ECONOMIC VALUATIONS: BLUE CARBON POTENTIAL OF THE MPA SYSTEM IN

TURKEY

CBD COP-11 side event GEF’s support to Marine Protected Areas

Conserving ocean’s ecosystems, species and livelihoodsGEF contribution to Aichi Targets

• A relatively long coastline 8,500 km - excluding islands

• Overall, 3,000 plant and animal species in Turkey’s territorial sea.

• The total number of marine and coastal protected areas: 31.

• The total marine and coastal

protected area coverage is 240,216 ha. 2.8%.

MPAs of Turkey

The project is executed by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization through the General Directorate for

Protection of Natural Assets.

Objective: To facilitate expansion of the national system of marine and coastal protected areas and

improve its management effectiveness.

Global Environment Facility funded and implemented through UNDP.

The Strengthening the System of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas of Turkey Project

(2009-2014)

Foça SEPA

Ayvalık Adaları Nature Park

Gökova SEPA

Köyceğiz-Dalyan SEPA

Datça-Bozburun SEPA

Fethiye-Göcek SEPA

Project Sites: 5 SEPAs and 1 Nature Park

• Part of a larger valuation study on six MCPAs in Turkey

• Motivation behind the valuation of seagrasses

Demonstration sites : Gökova SEPA & Foça SEPA

ES valuation for Blue Carbon

Mediterranean Seagrass (Posidonia oceanica)

• A flowering plant that grows in marine, fully saline environments

• Among the 60 seagrass species that exist globally

• Seagrasses occur in all shallow coastal areas of the world (except Antarctica)

• Endemic to the Mediterranean• Form meadows and grow in sandy or

rocky sediments along the coasts

Mediterranean Seagrasses

Mediterranean seagrass meadows• “Lungs of the sea” (+/- 14 lt O2/m²/day )• Support high biomass Fish nursery and fishing

grounds• Enable protection against coastal erosion• Cycle nutrients • Reduce silt accumulation• Contribute to the production of organic carbon via

the process of photosynthesis C sequestration • Provide social and cultural values.

Soil-Carbon Stocks (source: Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke

University)

8

Tropical Forests

Oceanic Mangroves

Estuarine Mangroves

Tidal Salt Marshes

Seagrasses

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Organic Soil Carbon

Living Biomass

Soil-carbon values for first meter of depth only (Total depth = up to several meters)

For Comparison:

tCO2e per Hectare, Global Averages

Methodology for Valuation

• Literature review on Posidonia’s C flows (sequestration) & C sink capacity (tCO2 eq/ha/yr)

• Avoided Cost Method • GIS Assessment of Posidonia distribution and surface

occupied at study sites• Application of Carbon Market Prices• Lowerbound $11.2/tCO2 eq (based on Voluntarily traded av.

prices for Turkey in 2010)

Seagrass Distribution in Gökova SEPA

Total surface =

13 km2

Total Surface = 6,7 km2

Seagrass Distribution in Foça SEPA

Site

Posidonia

surface (ha)

C seq † (tCO2eq/ha/yr)

Soil C released†** (tCO2eq

/ha/yr)

Total C loss per site (tCO2eq /yr)

Value (US$11.2 / tCO2eq)

Value US$/ha/yr

Value US$/yr

PV (10 yrs, 10%) US$

Gökova

1 300 4,4 50

70 720 609

792 064 5 658 954

Foça 670 36 448 408 218 2 916 541

Total 1 970 54,4107 168

6091 200 282

8 575 495

† Based on Duarte et al 2010 & Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions 2010

Avoided Carbon Emissions

** Assuming a 10 year release period of soil carbon after habitat destruction

Blue Carbon Valuation for the Turkish MPA System

• Gökova SEPA : 792,064 USD

• Foça SEPA : 408,218 USD

•Datça-Bozburun SEPA : 2,510,234 USD

•Koycegiz Dalyan SEPA : 54,226 USD

•Fethiye-Göcek SEPA : 944,384 USD

•Ayvalik Adalari Nature P.: 658,022 USD

•TOTAL for project sites : 5,367,148 USD

•TOTAL Annual Value Estimate for the Turkish MPA System: 11,533,882 USD

Total Annual Value for Project Sites:

Conclusions

• Embedded natural capital• Main threats facing Posidonia• Unmanifested/unperceived values• Research & monitoring needs• Conservation & financing opportunities

Thank You

http://www.mpa.gov.tr http://www.tr.undp.org

http://web.undp.org/gef/

Compiled by: Harun GuclusoyEdited by: Johan Robinson & Nik Sekhran

Presented by: Nik Sekhran