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Simon W. Moolenaar, Ólafur Arnalds, Nicola Favretto, Johann Thorsson, Rob van Tulder, Asa L. Aradottir, and Steve Kennedy

Integrated landscape management and large-scale landscape restoration should be in every company’s business strategy because in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goal on Land Degradation Neutrality (SDG Number 15.3) scaling up and acceleration of business-driven landscape restoration is urgently needed.

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Integrated landscape management and large-scale landscape restoration should be in every company’s business strategy because in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goal on Land Degradation Neutrality (SDG Number 15.3) scaling up and acceleration of business-driven landscape restoration is urgently needed.

This requires business professionals with a vision, the right knowledge and skills. This MOOC aims to train the next generation of business professionals and developers to acknowledge business’ interdependency with healthy landscapes and understand the value of ecosystem resources.

“Historically, we have found countless ways to justify our continued exploitation of the environment: discovery, tradition, Manifest Destiny, even Chinese hoax. But we’re all out of excuses now. Each passing day swells the data on greenhouse gases and extreme weather, shrinking reservoirs and rising sea levels, and diminishing biodiversity. Our resources are finite, the window for change if not firmly shut, is certainly closing, and all life must adapt or be doomed.”

Téa Obreht,

The New Yorker, Dec. 19&26, 2016, p. 106.

It is a frightening prospect indeed – that all life on Earth must either adapt or be doomed. This course is about landscape degradation – a global and wicked problem that is contributing to the dooming prospect of depletion of Earth’s finite resources. But this course is also about the solutions to this problem – business driven landscape restoration.

So rather than leaving you powerless with the prospect Obreht puts fowards above, it is our hope that you learn how you can be part of the solution to making sure that Planet Earth still provides a safe and habitable home for future generations.

We must act big and we must act now.

With this course we want to pass on valuable knowledge and teach you useful skills that you can apply in your professional life that will enable you to tackle the issue of landscape degradation and restoration.

The issue is urgent, so let’s dive right into it.

This MOOC is developed by the ENABLE partnership, which is co-funded by the ERASMUS+ programme of the European Commission and involves a diverse, international group of organizations including Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Commonland, United Nations University Land Restoration Training Programme, the Spanish National Research Council and Estoril Global Conferences.

