Fig. 1.

Ten empirical realities (facts) about land systems that have strong, general support. Challenges summarize the issues that arise from each fact when trying to manage and govern land systems for sustainability. Implications summarize how governance of land systems for sustainability could be improved by acknowledging these facts and challenges. The 10 facts are structured through four higher-level facts (1, 2, 6, and 10) and several lower-level facts that derive from these higher-level ones (3, 4, and 5 deriving from 2; 7, 8, and 9 deriving from 6), yet they all express specific realities that imply distinct challenges.