As the 17th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification enters its final week in Ulaanbaatar, ministers and global leaders will focus on finance, water, land, and food systems. The second and decisive week of the 17th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, UNCCD COP17, began on Monday, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,…
Microbial ecology (the study of how tiny microbes interact with each other and their environment) underpins the health of every ecosystem on Earth. The microbes living in soil recycle nutrients, support plant growth and help ecosystems respond to environmental change. In this explainer, microbial ecologist Marc Van Goethem tells us why microbes are critical to…
Today, the world pauses to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, an annual reminder of the urgent need to protect and restore land degraded by human activity and climate change. The 2025 commemoration, held under the theme “Restore the Land, Unlock the Opportunities,” is being hosted in Bogotá, Colombia, where delegates from…
