by marcel silvius about wi’s peat land programme
TRANSCRIPT
By
Marcel Silvius
About WI’s peat land programme
Mineral Soil
River River
< 1m> 3m
Peat swamp forest
Organic matter
Most of the tropical peat swamp forests are located in the lowlands of SE Asia
• Peat: organic matter accumulated over thousands of years• Lowland tropical forest peat bogs are dome-shaped • Peat is accumulated above ground water levels
A peat bog is rain water fed
Berbak National Park, Jambi.Berbak National Park, Jambi.Indonesia‘s first Ramsar site Indonesia‘s first Ramsar site
Peatlands around the world
• World wide 400 million haWorld wide 400 million ha• 3% of global land area, 40% of all wetlands3% of global land area, 40% of all wetlands• Present in all climate zones, in 126 countriesPresent in all climate zones, in 126 countries• Indonesia has almost 6 % of global peatlandsIndonesia has almost 6 % of global peatlands
Countries with most peat
Peat accumulates for thousands of years storing concentrated Carbon in thick layers
Peat from 2 meters depth
Most peatlands in lowlands of Indonesia are around 5000 to 12000 years old. Some can reach over 20m depth
Peatland values• Key roles:
– carbon stores– water retention areas– biodiversity
conservation
Associated with – higher human
poverty
Direct sustainable use:– tourism, recreation– sustainable forestry,
non-timber forest products
– grazing– fisheries
Place in the water cycle
• Globally 10% of all fresh water is in peat
• Peatlands are the source areas of many rivers
Water management functions
• Important role in water storage and supply• Crucial for mitigation of droughts and floods
Peat swamp forests are high biodiversity areas
Peatlands and carbon
• Globally peatlands store 550 Giga ton (Gt) Carbon• Equivalent to 30% of terrestrial carbon
– 75% of all carbon in the atmosphere
– twice the carbon stored in forests
All over the world the peat based Carbon stores are threatened
Peatlands store large amounts of carbon Peatland degradation leads to CO2 emissions which contribute to global warming
Some past & present WI peatland projects• Central European Peatlands Project (CEPP)
• Partners for Water & Ecosystems Air Hitam laut project
• UNEP-GEF Peatlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change project
• Rusian Peatlands Programme
• Global Peatland Initiative (GPI)
• WPRP Berbak and Sembilang National Parks
• Malaysia Peatland Quick Scan
• Malaysia Air Hitam project (Ashden Trust)
• Central Kalimantan Peatlands Project (CKPP)
• Global Peatland Fund development
• Peat and palm oil lobby
Global Peatland Initiative
GPI funding distribution
Global25%
SE Asia20%CE Europe
14%
S America14%
Russia16%
N Asia6%
Africa5%
•Support to 26 project world wide, incl:
• Peat mapping + global data base
• Support to CC-GAP + policy lobby at CBD + UNFCCC
• Ramsar guidelines
• Paramos, Andean mountains
• Peatlands & climate change, China (UNEP-GEF co-financing)
• SE Asian Peatland Action Plan
• IMPESA
• Poland peat restoration & carbon sequestration + grazing
• Restoration Yelnia, Belarus
• Russian peatlands programme
• Lapshina peatlands management, Russia
• Thailand Phru Khuan Kreng
Euro 2.3 million
CEPP
The CEPP involved 8 countries in the Baltic-Black Sea corridor
Results:
• Strategy and Action Plan for Peatlands in Central Europe
• Overview of peatlands in Central Europe
• Identification of peatlands of high value for biodiversity
• Increased awareness on values and functions of peatlands
• Follow-up projects by local networks
Peatland distribution in Central Europe
International priorities
• No further drainage of undrained mires• Establish system of well-managed peatland conservation areas• Concentrate peat extraction on degraded sites that have poor
prospects for restoration• Reduce emissions of CO2 by optimising water management• Restore peat accumulating conditions in abandoned peatlands
Tropical peatland issues
• Deforestation• Drainage• Fires
Peat swamp forest deforestation
Peatland deforestation:
• since 2000: 1.5% per yr which is double the rate for non-peatlands
• currently 45% deforested
Peat forest conservation
• < 5% of total peatland area
Relative total vs PSF area decline Insular SE Asia
90.00
91.00
92.00
93.00
94.00
95.00
96.00
97.00
98.00
99.00
100.00
Year
Are
a re
mai
ning
sin
ce 1
999
Total forest decline
Peat forest decline
Preliminary results presented at UNFCCC CoP
Nairobi, 07-11-2006
(%)
Logging and drainage
• For logging (legal and illegal) of peat swamp forests often channels are dug to transport equipment and logs
• This results in drainage of the peat soil, causing increased emissions of CO2
Impact of drainage of tropical peatlands
• Drainage to 1 meter = emission of 90 ton CO2/ha/yr
• When drained, peatlands become increasingly vulnerable to fires
Relation between CO2 emission and watertable depth
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1average watertable depth (m)
CO
2 em
issi
on
(t /
ha
/ yr
) Tropics
Temperate
Boreal
Source: Alterra
Source: Wösten, Alterra
Drainage SE Asian peat swamp areas
A total of about 13 million ha of SE Asian peat swamps have been drained
for agriculture and agro-forestry.
