![ELD Initiative](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/ELD_Initiative.jpg)
The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative is a global initiative which aims to increase awareness of the benefits of
sustainable land management Sustainable land management (SLM) refers to practices and technologies that aim to integrate the management of land, water, and other environmental resources to meet human needs while ensuring long-term sustainability, ecosystem services, biodiv ...
and economic consequences of
land degradation
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land.
It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious ...
.
The ELD Initiative was co-founded in 2011 by the Secretariat of the
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the
European Commission (EC) and is hosted by the
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The ELD Secretariat is based in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
, Germany.
The ELD Initiative is focused on developing globally relevant data and methodology on the economic benefits of land and land based ecosystems for decision-makers. This way, the Initiative highlights the benefits of adopting sustainable land management practices and seeks to establish a global approach to conducting economic analyses of land management. Moreover, the ELD Initiative provides a platform for discussion between stakeholders from the policy, science and private sectors, as well as a Knowledge Hub providing a database of educational materials, related knowledge and access to a broad range of scientific and policy
publication
To publish is to make content available to the general public.[Berne Conve ...](_blank)
s.
Background
Land degradation
Land degradation
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land.
It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious ...
and
desertification
Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...
threaten people’s livelihood on a global scale. Every year, 20 million hectares of fertile land become degraded and within the last 40 years, around one third of the total agricultural land on earth has become unproductive through degradation processes.
Less developed countries
A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
are more vulnerable to desertification and land degradation, as they lack the
infrastructure
Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...
and capital to deal with this threat and implement long-term
sustainable land management Sustainable land management (SLM) refers to practices and technologies that aim to integrate the management of land, water, and other environmental resources to meet human needs while ensuring long-term sustainability, ecosystem services, biodiv ...
.
[ELD Scientific Interim Report](_blank)
/ref> Soil on degraded land is less resilient and crops grown on degraded soil produce lower yields.
Land degradation also negatively influences global food security
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...
: in the next 25 years, global food production might drop by up to 12%. This will lead to an increase in average food prices of up to 30%.
Estimates show that the annual costs of land degradation are up to €3.4 trillion. Paired with the growing world population and an increasing demand for alternative land management products such as biofuels land degradation causes poverty, food insecurity, reduced availability of clean water, and increased vulnerability
Vulnerability refers to "the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally."
A window of vulnerability (WOV) is a time frame within which defensive measures are diminished, com ...
towards climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and extreme weather conditions.
Land is covered by different ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s, which can be valued to include all the services they provide to society: supporting, regulating, provisioning and cultural
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...
services
Service may refer to:
Activities
* Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty
* Civil service, the body of employees of a government
* Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...
. These ecosystem services were estimated in 2011 to have a global worth of USD 125 trillion/yr. This shows a decrease of USD 20.2 trillion/yr since 1997, caused by land use and management changes . /nowiki> Sustainable land management practices are not usually costly to take up, and could deliver up to USD 1.4 trillion, merely in crop production, if adopte
.[7
/nowiki>">">.[7
/nowiki>
Economic valuation of land degradation
Economics of land degradation look at the true costs of degrading land and land-based ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s as well as the benefits that derive from sustainable management of land and land-based ecosystems. The ELD Initiative provides ground-truthed tools and assessments that allow other parties to undertake Cost–benefit analysis">cost-benefit analyses of land and land use through total economic valuation. This approach helps to shine a light on the hidden values of land that are very often not considered when taking decisions about its management (e.g., nutrient cycling, water retention, storm protection).
The ELD Initiative also recognises that some aspects of land are invaluable in that the very existence of humanity depends on the land and thus has infinite value. Nevertheless, economic information is used by decision makers for land use, land use change and management. Fully informed economic valuations are a central component of these decision-making processes, especially as economics provide a common language for different stakeholder
Stakeholder may refer to:
*Stakeholder (corporate), a group, corporate, organization, member, or system that affects or can be affected by an organization's actions
*Project stakeholder, a person, group, or organization with an interest in a proje ...
s to discuss their needs, costs, and gains, and come to optimal, mutually beneficial sustainable land management strategies.