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Syllabus

The business potential for Integrated Landscape Management and Restoration
This course is developed by ENABLE – which stands for European Network for Advancement of Business and Landscape Education. The objective of this course is to educate you about the role of business in landscape management and restoration and, vice versa, about the role of healthy landscapes for sustainable businesses. To accelerate integrated landscape management and large-scale business driven landscape restoration we need passionate professionals and practitioners. We will challenge you to become a professional who is not afraid to work as a game-changer in transformative collaboration aiming at landscape management and restoration. In this first video Simon Moolenaar from Commonland will give you an overview of the content and skills you can expect to learn about in each week, and what you can aim to take away at the end of the course. Simon will introduce you to one of the principal concepts of this course; landscape degradation and the scale of this problem globally. He will then show you the many dimensions there are to the relation between landscapes and businesses. Specifically, he will illustrate how there is both an economic cause for landscape degradation but also an economic logic to the solution – business-driven landscape restoration. You will be introduced to the Land Degradation Neutrality target which is one of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. Simon will explain how the SDGs can be used to raise awareness and mobilise the private and public sector for action. Another tool for landscape restoration you will learn about is the 4 returns framework developed by Commonland. This framework is about large-scale landscape restoration with 4 returns on investment: return of inspiration, return of natural capital, return of social capital and return of financial capital. We will then return to this framework and explore it in greater depth in the fourth week of the course. Let's get started!
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Land degradation and restoration of degraded ecosystems
Now that you have seen how important it is to restore degraded landscape you might ask yourself – how do I go about doing that? How do I even know if a landscape is degraded or not? How much can I expect to restore? What is it exactly in the landscape that we are restoring? You need to be able to answer these types of questions before you even start thinking about making a cost-benefit analysis or calculating a loss-profit statement for a restoration project. In the upcoming videos you will learn how to recognise healthy landscapes from degraded ones, and the types of interventions needed to recover degraded ecosystems. It is essential to have a good grasp of the natural processes of the land in order to be able to make decisions as an investor, business manager, or employer that maximise the impact of every dollar invested in restoring a landscape.
Economics of land degradation
How much is a plot of land worth? Is it worth as much as the crops grown on it? Is it worth as much as the next farmer is willing to pay for it? Who incurs the cost of damages to the land? What if you asked yourself this question: "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?” If you knew you could never see a plot of land again, would its value change? Rachel Carson, a pioneer of the global environmental movement, posed these questions to the readers of her ground-breaking book Silent Spring, encouraging them to open their eyes to the rampant problem of degradation of the natural environmental happening all around us. The world of business thrives on quantifying just about anything. If we want to make landscape restoration a financially sustainable activity then we need economic valuation methods to put a price tag on both the value of landscapes and ecosystem services, as well as on the cost and foregone revenues from landscape degradation. In this week, we will build on what you learned last week about the natural aspects of landscapes – to learn how to calculate the potential savings we can make by avoiding further degradation and the profits we stand to make from restored landscapes.
Commonland projects: process, team-roles and skills involved
In this week, you will learn about a way of approaching landscape restoration projects involving business, termed the 4 returns approach. We will travel to the Commonland projects in South Africa, Spain, Australia, and The Netherlands to hear from farmers and business developers how degraded landscapes can be restored while simultaneously creating sustainable businesses that generate employment and income for local communities. Through these examples you will learn what kind of roles are involved and what skills are needed to initiate and carry out this kind of restoration projects. Moreover, you will learn what kind of stakeholders to involve in a landscape restoration partnership and which phases a 4 returns restoration project goes through. We hope that these vivid examples of real-life restoration projects serve as a jumping board for you to play your own role in such a project.