Peat drainage increases the risk of fires
• Between 1997 and 2006 there were over 60,000 fires in peat swamps in Borneo in 3 out of 10 years (1997, 1998, 2002)
• Most affected were deforested and drained peatlands
Tentative estimate of CO2 emissions from fires in Indonesia
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
C e
mis
sio
n f
rom
pe
at
fire
s
(CO
2, M
t/y
)
Minimum estimate(1.42 Gt/y average)
Maximum estimate(4.32 Gt/y average)
Adapted from data provided by Siegert and Page
Some facts and figures
Peatlands globally:
3% of land area
3000 million tonnes emitted annually
Equivalent to 11.5 % of global fossil fuel
emissions
Peatlands in SE Asia:
< 0,1 % of land area
2000 million tonnes emitted annually
Equivalent to 8 % of global fossil fuel
emissions
A concentrated problem…
What has done?
Forge partnerships
Piloting hydrological restoration
Community-based techniques based on traditional knowledge
Dams help restore eco-hydrology of peat swamps
Fire prevention & control
Community-based fire brigades
Fire control
• Establishing fire brigades
• Establish permanent deep wells in high risk zones wells
• Establish early warning system
Socio-economic development
Socio-economic development• Organise or support exising farmer
groups • Introduction zero burning agriculture • Training in sustainable agriculture
and agro-forestry on peat• Improve quality and marketing of
products• Enhance health facilities• Handicrafts development• Development of village development
plans
Re-greening of degraded peatlands
Community based
Reforestation of degraded peatlands in protected areas with >40 indigenous species
Establish village based tree nurseries nursery buildings established
Development of non-drained plantations with commercial species near villages
Regreening results
Conservation of remaining peat swamp forests
Biodiversity conservation actions• Development of infrastructure and equipment of national
parks (boats, offices, research centre, guard posts)• Participatory boundary mapping with surrounding villages • Support to security patrols, jointly with communities• Anti illegal logging operations • Aerial monitoring & patrols by ULA • Biodiversity studies
Policy reform
• Support to Green Government Policy development
• Support to peatland spatial master planning
• Creating awareness on peat emissions (UNFCCC, CBD)
• Promotion of precautionary & ecosystem approach
• Promotion of moratorium on peat swamp forest conversion in context of RSPO (sustainable palm oil)
Television, Press, Radio) IKON TV, 12-15 April 2007; Reuters, 2 May 2007; Nature Alert 2 May 2007; Daily Telegraph 10 Aug 2007. NHK Japan 18-21 Nov 2007; Aljazeera International TV 22-23 Nov 2007; SCTV (National Television), 27-29 Nov 2007; Kompas (National Newspaper), 18-20 Nov 2007; Borneo TV (local television), 18-20 Nov 2007; Dayak Post (local newspaper), 18-20 Nov 2007; RRI (Government radio), 18-20 Nov 2007; Radio Senara (local private radio), 8-20 Nov 2007; La Presse (Canada), 16-18 Dec 2007
OPPORTUNITIES
Potential• Monetise international
values of peatlands – Carbon credits – Biodiversity offsets
• Alternative finance mechanisms– Global Peatland Fund– Bio-rights– Local revolving funds
Options for private sector involvement• Global Peatland Fund
– VERs from peat degradation– Involvement banking, insurance & biofuel
sectors
• Cooperation:– Corperate social responsibility– Joint management of buffer zones for
high conservation value forest areas– Use of plantations in buffer-zone areas
• Consider possibilities of:– Carbon offsets– Biodiversity offsets– Joint hydrological management– Joint fire control– Joint patrol against poaching and illegal
logging
Involvement of local communities• Incentive mechanisms needed to compensate for opportunity costs of local stakeholders
– Access to micro-credits in exchange for community services (Bio-rights approach) including:
• Peatland restoration: Regreening, building and maintaining dams
• Fire prevention and control• Guarding conservation zones and sustainable
development of adaptive management zones
Getting to the bottom of the
issue
Conditions for up-scaling• Adequate planning and policy framework
– Spatial planning laws– Implementation & enforcement of plans– Good governance
• Address local tenure and resource use rights issues:– E.g. Recognition local customary rights– Enable community based conservation & carbon concessions
• Address weak policies– Remove perverse and conflicting policies
Prepare of opportunities: REDD• REDD needs guarantees,
assurances, permanence: – Solid backing by policy and
legislation
– Long-term carbon concessions
– Land purchase
– Insurances (against e.g. fire)
– Community involvement and ownership is essential part of guaranteeing sustainability of results
• Need for contracts that:– Span multiple governance periods
– Require commitments of several generations
• Need for environmental security– Stop fires– Improve water management
Improve science basis technically sound approaches
• Proper science base– Resource inventory; Socio-
economic valuation– Baseline development – Assessment and monitoring of
emissions– Accredited methodologies – Capacity in local science
agencies
• Need for common standards and criteria, especially related to:– Special eco-hydrological
qualities of peatlands
– Complex socio-economic conditions
Peatland restoration and conservation is the lowest hanging fruit on the REDD tree
– Climate change mitigation
– Biodiversity conservation
– Poverty reduction
– Reduced land & water degradation
Added value
A WIN4all
Cost effectiveness
Willingness to pay
1. Europe: permit price: $15/t (EUA 2008)2. Kyoto Protocol energy: $12/t (CER)3. Kyoto Protocol forestry (BioCarbon Fund): $ 5/t (tCER; 10 years’ )4. Voluntary markets: $ 5/t
Cost benefit of investment for reducing carbon emissions
Germany: € 5000 million for 50 Mt/y
World Bank in China: € 1500 million for 19 Mt/y UK: € 3000 million for
88 Mt/yIndonesian CKPP: € 10 million for 5 Mt/y
RISKS• Pilots are needed, but will fail if they lack political
and social embedding, and integration with current experience and expertise
• Absorption capacity is limited; donor attention should spread to multiple priority areas in Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Papua
Build on existing experience