Drylands: Insights 2027

Drylands, including tropical and temperate deserts, grasslands, shrublands and savannas, and high-latitude and high-elevation drylands, and other arid, semi-arid and drought-seasonal environments, are the largest biome of the Earth’s land surface. They support large human populations, livestock and grain production and distinctive biodiversity, while also being highly vulnerable to climate change, land degradation and shifting land use. Recent years have brought rapid advances in our understanding of these environments, driven by interdisciplinary collaboration, improved remote sensing and modelling, and a growing recognition of the role of drylands in global carbon, water and climate dynamics. However, significant questions remain about the functioning of drylands, their resilience to climatic and anthropogenic disturbances, restoration potential, and how environmental, ecological and social systems interact.Contemporary research has produced notable achievements, including better monitoring of vegetation, water and carbon dynamics, improved approaches to restoring degraded land, and community-based frameworks for sustainable management. However, challenges persist. They include integrating knowledge across spatial and temporal scales, anticipating climate and drought impacts, and translating scientific evidence into practice and policy.This Research Topic seeks to showcase the latest advances, and the ongoing challenges, in dryland research. We aim to identify the critical questions shaping future directions, highlight novel methods, and propose evidence-based solutions that support the United Nations protocols relating to SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Dryland ecosystem structure, function and resilience under climate change and drought• Water dynamics, soil processes and carbon storage in arid and semi-arid regions• Land degradation, ecological restoration and sustainable land management• Land-use change and its social-ecological drivers and impacts in drylands• Remote sensing, modelling and data-driven monitoring of dryland change• Interdisciplinary studies linking dryland ecology, hydrology and livelihoods• Policy, governance and community-based practice for dryland sustainabilityWe encourage contributors to identify prevailing challenges and propose evidence based solutions, fostering both critical debate and scientific progress. Original Research, Reviews, Case Studies, and Opinion Pieces are all welcome. Topic editors: Niall Patrick Hanan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86950/drylands-insights-2027