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The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) released its Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists (GLO) on 21 May 2024. The report offers a singular perspective on the sustainable management of rangelands and the critical role of pastoralists and extensive livestock systems, focusing specifically on their capacity for advancing towards Land Degradation Neutrality. This paper offers a methodological approach to the narrative of the GLO. It starts by analysing the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model of rangeland health and degradation status. It then explains the role of this model in the design of a Theory of Change for the report and the transition towards a conceptual framework for managing rangelands as social-ecological systems. Finally, the presentation links this methodology with the case studies and the actions and recommendations of the report. Effective governance of rangelands requires a better understanding of their capacities, dynamics and the future supply and demand for their goods and services. The challenge is to ensure that these vast landscapes are managed in a sustainable manner while addressing the synergies and trade-offs under trans-disciplinary and multi-actor frameworks. This approach demands a strong scientific background but also a holistic and flexible conceptual framework that can lead to clear objectives and practical means of implementation, including policy frameworks, direct action, improved governance and better investments.