At CRIC23, held on 4 December 2025, DesertNet International gathered leading scientists, policy experts and UNCCD representatives for a session on emerging approaches to monitor land degradation and desertification risks (LDD) and to assess restoration efforts.
The event, supported by Horizon Europe Mission Soil projects MONALISA and TERRASAFE, highlighted the accelerating need for robust, science-driven tools to guide global responses to land degradation. Complimentary refreshments helped to welcome participants to an engaging evening of knowledge exchange and important collaboration.
The keynote session brought together four prominent voices in soil and desertification research. Daniela Smiraglia (ISPRA, Italy), opened the session with an overview of current knowledge and gaps in LDD monitoring. She explored how MONALISA is advancing desertification monitoring systems through harmonised methodologies and data-driven assessment frameworks. Her talk emphasised that consistent, comparable monitoring is essential for informing policy and scaling up restoration efforts.
Professor Lindsay Stringer of the University of York (UK), representing TERRASAFE, outlined the critical links between socio-economic and biophysical factors in ecosystem restoration. She stressed that restoration success depends not only on ecological indicators but also on understanding the human dimensions that shape land use decision making.
From Spain, María Degania Medina, National Focal Point for the UNCCD, shared insights from initiatives in the Mar Menor area, demonstrating how targeted ecological restoration can support recovery in landscapes affected by intensive agriculture. Her presentation illustrated the potential for science-based interventions even in highly degraded regions.
Rounding off the keynote contributions, Jean-Luc Chotte of the French Scientific Committee on Desertification provided an update on France’s progress in monitoring LDD risks and restoration outcomes. His talk underscored the importance of long-term datasets and interdisciplinary cooperation for accurately assessing trajectories of land recovery or decline.
The session, chaired by Giovanna Seddaiu, General Secretary of DesertNet International and Coordinator of MONALISA, continued with a panel discussion titled “From Knowledge to Action: Scaling Up Science-Based Approaches for Land Degradation and Desertification Risk Monitoring and Restoration.” Panelists Pier Paolo Roggero, Mongi Ben Zaied, Anna Luise, and Ahmed Ali Abdelati reflected on lessons learned across regions, highlighting success stories while acknowledging persistent challenges in implementing LDD monitoring tools widely.
By bringing together experts across continents and disciplines, the event reinforced the critical need to strengthen science policy and accelerate progress toward the UNCCD’s global objectives.
Header photo shows Professor Lindsay Stringer and Dr Tatenda Lemann, TERRASAFE Advisory Board Member.