This project was completed as part of the GEO Mountains Youth Ideathon.
The GEO Mountains Youth Ideathon, co-organised by the Group on Earth Observation and the Mountain Research Initiative, is a hands-on innovation and capacity-building programme for early-career mountain researchers and practitioners. The first edition took place from July 3rd to July 6th, 2026 and its purpose was to help participants collaboratively develop practical, data-informed solutions for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience in mountain regions. All the participants worked on real-world challenges, created prototype solutions, and presented their work at the Regional Mountain Conference.
Our team, specifically worked on Challenge Number 3.
The objective of Challenge 3 was to develop an evidence-based decision-support solution for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in mountain regions. We were asked to design a practical tool or approach that helps policymakers and practitioners identify priority areas for land restoration and sustainable land management (SLM) in Lesotho. The solution was expected to combine Earth Observation data with existing knowledge of SLM practices to identify degraded areas, analyse the causes of degradation, and recommend targeted ecosystem-based interventions. The overall goal was to transform scientific information into actionable recommendations that support decision-making, reduce disaster risks, strengthen ecosystem resilience, and promote the implementation and scaling of sustainable land management practices.