SDG 15 - Life on Land

SDG post #15 - SDG 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt biodiversity loss & land degradation and reverse it

Hi #sustainability champions, today we continue our  journey exploring the individual SDGs one by one to polish our knowledge and upscale in SDG learning. As you know by now we send out a post approximately once or twice weekly until we have gone through all 17 SDGs. Today we tackle  SDG 15 -  Life on Land
You can follow or connect with us and see what we have to offer related to upscaling your change maker abilities (of tools and training) on our SDG toolkit webpages. ✔

So let’s explore Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15), also known as  "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt biodiversity loss & land degradation and reverse it ” in a concise manner suitable for learning.

What is SDG 15 about?

Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15) is a global commitment to "protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt biodiversity loss & land degradation and reverse it". It is one of the key environmental SDGs and for taking immediate and decisive actions to terrestrial biodiversity loss, combat pollution, land and soil degradation, desertification, deforestation and for sustainable land resources use and biodiversity and ecosystems protection and does not only affect all others SDGs, but will be crucially  important for not only reaching any of the SDGs but for creating a liveable future for all. It covers a substantial and diverse variety of critically important topics in relation to how to conserve and sustainably use our lands like the inclusion of reduction of deforestation and desertification, reduction of soil pollution and soil loss, the protection and restoration of terrestrial biodiversity, ecosystem and habitat restoration, reforestation, prevention of illegal wildlife trade and management of invasive species, but also sustainable use of land resources including forests, soils, agriculture, all the way to tourism, education, knowledge generation, sharing and technology transfer as well as funding particularly for least developed countries . This is a critical  topic for all nations, which is a core part of our multiple crises caused by overconsumption, waste, energy use and overuse of resources, hence an essential topic for any individual, community or organisation but of course governments at all levels anywhere, as every one of us lives on the land and is of the land and depends on the land! 

At least biodiversity loss and resources overuse are some of the more widely discussed environmental (but also social and economic) topics and even if people have hardly heard of the SDG before, they are certainly aware (and may have been impacted by) land and ecosystems degradation, deforestation, pollution or resources overuse and their consequences (e.g. flooding, droughts, crop failures, wildfires, etc). 

It has to be said upfront that everything said about achieving SDG 15 is in context of the separate but more recent UN Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of 2022 (which had already precursor agreements), which determines the globally agreed upon actions on biodiversity loss, but which is  also part of the SDG15 targets and it would be is the aim to integrate the SDGs and biodiversity goals and targets of the  Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework  much more closely, in order to be able to achieve all, due to their tight interconnectedness. 

Why does SDG 15 matter?

A flourishing life on land is the foundation for our life on this planet.We are all part of the planet’s ecosystem and we have caused severe damage to it through deforestation, loss of natural habitats and land & soil degradation. Promoting a sustainable use of our ecosystems and preserving biodiversity is not a cause. It is the key to our own survival.

The world is facing a multiple planetary emergency of climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss and overuse of resources. The trend in forest loss, land and soil degradation and the extinction of species as well as ecosystem destruction is becoming worse, posing a severe threat to the health of the planet and people. SDG 15 will not be met without a dramatic shift in our relationship with our natural environment.

Terrestrial ecosystems provide a series of goods, raw materials for construction and energy, most of our food and a series of ecosystem services including the capture of carbon, maintenance of soil quality, provision of habitat for biodiversity, maintenance of water quality and quantity, as well as regulation of water flow and erosion control, therefore contributing to reduce the risks of natural disasters such as floods and landslides, regulate climate and maintain the productivity of agricultural systems. Maintaining those ecosystems greatly support climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Preserving diverse forms of life on land requires targeted efforts to protect, restore and promote the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial and other ecosystems. SDG 15 focuses specifically on managing forests sustainably, halting and reversing land and natural habitat degradation and destruction, successfully combating desertification and stopping biodiversity loss. All these efforts combined aim to ensure that the benefits of land-based ecosystems, including sustainable livelihoods, will be sustainably available for generations to come.

Healthy soils, forests, inland waterways, wetlands, peatlands, grasslands, savannas, and more generally all nature is critical for our own survival. Nature provides us with oxygen, clean water, regulates our weather systems, pollinates our crops and produces our food, feed and fibers we need and use on a daily basis. She is under increasing pressure and stress. 

