ELD – THE ECONOMICS OF LAND DEGRADATION INITIATIVE

ELD is a global initiative that makes the values of land and its ecosystem services count in decisions: We provide robust economic evidence and support its use in land decisions with the aim to inform, promote, and scale land solutions for transformative change. These solutions include sustainable land management and restoration practices, policy instruments and institutional design, and financing for land. In working at the science-policy-practice interface, ELD brings scientific knowledge and evidence into political and business discourses and decision making.

Established in 2011 between the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the European Commission and hosted by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the ELD Initiative recently entered its second decade of activities. More than ever, this needs to bring "Transformative action for land".

News

From Degradation to Opportunity – 15 Years of ELD

The ELD Initiative celebrates 15 years of advancing evidence-based solutions to address land degradation worldwide. Marking this milestone, ELD reflects on its impact to date while looking ahead to the next chapter of turning economic knowledge into…

State of Finance for Nature 2026: Nature in Red

For every dollar invested in protecting nature, thirty are spent destroying it – the new SFN report report, co-authored by UNEP, ELD and Global Canopy reveals why redirecting finance is key to a nature-positive economy.

ELD-UFZ Writeshop 2025

From 29th of September to 1st of October, leading experts from the ELD Working Group came together in Potsdam, Germany for a joint Writeshop with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) addressing financing opportunities for…

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