Climate Change and Ecosystem Management

Jian LiuUNEP-IEMP

Lecture ISCS, Chengdu, 2016

Topics

• Ecosystem, its Services and Management

• COP13, REDD

• COP14, Ecosystem-based Adaptation

• Synergies of Ecosystem-based Adaptation and

Mitigation

Ecosystem

• An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system;

• Main functions: nutrient cycling and energy transformation

Ecosystem Services

Benefits from ecosystems to humankinds

• Provisioning Service: food, fiber, water, …• Regulating Service: carbon, hydrology…• Supporting service: sanctuary to biodiversity and

species• Culture service: spiritual, tourism…

Ecosystem Management

• Ecosystem management: An integrated process to conserve and improve ecosystem health that sustains ecosystem services for human well-being

• Through “Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), based on Economic Valuation of these services.

Topics

• Ecosystem, its Services and Management

• COP13, REDD

• COP14, Ecosystem-based Adaptation

• Synergies of Ecosystem-based Adaptation and

Mitigation

2 Degree Celsius (900 Gt CO2)1.5 (250 Gt CO2)

INDC/Stocktaking Progressive targets every 5 yrs

Ecosystem (4 times), No EBA/REDD

IPCC-AR5, 95%, >50%, RCP 2.6

UNFCCC Paris Agreement :

Climate and ecosystem–REDD, Why?

• Deforestation and forest degradation account for nearly 20% of global GHGs, more than that of transportation

• Ecosystem management– most cost-effective way of mitigation

• Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)

The Action - REDD

• Least controversial topic approved at COP13 of UNFCCC (2007) , supported by Norway (2.7BN)

• REDD, a mechanism to create an incentive for developing countries to protect, better manage and wisely use their forest resources, contributing to fixing carbon

• REDD+ strategies include the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in reducing emissions.

The Action: UN-REDD,

• The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations Collaborative initiative on REDD in developing countries.

• To assist developing countries prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies

• FAO, UNDP, UNEP

• More than 50 countries

The Action- REDD in Countries

UN-REDD Work AreasRE

DD

+ St

rate

gies

Topics

• Ecosystem, its Services and Management

• COP13, REDD

• COP14, Ecosystem-based Adaptation

• Synergies of Ecosystem-based Adaptation and

Mitigation

Adaptation is an i terat ive process, including understanding climate variability as well as patterns and dynamics underlying societal vulnerabilities, evaluating costs and benefits, building capacity and continuous learning from monitoring and evaluation of actions.

Why ecosystem services important in combating climate change?

Why ecosystem is Important?Survey of adaptation priority in Asia

• 65% Water

• 63% Agriculture

• 57% Coastal-zone

• 37% Forestry

• 28% Fisheries

• 22% Disaster Reduction

• 17% Biodiversity

• 11% Mountain

• 9% Urban

Key Messages from Africa☁ Ecosystem services are integral to the African economy, underpin large parts of GDP and are key to local livelihoods

☁ Estimates of the costs of ecosystem-based adaptation require investigation of several lines of evidence

☁ There are many stresses on these ecosystems already and climate change will add to these pressures

☁ Tackling these impacts requires management of ecosystems within interlinked social-ecological systems, to enhance ecological processes and services, essential for resilience to multiple pressures, including climate change.

☁ EbA pathways result form the combination of ecosystem management strategies supported by flexible mechanisms and enabled through adaptive processes.

☁ At the aggregated scale, responses are primarily targeted at addressing current vulnerability: good practice and accelerated development rather than specific addressing future climate impacts.

☁ Bottom-up studies complement aggregated top-down estimates. However, extrapolation is not always possible, difficult to deal with overlaps between multiple bottom-up strategies.

☁ Further research is needed to estimate costs associated to soft measures (e.g. institutional capacity, adaptive governance, social learning, knowledge sharing, innovation, etc) and the additional costs needed to specifically tackle future climate impacts.

☁ Ecosystem-based adaptation remains a fairly limited area of study, and the economics of this approach for Africa is seen as a key priority for future adaptation work following from the AdaptCost project.

Key Messages from Africa

Role of Ecosystem Management

• Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters and causes ecosystem degradation.

• Ecosystem regulating services are critical for climate change adaptation, mitigation and and disaster risk reduction.

