The discussion forum will be hosted by the ELD Initiative in close cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The ELD discussion forum will focus on the economic aspects of environmental degradation and the sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems and will revolve around two main topics: the economics of land and land-based ecosystems and the green economy and natural capital accounting.

One part of the event will focus on different approaches how to value land-based ecosystems and their services to facilitate investments and the financing of sustainable land management. Investments in unsustainable land management practices can create short-term gains but often turn into long-term losses. These losses can be prevented through investments in sustainable land management, avoiding land degradation and the restoration of degraded land. The underlying case for the valuation of ecosystem services is that it will contribute towards better decision-making, ensuring that policy appraisals fully take into account the costs and benefits to the natural environment.

The discussion forum will also focus on exploring how environmental and land-related aspects can be considered in national planning and accounting. Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) and related concepts provide new opportunities to integrate the values of ecosystems and their services in the national development strategies. There is a noticeable rising demand for economic information as a basis for decision-making processes regarding the sustainable management of natural resources on a national level.

The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative was created in 2012 by the BMZ, together with the European Commission (EC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), aiming to transform the global understanding of the value of land and make the economic case for sustainable land management.

This session will focus on how to mobilize private sector partners, from investors (financial firms) to agribusinesses (large and small), in multi-stakeholder partnerships for integrated landscape management. Engaging the private sector is a key action area within the African Landscapes Action Plan(ALAP), which, like AFR100, contributes to the African Resilient Landscapes Initiative (ARLI). Our panel will give GLF Nairobi participants the opportunity to hear directly from both the landscape partnership conveners from the civic sector, and from the private sector firms that they engaged in their landscape management initiatives.

By sharing cases from both perspectives, we can help both groups see the benefits, and acknowledge and address the challenges of working together. Through these stories we hope to help more landscape initiatives reach out successfully to private sector partners, and to motivate more private sector actors, of all sizes, to actively seek out opportunities to be engaged and supportive partners in integrated landscape management in the landscapes where they operate. We believe that those working to advance sustainable land and resource use and forest and landscape restoration in Africa can benefit from the collective experience (both successes and failures/obstacles) in engaging with the private sector in the process of collaborative landscape management.

Links:

African Landscapes Action Plan, Phase 2

Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative

EcoAgriculture Partners 

Solidaridad Network

Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre & Network

Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa

Business for Sustainable Landscapes

Invasive alien plants contribute to land degradation by forming vast unproductive monocultures. These invasions have a negative impact on biodiversity, water resources, crop and pasture production, human and animal health, and as such undermine Africa’s ability to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals. Landscapes degraded as a result of unsustainable land-use practices are also more likely to be invaded by invasive plant species, making any attempts at restoration considerably more difficult. As such it is imperative that invasive species management forms an integral part of any attempt at landscape restoration. By actively removing invasive species, followed by restoration, livelihood outcomes will be enhanced across the continent.

The session will be attended by community members/leaders, affected by a host of invasive plants, many intentionally introduced for landscape restoration. Affected community members will be given an opportunity to present some of their experiences, together with experts in the field of invasive plant management and restoration. Short video clips on the impacts of other invasive plants on communities will also be shown. This will be followed by guided discussions on various topics such as the need to consider invasive plants as a form of land degradation and to include invasive plant control in restoration activities. The pros and cons of using invasive plants in restoration will also be discussed. Discussions will be structured in such a way to allow all participants an opportunity to be heard with the exact format still to be decided.

Learn more on Landscape News:

Q+A: The backstory on invasive plant species with CABI’s Arne Witt