bioenergy from degraded land
DESCRIPTION
Presented as part of the workshop: South at the Steering Wheel - Improving sustainability in land investment for bioenergy in sub-Saharan Africa 29th May 2012, 08:00 - 17:30 Naturvårdsverket (Swedish EPA), Stockholm, Sweden Speaker: Birka Wicke, Utrecht University (Netherlands) The challenges of using degraded lands for bioenergy production is discussed by Birka Wicke, who: encourages research to define the positive effects of bioenergy production on such lands sees difficulty in correctly assessing the value of degraded land to rural communities, and the ecosystem services provided, as part of feasibility studies for bioenergy projects. emphasizes the risk that more commercial use of degraded land may result in water shortage, spreading of invasive drought-resistant species and other imbalancesTRANSCRIPT
Bioenergy from degraded land
Birka Wicke
South at the Steering Wheel - Improving sustainability in land investment for bioenergy in sub-Saharan Africa
SEI/SIANI Workshop, Stockholm, 29 May 2012
Background
• Growing concern about impacts of bioenergy
• Many of these impacts are related to land use change
Degraded and marginal land
Using degraded and marginal land may reduce negative impacts because this land is thought to be largely unsuitable and often economically unattractive for agricultural crop production
Opportunities
• Reduction & possibly reversal of soil degradation processes
– Increased soil fertility
– Improved water infiltration and soil moisture retention
• Rural socio-economic development
• Carbon sequestration
GHG Emissions from Palm-Oil-Based Electricity
vs.
Fossil Electricity
Wicke et al. 2008 Biomass and Bioenergy
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CPO electricity
Fossil electricity
PFAD electricity
Example: Carbon sequestration
Challenges
Examples of challenges
• Defining degraded land – theory vs. practice
• Degraded land is often an important
resource for poor rural communities
• Environmental risks
• Difficult growing conditions
Difficulties in defining degraded land
Degraded land is land that has
experienced the long‐term loss of
ecosystem function and services
caused by disturbances from which
the system cannot recover unaided
(UNEP, 2007).
Wicke et al. 2011 Energy and Environmental Science
Example: Salt-affected soils worldwide
• 1.1 Gha salt-affected land worldwide
• Land availability analysis
– forest, protected areas, wetlands,
unsuitable areas excluded - 14%
– Exclusion of agricultural land?
Example: Salt-affected soils worldwide
Wicke et al. 2011 Energy and Environmental Science
• Extensive land uses and ecosystem functions are hard to accurately account for, e.g. – Hunting and gathering
– Livestock grazing
– Cultural services
– Ecosystem functions
• Displacement of these uses and functions can lead to negative social and environmental impacts
Need to carefully assess existing uses before land investments
Extensive use of degraded land
Environmental risks
• Invasiveness and weediness of stress-
tolerant species
• Exacerbation of water shortages in already
water-scarce regions
• Deterioration of salinity/sodicity (hydrological discharge areas)
• Native species
• Species-specific management
• Site-specific management (type and severity of degraded land)
But it all depends on the crop, setup and management!
More difficult growing conditions
• Yields on degraded land are typically lower than on other land
• However, reclamation activities and the soil regeneration potential of trees may improve yields over time.
More difficult growing conditions
• Establishment phase may require more inputs & more work
Economics of degraded land < high quality land
• Positive side effects are important additional reasons for investigating and investing in bioenergy from degraded land
Example: Salt-affected soils worldwide
Wicke et al. 2011 Energy and Environmental Science
Regional contributions can be quite high
Example Africa: 8 EJ y-1 at production costs of 2 € GJ-1 or less (incl. agri. land) ~28% of the current total primary energy consumption
Example: Salt-affected soils worldwide
Wicke et al. 2011 Energy and Environmental Science
Messages to take home
Degraded land has the potential to operationalize sustainability
It has its own challenges that must be tackled to ensure sustainable production
Message 1:
Message 2:
Message 3: Still there’s a good economic potential for certain regions!
Conclusion
• Sustainability criteria & certification also on degraded land
• Different types and severity levels of degraded land require different setup and management
Capacity building is important component
for minimizing possible environmental risks
For more information
PhD thesis online at:
igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/2011-0412-200703/wicke.pdf
Peer-reviewed articles
Contact information: Birka Wicke
Break-out group on degraded land!
Thank you for your attention!
Contact information: Birka Wicke