Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir is the best visited religious site in India with millions of pilgrims every year thronging this site. Although its religious and economic importance is beyond measure, the sheer number of pilgrimage tourism traffic has already presented a lot of environmental pressure on the location. Among the serious issues are challenges of waste production, water preservation, land degradation and quality of air. The research will look at the effects of pilgrimage tourism on the environment of the shrine environment and suggest a competency model of sustainable tourism growth towards introduction of technological advancements and community integration consideration. The study uses a qualitative method to examine both environmental tasks, the fieldwork, and the interviews conducted with the stakeholders. It singles out practices of proper waste management, water recycling, and energy efficiency such as the adoption of smart waste system, solar energy solution, and control with RFID features. The paper is applicable to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) and it can be used to provide a transferable construct on sustainable pilgrimage tourism. In the paper policy recommendations are offered that can come into place by the local authorities and they are mainly concerned with controlling the number of pilgrims, the management of waste products as well as fully capitalising on water and energy consumption. This study will make a contribution to the overall discussion regarding sustainable tourism practices in pilgrimage destinations by providing practical remedies to the reduction of any environmental impact without compromising on culture and spiritual heritage.

Deserts are often misperceived as desolate, non-productive landscapes. This perception contributes to the misuse of terms like 'semiarid' and 'desertification', creating ambiguity in how deserts are defined and geographically delineated. Such conceptual confusion can hinder effective policy by obscuring what constitutes a desert and where they occur. We identify key incongruencies between climatic and ecological approaches to classifying deserts, revealing nearly 12 million km2 of distinct, non-overlapping desert regions globally. A new, more comprehensive desert classification is needed to better support policy goals in desert regions. This refined understanding is especially urgent as human pressures accelerate land degradation across drylands-a process the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification refers to as 'desertification'. However, the term is misperceived as the expansion of deserts while ignoring land degradation in actual desert regions. We challenge these misconceptions and advocate for a more nuanced understanding of deserts to strengthen scientific and policy frameworks.

Mapping land degradation in the Massili River Basin, Burkina Faso: a spatio-temporal analysis of contributing factors

Integrating land degradation states and trends to identify priority areas for ecological restoration in China's drylands

Land use change frequency influences the achievement of land degradation neutrality: Evidence from the Yunnan-Guangxi-Guizhou key rocky desertification areas in China.

This study aims to monitor land degradation changes in the Arab Gulf countries using time series NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) images generated from the MODIS13 dataset from 2000 to 2020. The data, collected on bi-monthly basis, were downloaded from NASA Earth Observation data with an accuracy of 250 meters, covering the whole area of the AGC, for the purpose of analyzing the distribution and spread of NDVI vegetation. A simple linear trend approach was used to examine potential land degradation trends, utilizing the Mann-Kendall statistical confidence limits for 122 selected sites during the study period. Seven classes of land degradation status were identified, representing: degraded land, land with no significant change, and improved land. The results indicated that more than 95% of AGC lands are bare land vulnerable to degradation processes. In contrast, less than 5% of the land showed improvement in land quality reflected by vegetation cover. The findings emphasized an increase in land degradation status over time, as evidenced by a decline in vegetation cover. The main causes of land degradation were climate change, characterized by rainfall decline and more moisture loss resulting from the increase in temperature and evapotranspiration, in addition to poor human activities. Land improvement occurs in some areas of the AGC, mainly in Iraq and the coastal region due to agricultural activity and geographic location.

