Ian Taylor/WLE Greater Mekong.

Land

Every dollar invested in land restoration is returned five-fold over a 30-year horizon, and the huge economic and environmental returns that land restoration can generate are widely recognized. WLE offers governments, investors and other decision makers a growing suite of science-backed tools and approaches in support of better and more informed choices about where to launch land and soil restoration efforts and what interventions are best bets. This work supports global efforts, including the Bonn Challenge, a commitment to restore 150 million hectares of land around the world by 2020.

Land and soil restoration

It is estimated that two billion ha—23% of land under human use—are degraded globally. But land and soil health is a prerequisite for long-term, sustainable agricultural productivity, and WLE is working to encourage farmer investments in land and soil management practices by identifying the right incentives, creating benefits for both people and the environment.

Resource recovery and reuse

Soils in and around cities are deteriorating fast due to intensive farming, which is needed to fulfill urban food demands. WLE is tapping into the principles of circular economy and developing new business models for transforming city waste into safe, effective fertilizer that farmers can use to replenish their starved soils.

Carbon sequestration

Soils have the potential to be turned into carbon sinks, helping to mitigate climate change: up to 6.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide could be removed from the atmosphere each year for several decades through better soil management. WLE is working to identify where, how and to which degree this potential can be realized.

Soil data and information

Access to accurate information on soil health and degradation is essential for decision makers to make smart choices about landscape management. WLE is developing information services and tools that can help decision makers determine what interventions may work where.