Mountain regions are critical for food security, water regulation, biodiversity conservation, and carbon storage, yet they remain among the most underrepresented landscapes in global Earth Observation (EO) datasets, particularly in terms of spatial resolution, temporal continuity, and usability for decision-making. These gaps were explicitly raised by UNCCD Parties at CRIC 23, where several countries, especially least developed countries, Small Island Developing States, hyperarid regions, and countries with extensive mountainous terrain, highlighted persistent limitations of default global datasets and called for high-resolution, continuous, and regularly updated data, as well as strengthened national capacities to use EO information for land degradation neutrality (LDN) and restoration planning.

This community event responds to these needs by bringing together GEO Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and GEO Mountains to showcase user-driven impact stories, new open data releases, and emerging EO-to-benefit approaches that support land restoration and sustainable land management in mountain environments. The session will feature users and practitioners from mountainous technical and scientific partners including the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, and the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), the Mountain Research Initiative, who will contribute applied perspectives on data, methodologies, and capacity development.

The session builds on Switzerland’s long-standing leadership in mountain research and international cooperation, including continued support by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to the Mountain Research Initiative in support of GEO Mountains and its network activities. This contribution is within the framework of SDC’s Adaptation at Altitude Programme (2024–2027), which promotes open knowledge, capacity development, and the translation of science into action for resilient mountain futures. Through interactive discussion, the event is expected to clarify priority user needs, highlight scalable open-data solutions, strengthen collaboration between GEO initiatives, and inform future investments in EO, capacity development, and co-designed tools for land restoration in mountainous regions.

Welcome and Introduction (Moderator: Glenn Hunt)

Presentations

Panel Discussion (moderator; all speakers)

Audience Q&A