ABSTRACT Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3.1, ‘Proportion of degraded land,’ assesses land degradation using three core sub-indicators: land productivity, land cover (LC), and soil organic carbon. The LC sub-indicator evaluates global trends through a transition matrix defined in the UNCCD Good Practice Guidance (GPG), classifying land cover changes as degradation, improvement, or stability. However, this approach does not capture intra-class transitions (e.g. changes occurring within the same LC class), potentially overlooking relevant degradation or improvement processes. To address this limitation, we expanded the original 7-class transition matrix by incorporating 44 CORINE Land Cover (CLC) detailed level-three classes, integrating biophysically weighted MODIS NDVI data (2000–2018). This enhanced framework enabled the detection of intra-class changes amounting to 1.06% (artificial), 0.96% (agricultural), 7.32% (natural), and 0.03% (wetland/water bodies). Notably, within the natural class (CLC 3) 8.53% of the area exhibited improvement, 14.9% degradation, and 76.5% stability. The workflow of the analysis using the 44 CORINE CLC detailed level-three classes for the year 2000 and 2018, the monthly NDVI were obtained from Google Earth engine (GEE) and cumulative averages computed, a percentile raking was then used quartiles to split the distribution into four equal parts (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) to reduce the number of CLC detailed level-three classes into a LC type. The ranking of the LC types was taken from the good Practice guidance (GPGs).

Environmental problems such as GHG emissions like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane(CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from rice-residue burning, the over exploitation ofunderground water, land degradation, and productivity reductions in rice-based agricultural systemsis negatively impacting productivity of rice based cropping system and increasing environmentalconcerns. A field study was conducted at the research farm of ICAR- Central Potato ResearchInstitute RS, Patna (Bihar) during the Rabi seasons of 2022- 23 and 2023-24 with seven treatmentcombinations having Farmer’s practice, zero tillage + mulching, Regional AICRP/ ICAR-CPRIrecommendations, Flat-bed planting with slit, Flat-bed planting & mulching, Flat-bed planting& ridging and Flat-bed planting, ridging & mulching. Treatments were replicated thrice. Highestrice grain yield (5.1 t/ha) was recorded with Flat-bed planting, ridging & mulching (T7) whichwas statistically same compared to other treatments. Highest B:C (1.62) of rice cultivation wasrecorded with T7 which was statistically same compared to all other treatments. The highestnumber of total tubers was recorded with Zero tillage + mulching (T2) (624 thousand/ha) which wasstatistically same with all other treatments. The highest total tuber yield (26.8 t/ha) was recordedwith T2 which was significantly higher than all other treatments except T5 and T7. The highestnet return (`114554/ha) of potato was recorded with T5 which was significantly higher than allother treatments except T2. Highest water use efficiency of potato was recorded with T2 (76.63 kgtuber/ha-mm water) which was significantly higher than all other treatments except T5 and T7.The highest rice equivalent yield (14.86 t/ha) was highest with T2 which was significantly higherthan all other treatments except T5 and T7. Zero tillage in combination with paddy straw mulchwill enhance crop productivity, system sustainability, system vitality, economic profitability, andenvironmental quality.

Abstract Conventional protein sources are increasingly challenged due to their substantial environmental impacts, including land degradation, deforestation, and marine ecosystem disruption. This study presented a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic evaluation of microbial protein produced from methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB), comparing with traditional protein sources. Three systems were assessed, including System 1 (soybean meal), System 2 (fish meal), and System 3 (MOB-derived microbial protein). System 1 and System 2 exhibited pronounced environmental negative effects, with soybean meal dominated by land use and agricultural inputs, while fish meal was characterized by substantial fuel demand and emission-related burdens during fishing and processing. In contrast, microbial protein exhibited the lowest overall environmental burden, reducing ecosystem damage by 88% compared to soybean meal and reducing human health impacts by 41% relative to fish meal. Although microbial protein production is energy-intensive, it required minimal land and water use, and avoided deforestation and marine resource depletion. Furthermore, three methane purification techniques were evaluated within System 3 by sensitivity analysis, including Ammonia Washing, Membrane Technique, and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA). PSA emerged as the favorable method, offering the lowest environmental impact and the highest operational robustness, reducing resource depletion by over 140% compared to Membrane Technique. From an economic perspective, in the three systems, MOB-derived microbial protein achieved the highest net present value ($3.40 million) and return on investment (51%). These findings underscored the environmental and economic viability of microbial protein as a next-generation protein source, particularly for regions facing constraints in arable land or marine ecosystems. The study provided critical insights to support the industrial-scale application of methane-based microbial protein in sustainable food and feed systems. Graphical Abstract

