cst 13 session on rehabilitation, restoration and ... · while adapting to climate change (decouple...
TRANSCRIPT
Report on the work of the UN Environment International Resource Panel (IRP) on land restoration, ecosystem resilience and their contributions to poverty eradication
CST 13 Session on Rehabilitation, restoration and reclamation measures and practices in degraded lands (agenda item 2.c)
Jeff Herrick (USDA Soil Scientist, IRP land restoration-related reports lead author)
IRP Mission
• Provide independent, coherent and authoritative scientific assessments of policy relevance on the sustainable use of natural resources and, in particular, their environmental impacts over the full life cycle; and
• Contribute to a better understanding of how to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.
www.resourcepanel.org
IRP Mission
• Provide independent, coherent and authoritative scientific assessments of policy relevance on the sustainable use of natural resources and, in particular, their environmental impacts over the full life cycle; and
• Contribute to a better understanding of how to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.
Practical, science-based policy options and tools
www.resourcepanel.org
www.resourcepanel.org
2018: Land Restoration & the SDGs
2018: Land Restoration & the SDGs
2018: Land Restoration & the SDGs
• Key concepts and practical guidance for land evaluation to determine land potential*.
• Jointly released with UNCCD on the World Day to Combat Desertification in Beijing.
*See SPI LDN Framework report.
What is land potential? “inherent long-term (decades) potential of the land to sustainably generate ecosystem services, based on soils, topography and climate”
Includes potential to support:
- Agricultural production
- Biodiversity conservation
- Other ecosystem services
And the potential to be restored
Alternative livelihoods and agricultural intensification example
11
100m
+ high wind erosion risk
Dark soil with mix of sand, silt, clay: successful crop production even during drought years AND no fertilizer required 1st year
Light sandy soil: successful crop only during wet years (1/5) and manure always required
Land potential can vary
at very fine scales (e.g.
N. Namibia - photos),
and less in others (e.g.
parts of Inner Mongolia
uniformly sandy soils)
Alternative livelihoods and agricultural intensification example
12
100m
+ high wind erosion risk
Dark soil with mix of sand, silt, clay (“loam”): successful crop production even during drought years AND no fertilizer required 1st year
Light sandy soil: successful crop only during wet years (1/5) and manure always required
Local soil variability is not important in areas with uniform soils but is often important where the surface soil (top 15-30cm) is uniform, but the subsoil (which stores water and nutrients) is variable.
15-30cm light sand over dark loam: good for crops AND trees in this region
BENEFIT 1. Sustainably increase agricultural productivity while adapting to climate change (decouple production increases from land degradation and biodiversity loss)
1.3 BILLION TONS of soil/year saved on US croplands
0
50
100
150
200
1980 1990 2000 2010
Corn Yield (bu/acre)
Production continues to INCREASE.
13
Opportunity #1
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/technical/?cid=stelprdb1041887
Salud de Pastizales
Salud de Comunidades
Un Sistema para el Manejo de Pastizales en el Contexto del Paisaje y la Aptitude de Suelos para Actividades Pecuarias
Crop
Pasture
14
Benefit 1. Sustainably increase agricultural productivity while adapting to climate change:
Crop with soil conservation
Simple changes – land use planning based on SOILS + TOPOGRAPHY + CLIIMATE
US National Archives
United States cultivation of semi-arid grasslands during wet years exceeded land potential during dry years
Oklahoma Conservation Commission: Photograph by Arthur Rothstein. Courtesy of the Western History Collection, University of Oklahoma Library from the Farm Security Administration Collection
1930’s “Dust Bowl” This has been repeated somewhere in nearly every country
Benefit 2. Minimize social, economic, and environmental risks of land use change:
Benefit 2. Minimize social, economic, and environmental risks of land use change:
Terrace failure on shallow soils landslides
Wetland biodiversity and soil carbon loss + low crop production
Example: 15cm soil erosion from a common sub-tropical soil (similar soils in S. China) can reduce water infiltration 98% due to higher clay content of deeper layers.
Depth Water infiltration
0-15cm (sandy loam) 35 mm/hr >15cm (clay) 0.8 mm/hr
17
Beautiful red clay soils in southern Ohio. GONE!!! http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1375/index2.tmpl http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/office/ssr7/tr/?cid=nrcs142p2_047949
Some degraded lands can never be fully restored because they are not resilient
Conclusion: land potential evaluation must consider potential degradation resistance and resilience to prioritize soil conservation measures (see SPI report)
Benefit 2. Minimize social, economic, and environmental risks of land use change:
Benefit 3. Increase restoration and biodiversity conservation success by determining restoration potential
Success! Failure
Land potential = high restoration potential
(soil + topography + climate)
Land potential = low restoration
potential
Tools and existing resources to support land resource planning
FAO Land & Water’s new “Land Resources Planning Toolbox”
http://www.fao.org/land-water/land/land-governance/land-resources-planning-toolbox/en/
(see also their new report on “Land Resource Planning for SLM” which includes some tools not on the website, and vice-versa)
2018: Land Restoration & the SDGs
Land Restoration for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: an
IRP “Think Piece” proposal
Jornada.nmsu.edu and LandPotential.org
Proposal continues IRP solutions focus on opportunities to: (a) generate SDG co-benefits from restoration, (b) generate land restoration co-benefits from other efforts to address SDGs.
Structure • Chapter 1. Introduction • Chapter 2. Cross-cutting
opportunities (general) • Chapters 3.1 – 3.17 SDGs
– Modular (2-3p) for targeted delivery, with 15.3 cross-cutting
– Integrate ROI @ local-gloal levels to promote finance, MOI.
– Mini-case study boxes (250 words, 1 fig)
– Co-author pairs (ideally developed/developing country)
• Chapter 4. Landscape approach • Chapter 5.
Summary/conclusions
Synergistic activities and reports (partial list)
• Unlocking the Sustainable Potential of Land Resources (June 2016) and other IRP reports
• A Guide to SDG Interactions: from Science to Implementation (May 2017 – International Council for Science)
• Land Degradation Focal Area Study (May 2017 – GEF Independent Evaluation Office analysis of project impacts includes SDG references)
• Scientific conceptual framework for land degradation neutrality." (2017 – UNCCD SPI).
• UNCCD Global Land Outlook (Aug 2017)
• Upcoming IPBES, IPCC reports
Collaboration on new IRP Report (interest indicated)
• UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI)
• Global Land Project (GLP; Future Earth)
• Society for Ecological Restoration
Related side event: LandPKS Mobile Apps for Optimizing* LDN Investments Friday 08 September 1pm-3pm MET-16 *and monitoring
Land-Potential Knowledge System
(Additional slides)
Benefit 2. Minimize social, economic, and environmental risks of land use change:
The impact on production, land degradation and restoration of programs designed to manage land use change (e.g. agricultural “redline” in China) can be increased by matching land use with land potential.
http://www.chinaag.org/2017/01/31/chinas-state-council-looks-to-safeguard-the-countrys-arable-land-area-above-the-redline-of-120-million-ha/
Benefit 4. Promote innovation and knowledge sharing
“We need to see beyond what we see, because that can
help you decide what to do [and restore] next.” – Namibian workshop participant, August, 2014
Why Land Restoration and the SDGs?
• Relevant • Timely • Supports
UNCCD, others • Compass,
rudder and accelerator for future IRP work on land-related issues
“We need to see beyond what we see, because that can help you decide what to do next.” – Namibian workshop participant, August, 2014