Sustainable forestry, combating desertification, stopping or reversing land and soil pollution and degradation and an end to the loss of biological diversity. Forests cover 30% of the earth's surface and provide not only food and fibre and protection for many people directly and indirectly most of us, but they are also key measures against climate change and the protection of biodiversity and the home of indigenous cultures worldwide. 

Every year 12 million hectares of forest are lost to deforestation, at the same time the ongoing degradation of dry areas has led to desertification of 3.6 billion hectares of land, with three quarters of all land surfaces on earth having become significantly dryer in the last three decades. Forest loss and impoverished soils drive hunger, migration and conflicts.

Approximately 1 million animal and plant species (which may be about a quarter of all estimated existing species) are threatened by extinction, many of them within the coming decades, with unimaginable consequences. 

While many of us associate forests and other landscapes with beauty and leisure, they actually play many critical planetary functions, including:

• Forests, particularly tropical rain forests like the Amazon, produce 40% of the oxygen we use to breathe and live.
• The forests are a crucial part of our global weather, climate and temperature regulations systems. Studies estimate that tropical forests alone are responsible for holding back more than 1 degree C of atmospheric warming. 75% of that is due simply to the amount of carbon they store. The other 25% comes from the cooling effects of shading, pumping water into the atmosphere and creating clouds, and regulating airflow..
• The forests and plants in general acts as a “carbon sink” and globally, forests absorb nearly 16 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, and currently hold 560 gigatonnes of carbon in their branches, leaves, and roots. This makes them valuable global carbon sinks.
• There is more carbon stored in soils than in the atmosphere (760 billion tonnes) and in vegetation combined. With around 1 500 billion tonnes of carbon found in the organic matter in soil worldwide, soils are the second largest active store of carbon after the oceans (40 000 billion tonnes). Land ecosystems together absorb approximately one third of the anthropogenic carbon emissions annually. Even though this has declined by around 20% since 2015 due to the effects of climate change. 

Our land ecosystems services were estimated to be worth  around US$145 trillion a year in 2014, with a decline of US$20 trillion a year between 2000 and 2011, which of course only accounts for the direct value of services to humans and not the overall ‘value’ and intrinsic value of nature and ecosystems. 

Healthy land, soils and terrestrial & freshwater ecosystems are essential to our existence. Land covers 30% of our planet and it's the habitat of humans and we rely on it for food, energy, resources, habitat and water as well as livelihoods for all of us and forests, soils and healthy ecosystems help combat the effects of climate change. Yet, we have managed to do tremendous damage to these precious resources, habitats and ecosystems. 

Alarming trends from declining forests, loss, pollution and degradation of soils, species, habitat and ecosystems degeneration and loss through various extractive uses, agriculture and urbanisation  and with it the livelihoods of many indigenous and non-indigenous communities worldwide.