ABSTRACT Climate change is a potent driver of land degradation, intensifying soil erosion and nutrient depletion, underscoring the urgent need for the adoption of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices. However, while the biophysical techniques for SLM are well established, a critical gap remains in understanding the financial and institutional frameworks required to scale these adaptation strategies. Existing literature often focuses on theoretical proposals or small‐scale community engagement, lacking empirical evidence on how macro‐level financial policies influence micro‐level land‐use behavior. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the efficacy of market‐based financial instruments, specifically the 2017 Green Finance Pilot Zone policy, in driving the transition toward climate‐resilient land management. Conceptualizing green finance as a strategic management intervention, this research utilizes a balanced panel dataset of 31 provinces from 2015 to 2023, sourced from official national statistics. We employ a quasi‐experimental Two‐Way Fixed Effects (TWFE) model to isolate the causal impact of green finance policies on fertilizer intensity, a robust proxy for chemical land degradation pressure. The empirical results demonstrate that the implementation of market‐based financial instruments led to a statistically significant reduction in fertilizer intensity by approximately 2.51 units in pilot zones compared to non‐pilot regions. Furthermore, the analysis provides novel evidence of Green Decoupling, where pilot zones successfully maintained economic growth (GDP) while curbing environmental stressors. The study further explores the socioeconomic impacts of these instruments, revealing that their effectiveness is moderated by regional economic development and population density. These findings suggest that cross‐sectoral policy frameworks that align the financial sector's incentives with agricultural land management are essential for overcoming barriers to adaptation. We conclude that technological innovations in monitoring and market‐based incentives are not merely supplementary but are foundational for enforcing climate resilience. This paper offers actionable insights for policymakers seeking to design financial instruments that mitigate the off‐site consequences of land degradation while ensuring economic viability.

ABSTRACT Land degradation, climate variability, and socioeconomic marginalization are increasingly intertwined challenges across Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), undermining food security, rural livelihoods, and ecological stability. This study develops a comprehensive decision‐support framework to identify and prioritize sustainable intervention strategies addressing the nexus between land degradation, poverty, and migration. Using a hybrid multi‐criteria decision‐making approach integrating the Delphi method, Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP), and Fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (Fuzzy VIKOR). The Delphi process was conducted over three iterative rounds to refine the criteria, sub‐criteria, and strategies. The Fuzzy AHP analysis identified the environmental (weight = 0.214), social (weight = 0.191), and marginalization (weight = 0.175) dimensions as the most influential criteria. The environmental dimension emphasized ecosystem integrity, soil productivity, and vegetation health as foundations for agricultural stability and ecological resilience. The social dimension highlighted community cohesion, adaptive capacity, and institutional support as key determinants of household vulnerability and migration decisions. The Fuzzy VIKOR analysis further prioritized intervention alternatives, identifying Migration Management and Social‐Protection Mechanisms (Q = 0.019), Livelihood Diversification and Non‐Farm Employment (Q = 0.029) as the top strategies offering the most balanced compromise between sustainability, feasibility, and social inclusiveness. These findings emphasize that effective responses to land degradation must integrate livelihood security and migration‐sensitive measures alongside ecological restoration.

