Land degradation is an increasing issue globally, exacerbated by climate change and affecting food security, threatening water resources and ultimately acting as a driver to migration.The ELD study, undertaken over the past 4 years, quantifies the costs of land degradation and sets out a universal approach for quantifying the economic benefits of sustainable land management. It aims to enable decision makers to better understand the overall costs and benefits when implementing policies and actions dealing with land. Land degradation and desertification threaten fertile land and the benefits human society derives from it throughout the world.

  • On a global scale, around 10 – 20% of drylands and 24% of the world’s productive lands are degraded.
  • The consequences are alarming: food insecurity, poverty, reduced availability of clean water, and increased vulnerability of affected areas to climate change.
  • It is estimated that 1.5 billion people across the world are already directly affected through reduced income or food security.
  • The annual economic losses due to deforestation and land degradation were estimated at 1.5 – 3.4 trillion Euro in 2008, equaling 3.3 – 7.5% of the global GDP in 2008.
  • Competition for the scarce resources of soil and water is further intensified by the growing world population and increasing demand for alternative land management products

When and where the official launches of ELD reports take place:
The launch of the publication ” The value of land” took place TODAY –  15 September at a  Special event at the European Commission in Brussels . The panel discussion was live at 12:00 (GMT+2), see the comments directly on the chat or on Twitter

Download the new reports: