Skip to main content

Assessment Report on Land Degradation and Restoration

Cover of the assessment report on land degradation and restoration

The assessment of land degradation and restoration covers the global status of and trends in land degradation, by region and land cover type; the effect of degradation on biodiversity values, ecosystem services and human well-being; and the state of knowledge, by region and land cover type, of ecosystem restoration extent and options. The assessment aims to enhance the knowledge base for policies for addressing land degradation, desertification and the restoration of degraded land.

In January 2015, at IPBES 3, the Plenary approved the launch of the land degradation and restoration assessment together with an agreed scope.

The Plenary approved the Summary for Policymakers and accepted the chapters of the Assessment at its 6th session in March 2018 in Medellin, Colombia (IPBES 6). IPBES would like to acknowledge and thank all of the experts who contributed to the Assessment.

The IPBES Assessment Report on Land Degradation and Restoration is composed of:

  1. A Summary for Policymakers (SPM); and
  2. A set of 8 chapters.

Please see below to access the Assessment Report and related documents.


Editors: Luca Montanarella, Robert Scholes, Anastasia Brainich

Members of the management committee who provided guidance for the production of this assessment: Günay Erpul, Yi Huang, Marie Roué, Leng Guan Saw (Multidisciplinary Expert Panel), Rashad Zabid Oglu Allahverdiyev, Ivar Andreas Baste, Fundisile Goodman Mketeni (Bureau).

Suggested citation: IPBES (2018): The IPBES assessment report on land degradation and restoration. Montanarella, L., Scholes, R., and Brainich, A. (eds.). Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Bonn, Germany. 744 pages.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3237392


Summary for policymakers

Summary for policymakers (SPM) - Land Degradation and Restoration (Laid Out)

Summary for Policymakers of the Assessment Report on Land Degradation and Restoration (laid out version)
Url

Summary for policymakers (SPM) - Land Degradation and Restoration (Plain Text)

Summary for Policymakers of the Assessment Report on Land Degradation and Restoration (plain text version)

Report

The assessment report on Land Degradation and Restoration (Full report, including SPM and chapters; laid out)

Url

Supplementary material

SUP/LDR/1

LDRA_Figure SPM.1_Appendix 1.1_methodological note
Pdf

Comments first review

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Benefits to people from avoidance of land degradation and restoration of degraded land
Pdf

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Concepts and perceptions of land degradation and restoration
Pdf

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Direct and indirect drivers of land degradation and restoration
Pdf

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Status and trends of land degradation and restoration and associated changes in biodiversity and ecosystem functions
Pdf

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Land degradation and restoration associated with changes in ecosystem services and functions, and human well-being and good quality of life
Pdf

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Responses to avoid land degradation and restore degraded land
Pdf

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Scenarios of land degradation and restoration
Pdf

Comment/First review/LDR/Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Decision support to address land degradation and support restoration of degraded land
Pdf

Comments second review

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Benefits to people from avoidance of land degradation and restoration of degraded land
Pdf

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Concepts and perceptions of land degradation and restoration
Pdf

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Direct and indirect drivers of land degradation and restoration
Pdf

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Status and trends of land degradation and restoration and associated changes in biodiversity and ecosystem functions
Pdf

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Land degradation and restoration associated with changes in ecosystem services and functions, and human well-being and good quality of life
Pdf

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Responses to avoid land degradation and restore degraded land
Pdf

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Scenarios of land degradation and restoration
Pdf

Comments/Second review/LDR/Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Decision support to address land degradation and support restoration of degraded land
Pdf

Comments/Second Review/LDR/SPM

Summary for Policymakers
Pdf