ILRI and partners unveil the Global Rangelands Data Platform

An ambitious new data platform is poised to strengthen the way the world understands and manages its vast rangelands – the grasslands, savannas, and shrublands covering nearly half of the Earth’s terrestrial surface.

The development of the Global Rangelands Data Platform led by ILRI with technical support by GMV and Vizzuality seeks to tackle one of the most persistent obstacles in rangeland governance: the absence of reliable, up-to-date, and consolidated data. The platform’s goal is not just to consolidate fragmented information but to serve as a global gateway for evidence-based advocacy and large-scale restoration investment. It is expected to be formally launched at the UNCCD COP 17 in Mongolia next year.

The developers presented the initiative to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners on 25 November 2025 during a webinar, “Pre-launch viewing of the Global Rangelands Data Platform.”

The global rangeland data crisis

The core issue driving the project is a fundamental data deficit. According to Fiona Flintan, Senior Scientist, Rangelands and Pastoralism, ILRI, global data on rangelands is sparse. For decades, global estimates of rangeland extent have ranged wildly between 20% and 80% of the world’s terrestrial surface. Many of these figures trace back to FAO assessments from the 1960s and ’70s that are grossly outdated for modern policy and investment needs.

This lack of a robust, consolidated baseline has made it nearly impossible to track the status of these ecosystems, including the extent of degradation, biodiversity loss, or the spread of invasive species. “We needed a robust baseline to guide advocacy, restoration, and monitoring,” said Flintan in her opening remarks during the webinar. “But what we found was fragmented, inconsistent data that made decision-making extremely difficult. We need big data on rangelands for advocacy particularly with the upcoming International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) in 2026.”

From static maps to a living platform

The first step toward addressing this gap came in 2020, when ILRI and partners developed the Global Rangelands Atlas, a static collection of maps integrating large datasets on biomes, livestock, land degradation, biodiversity, and protected areas. Yet the team acknowledged that the Atlas, produced on a limited budget with seed-funding from the CGIAR Big Data Platform, was only the beginning.

With support from the Global Environment Facility through the STELARR Project, ILRI has since expanded this work into an interactive Rangelands Data Platform. The platform organizes data into three major themes: land use and people (including pastoralist data and conflict mapping); land ecosystem (e.g., net primary productivity, soil carbon); and wildlife and wildlands (e.g., protected areas, threatened species) – allowing users to explore rangeland dynamics through layered maps, time-series indicators, and advanced filtering tools.

Built on the Google Cloud Platform and utilizing Google Earth Engine and Mapbox for dynamic visualization, the system is engineered for scalability and interactive analysis.

“It’s intended to be a global gateway,” said Carlos Domenech, Section Head for Climate Change Services at GMV during his demonstration of the Platform. “We want to make rangeland data accessible, understandable, and actionable for researchers, governments, pastoralist organizations, and investors.”

Future plans include developing interactive data stories; creating an education-type component for wider outreach; and exploring mechanisms for crowdsourcing ground-level data to validate and enhance satellite imagery inputs.

Critical policy challenge: fighting statistical silos

Despite these advances, speakers highlighted major gaps that still hinder effective rangeland management. Key among them is the lack of disaggregated national statistics.

Perhaps the most potent issue raised during the discussion concerned national policy blind spots. Maryam Niamir-Fuller, a long-time rangelands expert pointed out that the effort to link the global platform to national statistics (like those in Ethiopia) faces a fundamental challenge: many governments do not disaggregate data for rangelands and pastoralists making national reporting on land degradation neutrality or ecosystem restoration nearly impossible.

She urged the platform’s leaders to use the upcoming launch at the UNCCD COP 17 to bring this issue directly to the member states, pushing for the political will necessary to reform national reporting systems. By challenging these statistical silos, the platform aims to ensure that the vital ecological, economic, and cultural value of rangelands, which support at least half a billion people, is properly recognized in national and global development agendas.

What participants had to say about the Global Rangelands Data Platform

During breakout sessions, participants expressed strong appreciation for the platform’s scope and usability but also highlighted areas needing refinement before its official launch. Several users noted that while the expanding catalogue of datasets is a major strength, the sheer volume may overwhelm new users. They recommended adding simple guidance tools such as curated pathways, prompts, or thematic starting points to help users quickly locate relevant information. Others underscored the platform’s high potential for education and communication, especially if supported with clearer navigation and storytelling features.

Participants also stressed the need to ensure the platform does not become siloed from other ecosystem or land-use platforms. They pointed to opportunities for strategic alignment, such as closer collaboration with the LandMark Map initiative, which maps indigenous and community lands. Although some LandMark Map layers already appear in the prototype, participants encouraged the teams to pursue deeper integration and joint development. Additional platforms suggested for linkage included the UK’s Rangelands Analysis Platform and emerging tools such as Time2Graze. Others proposed that the platform incorporate refined land-use filters such as rangeland layers that exclude urban or incompatible land types and explore combining datasets to generate interpretive insights or management recommendations.

Looking to the future, participants urged developers to consider the dynamic nature of rangelands, especially those shaped by livestock mobility and wildlife migration. Static maps, they cautioned, cannot fully capture these movements. Several groups encouraged the exploration of participatory or real-time data inputs, potentially through community reporting or mobile tools, provided adequate safeguards and capacities are in place. They also encouraged interoperability with broader global frameworks such as biodiversity monitoring systems, climate platforms, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to strengthen the platform’s policy influence and visibility.

A recurring theme was the importance of keeping indigenous and pastoralist perspectives central. Participants noted that many Indigenous communities do not view land in fragmented ecosystem categories (“forest”, “rangeland”) but rather as interconnected territories. Ensuring the platform reflects this holistic lens while still meeting scientific and policy needs was flagged as an essential long-term direction.

Finally, respondents saw significant funding potential in partnerships with global environmental mechanisms, restoration initiatives, and technology-oriented donors. But they emphasized that the strongest case for investment would come from demonstrating interoperability, user uptake, and decision-making relevance, positions the upcoming UNCCD COP launch will be well placed to reinforce.

About STELARR

Funded by the Global Environment Facility, STELARR is being implemented by IUCN and executed by ILRI in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, ICARDA, Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry Centre Forestry Research (CIFOR-ICRAF), the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Sustainable Fibre Alliance. Additional research support was provided by the CGIAR Science Program on Multifunctional Landscapes. ILRI thanks all its donors including those that contribute to the CGIAR Trust Fund.