Global

Areas prone to drought and land degradation need effective water management plans to secure food production. Methods such as hydrological modelling and digital soil mapping can aid in evaluating water availability (water content and water stress). A study by Horta et al., 2023 examined the use of a global and local soil hydraulic properties (SHP) dataset to simulate soil-water balance at a regional scale in Portugal and found that the SHP dataset is a key factor to consider. The results showed that the choice between global and local SHP datasets significantly impacts the accuracy of soil-water balance simulations, influencing irrigation schedules and potentially jeopardizing crop production and soil quality, particularly in Mediterranean conditions.

Artificial grassland restoration can be an effective method when applied to severely degraded grassland in alpine areas, however, their effects on slope runoff and sediment yield are still unclear. Qian et al., 2024 studied the effects of artificial restoration and degradation on the runoff sediment process in three areas and found that artificial grassland can significantly reduce runoff and sediment yield compared to alpine meadows and severely degraded alpine meadows. The study underscores the importance of plant and soil characteristics in erosion processes, highlighting the effectiveness of artificial grassland in mitigating soil erosion through improved soil conditions and enhanced vegetation coverage, with implications for restoration efforts in alpine regions.

This chapter aligns with Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation by reviewing the tools available for the collection of groundwater samples, methods of on-site water-quality analysis, and the appropriate preservation and handling of samples. This work contributes to the anaylis of groundwater in efforts to monitor and improve water for populations.

This Series paper supports SDGs 3 and 5 by examining the determinants of maternal health and mortality and how these could be addressed to improve outcomes. The causes of maternal mortality, and efforts to improve maternal health, require a multipronged and multidisciplinary approach.