Simplified illustration of the complicated interactions between climate change, ecosystem degradation and increased disaster risk

Climate Changeincreases the frequency and intensity of climate related disasters, and exacerbates

ecosystem degradation

Ecosystem Degradationtriggers more disasters,

reduces resilience and releases more GHGs to the atmosphere

Increased Disaster Riskundermines ecosystem and community resilience and

exacerbates impacts of climate variability and change

Vulnerable Communities

Climate Change A & Mincreases the resilience of

ecosystems to climate change impacts, supports disaster risk

reduction, and fixing carbon

Disaster Risk Reductionincreases the resilience of

ecosystems to disasters and complements

climate change adaptation efforts

Ecosystem Management

increases the resilience of ecosystems and communities

to climate change impacts, protects them from disasters,

and sequestrates carbon

Central role of EM in responding to climate change and disaster risk reduction

The process…….

COP 2 (1996)

• National communications

COP 7 (2001)

• LDC Support (LDC Work Programme) NAPAs, LEG, LDCF), SCCF and AF

COP 11 (2005)

• Nairobi work programme

COP 13 (2007)

• Bali Action Plan

COP 16-18 (2010-12)

• Cancun Adaptation Framework (Adaptation Committee, NAPs and L&D work programme)

Observing impacts,

assessing risks and vulnerabilities

Moving to planning and

pilot implementation

Sharing knowledge and lessons learned

Scaling up implementation and forging enhanced

engagement

Full scale implementation.

Balance with mitigation (?)

COP 22 2015 & beyond New Agreement. Importance of LTGG

Evolution of adaptation under the UNFCCC

National Adaptation

Programmes of Action

Nairobi work programme

Work programme on

loss and damage

Adaptation Committee

Decision at COP 19 on the work programme that could also support the scientific and technical work under the Cancun Adaptation Framework

National Adaptation

Plans

Current evolution of adaptation under the UNFCCC

COP14, EBA

• Parties to UNFCCC at COP14 agreed to include Ecosystem-based adaptation(EBA) as one approach for adaptation, many definitions, yet,

• EBA is an approach to work with nature to – build resilience of vulnerable ecosystems through

adaptation,– maximise ecosystem services for adaptation.

Framing EBA

• Enhancing the resilience of ecosystems to climate change– Addressing climate change impacts on ecosystems,

and ensuring continued benefits from interventions for maintaining & promoting ecosystem services

• Using ecosystems as a means for reducing vulnerability and enhancing adaptation to climate change– Ecosystem services help to manage climate risks – and

support resilience of human socio-economic systems

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The space of EBA approaches – some examples

Ecosystem services

Climate risks & impacts

Storm surge (coasts)

Flooding (urban, riverine)

Food, fiber and biomass production

Heat waves (temperature extremes)

Supporting Soil formation for stabilization & reducing run-off

Sustainable land management

Provisioning Agroforestry

Regulating Reforesting or afforesting with mangroves

Stormwater run-off regulation

Green cover to reduce urban heat island

Cultural

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Geographic distribution of EBA studies

28Source: Munroe et al. 2011

Challenges• Mind set of decision-makers

– First and foremost think of hard infrastructure options

– Cost-benefit analyses biased against it• EBA varies with context and ecosystem –

– hard to get a single message to decision makers

– reaching most vulnerable communities• Limited data showing benefits of combining

ecosystem management and social resilience– Quantification of costs & cost effectiveness– Multiple sectors and stakeholders involved– M&E – attribution, time lag, duration, etc.

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Source: climatechwiki.orgOvercoming entrenched hard

infrastructure thinking

Source: Andrade et al. 2010

Recognizing ecosystem boundaries and thresholds

Looking ahead• Explore synergies between EBA and other approaches

– EBA is complementary to DRR / DRM, NRM, livelihoods• Develop approaches and tools to support design and

implementation– Multiple benefits / multi-criteria evaluation

• Emphasize learning and integrated M&E– Practice is leading theory; empirical validation of constructs and

filling knowledge gaps• Place EBA within the broader context of climate resilient

development– Natural infrastructure, green economy

• Recognize that there are multiple entry points– Cities are often on the front-lines of innovation

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Examples of Using Ecosystem Services

Mangroves in Vietnam:• An investment of US$1.1 million dedicated to adapting to sea-

level rise through restoring nearly 12,000 hectares of mangroves on the coast of Vietnam

• Saved US$7.3 million annually in dyke maintenance and repair.

