POSITION SUMMARY Land degradation – the reduction or loss of the productive potential of land – is a major global challenge, exacerbating the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, increasing food insecurity and water scarcity, and often inducing regional disputes and spurring environmental migration. Meeting global commitments for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030 will require avoiding and reducing degradation where possible, and restoring land that has previously been degraded, necessitating major capital investments by the global community. State-of-the art monitoring and planning tools are urgently needed to maximize the impact of these investments. The Betty and Gordon Moore Center for Science (MCS), the science division of C