Key messages:

1. Land is central to people and nature. Land is central to the processes, functions and services supporting environmental and human wellbeing. Recognising this is essential for maintaining environmental stability and promoting sustainable development.

2. Land is increasingly under threat by current land use and management practices, which are driving land degradation and other environmental challenges, ultimately compromising the ability of the planet to sustain current and future human wellbeing.

• 2.1 - Land degradation is driven by human activities, such as unsustainable agricultural practices, conversion of natural ecosystems, deforestation and urbanisation.

• 2.2 - Climate change and biodiversity loss are closely linked to land degradation. These issues further exacerbate land degradation, creating a vicious cycle.

• 2.3 - The planetary boundaries framework defines critical thresholds for Earth system processes that, if exceeded, pose a risk to environmental and human wellbeing. Seven of the nine planetary boundaries are substantially affected by human land use and six of these have been crossed, highlighting the critical role of land management in maintaining planetary stability.

3. Transformative actions can halt land degradation and facilitate a return to the safe operating space for the land-based planetary boundaries, while yielding further benefits. Planetary boundaries are interconnected, so must be the actions to prevent their transgression.

• 3.1 - Returning to the safe operating space requires to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation.

• 3.2 - Transformative actions exist that can address land degradation, while respecting the land-based planetary boundaries and yielding further benefits, such as income diversification or food security. Land can thus drive positive change across environmental and social dimensions.

• 3.3 - Principles of fairness and justice are key when designing and implementing transformative actions to stop land degradation

4. Evidence-based policies are crucial for transformative action. They must be supported by an enabling environment, substantial public and private investments, and a closer collaboration between science and policy.

• 4.1 - Supportive frameworks, economic incentives, clear property and resource-use rights, and effective coordination between actors and scales are enablers of transformative actions.

• 4.2 - Substantial public and private investments are needed for effective action, in particular a better integration of sustainable land use in national and international funding

• 4.3 - Scientific frameworks like the planetary boundaries can serve as a practical guide for policymakers to evaluate the sustainability of land-use measures and make evidence-based decisions.