• Other ecosystem services: replenishment of local fisheries, carbon sequestration, restoration of livelihoods, and reduced risk of some climate-based disasters.

Good practices - sub-tropical red soil hilly region

Good Practice – Loess Plateau

Good Practice - Karst

Good practice- Desertification control

No Science?

Large-scale weight lysimeter（1996- ）

Example:

Monitoring

Experiment & research

Demo

Shapotou desert research station

Recognition of EBA

• UNEP EBA Flagship Programme since 2010• GEF Guideline on Ecosystem-Based Approach

for Adaptation 2013• Resolution of the 1st United Nations

Environment Assembly (UNEA) 2014• CBD and UNFCCC Parties increasingly

recognizing EbA and its multiple benefits

UNFCCC

Relevant action pledges made by NWP partner organizations

Compilation of Ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation

(FCCC/SBSTA/2011/INF.8)

&

Database on ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation

(40+ examples-ongoing)

A technical workshop on

ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation to climate change

Ecosystem Based

Adaptation in Mountain

Ecosystems

Nepal, Peru & Uganda

Ecosystem Based Adaptation in Mountain Ecosystems Programme

• Partnership of UNEP, IUCN & UNDP under broader EBA flagship programme

• BMU provided 10 million Euro for Mountain Ecosystems Programme

• Steered by Global Steering Committee• Dec 2010 – Dec 2014• Pilot phase: Nepal, Peru & Uganda.• More countries to be added in next phase

Programme’s objectiveThe objective is to strengthen the capacity of countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts (Nepal, Peru and Uganda) to build ecosystem resilience for promoting ecosystem based adaptation (EBA) options and to reduce the vulnerability of communities with particular emphasis on mountain ecosystems.

Programme components and lead agencies

Components Lead Agency

1. Development of methodologies and tools for EbA decision-making in mountain ecosystems

UNEP

2. Application of methodologies and tools at ecosystem level

UNEP/UNDP

3. Implementation of EbA pilots at ecosystem level UNDP/IUCN

4. Development of Business Case for EbA at the national level

UNDP

Expected outputs• The value of ecosystem based approaches

demonstrated;• Informed national climate change and development

policies and strategies, and their delivery supported; • Economic assessment of Ecosystem services valuated;• Scaling up learning: the pilot project Adapting to

Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems will form the basis of further EBA activities in other mountain areas around the globe.

Peru: a mountain country

Mountain ecosystems add to one third of Peruvian territory

Note: combination of landslides, flood, drought, and GLOF vulnerabilities

Uganda Mt Elgon Ecosystem

Mt Elgon Ecosystem contributes 100% of its water to the Nile River System

Programme partners• National and local governments

• Research institutes• Civil society

• Local communities

Topic and Location Funder, Timeline, PartnersEbA in Mountain Regions: Uganda, Peru, Nepal

Germany (BMU). $14M. 2011-14.Implemented w/ UNDP, IUCN

Adapting to Climate Change Induced Water Stress in the Nile River Basin

Sweden (SIDA). $3.5M. 2010-13.Implemented w/ DHI, NBI

Regional Gateway for Tech. Transfer and CC Action: L. America & Caribbean

Spain and Norway. $5.3M. 2011-14

EbA in Coastal Ecosystems. Building Adaptive Capacity in Vulnerable Coastal Communities: Seychelles, Grenada, SIDS.

European Commission. $3.5M. 2013-16

Building Resilient Ecological Food Systems using Ecosystem-based Adaptation in agriculture-dominated landscapes in Africa

UNDF 9th Tranche $650k Seed $ 2014 ICI $6M submitted , GEF?Implemented w/IFAD

Readiness for National access to the Green Climate Fund

Germany 1st Phase $400k Seed $ 2013 $ 11M. 2013-15 Implemented w/UNDP, WRI

EbA in peri-urban areas of Asian mid-tier cities – reducing the climate vulnerability of the urban poor.

UNEP $150k Seed $ 2013ICI $6M submitted, GEF $5M submittedImplemented w/ UNDP (PEI), UN-Habitat.

