5 October 2012: The joint meeting of the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) initiative gathered academics, political decision makers, local administrators and private sector representatives to consider a methodological approach and scientific baseline for the valuation of land and land-based ecosystem services in the course of the ELD initiative.

The 1-2 October 2012 event held in Brussels, Belgium, was hosted by the European Commission – DG Environment. The meeting was jointly organized by the ELD Secretariat and the UN University (UNU-INWEH), and was funded by the German Ministry for Development and Economic Cooperation, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the European Commission. It brought together experts from the fields of economics, water, dry-lands, biodiversity and ecology with extensive experience in land degradation issues.

Meeting participants agreed that three working groups will be created: Working Group on Data and Methodology; Working Group on Policy Options and Pathways; and Working Group on Economic Evaluation of Options. The working processes for these groups were also established. The working groups are open for additional participants and contributions by interested parties. [ELD Meeting Website]