In the 21st century, soil formation rate is slower than soil loss due to many factors, mainly soil erosion (Alewell et al., 2015; Duan et al., 2017), which is accelerated due to anthropogenic activity, that is mainly related to land-use change, this implies in nutrient and carbon cycling, land productivity, in turn, worldwide socio-economic conditions (Borrelli et al., 2017). Soil erosion is an important sign of land degradation (Tsymbarovich et al., 2020). According to Olsson et al. (2019), who reported about “Climate Change and Land,” land degradation is defined as a negative trend in land condition, caused by direct or indirect human-induced processes, including anthropogenic climate change, expressed as long-term reduction or loss of at least one of the following: biological productivity, ecological integrity, or value to humans. In Indonesia, degraded land has intensified due to mismanagement and mining activity because mining is one of the crucial economic sectors. Indonesia, with its tropical forests and diverse ecosystem, natural resource extraction through open-pit mining triggers land and forest degradation (Pratiwi et al., 2021). “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.”—American Indian proverb.

World Health Organization (2020) reported that land degradation has accelerated as recorded since the 20th century, and threats land integrity due to pressure combination or agriculture and livestock production (over-cultivation, overgrazing, forest conversion), urbanization, deforestation, and extreme weather, which worsen the condition such as droughts and coastal surges that leads to soil salinization. Land degradation does affect many aspects of the planet. The processes (social and environmental) are pressuring the world’s arable land for providing good quality food, water, and air. Land degradation and desertification can affect human health through complex pathways, including higher threats of malnutrition from reduced food and water supplies, increased water and food-borne diseases that affect food and water hygiene.

Therefore, the discussion on environmental, socio-economic, and health impacts of degraded and mining lands is a crucial topic to discuss in an international venue to broader the point of view and understanding on how to cope and adapt to global climate change and securing arable land for provisioning good quality of food, water, and air. Soil Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya is preparing the third international conference on degraded and mining lands’ impacts on the environment, social-economic, and health. The conference will discuss the crucial issues related to degraded and mining lands with many scientists and experts worldwide focusing on the sustainable land management and land restoration to achieve better world.