GEF Portfolio

Overall objective:– Support developing countries in

accessing GEF supported finance through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and indirect access to the Adaptation Fund (AF) in order to reduce their vulnerability to adverse impacts of climate variability and change.

– The strategic focus is on innovative approaches applied through pilot studies and enhanced country responsiveness.

Where we work

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– Approx. 120 M USD – approved / under implementation

– Mainly in Africa and Asia

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The UNEP EBA Portfolio

Ecosystem-based Adaptationthrough South-South Cooperation (EbA South) project

OverviewOverview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forward

Official Title Enhancing Capacity, Knowledge and Technology Support to Build Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Developing Countries

Funding Programme

GEF Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF)

Implementing Agency

UNEP

Executing Agency

NDRC through IGSNRR, CAS

Duration 48 months (2013 - 2017)

Scale Two regions (Africa and Asian-Pacific), 3 pilot countries (Seychelles, Nepal and Mauritania)

ObjectiveOverview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forward

To build climate resilience in developing countries in Africa and Asia-Pacific

using ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation through capacity building, knowledge support and concrete, on-the-ground

interventions

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA)

Ø an approach to work with nature to maximize ecosystem services for adaptation and build ecosystem resilience for human well-being

Ø widely recognized as a cost-effective adaptation option

through South-South Cooperation

Ø developing countries are more dependent on ecosystem services and are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

Ø not only common challenges, but also common solutions for conservation and livelihoods

Recognized as first mover in catalysing global and regional collaboration on EbA

under GEF guidelines, in particular within the framework of South-South cooperation

Overview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forward

Project componentsOverview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forwardTECHONOLOGY TRANSFER

Concrete, on-the-ground EbA interventions, implemented within a long term research

framework

KNOWLEDGE SUPPORT

Web platform for the sharing of EbA knowledge and good

practices

CAPACITY BUILDING

Interregional coordination activities and thematic

training workshops

Interregional coordinaton & capacity building

Overview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forward

Online knowledge supportOverview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forward

heart of the web

platformGood

PracticeCase Studies

Database

Pilot countriesOverview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forward

MAURITANIAArid/semi-arid ecosystem

NEPALMountain ecosystem

SEYCHELLESCoastal ecosystem

Desertification control, multi-use greenbelts

Community-based watershed restoration

Mangrove restoration, wetland rehabilitation

Highlight: long term researchOverview & objective

Project components - interregional - pilot countries

Way forward

EbA South documents very well

how ecosystem-based adaptation is

taking place in three different countries

with three different ecosystems and

stimulates research to build on that and to

make it suitable and replicable in other

contexts

Youssef Nassef, UNFCCC

ComplexitiesEcology History

The SeychellesEbA South GEF Project

ComplexitiesHorticulturalLand-useEconomics

NepalEbA South GEF Project

ComplexitiesEnvironmental constraints

MauritaniaEbA South GEF Project

ComplexitiesBundling incomesPropagationHistory

South AfricaThicket restoration

Topics

• Ecosystem, its Services and Management

• COP13, REDD

• COP14, Ecosystem-based Adaptation

• Synergies of Ecosystem-based Adaptation and

Mitigation

Convergence of REDD and EBA

• Trade-off of ecosystem services (MA), provisioning, regulating, supporting…

• Co-benefits of both actions REDD and EBA

• Needs to be conceptualized in one framework of ecosystem management

Benefits (and impacts) include:– Biodiversity– Improved livelihoods– Landscape restoration etc.

• Case studies in Vietnam, Indonesia, Tanzania, Bolivia, Ecuador... Etc

UN-REDD is supporting countries to: – Maximize socio-economic and

environmental benefits– Improve equitable benefit sharing

Multiple Benefits

Climate Change impactsPopulation

increaseEcosystem

degradation

Loss of biodiversity

&ecosystem

servicesLoss of human

wellbeingSocial disruption

Increasedpressure on ecosystems

Ecosystem protection and management

Climate Change Mitigation

Ecosystem resilience &

reduced vulnerability

Secure biodiversity & ecosystem

services

Human well-being

Sustainable economies

Poor Ecosystem Protection

Good EcosystemProtection

Ecosystem-Based AdaptationDrivers and impacts of ecosystem

degradation

Qs?

Thank you!