• The world’s forest area continues to decline, albeit at a slightly reduced pace compared to previous decades. The proportion of forest cover to total land area decreased from 31.9% in 2000 to 31.2% in 2020 with agricultural expansion accounting for nearly 90% of global deforestation. However, there has been notable progress towards sustainable forest management, marked by an increase in the proportion of forests under management plans and within protected areas. Moreover, certified forest area, which had shown steady long-term growth, has experienced a significant decline in the last two years, attributed to suspension of certificates due to the conflict in Europe. Also only 60% of the remaining global forest cover is well below the safe boundary of 75%.
• Global protected and conserved area coverage of marine, terrestrial, freshwater and mountain key biodiversity areas showed substantial improvements prior to 2000, this growth has stagnated over the last two decades. Particularly worrying is Central, Southern and Western Asia, Northern Africa, and Oceania, where average protected and conserved area coverage of key biodiversity areas is less than 30%. Progress has been more positive in Northern America and Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Australia and New Zealand, where over 40% of each key biodiversity area is now covered on average.
• Between 2015 and 2019, the world lost at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land every year, affecting food and water security globally. Human activities, intensified by climate change, are the main drivers of land degradation, directly affecting 1.3 billion people right now. If land degradation continues at a similar rate, this would result in an additional 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. At these rates most productive topsoils (the basis for agricultural production) would be lost entirely within this century.: Degraded land area is currently at 15 million km² , more than the size of Antarctica, expanding by 1 million km² annually. To reach the target of ensuring a land degradation neutral world by 2030, avoiding new land degradation and restoring at least one billion degraded hectares of land are needed.
• 20% of earth’s land surface is covered by savannas, now under threat from cropland expansion and ill-conceived afforestation. And 46% of global land area is classified as drylands, home to a third of humanity; 75% of Africa is dryland.
• With around 70% of global freshwater use attributed to agriculture, it is not only a significant contributor to water scarcity (particularly in dry regions such as South Asia, northern China, the US High Plains, California, and the Mediterranean and of course large parts of Africa) but also largely responsible for almost half of the world’s aquifers being depleted faster than they replenish. 
• Species extinction is irreversible, and thus perhaps the most fundamental human impact on nature. Globally, the Red List Index-- derived based on repeat assessments of every species across groups of mammals, birds, amphibians, corals, and cycads- deteriorated by about 4% from 2015 to 2023. However, over the last three decades since 1993, the Index has deteriorated 10%, with each decade deteriorating at a faster rate than the previous one. Species extinction risk continues to worsen, as evidenced by a 12% deterioration in the aggregate Red List Index between 2024 and 1993 (and 4% since 2015). The extinction risk of the world’s amphibian species was recently comprehensively re-assessed, revealing that for amphibians, climate change impacts, habitat conversion and alien invasive fungal disease are the most severe drivers of increasing extinction risk. Also the size of wildlife populations globally have declined by 73% on average between 1970 and 2020 of 5,495 monitored vertebrate species. 
• At the end of 2023, 75 countries had at least one legislative, administrative or policy measure in place to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. Hence we are living in the times of the sixth great mass extinction, this time human caused, a time of biodiversity emergency. 
• Nearly one billion people lack secure land tenure, with the highest concentration in north Africa (28%), sub-Saharan Africa (26%), as well as South and Southeast Asia. The fear of losing one’s home or land undermines efforts to promote sustainable practices.
• Estimates available for the first time show that, globally, intercepted illegal wildlife trade as a proportion of all wildlife trade (legal and illegal) increased from 2017 onwards, reaching its highest levels during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. It is estimated that wildlife seizures made up around 1.4 to 1.9% of global wildlife trade in 2020-2021.
• There has been a steady upward trend in the number of countries incorporating biodiversity values into national accounting and reporting systems. By December 2022, most countries (90%) had established national targets in relation to International Biodiversity reporting agreements. However, only about a third of countries are reporting that they are on track to reach their national targets.
• More than half of global gross domestic product – more than $50 trillion of annual economic activity around the world – is moderately to highly dependent on nature. On the other hand, it is estimated that the unaccounted-for (externalised) costs of current approaches to economic activity – reflecting impacts on biodiversity, water, health and climate change, including from food production – are at least $10-25 trillion per year. The existence of such unaccounted-for costs, alongside direct public subsidies to economic activities that have negative impacts on biodiversity (approximately $1.7 trillion per year), enhances private financial incentives to invest in economic activities that cause direct damage to nature (approximately $5.3 trillion per year).

While there has been some progress in expanding protected areas and restoration and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated wildlife trade or on invasive species over the years, we must protect them by eliminating pollution, desertification, soil and water pollution and degradation and overuse, and deforestation and immediately start to responsibly manage and protect all life on land as well as soil ecosystems around the world but with particular focus on most vulnerable regions including small island developing states, least developed countries, Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the global south, as well as those in vulnerable situations in higher-income countries.

We must learn how to radically reduce impacts on the land, soils, forests, inland waters, wetlands, and all other ecosystems and habitats and overuse of their resources  in the next few years, to combat and eventually reverse the harm that we have inflicted on our lands and with it on ourselves.

From eradication of poverty (SDG 1), end hunger (SDG 2), provision of good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), and gender equality (SDG 5), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6 which has significant overlap with SDG 15 targets directly), decent work (SDG 8), sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12), combat climate change (SDG 13) and life under water (SDG 14),  SDG 15 not only deeply connects with all SDGs and their targets  in a direct and indirect manner, but the achievement of SDG 15 is crucially  important to achieve any of the other SDGs hence the type and way of adapting land and inland water ecosystem and soil protection and restoration, significant reduction of deforestation and reforestation, combat desertification, combat biodiversity and habitat loss, improve knowledge generation and transfer as well as education, policies, institutional planning and increased protection measures financing and more are critical, be it for the environment, for society and economy. SDG 15 is an important key SDG for all!

