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
GEO-LDN at ESA Symposium in March 2024
12. March 2024
On 6–7 March in Frascati, Italy, the ESA Symposium on Earth Observation for Soil Protection and Restoration brought together experts from international organizations and academia. GEO-LDN contributed to a session on soil monitoring, highlighting the need for stronger SOC datasets and the role of emerging technologies in advancing Land Degradation Neutrality and SDG 15.3.1.
LDN Target Setting Program (TSP) 2.0 at Doha
29. February 2024
The Global Training Workshop on “Strengthening Land Restoration Targets and Commitments” convened 18 TSP 2.0 countries with experts from UNCCD, FAO, UNDP, GIZ and others. Participants worked to make LDN targets time-bound and spatially explicit, explored synergies with other Rio Conventions, and advanced the use of geospatial data and Earth observation for 2030 goals.
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.
