Environment
Land Degradation Neutrality
A state in which the amount and quality of land resources needed to support ecosystem functions and food security remain stable or increase; SDG target 15.3.
Definition
Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) is a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems (UNCCD decision 3/COP.12, 2015). It is codified in SDG target 15.3, which calls for a land degradation-neutral world by 2030.
References
Official definition, decision 3/COP.12, target-setting programme and country commitments
Indicator 15.3.1 and its three sub-indicators
Overview
What it means
LDN applies an offsetting logic to land: degradation that cannot be avoided must be counterbalanced by restoring an equivalent amount of degraded land, so the net stock of healthy, productive land does not decline.
The concept, championed by the UNCCD from around 2012, was piloted in 14 countries, endorsed at COP12 (2015), and is supported by a Target Setting Programme; more than 130 countries have committed to setting voluntary LDN targets. Progress is tracked with SDG indicator 15. 3. 1 using land cover, land productivity and soil organic carbon sub-indicators.
How it is used
Governments set national LDN baselines and targets, integrate them into land-use planning, and report through the UNCCD; the framework guides restoration finance and programmes such as the Great Green Wall and Bonn Challenge.
Why it matters
LDN gives the world's land-restoration efforts a measurable, no-net-loss goal, analogous to net zero for climate.
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