After all, the land, soils, forests, wetlands, peatlands, rivers and lakes, aquifers, grasslands, savannas, and many of the other terrestrial ecosystems and habitats are our life support systems, without them in a healthy and thriving condition we and our cultures and civilisations will perish.

Key targets and indicators  

SDG 15 is defined by 12 targets, which  are measured by 14  indicators and is one of the large and complex SDGs, covering many aspects and issues of our lands. Due to its critical importance by its focus SDG 15 is one of the key SDG to tackle as it affects the lives of 20% of the global population directly and indirectly all of us and will be critically important for the future world we will inhabit, ensuring progress can be tracked and goals can be met, that look at all dimensions of the vast array of life on land. This goal also looks at the protection and restoration of land and inland water ecosystems and the sustainable use, combating deforestation and forest restoration, combating biodiversity loss, preventing desertification and soil degradation and their restoration, financing the restoration of nature and more. The main targets summarised include (if you want to know the exact wording in the Agenda 2030 you should have a look here):

• ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services
• promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
• combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods
• ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity
• take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
• Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access
• take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species
• introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems
• integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
• mobilise and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems, also to finance sustainable forest management, conservation and reforestation,  

The Agenda 2030 and SDGs were adopted in 2015 covering many aspects of sustainable social, environmental and economic development. However, as with SDG 13 and SDG 14, so also for SDG 15 other and additional international agreements are of great relevance and importance. This includes the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which was adopted during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in 2022. This historic Framework, which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and builds on the Convention’s previous Strategic Plans (which were not achieved), sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Among the Framework’s key elements are 4 goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030 (including the protection of 30% of lands and the restoration of 30% of degraded ecosystems  by 2030). In addition, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements (also through bi-annual meetings (COP). The UN recognises that all global sustainability frameworks are complementary and reinforcing so the ultimate goal of SDG 15 is to achieve all other agreements as well.

Challenges & Progress: 

Land, terrestrial ecosystems, forests, soils, biodiversity and all land and inland water systems and resources are essential to human survival and well-being and key for social and economic development worldwide. Their conservation, restoration and sustainable use are central to achieving the 2030 Agenda, and eventually for all of us a matter of survival. Forest resources are particularly important for people living in forested areas, who represent 20 percent of the world's population in 2024. Forests, and all land ecosystems and habitats,  including dry/arid lands, inland waters,and soils in general provide livelihoods for all of us, subsistence and benefits from agriculture, forestry, tourism and other sectors. They also help regulate the global ecosystem by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Particularly arid areas are extremely vulnerable to environmental degradation, overuse of resources, climate change and drought, areas which are rapidly expanding in size.

Despite some progress in some areas, progress towards SDG 15 still faces substantial challenges and so far is far too little too late, and as diverse as this SDG is, from combating deforestation, desertification, soil loss and pollution, degeneration and destruction of ecosystems and habitats, biodiversity loss all the way to illegal trade in wildlife or invasive species towards not only sustainable management of land ecosystems and habitats and resources and restoration of forests, deserts, soils and other land and water ecosystems and habitats,  research and financing particularly for developing countries, a lack of progress in most areas related to ocean protection and sustainable resources management and more, stifle the implementation of SDG 15.  At the same time due to already breaching at least 6 of the 9 planetary boundaries (of which five of the nine boundaries are also directly related to land systems all of those five have been crossed and two others are directly influenced by land systems). Furthermore the mounting impacts from land systems degeneration and overuse combined with social inequalities and deprivation of our life support systems  are under increasing pressure and vulnerability, making it more and more difficult for socially equitable and environmentally sustainable development for all to proceed with mounting costs, which by far exceed the costs of mitigation and adaptation (by factors of 6 to 10) aside from the human and environmental suffering and destruction all the way to potential collapse of civilisations. 

