Exploring the contribution of geopedology to the implementation of national frameworks for land degradation neutrality

This chapter proposes a conceptual framework for integrating geopedology in the preliminary assessments required to establish the baseline for land degradation neutrality (LDN) at national or sub-national levels and to monitor outcomes of interventions targeting the LDN hierarchy of avoid, reduce, reverse land degradation. Specifically, it proposes using geopedologic mapping units as main sources to derive the land types and associated land units considered in the conceptual framework for LDN. In such a way, geopedologic units inform decisions around the concepts of ‘like-for-like’ necessary to plan and implement the counterbalancing mechanism core to the principle of neutrality of land degradation. We illustrate the application of the framework via a case study of Cochabamba’s Valle Alto, in Bolivia.