Economics of Land Degradation Initiative

[1] 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.

[6] 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 adopted .

[11] 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 Initiative produces reports for decision makers and practitioners, case studies, policy briefs and education materials.

[17] ELD Initiative further focuses on collaborating with the Private Sector as one of the main drivers for land degradation processes,[9]to help businesses identify eco-investment opportunities and incentives linked to the preservation and sustainable management of soils.

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.

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 campus provides a comprehensive education toolkit to gain: 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: The Regreening Africa Project, co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, 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.

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.