Gully erosion remains one of the most serious environmental challenges affecting semi-arid regions by causing widespread damage to land, ecosystems, and livelihoods. These areas marked by low and irregular rainfall, fragile soils, and intense human pressure are particularly vulnerable to rapid land degradation. This review paper explores the environmental impacts of gully erosion, with a special focus on its implications for Nigeria. Drawing from a wide range of studies, it discusses the underlying causes and dynamics of gully formation and emphasizing on how human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable farming practices have worsened natural vulnerabilities. The paper highlights the far-reaching consequences of gully erosion, including the loss of fertile agricultural land, decline in soil health, destruction of critical infrastructure, sedimentation of water bodies, and disruption of local ecosystems. In Nigeria, particularly in northern states like Adamawa, Yobe, and Borno, the problem has intensified due to increasing population pressures and shifting climatic conditions. Although various control measures from vegetation restoration to engineering solutions have been introduced, efforts are often hampered by limited resources, lack of awareness, and weak policy enforcement.This review calls for a more integrated and proactive approach to managing gully erosion by combining scientific knowledge, community participation, and effective governance. It also underscores the importance of promoting climate-resilient land management practices to protect vulnerable landscapes. By synthesizing existing research, the paper offers insights that can guide future studies, inform policy interventions, and support practical solutions aimed at mitigating the growing threat of gully erosion in Nigeria’s semi-arid regions and beyond.

Soil salinization is a widespread form of land degradation that severely constrains agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability. Efficient and transferable monitoring methods are therefore essential for large-scale salinization assessment. Remote sensing provides timely and synoptic observations, while the integration of multi-source datasets offers complementary spectral and spatial information. In this study, we developed a cross-platform spectral index specifically for soda saline–alkali (carbonate/bicarbonate-dominated) soils by integrating laboratory spectra and hyperspectral satellite observations through a collaborative, cross-dataset spectral feature selection framework. Dual-band spectral indices were constructed from transformed reflectance spectra, and a stepwise coupled correlation analysis was applied to identify representative candidates that consistently exhibited strong associations with log-transformed soil electrical conductivity (logEC) across datasets. An optimal central-wavelength analysis was then performed to determine a stable and transferable band pair. The study was conducted in the Songnen Plain of Northeast China using laboratory-measured soil spectra and Ziyuan-1 02D Advanced Hyperspectral Imager data, and the proposed index was further validated using Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 Multispectral data. Results show that the proposed Difference Index based on Square Root Reflectance at 520 nm and 900 nm (DISRR520900) exhibited consistent relationships with logEC (R = 0.60 for hyperspectral satellite data and R = 0.82 for laboratory spectral data), outperforming commonly used salinity indices in terms of cross-sensor stability. The spatial distribution of soil salinization derived from DISRR520900 is highly consistent with true-color imagery, and multi-source data fusion further improves mapping continuity and spatial coverage. It should be noted that the proposed index is primarily applicable to bare or sparsely vegetated soil surfaces in soda saline–alkali regions. Under dense vegetation cover, substantial crop residue, or wet surface conditions, additional masking or correction may be required. These results demonstrate that DISRR520900 provides a stable cross-sensor solution for large-scale soil salinization mapping within comparable soil chemical contexts.

Assessing UNCCD’s role in advancing social learning for combating desertification, land degradation, and drought

Modeling land degradation sensitivity with the MEDALUS framework in the Massili River Basin, Burkina Faso: A 30-Year Case study

Guardians of arid lands: deep-rooted defense against desertification and climate change.

Land degradation is a growing concern in arid and semi-arid regions, posing severe threats to ecosystem stability, agricultural productivity, and rural livelihoods due to the combined effects of natural processes and human activities. This study examines the role of Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI), a drought-resistant cactus, in mitigating land degradation and enhancing ecosystem resilience in central Tunisia using Landsat 5 and 9 satellites with 30 m spatial resolution. Spatio-temporal dynamics of land use/land cover (LULC) and variations in key spectral indices sensitive to vegetation and soil conditions were analyzed over the period from 2000 to 2024. Using a remote sensing-based multi-index framework, Land Degradation Index (LDI) maps were generated for 2000–2010 and 2010–2024 sub-periods. Change detection analysis revealed a marked reduction in moderate-to-severe land degradation, particularly in areas characterized by OFI expansion. NDVI values associated with OFI increased significantly, from less than 0.1 in 2000 to about 0.18 in 2024, indicating enhanced vegetation vigor and improved adaptive capacity under semi-arid climatic conditions. To further assess species performance, correlation analyses were conducted between NDVI-OFI values and topographic variables, including elevation and terrain curvature. Results show a strong positive relationship between NDVI-OFI and elevation, with a clear temporal improvement from 2000 to 2024. In addition, NDVI values were highest in convex terrain forms (0.2), highlighting OFI’s ability to thrive in erosion-prone and topographically exposed environments. Findings confirm the effectiveness of OFI in reversing land degradation processes, supporting restoration through an integrated approach combining multi-temporal remote sensing and topographic analysis. The study highlights the potential of OFI as a cost-effective and scalable nature-based solution for land rehabilitation in semi-arid regions.

Soil erosion, as a critical land parameter, disrupts ecosystem balance. In alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 15 (life on land), mitigating land degradation is essential for maintaining environmental quality. Erosion estimations are empirically influenced by climate (R), soil properties (K), slope (LS), also vegetation cover and conservation practices (CP). Remote sensing is used to estimate soil erosion, a phenomenon where soil material is transported by surface runoff, influenced by land-use changes driven by human activities. This study applies Random Forest classification to assess land-use as a CP-factor in estimating erosion rates in the Samin sub-watershed for 2017 and 2024, integrating spectral values from Landsat-8 and physical characteristics from Alos Palsar DSM. Samin sub-watershed, located upstream of Bengawan Solo watershed in Central Java, Indonesia, is part of volcanic landform of Lawu Volcano. R-factor was calculated for two distinct periods to account for its dynamic nature. The res

Climate change exerts escalating strain on healthcare systems, while simultaneously, these systems contribute to the exacerbation of climate change. Health systems globally face the challenge of optimizing population health while managing rising non-communicable diseases and climate-related risks like extreme weather and biodiversity loss. Reframing performance metrics to address these issues can create resilient and sustainable systems that promote both human and ecological well-being, supporting Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 13. Current health system performance frameworks, like WHO's indicators and OECD statistics, focus on clinical metrics while neglecting planetary boundaries such as healthcare's carbon footprint and ecosystem dependencies. This narrow approach fails to connect population health inequities with environmental degradation, hindering comprehensive accountability. Planetary health is acutely under threat in the Anthropocene, with the causes and impacts of this threat inequitably distributed. Roughly 9 million premature deaths annually are linked to exposure to air and water pollution, 3·2 billion people are affected by land degradation, and many millions are affected by zoonotic disease, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events. The purpose of this review is to sensitize on an enhanced health system performance framework that effectively integrates indicators of population health, such as life expectancy and disease burden, with planetary health metrics, including emissions and resource utilization. Additionally, this study will propose mechanisms for real-time monitoring and policy adaptation aimed at aligning population indicators, such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years and Universal Health Coverage with ecological metrics. PRISMA guidelines and a formal meta-analysis were applied among 250+ publications (2016–2026) on health-planetary linkages. The study identified five core domains: resilience, equity, efficiency, sustainability, and adaptability, along with 20 trackable indicators, such as disability-adjusted life years per ton of CO2 emitted. The piloting phase revealed correlations of 15–25% between high-emission regions and adverse population outcomes. The dashboard's feasibility allowed for 30% faster anomaly detection, thereby reducing response times to environmental health threats, such as flood-related outbreaks, particularly in low- and middle- income countries. Additionally, outcomes for tuberculosis and malaria improved by 5-10% in low- carbon pilots that implemented solar energy solutions. An unbiased healthy and safe planet is fundamental to human existence. Good health, encompassing both physical and mental well-being, constitutes a basic human right and is central to the Sustainable Development Goals. Promoting a healthy planet for all requires improved health governance and policies within an Earth-system justice framework. This ensures the protection of crucial Earth functions, enhances human health and well-being, and meets the essential needs of everyone, enabling them to thrive.

Land degradation neutrality model and decision support system based on land use/land cover and climate change in the TR21 Thrace Region/Türkiye