Rangelands cover half of the Earth’s surface, yet half are degraded, threatening food systems and pastoral livelihoods. Soil evidence remains fragmented and rarely reaches the policy and investment decisions needed to restore rangelands at scale. This session examines the state of soil data, identifies critical gaps, and presents innovations, including harmonized monitoring frameworks and Indigenous approaches. It highlights how Soil Information Systems strengthen Land Degradation Neutrality reporting, de-risk investment, and support the implementation of Decision 29/COP.16 on Rangelands and Pastoralists.  
 
EVENT OBJECTIVES 
- Present the current state of soil data and monitoring innovations that support rangeland restoration and LDN. 
- Identify pathways to address the key data and capacity gaps that limit the use of soil evidence in rangeland restoration, national reporting, and policy decisions.  
- Demonstrate how robust SISs strengthen LDN reporting, reduce the burden on Parties, and support the implementation of Decision 19/COP.16 and Decision 29/COP.16.  
- Build alignment around priority actions that connect soil evidence to investment and policy decisions for rangeland restoration and LDN.  
- Illustrate how soil evidence translates into field-level restoration and livelihood outcomes, using dryland-crop-based agribusiness models as a concrete "evidence to action" pathway on agricultural lands adjoining rangeland systems.  
 
KEY OUTCOMES
- Increased understanding of the soil data and evidence gaps blocking rangeland restoration and LDN at scale.  
- Reinforced commitment to adopt robust SISs and treat Indigenous knowledge systems as co-equal evidence.  
- A set of priority recommendations for the Rangelands Flagship Initiative and national LDN reporting processes, bringing soil evidence to bear on policy and investment decisions.  
- A working example of how agribusiness incubation and dryland-crop value chains convert soil and land data into restored land, improved nutrition, and household income — offered as a template for translating LDN evidence into investable, on-the-ground action.