September 2013: The Economics of Land Degradation Initiative (ELD) has published a review of how the private sector interacts with land degradation, by assessing risks and opportunities across seven industrial sectors: resources; food and beverage; construction; industrial goods; household goods; utilities; and travel.

The report suggests that deforestation and land degradation result in economic losses equaling 3.0-3-7.5 per cent of GDP. The report notes the importance of considering land in supply chain risk. In addition to risks to business, the ELD report documents potential gains by improving the quality of land. It applies a methodology to analyze high, medium and low risk sectors, alongside a toolkit for integrating land degradation issues into standard decision making.

The ELD includes partners such as the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Global Mechanism (GM), and UN University (UNU). [Publication: Opportunity Lost: Mitigating Risk and Making the Most of Your Land Assets][ELD website]