5 December 2014: The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) initiative has published a practitioner’s guide on the ‘Principles of economic valuation for sustainable land management based on the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): The Economics of Land Degradation.’
The guide is based on the premise that the services that fertile soil presents cannot be taken for granted, and that common practices regarding current land use must be reconsidered. The guide contends that one way to help address the threat of land degradation is to enable practitioners to calculate the true economic value of land when development and conservation fall within their responsibilities. This would then empower individuals to make informed economic decisions and improve the livelihoods of the people and livestock that depend on the land.
The guide examines: the value of land, not only for landowners and relevant stakeholders, but for society as a whole; and how to estimate the economic value of land. It takes a holistic perspective and enables practitioners to make the best possible decisions for society overall, and in some cases, informs business decisions. In particular, it aims to help practitioners and decision-makers make an economic case for preventing or reversing land degradation and for pursuing sustainable land management. The guide targets those who are intimately involved in determining land use policies and practices, including business owners, managers, students and teachers, activists, non-governmental organizations, farmers, engineers, politicians, journalists and public service employees.
The ELD initiative highlights potential benefits from sustainable land management practices and aims to raise awareness regarding the importance of analyzing the economics of land degradation. It also builds capacity to ensure that qualified personnel are available in affected countries. The ELD MOOC and this Practitioner’s Guide are part of the capacity-building component of the ELD initiative. [Publication: Principles of economic valuation for sustainable land management based on the MOOC: The Economics of Land Degradation] [ELD MOOC] [ELD initiative Website] [IISD RS story on MOOC]