Structure
Formation
In 2010, a scientific foundation was created to promote the issues of sustainable land management and food security on a scientifically sound basis and increase public awareness for the importance of productive soils.
The Initiative is guided by a Steering Group consisting of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (german: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, ), abbreviated BMZ, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is ...
, the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
, and the permanent Secretariat to the UNCCD, and coordinated by the ELD Secretariat. The Initiative produces reports for decision makers and practitioners, case studies, policy briefs and education materials. These outputs are distributed to and applied by its policy, private sector and scientific partners. The ELD Secretariat is responsible for the coordination of processes within the Initiative and serves as the first contact point for all existing and potential partners.
ELD Ambassadors
The Initiative is also represented by ELD Ambassadors, who play a crucial role in the coordination of ELD activities on the national level and represent the Initiative in their respective countries. In their function as ambassadors, they help:
* to establish linkages between research institutions
A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often i ...
and the policy sector to motivate and facilitate science-policy dialogues regarding the need for a shift of policies towards the promotion of sustainable land management practices;
* to lobby for holistic economic valuation in the research and policy community, taking into account the value of ecosystem services;
* to disseminate results of ELD studies on national and international level in order to attract attention to the economic dimension of land degradation and benefits of sustainable land management.
Partners
The ELD Initiative has a global network of partners including CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Stockholm Environment Institute
The Stockholm Environment Institute, or SEI, is a non-profit, independent research and policy institute specialising in sustainable development and environmental issues, with seven affiliate offices around the world. SEI works on climate change ...
, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
, UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
, Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
, University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, AMURE, ICARDA, Global Mechanism and IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
.
ELD Initiative further focuses on collaborating with the Private Sector as one of the main drivers for land degradation processes,[9
/nowiki>">">[9
/nowiki>/sup>to help businesses identify eco-investment opportunities and incentives linked to the preservation and sustainable management of soils.
Outputs
Publications
The ELD Initiative has an database of publications targeted at a variety of stakeholders. These include the '''Scientific Interim Report''’, which details the general approach and methods considered by the Initiative and the '''Business Brief outlines a methodology for risk assessment. In 2015, ELD published reports tailored for policymakers and the private sector.
In September 2015, ELD produced a ‘main’ report, ''The Value of Land.'' This publication details the monetary worth of land, the steps and methods that can be used to effectively conduct economic assessments of land values, and actions for the successful management and use thereof. Additionally, it provides global scenarios with information on important ecosystems and the potential future impacts based on the various possible economic conditions governing its management. The significance of stakeholder engagement is outlined with country-level examples. The report was launched at the 70th United Nations General Assembly in Brussels.
Capacity building courses
The ELD Initiative further offers Capacity building
Capacity building (or capacity development, capacity strengthening) is the improvement in an individual's or organization's facility (or capability) "to produce, perform or deploy". The terms ''capacity building'' and ''capacity development'' ha ...
activities for decision-makers through MOOCs, trainings and national level learning and teaching materials to engage researchers and current and future decision-makers.
ELD Campus
In 2019, the ELD Initiative launched the ELD Campus, which offers a learning and teaching toolkit for the valuation of ecosystem services. It can be used at different levels – from policymakers and researchers, to students and aspiring ELD practitioners – in all fields of scientific background.
The campus provides a comprehensive education toolkit to gain:
* An awareness of the rationale behind economic valuation of ecosystem services;
* An understanding of how economic valuation is done and how the information can be used:
** in policy-making and planning regarding land use;
** in the field as an ELD practitioner;
** in training curricula.
* In-depth methodological knowledge on how to apply the ELD approach to economic valuations of ecosystem services..
Activities
The ELD Initiative is focused on stakeholder dialogues, capacity building and technical expertise and development of solutions. Specifically, the Initiative works in the following five activity areas:
* Awareness Raising
Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...
: Communicating recommendations to land users, owners and public and private decision-makers to improve land management.
* Capacity Development: Training to build or develop capacity, both in-class, online and through guided application of the ELD approach.
* Stakeholder Consultation: Bringing together a range of experts and policy-decision makers to work together at the science-policy interface.