Wicked problems and Partnerships
“To sin by silence, when we should protest, // Makes cowards out of men.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Protest, 1914 Poems of Problems. These words are the start of a piercing poem titled Protest written by American poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox. This week you learn about wicked problems and why we can consider land degradation to be a wicked problem. The wickedness of land degradation often makes us feel powerless and we might shy away from even beginning to tackle it. In exactly that moment we should heed Wilcox’s advice, and speak up and act, for otherwise we may later be judged by ourselves and our heirs to this planet as the cowards who were not brave enough to act and do something about landscape degradation. First, we will examine what wicked problems are and the characteristics by which we can dissect them. You will learn about the way in which the state, civil society, and private sector play a role in wicked problems. Now, all this talk of wickedness may leave you feeling gloomy. Fear not. You will also learn about a specific tool that allows you to speak up and act as a professional addressing landscape degradation. That tool is partnerships. We will examine how you can build a strategic and effective partnership by recruiting the right partners, forging the right relationships and atmosphere amongst them, and distributing roles and responsibilities in an equitable manner.
How to design a sustainable business model?
We are drawing close to the end of this course on business-driven landscape restoration. You have been introduced to thinking about landscapes as a scientist and as a business professional.In this week we will introduce several new tools. First, we will study the business model canvas, which can be readily understood and applied by biologists, geologists, investors, and managers. The canvas is a great tool for communication, especially in landscape restoration projects where different stakeholders work together. The business model canvas gets at the heart of what value such a project will create, how and for whom, and how the project will generate revenues to be financially sustainable. Second, we will also introduce an alternative version of the business model canvas, the PPP canvas - public-private partnership canvas - which is particularly useful when the stakeholders of the project come from different industries and disciplines, and from all three sectors of society; the state, civil society, and private sector. Lastly, we will look at sustainable business model innovation which is process of identifying, designing, and implementing a business model that generates sustainable value for the firm, its stakeholders, and the socio-ecological system in which it is embedded.
Capstone project
“Historically, we have found countless ways to justify our continued exploitation of the environment: discovery, tradition, Manifest Destiny, even Chinese hoax. But we’re all out of excuses now. Each passing day swells the data on greenhouse gases and extreme weather, shrinking reservoirs and rising sea levels, and diminishing biodiversity. Our resources are finite, the window for change if not firmly shut, is certainly closing, and all life must adapt or be doomed.” By now you may be both dismayed by the immense threat that landscape degradation is to human and economic development and the future of habitable life on Planet Earth, but also inspired by the prospect of designing and implementing business-driven solutions that will halt and reverse the problem. As the quote says, we must adapt in order to escape the dooming prospect we face if we take no action. Over the course of the past six weeks we have examined landscapes from a ecological and economic perspectives. You have been seen examples of real-life restoration projects and been introduced to methods such as Total Economic Valuation, the 4 returns approach, partnerships, business model canvas, and PPPcanvas. Now you have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and methods you have accumulated to a restoration project that is currently ongoing. The Commonland organisation has been working to restore degraded land in Southern Spain with some progress but setbacks as well. It is now soliciting your help in this project! Study the case carefully and the assignment information. Then be as analytical and creative as you can to develop a solution. Your fellow students will review your solution and you will be asked to do the same for a few other fellow students. Good luck!

