With a global population that is projected to exceed nine billion by 2050, compounded by competition for land and water resources and the impact of climate change, our current and future food security hinges on our ability to increase yields and food quality using the soils that are already under production today. Land degradation is commonly caused when humans convert natural land for extractive purposes.

In January, a study in Nature Climate Change warned that more than a quarter of Earth's land surface will become "significantly" drier even if humanity manages to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) the goal espoused in the Paris Agreement.

The IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ) assessment took 100 volunteer scientists from around the globe three years to compile, analyzing all the available scientific data.

The end product covers the entirety of Earth's land, as well as the lakes and rivers it supports. IPBES executive secretary Anne Larigauderie told that the report was compiled at the request of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. They concluded biodiversity was in decline in all regions, and warned human well-being was at risk as a result.