"Look deeply into nature, then you will understand everything much better." – Albert Einstein

Or remembering the deep connection of Aboriginal people to land: "For Aboriginal peoples, country is much more than a place. Rock, tree, river, hill, animal, human – all were formed of the same substance by the Ancestors who continue to live in land, water, sky. Country is filled with relations speaking language and following Law, no matter whether the shape of that relation is human, rock, crow, wattle. Country is loved, needed, and cared for, and country loves, needs, and cares for her peoples in turn. Country is family, culture, identity. Country is self." Meaning of land to Aboriginal people - Creative Spirits

With increasing overuse of land and its resources, increased deforestation, biodiversity loss, desertification, soil degradation and loss, degradation and destruction of ecosystems and habitats, pollution and overuse of resources and more  our life on land is  under significant simultaneous threats with significant possibilities of widespread forest and other ecosystems collapse, top soil depletion, severe ecosystem services decline, break down of sufficient agricultural production capacities, severe erosion, flooding, water scarcity & droughts, reduction in CO2 absorption, dramatic changes to nutrient and water circulation systems and connected effects on the global weather and climate systems. 

Overall the latest UN SDG progress report on SDG 15 shows very little progress from regression (loss of biodiversity, desertification & land degradation), stagnation (terrestrial & freshwater ecosystems, mountain ecosystems), marginal progress (sustainable forest management, biodiversity in planning, resources for biodiversity/ecosystems & forest management), and a couple of targets so far on track (utilisation of genetic resources, management of invasive species), with some areas of data gaps, but the data are clear we are overall way off track with regional differences and hugely significant acceleration and a step change is required on all of  the SDG 15 targets. 

Countries have made some strides in meeting obligations under SDG 15 in relation to utilisation of genetic resources and management of invasive species, but no to low progress elsewhere, but efforts to address these mounting concerns remain uneven. Comprehensive global action is under way under various agreements, yet it must accelerate significantly. 

Land based and including forest protection measures have increased and improved in recent years, but require substantial expansion and acceleration. 

Global trends underscore persistent challenges to biodiversity, forests, soils and terrestrial ecosystems and habitats, despite their critical roles as planetary life-support systems. Global forest area continues to decline, primarily due to agricultural expansion, despite notable progress in sustainable forest management. Alarmingly, species are silently becoming extinct, the protection of key biodiversity areas has stalled and global illicit wildlife trafficking has steadily increased, posing serious threats to biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people.

Our current governance structures and approaches are not responsive enough to meet the interconnected challenges that result from the accelerated speed and scale of environmental change and rising inequalities. Fragmented and siloed institutions, as well as short- term, contradictory and non-inclusive policies have significant potential to put achievement of the global development and sustainability targets at risk. This can be addressed by moving towards holistic and systemic governance approaches’: more integrated, inclusive, equitable, coordinated and adaptive approaches.

If you would like to know more about where your country currently stands with SDG 15 (and all other SDGs), you can check out the latest Sustainable Development Report - Country Profiles (as well as Rankings, Interactive Maps and a Data Explorer), and additional visual presentations available on Our World in Data or more specifically UN Issue Brief on Promoting the Sustainability of Terrestrial Ecosystems or about the UN Policy Brief on Biodiversity Loss. Biodiversity is a very large but also very wide and complex topic but of course there are many sources of information and data on various SDG 15 and life on land related topics (in relation to the Global Biodiversity Framework and others), including some like the Stepping back from the precipice: Transforming land management to stay within planetary boundaries, WWF Living Planet Report 2024, The Soil Atlas, Peatland Atlas, IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES Nexus Report, IPBES Transformation Report, IPBES Food,  Planetary Health Check,  COP 16 on Biodiversity, COP 16 Extended, COP 16 on Desertification.  

About 80% of the human diet is provided directly by plants. Currently dietary habits result in only 3 cereal crops (rice, maize and wheat) providing 60% of human energy intake. Reversing desertification by the regeneration of grasslands and forests, as well as greening the deserts could offer a galvanizing goal of large-scale ecosystem regeneration in response to climate change and resource depletion.
While life has intrinsic value and not just utilitarian value, it is still striking that, of the 80,000 tree species we know, only 1% have been studied for their potential use. Humans have contributed to deforestation for more than 12,000 years. The world’s forests are now diminished to only 31% of the total land mass, from originally 57%. The rate of net deforestation has dropped from 7,3 million hectares in 1990, to 4.7 million hectares in 2020,

How to ensure we protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt biodiversity loss & land degradation and reverse it?

To address the pressing global environmental challenges and crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, as well as desertification, land and soil degradation, drought and deforestation, it is imperative to intensify efforts in fulfilling our global environmental and biodiversity commitments

Efforts are under way to tackle these challenges, with countries advancing implementation of access and benefit-sharing instruments and integrating biodiversity values into national accounting systems. There’s also a growing global commitment to biodiversity conservation, reflected in increased funding and the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Urgent action is imperative. Addressing pressing environmental challenges and their underlying drivers and interconnections – including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, desertification and deforestation – demands intensified, accelerated efforts, and a comprehensive and integrated approach at local, regional, national and global levels.