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Suitable for professionals, as it provides essential knowledge and skills to tackle landscape degradation and restoration
Taught by experts in their respective fields like Rob van Tulder, Simon W. Moolenaar, Nicola Favretto, ensuring high-quality instruction
Practical insights through real-life Commonland projects in diverse locations like South Africa, Spain, Australia, and the Netherlands
The multi-modal format with videos, readings, and discussions keeps the learning process engaging and varied
Addresses the pressing issue of landscape degradation and restoration, making it highly relevant to current global challenges
Introduces tools and frameworks like Total Economic Valuation, the 4 returns approach, and business model canvas, making it applicable in real-world scenarios
A comprehensive course that covers ecological, economic, and business aspects of landscape management and restoration
Collaborative capstone project allows you to apply your knowledge to solve real-world problems alongside peers
Requires learners to have a basic understanding of landscape ecology and economics, which may be a barrier for some

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Reviews summary

Engaging business approach to sustainability

Learners say this course provides an engaging way to learn how a business approach can play a role in landscape restoration. Students appreciate the well-structured approach of the course content, including videos, readings, interviews, and case studies. Many remark that the 4Returns framework is useful and thought-provoking. Others mention that the business approach to environmental issues is an important perspective not often covered in other courses.
Course provides practical, hands-on instruction.
"Buen curso, se aprende bastante acerca de como crear una idea de negocio en contextos que quizá no sean muy buenos, por ejemplo, el de "Land degradation""
"This course is very useful to learn about the learn degradation and ecosystem restoration, however, regarding ecosystem services it needs much contents too for to be a successful professional. "
Course promotes the role of businesses in ecosystem restoration.
"Great course that gave me another perspective of business. The course taught me that businesses can also play a role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with landscape restoration as an example."
"Excellent course, which helps you become aware of environmental pollution and how it affects the landscape, the biome in general. Likewise, how can we start a project to counteract this problem."
"A very well structured course. Plenty of suggestions are offered for further readings, and a good fair of papers and video clips are completing the subject of study for the week."
Video content and interviews present inspiring examples.
"Great course! I liked the video's, they gave me both information and inspiration! After watching the video about Syntropic Farming, I'm a pruner now... (during the course you will find out what that is)"
"I really enjoyed this course, who not only introduced the very promissing 4Returns framework, but also looked at the issue of landcape restoration from all kinds of different angles: environmentally, partnership relations, etc."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in A Business Approach to Sustainable Landscape Restoration with these activities:
Brush up on your math skills
This activity will help you refresh your math skills, which are essential for many business concepts.
Browse courses on Math
Show steps
  • Review your notes from previous math courses.
  • Take practice problems.
  • Attend a math workshop.
Review landscape ecological processes
Sharpen your knowledge of landscape ecological processes to better grasp the course materials.
Browse courses on Landscape Ecology
Show steps
  • Review the key concepts of landscape ecology, such as landscape structure, function, and change.
  • Read scientific articles or book chapters on landscape ecological processes.
  • Attend a workshop or seminar on landscape ecology.
Review economic principles
Strengthen your understanding of economic principles to better comprehend the course materials.
Browse courses on Microeconomics
Show steps
  • Review the basic concepts of microeconomics and macroeconomics.
  • Read articles or book chapters on economic principles.
  • Attend a lecture or workshop on economic principles.
Eight other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all 11 activities
Practice reading comprehension
This activity will help you improve your reading comprehension skills, which are essential for understanding the course material.
Browse courses on Reading Comprehension
Show steps
  • Read a variety of texts, such as articles, news stories, and blog posts.
  • Identify the main idea and supporting details of each text.
  • Summarize each text in your own words.
  • Answer questions about the texts.
Watch a video tutorial on how to create a business plan
This activity will help you learn the basics of business planning.
Show steps
  • Search for a video tutorial on how to create a business plan.
  • Watch the video tutorial.
  • Take notes on the key steps involved in creating a business plan.
Read 'The Lean Startup' by Eric Ries
This book will help you learn about the principles of lean startup methodology, which can be applied to any type of business.
Show steps
  • Read the book.
  • Take notes on the key concepts.
  • Apply the concepts to your own business.
Complete landscape restoration calculations
Practice calculating the costs and benefits of landscape restoration projects to enhance your analytical skills.
Browse courses on Landscape Restoration
Show steps
  • Use online calculators or spreadsheets to estimate the costs and benefits of landscape restoration projects.
  • Work through practice problems related to landscape restoration calculations.
  • Attend a workshop or training session on landscape restoration calculations.
Explore GIS tools for landscape analysis
Gain proficiency in using GIS tools to analyze landscapes, improving your ability to identify and plan restoration projects.
Browse courses on GIS
Show steps
  • Follow online tutorials or training materials on GIS software.
  • Complete hands-on exercises using GIS data and tools.
  • Attend a workshop or training session on GIS for landscape analysis.
Write a blog post about a business you admire
This activity will help you apply the concepts you learn in this course to a real-world business.
Show steps
  • Choose a business that you admire.
  • Research the business's history, mission, and values.
  • Identify the business's key strengths and weaknesses.
  • Write a blog post about the business, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.
Volunteer with a local non-profit organization
This activity will help you gain practical experience in business and learn about the challenges facing non-profit organizations.
Show steps
  • Find a local non-profit organization that you would like to volunteer with.
  • Contact the organization and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
  • Attend a volunteer orientation.
  • Volunteer with the organization on a regular basis.
Attend a networking event for business professionals
This activity will help you expand your network and connect with potential mentors and partners.
Show steps
  • Find a networking event for business professionals.
  • Register for the event.
  • Attend the event and introduce yourself to other attendees.
  • Follow up with any potential contacts you make.

