restoration of degraded land and a net balance can be achieved

5. LDN can be achieved through the LDN response hierarchy
Priority on avoiding and reducing degradation. Because restoration is always more expensive than avoiding degradation in the first place. And complete restoration of ecosystem services is often not possible
LDN is a concept

6. The role of EO in LDN: Monitoring and Reporting on SDG Indicator 15. 3
3 sub-indicators to derive the SDG indicator:
Land cover is the observed physical and biological cover of the Earth’s surface. It is sometimes used as a proxy for land use.
This indicator serves two functions:
LC changes can identify land degradation when there is a loss of ecosystem services that are considered desirable in a local or national context, and;
Disaggregation of the other two indicators.
Land productivity estimates the overall above-ground vegetation biomass productivity resulting from all land components and their interactions.
It points to long-term changes in the health and productive capacity of the land.
It also reflects the effects of changes in ecosystem functions for plant and biomass growth.
SOC stock is not measured directly but it is derived from other measured variables:
Depth/ soil volume
Weight of soil/water/gravel (Bulk density in kg/m3 or g/cm3)
Soil organic carbon concentration? (SOC%)
One-out-all-out approach, i.e. degradation occurs when
a. SOC decreases significantly; or
b. NPP decreases significantly; or
c. negative land cover change occurs.
Which data to use?
Whenever possible: use national official data sources.
In the absence of, or to complement and enhance national data sources, use global data sources
Tiered approach:
Tier 1: Global/regional Earth observation, geospatial information, modelling  provided by UNCCD
Tier 2: National statistics and Earth observations
Tier 3: Field surveys, assessments and ground measurements
Monitoring should be viewed as a vehicle for learning.
Monitoring provides:
opportunities for capacity building;
the basis for testing hypotheses that underpin
the counterbalancing decisions and the interventions implemented,
the LDN concept, and the SPI conceptual framework; and
knowledge to inform adaptive management.
(Source: SPI LDN Conceptual Framework, p. 96)
 Monitoring should be viewed as a vehicle for learning

7. Indicators and associated metrics of ecosystem services
Beyond monitoring: EO to support planning and decision making processes for LDN
Preparatory Activities
Land potential and stratification
Land degradation assessment
Resilience assessment
Economic valuation (ELD, TEEB…) …
Interventions
Integrated Land Use Planning
Anticipated losses and proposed gains (by land type) …
Data that are generated primarily for reporting purposes plus additional data are useful and needed for
The monitoring and reporting
The actual implementation of the target to pursue LDN, for example for preparatory activities and integrated land use planning.
The parts marked yellow in this slide, require spatial data.
Integrated Land use planning for sustainable development and LDN requires land information, incl. Spatial data.
Monitoring
Indicators and associated metrics of ecosystem services
Source: Based on UNCCD/SPI scientific conceptual framework for LDN (2017), p. 66

8. The GEO-LDN Initiative
GEO Land Degradation Neutrality Initiative (GEO-LDN) will help national and local actors in all countries use Earth observations to achieve LDN, as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (target 15.3).
GEO-LDN is a unique stakeholder-driven initiative with a clear policy mandate from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

9. The GEO-LDN Initiative
3 Sub-Working Groups:
Capacity Building: Help build national capacities while ensuring national ownership
Data Quality Standards: Assist with the further development of data quality standards and protocols for SDG indicator and its sub-indicators
Data Analytics: Work to establish federated collaborative platforms with high computing capacities and big data analytics, such as open data cubes

10. Avoid duplication of efforts – Join forces!
Use synergies with other GEO Initiatives
GEO-LDN Steering Committte Meeting: Friday, 10am-1pm, room K  You are welcome to participate!
We are looking for dynamic partners to help advance the objectives of the Initiative. Are you interested in collaborating?
Join us on the steering committee or in one of the working groups;
Host capacity building events in your region or help finance the participation of end users;
Provide technical expertise, such as in the form of secondments;
Provide direct funding to the functional support unit.

11. Questions? Contact us! Contact: Neil Sims (Neil.Sims@csiro.au)
Antje Hecheltjen
Amos Kabobah
Sasha Alexander
Doug Cripe

12. Further reading and learning
Online tutorials for UNCCD reporting: QClJcCwgUD31xfgDJOC_HvhC Conservation International: Trends.earth documentation and online videos: UNCCD (2017): Good Practice Guideline - SDG Indicator UNCCD/SPI (2017): SPI Scientific Conceptual Framework for Land Degradation Neutrality - A Report of the Science-Policy Interface. UNCCD (2018): Reporting manual for the UNCCD reporting process. UNCCD (2018): Default data: methods and interpretation - guidance document for the 2018 UNCCD reporting.
In addition, UNCCD conducted face-to-face regional trainings. Challenge: reaching not only the UNCCD FPs but also responsible staff from statical offices and other responsible ministries.