Over 300 participants explored tensions and opportunities towards sustainability in Africa at the Seedbeds of Transformation Conference; Embedded researchers from the Future Resilience for African Cities and Lands (FRACTAL) program share experiences and insights; The regional networks of the Global Observation of Forest Cover and Land Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) program held meetings and training events in the Philippines, South Africa, Ghana and Croatia; Clay Oboth and Mariama Camara joined the START team; and more.