Special issue Mapping and Modelling Soil Erosion to Address Societal Challenges in a Changing World presents advances in interdisciplinary methodologies for the study of the soil erosion/land management/climate change nexus, with a focus on societal challenges linked to land degradation. Contribution of 22 research teams active in 17 countries all over the world provided a global perspective on how soil erosion research contributes to meet societal challenges of our time. The authors conclude that (a) inclusive representation of non-linear system feedback between erosion and land management; (b) combination of mapping, measuring, monitoring, and modelling methods on different temporal and spatial scales; and (c) inclusive, cooperative interdisciplinary research approaches are inevitable to support management aiming for land degradation neutrality. 1 SOIL EROSION RESEARCH IN A CHANGING WORLD Land degradation, as part of the coupled natural and human system, leads to the reduction of biophysical, sociocultural, and economic functions of the ecosystem. Moreover, it is acknowledged that even regional land degradation has global consequences (