Effect of COVID-19 on GRÓ LRT six-month training programme

Last weekend, twenty professionals from Africa and Asia were expected to arrive in Iceland to attend the GRÓ LRT six-month training programme. We had planned to launch the 2020 six-month training on 16 March, but in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the training had to be postponed at least for the coming weeks. Here in Iceland, as in so many countries around the globe, authorities have taken measures to address the threat stemming from COVID-19. In Iceland, all universities and colleges have been closed and a ban on public events and gatherings has been imposed from 16 March until at least 13 April. Whether we will be able to run this year’s training programme later this spring remains uncertain. This will depend on how things evolve in Iceland and around the world regarding the outbreak.

In this time of constraints on people’s gatherings, we remind you of the available distant learning options on our website. There you can find three massive open online courses (MOOCs). Two of the courses are on how restoration of degraded land and sustainable land management benefits the whole society through providing a return of financial-, natural- and social capital as well as a return of inspiration. The third MOOC covers topics related to the sustainability of sheep grazing in Iceland and explores how history, socioeconomic factors and environmental conditions have influenced the management of grazing resources. Those three courses are open to all and free of charge on the Coursera and edX platforms. You can access each course directly on these platforms through below links: A Business Approach to Sustainable Landscape Restoration, Business Model Innovation for Sustainable Landscape Restoration, Sheep in the Land of Fire and Ice

We hope that you all stay well.