Environmental economics tool kit : analyzing the economic costs of land degradation and the benefits of sustainable land management

Abstract

This Tool Kit has been prepared to support the design and implementation of sustainable land management (SLM) programs.The specific purpose of the Tool Kit is: to inform the user of the approaches that can be followed to analyze and value the economic costs of land degradation and the benefits of sustainable land management. ‘Land’ is interpreted broadly in the Tool Kit, also including wetlands and coastal zones. The Tool Kit follows the general approach of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2003, 2005). Among others, this means that the Tool Kit considers the broad range of benefits provided by agricultural and natural ecosystems, including provisioning, regulation and cultural services.The various benefits provided by land are referred to as ‘ecosystem services’ and they may include for example the production of food crops, the regulation of water flows, and the provision of opportunities for recreation and nature conservation.The Tool Kit also specifically addresses the different scales (local, national, regional, global) at which benefits and potential costs of SLM are provided or incurred.