January 2014: The Economics of Land Degradation Initiative (ELD) has announced its Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to transfer knowledge of methods for economic valuation and cost-benefit analysis to land users and decision makers.

The course will be held virtually from 2 March – 17 May 2014 with a focus on assessing the socio-economic benefits of land-ecosystems. It targets public and private decision makers, as well as researchers with an interest in soils and land degradation. The twelve week course will require 3-5 hours of work per week with options for additional work and readings. ELD is a global platform to advance the economics of land management. Partners include, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), international donors and intergovernmental and international scientific organizations. [ELD Course Overview] [ELD-MOOC Registration]