Land degradation caused by human activities is undermining the well-being of two-fifths of humanity, driving species extinctions and intensifying climate change. But there’s a huge potential for restoring landscapes: around two billion hectares of land – about two times the size of China – can be restored. This eight-week programme covers the process, from ideation to the successful implementation of a new sustainable business model with four returns: return of natural capital, return of social capital, return of inspiration and return of financial capital.
This eight-week course aims to equip learners from environmental, business or other backgrounds with practical business tools to restore landscapes. It takes a partnership approach that reflects the interconnectedness of ecology, society and economy in landscape management. It works for learners within interdisciplinary teams and for individuals.
For each step of the innovation process, the study zooms in on three real cases of landscape restoration projects: the Hekluskógar woodlands restoration project in Iceland; diversification of land use and cropping systems in Spain; and the disastrous effects of forest fires in Portugal. Participants study other examples around the world and resources such as reports, videos and platforms that work from the business rationale for sustainable land management.
Learning objectives
During this online course, you will spend two to four hours per week learning:
- how to formulate your vision
- systems analysis
- stakeholder analysis
- opportunity analysis
- business model design
- validating your solution
- assessment and monitoring
- reflection and iteration.