Career center

Learners who complete A Business Approach to Sustainable Landscape Restoration will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Environmental Scientist
An environmental scientist uses scientific research to develop solutions to environmental problems. They may work with businesses to help them minimize their environmental impact or restore degraded ecosystems. This course, with its focus on business-driven landscape restoration, would help an environmental scientist understand the business case for sustainability and how to work with businesses to achieve environmental goals.
Sustainability Manager
A sustainability manager is responsible for developing and implementing sustainability strategies for an organization. This course, which introduces the concepts of integrated landscape management and large-scale landscape restoration, would help a sustainability manager understand how to develop and implement sustainability strategies that benefit both the environment and the economy.
Conservation Scientist
A conservation scientist uses scientific research to develop and implement strategies to conserve natural resources. This course, which covers the topics of land degradation and restoration, would help a conservation scientist understand the causes of land degradation and how to develop and implement strategies to restore degraded ecosystems.
Environmental Consultant
An environmental consultant provides advice to businesses on how to minimize their environmental impact. This course, with its focus on the business potential for integrated landscape management and restoration, would help an environmental consultant understand how to advise businesses on how to make their operations more sustainable.
Urban Planner
An urban planner develops plans for the development and use of land in urban areas. This course, with its focus on integrated landscape management, would help an urban planner understand how to develop plans that promote sustainable development and minimize the environmental impact of urban development.
Climate Change Analyst
A climate change analyst studies the causes and effects of climate change. This course, with its focus on the impacts of land degradation on climate change, would help a climate change analyst understand the role of land restoration in mitigating climate change.
Environmental Policy Analyst
An environmental policy analyst develops and analyzes policies to protect the environment. This course, with its focus on the role of partnerships in landscape restoration, would help an environmental policy analyst understand how to develop and analyze policies that promote collaboration between businesses, government, and civil society organizations to achieve environmental goals.
Environmental Economist
An environmental economist uses economic principles to analyze environmental issues. This course, with its focus on the economics of land degradation, would help an environmental economist understand the economic costs of land degradation and the economic benefits of landscape restoration.
Landscape Architect
A landscape architect designs and plans landscapes. This course, with its focus on the role of healthy landscapes for sustainable businesses, would help a landscape architect understand how to design and plan landscapes that benefit both the environment and the economy.
Philanthropy Advisor
A philanthropy advisor provides advice to philanthropists on how to donate their money to charitable causes. This course, with its focus on the economics of land degradation, would help a philanthropy advisor understand the environmental impact of land degradation and how to identify and support organizations that are working to restore degraded landscapes.
Business Analyst
A business analyst helps businesses to improve their operations. This course, with its focus on the business potential for landscape restoration, would help a business analyst understand how to identify and evaluate opportunities for businesses to improve their operations and reduce their environmental impact.
Nonprofit Manager
A nonprofit manager leads a nonprofit organization. This course, with its focus on the role of partnerships in landscape restoration, would help a nonprofit manager understand how to develop and manage partnerships with businesses, government, and civil society organizations to achieve environmental goals.
Investment Analyst
An investment analyst provides advice to investors on which investments to make. This course, with its focus on the business potential for landscape restoration, would help an investment analyst understand how to identify and evaluate investments in landscape restoration projects.
Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
A corporate social responsibility manager is responsible for developing and implementing a company's corporate social responsibility strategy. This course, with its focus on the business potential for landscape restoration, would help a corporate social responsibility manager understand how to develop and implement a corporate social responsibility strategy that benefits both the company and the environment.
Project Manager
A project manager plans, organizes, and executes projects. This course, with its focus on the process of designing and implementing sustainable business models, would help a project manager understand how to plan, organize, and execute projects that are both sustainable and profitable.

Reading list

We've selected seven books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in A Business Approach to Sustainable Landscape Restoration.
Provides a practical guide to the business model canvas. It covers a wide range of topics, including the elements of the business model canvas, the benefits of using the business model canvas, and the applications of the business model canvas.
Provides a comprehensive overview of sustainable business model innovation. It covers a wide range of topics, including the principles of sustainable business model innovation, the challenges of sustainable business model innovation, and the approaches to sustainable business model innovation.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the economics of sustainable development. It covers a wide range of topics, including the concept of sustainable development, the measurement of sustainable development, and the policies for promoting sustainable development.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the business case for sustainability. It covers a wide range of topics, including the risks of sustainability, the opportunities of sustainability, and the strategies for sustainability.
Provides a critical analysis of the triple bottom line. It covers a wide range of topics, including the history of the triple bottom line, the challenges of implementing the triple bottom line, and the future of the triple bottom line.
Provides a comprehensive overview of sustainability. It covers a wide range of topics, including the concept of sustainability, the challenges of sustainability, and the future of sustainability.
Provides a thought-provoking analysis of the future of sustainability. It covers a wide range of topics, including the challenges of sustainability, the opportunities of sustainability, and the strategies for sustainability.

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