* Study Design/Research: Producing syntheses of methods and develop case studies
A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in business might cover a particular fi ...
serving as examples of holistic assessments.
* Policy Dialogue: Contributing to science-policy dialogue by providing evidence that may help review, revise and redesign policy to better promote more sustainable land management and in the Green Economy
A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politi ...
context.
Current activities - Regreening Africa Project
The Regreening Africa Project, co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (german: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, ), abbreviated BMZ, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is ...
, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) and carried out jointly by the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative and ICRAF started in 2017. It aims to improve livelihoods, food security and climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
resilience by restoring ecosystem services. The project target countries are Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, Ghana, Kenya, Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
, Niger, Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
, Senegal, and Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
The ELD Initiative led the first phase of the project from 2017 - 2020 by conducting case study cost-benefit analyses in each target country. These case studies are aimed at raising awareness of the threats and opportunities of different land use options, and extending the capacity of national experts to assess the economic benefits of investments in sustainable land management in consideration of the costs of land degradation. Based on these assessments, decision-makers and administrators will have access to scientific information on the economic consequences of land degradation and optional pathways to rural growth.
The results of the Initiative's work facilitate the initiation of policy dialogues, aiming to create additional awareness for the issue of land degradation and raising additional investments into sustainable land management measures, notably into Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration
Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is a low-cost, sustainable land restoration technique used to combat poverty and hunger amongst poor subsistence farmers in developing countries by increasing food and timber production, and resilience ...
(FMNR).
The project is financed by the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is carried out jointly by the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative and ICRAF.
Publications
ELD reports
*The Value of Land Français: Le valeur des terres
*Report for policy and decision makers Français: Rapport à l'intention des décideurs politiques
*Report for the private sector Français: Rapport pour le secteur privé
*The Economics of Land Degradation Neutrality in Asia
*ELD Central Asia Regional Report
*The Economics of Land Degradation in Africa Français: L'économie de la dégradation des terres en Afrique
*ELD Fact Sheet on Africa Français: Fiche d'information Africa
*ELD Scientific Interim Report
*ELD Business Brief
*ELD Assessment
*ELD Practitioner's Guide 2015 Français: Guide du praticien
*ELD Practitioner's Guide 2014 (Français) (русский) (Türkçe) (हिंदी)
*ELD User guide Français : Guide d'utilisation
*ELD Initiative - Brochure Français: Une initiative mondiale pour la gestion durable des terres
Case studies
*ELD Case Study of Ghana
*Français: Synthèse des quatre cas d’étude ELD au Sénégal
*ELD Case Study of Namibia
*ELD Case Study of Benin Français: L’économie de la dégradation des terres au Bénin
*ELD Kenya Project Report
* ELD Case Study of Jordan
* ELD Case Study of Mali Français: Évaluation économique de l'agroforesterie et de la restauration des terres dans la foret du Kelka au Mali
* ELD Case Study of Ethiopia
* ELD Case Study of Botswana's Kalahari
Policy briefs
* Français: ELD Case Study of Senegal - Policy Brief
* ELD Case Study of Namibia - Policy Brief
* ELD Case Study of Kazakhstan - Policy Brief Russian: Аналитическая записка по тематическому исследованию в Казахстане
* ELD Case Study of Kyrgyzstan - Policy Brief Russian: Аналитическая записка по тематическому исследованию в Кыргызстане
* ELD Case Study of Tajikistan - Policy Brief Russian: Аналитическая записка по тематическому исследованию в Таджикистане
* ELD Case Study of Turkmenistan - Policy Brief Russian: Аналитическая записка по тематическому исследованию в Туркменистане
* ELD Case Study of Uzbekistan - Policy Brief Russian: Аналитическая записка по тематическому исследованию в Узбекистане
* ELD Case Study of Georgia - Policy Brief
References
{{Reflist
External links
ELD official website
ELD on Twitter
an
YouTube
an
Facebook
Key Topics of the UNCCD
United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health
ELD Massive Open Online Courses
* Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung
Ecological economics
Sustainable agriculture
Food security
Desertification
International climate change organizations