The SOLAW 2021 report builds on the concepts and conclusions given in the previous SOLAW 2011 report. Much has happened since then. Recent assessments, projections and scenarios paint an alarming picture of the planet’s natural resources – highlighting depletion of land and water resources, loss of biodiversity, associated degradation and pollution and scarcity of primary natural resources. Rising demands for food and energy, competing industrial, municipal and agricultural uses, and the need to conserve and enhance the integrity of the Earth’s ecosystems and their services make the picture extremely complex and full of interlinkages and interdependencies.

While many of the concepts and suggestions of SOLAW 2011 are still valid, SOLAW 2021 offers a timely update of the status of land, water and soil resources, key drivers and pressures to their change and related risks. It takes account of new data sets and the many important developments that have taken place in the intervening years. It highlights the integrated approaches to land and water management as a means of resolving competition among land and water users that generate multiple benefits for people and the environment. It includes opportunities outside the land and water domain that can help to improve resource use efficiency and productivity, align progress with the SDGs, and showcase success stories at all levels.