Dr Richard Thomas Returns to GRÓ LRT with Insightful Course on Land Economics
This week, GRÓ LRT fellows had the opportunity to dive into the economics of land dynamics during a two-day course led by Dr Richard Thomas, Scientific Coordinator of the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative.
During the course, Dr. Thomas presented the ELD framework, which emphasizes the economic valuation of land and its services. He explored the principles behind ecosystem service valuation, policy tools to promote sustainable land use, and the 6+1 ELD methodology for evaluating land management economics. The sessions also covered the fundamentals of cost-benefit analysis—a tool used to determine the feasibility and value of proposed actions or projects.
This marks the fourth time GRÓ LRT has teamed up with the ELD Initiative to offer this training, and impressively, it’s the eighth time Dr. Thomas has shared his expertise with the programme as a guest lecturer.
Launched in 2011 by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the European Commission, the ELD Initiative aims to integrate the economics of land degradation into policy development and decision-making processes. It seeks to raise awareness about the financial and ecological costs and benefits associated with land use and degradation.
GRÓ LRT is grateful to the ELD Initiative for its continued collaboration and to Dr Thomas for once again bringing valuable knowledge and energy to our training programme.
