The planet is in crisis.

Land is where many of today’s environmental challenges meet. Healthy soils store carbon, produce food, sustain biodiversity and support the livelihoods of billions of people.

Yet this foundation is under growing strain. Up to 40 percent of the world's land is degraded, and the consequences are being felt through food insecurity, water scarcity, migration and economic instability.

Addressing land degradation is not only about restoring ecosystems. It is about protecting livelihoods and ensuring that communities facing increasing environmental pressures have the tools and resources they need to steward the land sustainably.

That challenge is at the centre of discussions from 17 to 28 August, when governments, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, youth and the private sector gather in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for COP17 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Conference focuses on the interconnected challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought, and how restoring land can build resilience and reduce vulnerability but also enhance economic stability, national security and development.

Mongolia’s own experience reflects the growing strain on the world’s  natural ecosystems: nearly 77 percent of the country's territory has been affected by degradation. But just as striking as the scale of the challenge is the opportunity it presents. Restoring 150 million hectares of degraded land (an area roughly the size of Canada) could generate up to US$40 billion additional annual income for smallholder farmers while helping feed 200 million people.

Unlocking this kind of potential will require investment. As host of COP17, Mongolia is advancing the Steppe Action Agenda, a global initiative to mobilize more than $1 billion to support integrated action across landscapes. But turning restoration ambitions into reality will depend on closing a significant financing gap and ensuring that resources reach the communities and landscapes most in need.

Over the past decade, countries have committed to restoring 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030, and more than 70 countries have developed or are developing national drought plans. COP17 is a key moment to reach even higher and move quickly from planning to action, with finance for land restoration and drought resilience among the issues shaping the agenda.

Beyond drought resilience and land restoration, COP17 shines a spotlight on communities that most depend on healthy land. Herders and livestock farmers are taking centre stage as the Conference coincides with the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.  Rangelands sustain more than 500 million people and cover around half of the Earth’s land surface. Roughly half are already degraded or at risk.

As part of its mandate, the Convention addresses the links between land degradation and social challenges, including gender equality, youth engagement and migration. COP17 advances this commitment to a more inclusive approach to land governance, becoming the first UNCCD Conference to include both an Indigenous Peoples Caucus and a Local Communities Caucus.

Looking beyond the current decade, one of the key goals of COP17 is to shape the Convention’s future strategic framework, the roadmap that will define how global efforts to address desertification, land degradation and drought continue after 2030.