Upcoming Events
GEO-LDN Flagship
The GEO Land Degradation Neutrality Flagship (GEO-LDN) is a stakeholder-driven initiative that was launched in 2018 during the GEO Week in Kyoto, Japan, responding to a request by the UNCCD’s Conference of the Parties (COP13). It brings together Earth observation data providers and governments to develop minimum data quality standards, analytical tools and capacity building needed to strengthen land degradation monitoring and reporting, using remote sensing and data collected on site.
GEO-LDN helps governments to access the necessary datasets and tools to prioritize interventions, monitor outcomes to manage land better and to report on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 15.3.1 (Decision 9/COP.13).
“Countries should not have to navigate multiple disconnected support systems.”
In this statement recorded for the GEO Symposium 2026 Community Event, Barron J. Orr (Chief Scientist at the UNCCD) reflects on the progress made through the GEO-LDN Initiative and outlines the next step: moving from coordination to operational integration across GEO initiatives, interoperable data and tools, and coordinated regional support for countries implementing the Rio Conventions.
The LDN Toolbox is a user-oriented entry point to a suite of analytical tools, datasets and methods for land use planning towards land degradation neutrality. The workflow of the toolbox is structured according to the typical 5 phases of an integrated land use planning cycle, as presented in a report of the UNCCD Science-Policy interface on “The contribution of integrated land use planning and integrated landscape management to implementing Land Degradation Neutrality: Entry points and support tools”.
Latest News
LDN Toolbox Training at RCMRD, Nairobi
12. October 2023
GEO-LDN organised a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) on the LDN Toolbox in partnership with the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), Conservation International (CI) and WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies). Participants included: Training materials developed by WOCAT are available on the WOCAT website; additional materials will be shared here soon.
Postgraduate Programme on LDN at UENR
30. September 2023
In September 2023, the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Ghana launched the first international postgraduate programmes on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). Supported by GEO-LDN, UNCCD, and BMZ/GIZ, the MSc, MPhil, and PhD programmes aim to equip future professionals with cutting-edge knowledge, research skills, and networks to advance sustainable land management globally.
LDN Training prior to AfriGEO Symposium 2023
23. September 2023
Ahead of the AfriGEO Symposium 2023 in Swakopmund, Namibia, GEO-LDN hosted a two-day training workshop on land degradation monitoring. Thirty-one AfriGEO delegates explored tools such as SEPAL, Trends.Earth, the Great Green Wall Big Data Facilitator, and OSS’s use of Digital Earth Africa, strengthening capacity to plan and monitor progress toward Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).
