Expected start date:

2016•09•01

Expected end date:

2019•08•31

Institute:

UNU Iceland

Project Status:

Ongoing

Project Type:

Capacity development

Project Manager :

Hafdis Aegisdottir

UNU-LRT is one of five partners in the project “European Network for Advancement of Business and Landscape Education” (ENABLE). The other partners are the Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherland), Commonland, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and Estoril Global (Portugal). The project is also supported by: the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD), the School of Earth and Environment at University of Leeds (England), UNCCD and Biohabitats (USA).

The main goal of the partnership is to establish an education platform that involves academic partners, private business, public sectors and NGOs in developing education on integrated landscape management based on sustainable business model. Education in the field of halting land degradation and restoring degraded land is necessary to support and implement a true integrated approach to counter land and soil degradation on a large scale with all stakeholder involved. This can bridge the gaps between ecology and economy, environment and business, theory and practice, global and local, and help deal with global challenges as defined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The ENABLE partnership will start by developing a portfolio of on-line and classroom teaching materials for master students as well as for professionals involved in landscapes like business developers, business leaders and practitioners from NGOs and governments.

The partnership will ENABLE:

 · activities that help to attune curricula to current and emerging labour market needs and equip the young generation with transversal skills

 · strengthening of links between education, research and business to promote excellence and regional development

 · creation of an inter- and transdisciplinary educational framework with innovative e- learning components, such as MOOCs (massive open online courses) and on-line/interactive cases that will help bridge the gap between ecology and economy, environment and business, theory and practice, global and local, and help establish a land restoration based on sustainable business models

· teaching and training of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy

 · the creation of bridges between economy and ecology