Faced with a new global paradigm of achieving the Sustainable Development goals by 2030 and especially on the issue of soils, goal 15.3, which says: “By 2030, fight desertification, rehabilitate degraded lands and soils, including lands affected by desertification, drought and floods, and seek to achieve a world with neutral soil degradation. ” In this regard, it is clear that the international community has taken up the sustainability approach as a “bet” to somehow remedy the problem of the degradation of the Earth's resources, and thereby create a better future.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the popular perception of rangelands and their management is that these vast areas have major problems without solutions: the common narrative focuses on overgrazing, herds of undernourished livestock, erosion and desertification, drought, famine, and conflict.

However, evidence compiled and analysed in this book show that such a view of rangelands – as being unproductive and mismanaged systems – does not reflect reality. It needs reconsideration and revision.

Key findings of the Sustainable Development Report 2019
World nations obtain their worst performance on SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). No country obtains a “green rating” (the report’s indicator for the achievement of an SDG) on SDG 14 (Life Below Water).