biodiversity in a changing climate: ecosystem based adaptation and mitigation (undp presentation)
DESCRIPTION
(presentation for association of regions EU meeting)TRANSCRIPT
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Adriana Dinu, Regional Environment and Energy Practice Leader, Europe and CIS
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BIODIVERSITY IN A CHANGING CLIMATE: ECOSYSTEM BASED ADAPTATION AND
MITIGATION
Putoransky, Taimyr
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Overview
Nalichevo Park, Kamchatka
Context:- Biodiversity and Climate Change –
linkages- Climate Change Impacts on
Biodiversity
Role of Protected Areas in CC mitigation and Adaptation
Opportunities
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Biodiversity and climate change are inter-connected
Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity
Changes in Biodiversity affect Climate
Change
Ecosystems play a key role in:- Global Carbon Cycle;- Adapting to Climate Change- Provision of ecosystem services essential
for human beings
Ecosystem degradation:- Reduces the C storage and sequestration
capacity- Increasing GHG emissions- Reducing Biodiversity
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Climate Change as a key driver of biodiversity loss
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
-Changes in ecosystem structure and function: Aquatic freshwater habitats, wetlands, Arctic and alpine ecosystems;
-Bogs, mires and fens - most vulnerable - 50 % affected (concern as they are important carbon stores);
-Snow, ice and frozen ground: increased number of glacial lakes; increased ground instability in permafrost;
-19 % of habitats and 12 % of species of European interest are threatened by CC over their European range (2008, reports on Habitat Directives);
-Approx. 10% of species at high risk of extinction for every 1°C rise in global mean temperature;
- Amphibians - 45 % of species negatively affected
Current Impacts of CC on Biodiversity
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Role of selected European ecosystems in the carbon balance
Ecosystem Carbon source or sink
Current Carbon storage (t/ha)
Where majority of Carbon is stored
Tundra Sink 260 Permafrost
Boreal Forest Sink Soil: 120–340 Vegetation: 60–90
Soil
Temperate Forest Sink 260 - 320 Above and below ground biomass
Peatlands Sink 1450 Soil
Oceans and Coast Sink Surface: 1020 Gt C; Deep ocean: 39,000
Deep Ocean
Source: Adapted from Trumper et al., 2009.
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Ecosystem conversion – second largest source of GHG and first cause of species extinction
Protected Areas the most sensible response to
conversion.
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Terrestrial carbon stock in the protected area network
13.7% of world’s terrestrial area is protected, but contains 15.2% of C stock
85% Carbon outside
protected areas
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
PAs are essential part of the global response to CC
Mitigation dividend: existing and potential forest PAs are richest
carbon pools.
MITIGATION
STORE: 312 Gt of terrestrial C: If lost - equivalent to 23 times the total global C emissions for 2004
CAPTURE: further sequestration of CO2 - increasing the size of carbon pools (afforestation, reforestation and restoration)
ADAPTATION
PROTECT: maintains ecosystem integrity; reduces vulnerability to Climate Change
PROVIDE : ecosystem services
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Protected Areas
Convenient Solutionsto an Inconvenient Truth:
Ecosystem-basedApproaches
to Climate Change
June 2009
Environment Department,The World Bank
Contribute to strategies to reduce GHG emissions;
Complement infrastructure investments to reduce vulnerability to climate change: nest the PA agenda into the development agenda
Are an effective means of safeguarding ecosystem services, vital to adaptation, carbon storage and sequestration.
Are a cost effective means of providing these services, relative to the costs of other land governance systems.
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Opportunities: National and sub-national governments
• Increasing the Roles of Protected Areas in National and sub-national CC Strategies
• Incorporate CC into ecological gap assessments
• Increase coverage, level of protection and management effectiveness;
• Landscape approaches, connectivity - critical to promoting resilience across large landscapes
• Strengthening PA network in areas of high deforestation pressure and high carbon could be one strategy to reduce emissions.
Altai Sayan
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
• 28,000 ha rewetted.
• Reduced annual emission of CO2 by 280,000 tons
Peatland restoration in Belarus: mitigation benefits
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
• Presence of wetland plant associations up by 58-96%
• Water-bird species numbers up by 20-48% from pre-restoration figures
Peatland restoration in Belarus: biodiversity benefits
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
Peatland restoration in Belarus: economic benefits
"Tackling climate change: working with Nature" , Brussels, 7 th October 2010
THANK YOU!