Widespread interference of human activities has resulted in major environmental problems, including pollution, global warming, land degradation, and biodiversity loss, directly affecting the sustainability and quality of the environment and ecosystem. The study aims to address the impact of the extraction of natural resources and globalization on the environmental quality in the South Asian countries for the period 1991–2018. A new methodology Dynamic Common Correlated Effects is used to deal with cross-sectional dependence.

Industrial and technological development have contributed significantly to causing environmental crises, such as climate change and land degradation. To address these environmental challenges, nature-based solutions (NBS) have gained increased attention over conventional technical responses. This study derived conceptual linkages from NBS application to resilience promotion, and subsequently, to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Mapping and quantifying land degradation status is important for identifying vulnerable areas and to design sustainable landscape management. This study maps and quantifies land degradation status in the north Gojjam sub-basin of the Upper Blue Nile River (Abbay) using GIS and remote sensing integrated with multicriteria analysis (MCA). This is accomplished using a combination of biological, physical, and chemical land degradation indicators to generate a comprehensive land degradation assessment.