Land degradation and climate change - turning vicious to a virtuous cycle

Transcription

1 Achieving zero net land degradation: impacts on climate change issues Land degradation and climate change - turning vicious to a virtuous cycle Uriel Safriel Center for Environmental Conventions Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, and Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel UNFCCC - COP17, 28 Nov - 9 Dec 2011, Durban, South Africa

2 Vicious Virtuous circle Zero net rate of Land degradation Land degradation and climate change - turning vicious to a virtuous cycle Climate change Climate stability Functional Biodiversity Biodiversity loss

3 Vicious circle Land degradation Reduced biological productivity of economic value Droughts fires, floods Increased frequency intensity Soil erosion Climate change Biodiversity loss

4 Vicious circle Global carbon stocks Reduced Reduced carbon fixation and sequestration Droughts fires, floods Increased frequency intensity Climate change & increased CO 2 Land degradation Reduced biological productivity of economic value SOC in eroded soil oxidizes Increased emissions Precipitation change Evapotranspiration increase decrease Soil erosion Soil moisutre SOC depletion Loss of - nutrients soil moisture Crop failure Forage decline Soil protection Degraded Diversity of soil vegetation cover Reduced Biodiversity loss & agrodiversity failure Species differential sensitivity to climate change response to elevated CO 2

5 Vicious circle Land degradation Climate change Biodiversity loss Precipitation change Evapotranspiration increase = Aridity Index ~ potential productivity

6 Climate change-induced change in Aridity Index (P/PET) - productivity reduction Vicious circle Climate change Land degradation 25 Mha Humid Dry sub-humid 51 Mha Arid Aridity Index Humid Africa 3 Mha Semi arid Arid AI < < AI < < AI < < AI < 0.65 AI > 0.65 Precipitation Evapotranspiration Hyper arid Hulme, M. et al., Climate Research, 1992 Humid Biodiversity loss Sicily Semiarid = Aridity Index ~ potential productivity Sciortino, M. et al (submitted)

7 Much land degradation is directly driven by humans, at the local scale Vicious circle Land degradation Reduced biological productivity of economic value Land degradation indirectly Humid Semiarid driven by humans, at the global scale Dry subhumid Sicily Dry subhumid Semiarid Humid Semiarid Climate change Sciortino, M. et al (submitted) Biodiversity loss

8 Much land degradation is directly driven by humans, at the local scale Vicious circle Land degradation Reduced biological productivity of economic value Soil erosion Pastoral livelihood Rangeland systems Overstocking Climate change Firewood collection Farming livelihood Cultivated systems Improper irrigation Biodiversity loss Land degradation

9 Much land degradation is directly driven by humans, at the local scale Vicious circle Anthropogenic global CC is impacted by anthropogenic local LD Land degradation directly Reduced biological driven by productivity of economic humans value at the local scale Soil erosion Anthropogenic CC responds globally, by impacting LD locally Climate change Biodiversity loss

10 Vicious circle Reduced carbon fixation and sequestration Climate stability change Land degradation directly Reduced biological driven by productivity of economic humans value at the local scale Organic carbon in eroded soil oxidizes Increased emissions 15% of global land degraded (GLASOD survey carried in ) More 24% added between (ISRIC NDVI proxy, 2008) Biodiversity loss Amount of emissions NOT removed from atmosphere due to this degradation equalled 20% of global emissions of 1980

11 Vicious Virtuous circle How to get there? Zero net rate of Land degradation directly Reduced biological driven by productivity of economic humans value at the local scale Soil erosion Climate stability change Functional Biodiversity Biodiversity loss

12 Vicious Virtuous circle Zero net rate of Land degradation Natural ecosystems Forests, savannas, grasslands, steppes, wetlands Soil erosion Climate stability change Functional Biodiversity Biodiversity loss

13 Nonsustainable Services provided by Natural ecosystems support agriculture less services (polination, regulation of water, local climate & flood) support people (water provision, global climate more needs regulation,cultural services) Forests, savannas, grasslands, steppes, wetlands Cultivated & rangeland ecosystems Degraded land Expanding agriculture Newly degraded land

14 Nonsustainable No further degradation Services provided by Natural ecosystems less services Zero net rate of land degradation Rate of newly degraded land restoration rate Rehabilitation Restoration Reclamation more needs Forests, savannas, grasslands, steppes, wetlands Cultivated & rangeland ecosystems Degraded land Expanding agriculture Newly degraded land

15 Vicious Virtuous circle Climate stability change UNFCCC UNCCD esertification Zero net rate of Land degradation Rate of newly degraded land restoration Soil rate erosion No further degradation is land degradation in drylands Political framework to make it the reality Functional Biodiversity Biodiversity loss

16 of the 24% of global land degraded in recent 20 y Non drylands 78% Drylands (41% of land) 22% Nearly half of cultivated systems - in drylands 38% of land-generated food provided by dryland ecosystems Drylands are important Relatively low recent degradation Contribute Start with much to drylands global food security Drylands are a challenge Much historic degradation Low natural productivity If the challenge in drylands is met solutions will also work well in non-drylands

