Land assessment and monitoring

Land assessment and monitoring provide the essential foundation for evidence-based decision-making on the sustainable use, management and restoration of land resources. They involve the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data on the status, trends and drivers of land resources, including land degradation and restoration potential. By generating reliable and comparable information over time and across locations, these processes support planning, policy development and the design of targeted interventions.

For over two decades, FAO has supported Members in addressing land degradation by developing methodologies to monitor land resources and assess land degradation, while strengthening national capacities. The Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) methodology and tools, the State of the World’s Land and Water Resources (SOLAW) publications, and the Sustainable Land Management Decision Support Framework, are examples of these methodologies.

In this context, land degradation neutrality (LDN), as defined under Sustainable Development Goal Target 15.3, provides a global framework to guide efforts to prevent, reduce and reverse land degradation. LDN is defined as a state where the amount and quality of land resources needed to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase over time.

In particular, FAO supports countries to achieve land degradation neutrality by translating high-quality data insights into actionable information, implementing land restoration projects and programmes. Central elements of FAO's approach include supporting the implementation of participatory, multistakeholder processes and strengthening national institutional and technical capacities to monitor and map land degradation processes.

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