Dr Richard Thomas Delivers Two-Day Course on the Economics of Land Dynamics

Dr Richard Thomas, Scientific Coordinator of the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative, delivered a two-day course on the economics of land dynamics for fellows in the GRÓ LRT six-month training programme on May 5 and 6, 2026.

In his lectures, Dr Thomas introduced the rationale for conducting economic studies on land dynamics and presented the ELD framework for considering the economic values of land. The course covered the valuation of ecosystem services, instruments to incentivise sustainable land management, and the 6+1 ELD approach and methodology for assessing the economics of land management.

The fellows also took part in group work to identify ecosystem services in their own environments and began developing case studies based on the ELD approach. The course concluded with an introduction to cost–benefit analysis, including its use in assessing whether an action or project is worth undertaking, followed by conclusions and a Q&A session.

This was the eighth time Dr Thomas contributed to the GRÓ LRT Programme as a guest lecturer and his fourth time delivering lectures on the ELD framework.

The ELD Initiative is a global initiative established in 2011 by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the European Commission. The initiative works toward making the economics of land degradation an integral part of policy strategies and decision-making by increasing political and public awareness of the costs and benefits of land.

The GRÓ LRT team thanks the ELD Initiative for its continued collaboration and for providing GRÓ LRT fellows with the opportunity to learn about the economic aspects of land dynamics.