Nairobi, June 21 -- Restoring the world's rangelands is no longer a distant environmental ambition. It is an urgent economic, ecological and social necessity.

In Kilifi County, as Kenya hosted the global observance of World Desertification and Drought Day, that urgency met a powerful reality: the people most closely tied to the health of land and livelihoods are often women.

Held under the theme 'Rangelands: Recognise. Respect. Restore.', the global commemoration brought together diplomats, policymakers and environmental leaders to focus attention on ecosystems that cover nearly half of the earth's surface and sustain billions of livelihoods.

These landscapes underpin food systems, biodiversity and climate resilience, yet they are incr...