Download Arid lands and Climate change

Arid lands and
Climate change
Peter Holmgren, FAO
11 December 2009
Soil Carbon
• Question: Increasing the stock of carbon in the soil
is being put up as an important strategy for carbon
sequestration. How far can this work in the dry
lands?
• Drylands are vast and hold a significant proportion
of global soil carbon (15%).
• Through desertification control and land restoration
a mean of 1.4 Gt C/yr can be sequestered for a 25 to
50-year period.
• Sustainable land management (SLM) in degraded
and non-degraded dryland areas is key to avoiding
further carbon loss through desertification.
Afforestation
• Question: Does afforestation offer a viable
opportunity for averting the climate related disasters
in arid lands?
• Afforestation is offering good benefits to mitigation
• But is often not recommended for adaptation, as it
may increase vulnerability to desertification and
climate change (e.g. water depletion, cost of land
resources).
• Agroforestry is much preferred, as it provides more
win-win benefits. (biodiversity, livestock, soil
quality/fertility, fuel wood)
REDD and AFOLU
• Question: Where are the major opportunities for
mitigation in arid land ecosystems? What prospects
REDD+ and AFOLU can offer within the context of
Kyoto climate change framework?
• CDM is not suitable to drylands
• REDD presents some possibilities
• Existing incentive mechanisms are not well targeted
to poor drylands.
• Aim for simpler mechanisms, combined with other
development funds, aiming at SLM adoption and
upscaling, at the field level
Livelihoods
• Question: Most of the countries having the most
severe forms of aridity and facing the most impact in
terms of human suffering are poor. What prospects
of resources for sequestering carbon and at the
same time ensure sustainable livelihoods?
• Mitigation should not be pursued in isolation, even if
they offer attractive economical incentives.
• Win win SLM programs (combating desertification ,
alleviating rural poverty , increase food security,
adapting and mitigating climate change) should be
promoted and upscaled.
REDD (or even CC) is not
isolated
UNFCCC
“Carbon”
CBD
“Species”
WSFS
“Calories”
GLOBAL OBJECTIVES
National ->
International
National ->
Local
REDD
Biodiversity
LOCAL REALITIES
Food Security
+ Human rights,
Health, Trade,
Education, .....