Land degradation and loss of natural capital is one of the major challenges in Central Asia, with negative impacts on rural livelihoods and food security. In November 2014, all Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan) adopted the decision to support the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative. ELD aims to make economics of land degradation and natural capital loss an integral part of policy strategies and decision-making. Five case studies on assessing the economics of land degradation were conducted in all Central Asian countries. Prior to synthesizing the case studies into one final report, UNIQUE was contracted to critically review the case studies and provide recommendations on improving the overall quality of the case studies.

• Critical review of the case studies and the following assessment criteria:
• Political and institutional feasibility of land use alternatives within the country specific context.
• Technical feasibility of alternative land use and their social and environmental risks.
• Plausibility and validity of the economic assessment for the analyzed land uses.
• The applicability and policy relevance of the conclusions and recommendations.
• Provision of recommendations on overall quality improvement.