Global Scans · Life on Land · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss,

• [New] 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. Gaia Education Website
• [New] 20% of earth's land surface is covered by savannas, now under threat from cropland expansion and ill-conceived afforestation. Gaia Education Website
• [New] 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. Gaia Education Website
• [New] 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. Gaia Education Website
• [New] Clearance and disruption of Amazonian forests is one of the greatest threats to our planet's biodiversity conservation and may increase the risk of future pandemics. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] 23% of all global deaths relate to the environment and there is evidence of how disturbances in the global environment affect global health due to disruptions of the climate system, scarcity of clean water, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, deforestation, etc. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The grave triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, poses a global and existential threat, the EU is committed to working with partners to accelerate a global, just and inclusive green transition. Consilium
• [New] By 2025, only five years will remain to meet both the near-term targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the SDGs. United Nations
• [New] The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and known as the lungs of the world, but it faces unprecedented environmental impacts from climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather that could transform the lush rainforest into a dry savannah. New York Botanical Garden
• [New] The joint venture - OneWeb India - will deliver secure low-latency LEO connectivity for customers on land, air and sea across India's borders and remote regions orbitaltoday.com. TS2 Space
• [New] Nature enthusiasts will find their paradise in Tripura, a land brimming with biodiversity and natural splendour. Incredible India
• [New] Chiltern Vital Group plans to turn a 40-acre patch of land into a zero-carbon energy 'super cluster', with the promise of bringing hundreds of new jobs to Gloucestershire. no2nuclearpower
• [New] If el-Fasher falls, the RSF will rule over a stretch of land roughly the size of France in western Sudan. Al Jazeera
• [New] By funding projects that weave GBV risk mitigation into conservation programming, IUCN catalyzes safer, more inclusive environmental stewardship that honors Indigenous lands and supports resilient ecosystems. Impact Funding
• [New] Land Rover models have some poor predicted reliability numbers, with it not even coming close to the top 20 reliable brands. SlashGear
• [New] Across South Asia, women have been at the forefront of grassroots peacebuilding - from the Mothers of the Disappeared in Sri Lanka and Kashmir to rural women in Bangladesh fighting for land rights, to Afghan women risking their lives for education. Katoikos
• [New] Up to 250,000 specialised jobs will be needed globally by 2030 to support the growth of the ecosystem. EM360Tech
• The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits governments to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030, mobilize $220 billion a year, and reform $500 billion in harmful subsidies. Forbes
• 33% of the world's land is threatened by desertification, with 25% of European agricultural soils severely damaged. PubMed Central (PMC)
• Afghanistan's geography still holds enormous potential: a land bridge linking Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. JIFAD
• As human activities encroach on wildlife habitats and interactions between species intensify, the spread of infectious diseases poses a significant and growing threat to global biodiversity. discoverwildscience
• With 65% of the world's uncultivated arable land and a vast labour force, Africa has immense potential for growth. CNBC Africa

Last updated: 14 September 2025