As SDG 15 is a critical part  of the Agenda 2030 and SDGs, it is the SDG which covers a large area and diversity of ecosystems which together with particularly SDG11, SDG 12 and SDG 13 require a true and entire transformation of our economies and societies starting from our relation with nature, the purpose of our economies as an action plan for people, planet and prosperity.

Policies addressing terrestrial ecosystems protection, restoration  and sustainable resources use and their social impacts that disproportionately affect the poor and promoting social justice can create greater social cohesion, leading to greater stability and security within societies.

Sustainable development and the achievement of viable future societies  requires key actions including implementing sustainable forestry and agricultural practices, expanding terrestrial protected areas to safeguard key biodiversity areas, reducing and reversing soil degradation, restoring degraded forests, soils, and various ecosystems, increasing capacities to monitor soil, forest, water systems health and addressing the pollution that is choking our soils and waterways.

Priorities also include ensuring better management of illegal trade on wildlife and preventing spread of invasive species more fully. 

Progress largely depends on robust regulatory frameworks, financial incentives, appropriate subsidies and support systems and public awareness and behaviour change campaigns.

This requires interventions along a number of entry points involving a range of actors. Public policies are required to create conducive environments and influence the market and economy as a whole, including, along the same lines as for other SDGs (e.g. SDG 12, SDG13 and SDG 6). A transformation of business practices along global value chains for land resources exploitation is also required, including new and innovative business models in resource use and restoration. Some steps have been taken but implementation at scale remains a challenge for the coming years, but must be overcome rapidly, as well as our ability to develop and equitably distribute the socio economic benefits of this transformation. This should of course be the case of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and other international land, forests, soil and water agreements, which are complex topics of discovery by themselves, suffice to say that progress has been very slow and insufficient so far.  But on the other hand for example the EU has been working on biodiversity and nature restoration policies as part of their Green Deal for some years now (esp. The Nature Restoration Law which came into force in 2024), for which EU member states will have to develop their national restoration plans by 2026. They will have to restore at least 30% of habitats in poor condition by 2030, 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050, noting that currently 80% of terrestrial habitats in the EU are in poor condition. 

A focus on trying to maximise the outcomes for only one part of interrelated aspects of the SDGs in isolation will likely result in negative outcomes for the other nexus elements. For example, a ‘food first’ approach prioritises food production with positive benefits on nutritional health, arising from unsustainable intensification of production and increased per capita consumption. This has negative impacts on biodiversity, water and climate change. An exclusive focus on climate change can result in negative outcomes for biodiversity and food, reflecting competition for land. Weak environmental regulation, made worse by delays, results in worsening impacts for biodiversity, food, human health and climate change.

Like other SDGs, also SDG 15 and particularly because life on land health is crucially important for the whole world population and the functioning of many of the ecological support systems we rely upon for our survival but also for us to be able to thrive.  That means that taking measures on protection and restoration of land ecosystems, habitats, biodiversity, soils and their resources and their sustainable use and development  to achieve safe and resilient but also socially just futures will help us to achieve all of the SDGs if done well and tightly interconnected with all goals in a systemic manner. It would require a multifaceted and multi-dimensional and transformative approach, but in general SDG 15  (combined with the other biodiversity and land related agreements) is one of the very complex and tightly interconnected (with other) SDGs to tackle which will require transformations on many levels like poverty, hunger, health, education, equality, social protection, decent work, energy, water, sanitation, agriculture, industry, environmental protection, waste management, tourism and more, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged peoples, regions and countries. Some of the more higher level (and often global to national) aspects of achieving SDG 15 could possibly include in summary (but by far not be limited to) of what is already spelled out in the targets, something like the following, which aim to create a more holistic approach to various interconnected areas of land protection, restoration  and sustainable use. Furthermore and of course a number of policy options are already included in and mentioned in other SDGs as well, which directly relate to SDG 15 and as SDGs are interconnected they require parallel implementation as a whole system in order to achieve the desired transformative outcomes, acknowledging that some regions have or are developing policies in this area (e.g. Deforestation and  Nature Restoration laws/regulations or Soil Protection Policies as part of the European Green Deal), for the better or worse:

• Deforestation Prevention: Create and enforce stricter regulations and incentives to halt illegal logging and promote sustainable to regenerative forest management and achieve no further old growth or rainforest forest logging by 2030.
• Biodiversity Conservation: Significantly expand and strongly enforce  strongly protected areas and promote policies to conserve species and ecosystems (e.g. protect 30% of land by 2030) with special support for indigenous communities.
• Sustainable/Regenerative Land Use: Implement and support land-use policies that prioritize ecosystem restoration, sustainable and regenerative agriculture particularly for small scale farming and secure land tenure, integrated water resources management, and participatory, equitable, sustainable and integrated urban and regional planning, governance and development
• Combat Desertification: Create and support policies to prevent soil erosion and desertification through sustainable land and water resources management and regenerative restoration practices.
• Restoration of Ecosystems: Promote and accelerate reforestation, afforestation, wetlands, grasslands, savannas, peatlands and inland water systems restoration to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems  (e.g. restoration of 30% of ecosystems by 2030).
• Restoring Soils: Reduce soil sealing and restore degraded and polluted soils using regenerative techniques to achieve and enhance natural states of soil fertility and enhanced carbon storage. 
• Pollution Control and Reduction: Create and enforce strong regulations to reduce and prevent pollution from agriculture, industry, and urban development affecting land and restore soil quality through regenerative and circular practices.
• Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation: Integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies into land management policies (e.g. nature based solutions) and provide support for these.
• Public Awareness and Education: Foster education and awareness programs to engage communities in biodiversity, soils and ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts and as a basis for regenerative development and creation of sustainable livelihoods.

About 1.6 billion people’s livelihood depends on forests directly and all of us indirectly, including some 70 million indigenous people. 2,6 billion livelihoods directly depend on agriculture, while more than half our agricultural lands are affected by soil degradation. We all depend on the food they provide! While the list of species under international protection continues to grow since 1999, at least 7000 species of animals and plants have been reported in illegal trade affecting 120 countries.
As of 2024, more than 26,000 species of plants, fungi and animals face extinction. Microorganisms & invertebrates are crucial to health ecosystems, functions, yet remain poorly understood and their diversity uncatalogued. By 2024, at least partially protected KEY Biodiversity Areas (KBA) cover 43,4% of terrestrial, 44.3 % of freshwater and 52% of mountain areas. Increasing the size of KBA’s and their protection cover and level is vital to protecting species and functional biodiversity of land ecosystems. 

Throughout the SDG posts we have regularly mentioned the term bioregional next to local. It's a term coined quite a while ago, but has come into more frequent use recently, because sustainable and regenerative development needs to start at the local level but will need to go beyond it to sustain human and non-human life everywhere. Hence, for SDG 15 it's an appropriate point to provide a bit of a side step into bioregioning as was already the case in SDG 6, SDG 11 and SDG 14 in case you missed it. 

The past century has been marked by the rise of globalisation in every sense of the word - through production, culture, agriculture, consumption and more. This trend has brought great wealth and opportunities to many people and misery for many others - but what have we lost and forgotten through this process? 

Bio-regioning is about  the necessity of reconnecting to our local places for the sake of addressing our ecological, social, and economic challenges.In need for decentralised governance and institutions, as well as communities organised around resilience and regeneration. 

• How deep are the historical and indigenous ties of humanity to the bioregional way of life?
•  In what ways can individuals begin to engage with their local bioregions and contribute to a regenerative future? ,
• Finally, how can more humans who are connected and in relationship with the land influence future societies and cultures to be more aligned to the well-being of all life?

These and other questions are eloquently discussed in a roundtable between Daniel Christian Wahl, Samantha Power, and Isabel Carlisle, facilitated by Nate Hagens of the Great Simplification project as Bioregioning 101. More on bioregions will also be covered as part of the SDGs Multipliers course (see below). Gaia Education is currently developing an online course on ‘ Bioregioning in Practice’ together with some of the world leaders in that field and will start 21st April 2025. So sign up for it today. 

