Barron J. Orr is Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona (USA) where he also served as a NASA Geospatial Extension Specialist. His career has been focused on coupled human and environmental systems undergoing environmental change and bridging the divides between science, policy, practice and society. In 2014 he was named a Marie Curie Fellow and was selected as an independent scientist for the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI). After a career collaborating with local communities, he is now engaged in global environmental monitoring, including SDG 15 “Life on Land”. He is also co-lead author of the Scientific Conceptual Framework on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) which was formally endorsed by the 197 Parties to the UNCCD in 2017. He obtained a doctorate in Arid Lands Resource Sciences from the University of Arizona and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University.