[Authors’summary: It is no secret that the fight against desertification isn’t going well. In the two decades since the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification came into force, desertification has worsened considerably. Many within the desertification community and beyond are calling for a fresh approach to the problem: the establishment of a global goal to achieve a « land-degradation neutral world » (LDNW). However, the call for land degradation neutrality has not been universally celebrated, particularly given the questionable track record of past « no net loss » policies.