17 Increasing C stocks Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Zero Rate net of newly rate of degraded land land degradation restoration rate Restoration Targets No Zero further land degradation: Actions Avoiding degradation of currently used land Outcomes Responding sustainably to increased demand Sustainably promoting food production for projected population growth

18 What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Restoration Soil depleted Soil salinized Range degraded Afforestation Runoff harvesting Builds soil Halts erosion Regulates water Promotes forage Provides firewood Transfer to patch cultivation -agroforestry Below-ground SOM Above-ground stand Increasing C stocks Arid dryland After 35 y - twice as much SOM as the adjacent non-forested, degraded land Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security

19 What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Restoration Soil depleted Soil salinized Range degraded Afforestation Runoff Salicornia harvesting Builds soil Halts erosion Regulates water Promotes forage Provides firewood Transfer to patch cultivation Below-ground SOM Above-ground stand Increasing C stocks Halophyte cultivation Domestication Brackish water irrigation Vegetable (whole plant) Removes salinity Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security

20 What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Restoration Soil depleted Soil salinized Range degraded Afforestation Runoff harvesting Builds soil Halts erosion Regulates water Promotes forage Provides firewood Transfer to patch cultivation Below-ground SOM Above-ground stand Increasing C stocks Halophyte Low degradation cultivation Removing pressure Domestication Severe degradation Brackish water Investments: irrigation terracing Vegetable (whole bush removal plant) seeding Removes salinity Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security

21 Water What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Avoiding degradation of currently used land Finance & Knowledge Drip & plastic cover Reduce evaporation loss Treat wastewater irrigation reuse Conserve natural ecosystems Use water regulation service Do not - Distant water transport Desalination Increasing C stocks marketing Reduce Dependency on external inputs Exposure to financial risks Negative impacts of international trade Adopt small-scale, low external input and low cost solutions Focus on local seed and livestock varieties Concentrate on local food systems Reducing C emissions Develop effective people-oriented extension services Reducing poverty Land Food security

22 Increasing C stocks Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Avoiding degradation of currently used land Land Reduce pressure on land s services of biological productivity Alternative land uses and livelihoods Aquaculture Less land Less water More biological products of economic value/resource unit Fish, crustaceans Edible, ornamental Uni-cellular algae (Haematococus) Feed additive (pigment) Health additive (antioxidant)

23 What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Avoiding degradation of currently used land Land Reduce pressure on land s services of biological productivity Alternative land uses and livelihoods Tourism Ecotourism Agrotourism Solar energy export Increasing C stocks Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security

24 What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Increasing C stocks Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security Securing food provision for projected population growth Avoid expansion into natural ecosystems Sustainable increase of resource (soil and water) use of currently used land 1.6 gigaton C/year - emitted in the 90s through transforming natural to cultivated ecosystems (compared to total 40 Gt/y emitted in these years)

25 What can be done in drylands? and likely to apply to non-drylands too Securing food provision for projected population growth Avoid expansion into natural ecosystems Sustainable increase of resource (soil and water) use of currently used land Farming systems Intercropping cultivation systems Cultivate salines - 3,230,000 km 2 domesticate and breed halophytes Pastoral systems Sylvi-pastroal systems Agro-pastoral systems Increasing C stocks Reducing C emissions Reducing poverty Food security

26 Vicious Virtuous circle Increased Reduced carbon fixation and sequestration Global carbon stocks Reduced Droughts fires, floods Increased frequency intensity Climate change & increased CO 2 Zero net rate of Land degradation Reduced biological productivity of economic value Soil erosion Organic carbon in eroded soil oxidizes Increased emissions Precipitation change Evapotranspiration increase Soil moisutre decrease SOM depletion Loss of - nutrients soil moisture Species Dangerous differential populations sensitivity Declines to climate Increases change response Invasive species to increase elevated CO 2 Crop failure Forage decline Land use-related ecosystem services Degraded Soil protection service Degraded Plant structural diversity Soil microbial diversity Reduced Biodiversity loss & agrodiversity failure

27 Conclusions and recommendations Setting and attaining the target of zero net rate of land degradation could reverse the vicious cycle that mutually exacerbate land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss Reducing rates of land degradation and restoring recent and historically degraded lands, would reduce poverty of local land users and increase global food security

28 The same measures, at the same time, reduce emissions and increase sequestration, thus - Contribute to reducing global warming and moving forward the climate system towards stability at the aspired GHG atmospheric concentration

29 Meeting future increased needs not through expanding agriculture at the expense of natural ecosystems, but - through non-degrading intensification of production in existing and restored production systems Can be driven by existing agrotechnics empowered by innovative, nonconventional approaches applied to nondegraded and restored lands Will be supported by services provided by the non-transformed natural ecosystems

30 Successful practices for attaining the targets in drylands could be effectively adapted and adopted in non-drylands Operationalizing the zero net rate of land degradation target would require - an intergovernmental yet independent scientific assessment mechanism an international political framework which, with minor adaptation could be provided by the UNCCD.

31 The inter-linkages between the subject-matters of Rio Conventions, for worse if ignored or for good if action is taken, should expedite the conventions joint implementation UNCCD UNFCCC CBD