Methods
The main method was a review of publications by Russian scientists, as well as some works by foreign authors (Belarus, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan) published in Russian language. In 2018, we were the first with an article on the uncertainties of applying the LDN concept in Russia, which included: diversity of biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, diversity of drivers and processes of LD, and the time period for establishing national LDN baseline in Russia (Kust et al. 2018). Since then, the number of LDN-related scientific publications has sharply increased with growing diverse of topics and ideas for scientific discussion (Figure 1). By now, more than one hundred LDN-related publications have been issued, of which about 90% appeared since 2018. About 80% of them are published in Russian, and only 20% in English.
The review of available publications allowed for analysis on the following areas: (i) development of LDN terminology, (ii) LDN assessment at the different levels, (iii) adaptation of transition matrix; (iv) application of global and national LDN indicators; (v) application of LDN framework for economic valuation of land, (vi) estimating LDN Baseline, and (vii) application of LDN as an integral indicator for sustainable land management.