From satellite data to soil security: Closing the science–policy gap in soil erosion monitoring in West Africa

Soil erosion threatens food systems, water regulation, and ecosystem health in West Africa. The region faces both water erosion, yet monitoring remains fragmented and weakly connected to policy. This short communication synthesises fit for purpose Earth observation approaches for erosion monitoring and sets out a practical route to embed them in decision making. We summarise optical and radar approaches, including SAR time series and interferometry, aerosol products for dust, and new hyperspectral and high revisit constellations. We emphasise calibration and validation with plots, gully surveys, drones, and community observations. We diagnose key barriers to policy uptake, including limited human and technical capacity, institutional fragmentation, lack of standard methods, product usability gaps, financing constraints, and few documented success cases. We then propose an operational pathway aligned with UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality and SDG 15.3.1 reporting, with clear roles for national agencies and regional initiatives such as WASCAL, SERVIR West Africa, Digital Earth Africa, and the network of African geomatics professionals. Embedding validated satellite indicators into routine policy cycles can identify hotspots, target measures, and track outcomes, advancing soil security while supporting countries’ 2030 LDN commitments.