On May 5th, 2025, the MONALISA project was represented at the GEO Global Forum 2025 in Rome, Italy, through active participation in the session titled: “EO for Land: The Power of Collaboration for Country Impact.”
The event, hosted at the Auditorium della Tecnica, brought together experts, policymakers, and researchers from around the world to explore how Earth Observation (EO) tools and initiatives can support sustainable land management and drive global progress on environmental goals. Representing MONALISA, Paolo Mazzetti (CNR) delivered a presentation on “Collaboration on glocal aspects: Examples from the Mediterranean.“
The session aimed to identify ways to strengthen collaboration and impact on the ground to enhance land health and sustainability. By showcasing successful partnerships and innovations, it highlighted how GEO Flagships, such as GEO LDN, acted as vital links, ensuring that EO solutions were aligned with country needs. A key focus was on how EO data supported integrated land use planning, reporting on SDG 15.3.1, and synergies between UN Conventions like the UNCCD and CBD. The session also examined whether EO innovations effectively addressed country priorities and what was needed to scale up successful approaches.
Through presentations and panel discussions, participants explored concrete ways to enhance coordination among GEO Flagships, improve data standards and interoperability, and provide more impactful support to countries. The session went beyond affirming the need for collaboration, aiming to identify actionable steps for a stronger, more sustainable impact of EO on land management and decision-making.
This session exemplified the kind of global cooperation MONALISA supports: integrating data, expertise, and strategic planning to combat land degradation. By engaging with international partners and contributing to high-level policy dialogues, MONALISA reinforces its commitment to evidence-based solutions and impact-driven research for sustainable land management.
Also at this event Cristina Tarantino, the lead partner of CNR for the MONALISA project present presented:
- a poster titled “EO data for monitoring Land Degradation and Desertification and evaluating the effectiveness of restoration solutions: from NewLife4Drylands to MONALISA projects” that reported the common threads between NewLife4Drylands and MONALISA projects;
- a contribution about SDG 15.3.1 computation at the local scale within a round table titled “Managing Droughts, Floods, and Land Degradation in Vulnerable Regions” – supported by EuroGEO Action Group ‘Land Cover and Land Intelligence’