Instead of putting too much emphasis on generic larger scale ‘solutions’, which are likely somewhat removed from the realities and contexts of many local communities wherever they are and these and similar policies are likely not sufficient to steer us towards regenerative futures. And because the supported approach by Gaia Education for regenerative design and development, is about the context specific potential of each and every place and community. Hence, we want to support the life affirming or life regenerating local to bioregional conversations and co-creative processes which should be a starting point of whole systems based realisation of SDG 15 and all strongly linked and all other SDG systemically together. From this we provide some useful questions to ask yourself or a group you work with locally in relation to SDG 15 (sourced from the Gaia Education SDG Flashcards) in a multidimensional manner in the social, ecological, economic and worldview/cultural dimensions. SDG 15 which is about local to bioregional communities is particularly suitable for applying community level processes (in rural to central communities or elsewhere alike) for tackling this and all related SDGs head on. 

As you already know, the SDG Flashcards can provide you with some ideas on how one can possibly work with the SDGs in different (not top down but bottom up) and generative approaches. Based and part of the Gaia Education SDG Flashcards, they contain more than 200 questions on the system-wide approach to achieving the 2030 Agenda.

The cards enable a participatory and problem-centric group conversation and solutions oriented multi-perspectival dialogue. They invite participants to engage and to collaborate to identify actions and solutions to implement the SDGs in ways that are relevant to their lives and communities, locally. This is an effective way to establish local to bioregional community ownership and realisation for the UN SDGs.

The SDG Flashcards are used in the SDG Training of Multipliers. Check out the freely downloadable SDG Training of Multipliers Handbook for a detailed description of how to prepare, promote, and how to use these cards  more easily to promote community activist training, in various settings (e.g. local public bodies, communities, schools, universities, business etc.) as well as many other tools from our SDG webpages.

There are of course many examples of working on SDG 15  and  life below water, sometimes also in a systemic way  (First post on SDGs). 

Gaia Education is involved in educational and training offerings which support the implementation of the SDGs including SDG 15, but is also part of projects and initiatives where at least one, mostly several SDGs are targeted. Examples of training or project involvement with some focus on SDG 15  in a wider sense are as follows: 

We are of course always open to and interested in projects and initiatives on the SDGs and also with a focus on SDG 15 and would be interested in getting involved if you have such existing or future project ideas for life on land. 

CURIOSOIL

CURIOSOIL (Awakening Soil Curiosity to Catalyse Soil Literacy) is a four-year, EU co-funded project focused on enhancing soil education. Led by Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal), the project addresses the critical need for a better understanding of soil amid increasing human pressures on this essential resource. Using hands-on Soil Experiences, CURIOSOIL aims to deepen public comprehension of soil dynamics, establishing a connection between individuals and soil.

By collaboratively developing educational products, curriculum standards, and teacher training programs, CURIOSOIL increases the appreciation of soil value and aligns with the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe.” This initiative cultivates soil literacy, engages citizens, and promotes sustainable soil practices. The project aims to integrate soil health into EU school curricula by 2030, fostering awareness, knowledge, and behavioural changes for a resilient and climate-smart future.

Findhorn PDC

Ecovillage Findhorn Permaculture Design Certificate Course PDC to Engage Heart, Head, and Hands in Sustainable Living 💖 

Permaculture is a holistic design system for sustainable living, creating systems for minimum effort and maximum effect. The permaculture philosophy is one of working with rather than against nature, and the permaculture principles are a lens through which to see the world and make our key decisions. That’s how we can sustain human activities for many generations to come. The Permaculture Design Course enables participants to become a certified Permaculture Designer, capable of creating and implementing designs aligned with the ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.

A comprehensive face to face two-week course blending theory, practical skills, and community wisdom.

Suffice to say that Permaculture Principles are part of and permeate most, if not all courses and projects of Gaia Education together with whole systems and integrated regenerative design and development and more. 

Hence, how does your local community's life on land SDG project or initiative look like? 

Again, let’s take our future into our own hands, and start your SDG journey and locally to bio-regionally based community project or initiative now!

And to close if you would like to learn much more about SDG 15 and all other SDGs and the Agenda 2030 and many more topics, approaches and methods to practically work with the SDG in your local to bioregional context we encourage you  to start or re-invigorate your personal SDG journey through the upcoming online SDGs Multipliers course, starting on 20th October 2025. 

Join the course!

For more and the video affine the SDG 15 Life on Land - UN Sustainable Development Goals - DEEP DIVE is unfortunately not yet available from our usual source. But check out their website regularly as its promised to be released sometime soon in 2025. 

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