One of the global challenges of this century is to fight land degradation and restore already damaged land. It is essential that we succeed in this task to secure continuing ecosystem services by natural systems, and to secure a sustainable future for mankind. This is a task that needs to be addressed at different levels. Capacity building of professionals and institutions that deal with these challenges is an essential part of this undertaking. The UNU-Land Restoration Training Programme (UNU-LRT) offers training in ecological restoration of degraded lands and sustainable management of ecosystems for practicing professionals in developing countries. Our focus is on developing countries as the world's poorest inhabitants are most directly affected by land degradation but have least opportunities to react. We emphasize empowering women in this field as well as to help create an active network of professionals that can continue to collaborate after having attended the training at UNU-LRT. An effective network of professionals and practitioners that understand the importance of these challenges and work together to solve them, both locally and globally, is a promising way to produce the necessary changes to reach a sustainable future.