At UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh (2–13 December 2024), GEO-LDN showcased how geospatial data drives global land restoration. Through its Pavilion, multilingual workshops, and country use cases, GEO-LDN fostered collaboration among 10 countries and experts worldwide. Highlights included capacity-building, storytelling for land restoration, and the launch of a new Regional Dialogue Forum for Pacific SIDS.
On 26–27 June 2025, GEO-LDN joined the D-GEO Working Group to discuss expanded use of Earth observation and in situ systems and promote open data policy. Hosted by DLR, D-GEO links Germany to the GEO network and seeks greater visibility for flagships like GEOGLAM and GEO-LDN, laying groundwork for deeper collaboration.
From 3–5 June 2025, GEO-LDN joined the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) General Assembly in Antwerp. With over 300 experts present, GEO-LDN shared how Copernicus services support global LDN datasets, presented feedback from countries on monitoring needs, and explored opportunities for future service development and collaboration with key regional partners.
At the NewLife4Drylands Final Conference (14–16 May), GEO-LDN Co-Chair Antje Hecheltjen introduced the Flagship and highlighted opportunities for cross-network collaboration on LDN and land restoration. GEO-LDN emphasized knowledge exchange, expert engagement, and experience in intersectoral team building, with further exchanges planned at the upcoming UNCCD COP alongside the GEO Secretariat.
At NAP Expo 2024 (Bangladesh), CI’s Alex Zvoleff—co-lead of GEO-LDN Working Group 3, stressed that credible adaptation planning starts with mapping degraded land. With GEF-backed Trends.Earth, CI and GEO-LDN support countries to use Earth observation data for monitoring and advancing Land Degradation Neutrality.
On 19 March 2024, GEO-LDN launched its first Online Support Session, building on the momentum of the Global Dialogue Forum 2023. Fourteen intersectoral country teams shared progress and challenges on their LDN roadmaps, engaging with international experts for peer-to-peer exchange, technical support, and feedback to improve geodata tools and strengthen SDG 15.3.1 reporting.
On 11–12 March 2024, GEO-LDN principals met in Bonn to review 2023 milestones, set the 2024 plan, and prepare for strong engagement at UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh. Discussions focused on strengthening the global network and sustaining country engagement, with follow-on contributions to UNCCD’s revision of Good Practice Guidance for SDG 15.3.1.
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.
The Global Training Workshop on “Strengthening Land Restoration Targets and Commitments” gathered 18 TSP 2.0 countries and experts from UNCCD, FAO, UNDP, GIZ and others. Participants worked on revising LDN targets to be time-bound and spatially explicit, explored synergies across Rio Conventions, and advanced the use of Earth observation data to support monitoring and implementation.
