Re- and Afforestation in the context of land degradation/desertification in Europe

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1 Workshop on Pan-European recommendations for afforestation and reforestation in the context of the UNFCCC, October Vilnius, Lithuania Re- and Afforestation in the context of land degradation/desertification in Europe by Elysabeth David Coordinator Europe Unit 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification

2 UNCCD-Convention legal definitions WHAT MEANS DESERTIFICATION? desertification" means land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. ( cp. Part 1/Article 1a CCD-Conv.) International Year of Deserts and Desertification

3 WHAT MEANS LAND DEGRADATION? "land degradation" means reduction or loss, in arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid areas, of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture,forest and woodlands resulting from land uses or from a process or combination of processes, including processes arising from human activities and habitation patterns, such as: (i) soil erosion caused by wind and/or water; (ii) deterioration of the physical, chemical and biological or economic properties of soil; and (iii) long-term loss of natural vegetation (cp Part 1/ Art 1f CCD-Conv.) 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification

4 Types of Desertification and Land degradation

5 WHAT MEANS COMBATING DESERTIFCATION? "combating desertification" includes activities which are part of the integrated development of land in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas for sustainable development which are aimed at: (i) prevention and/or reduction of land degradation; (ii) rehabilitation of partly degraded land; and (iii) reclamation of desertified land; ( cp. Part 1/ Art 1b ii/iii b CCD-Conv.) 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification

6 UNDDC core strategy Achieving this objective will involve long-term integrated strategies that focus simultaneously, in affected areas, on improved productivity of land, and the rehabilitation, conservation and sustainable management of land and water resources, leading to improved living conditions, in particular at the community level. (cp part 1/art. 2, para 2 CCD-Conv.) 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification

7 How does the UNCCD process function? local Project Implementation (participatory process) projects, activities national National Action Programmes (NAP) Subregional Action Programmes (SRAP) Regional Action Programmes (RAP) coordination, planning and priority setting international UNCCD as a legally binding international agreement, negotiation processes international framework setting

8 Keys points of the UNCCD IMPLEMENTATION CONVENTION BOTH DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT BOTTOM UP PARTICIPATORY AND CONSULTATIVE PROCESSES INTEGRATED INTERSECTORIEL APPROACH COMMUNITY BASED PARTNERSHIP LOCAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PLATEFORM

9 COP decision related to reforestation/afforestation Decision 8/COP 4: Bonn Declaration (Dec. 2000) Declare under the topic specific thematic and sectorial areas that during this decade the strategic areas for action at all levels, in accordance with national plan and priorities and in conformity with the provisions of the Convention, should include also: =>Launching of reforestation/afforestation programmes and intensification of soil conservation programmes

10 CRIC3 report: item related to reforestation/afforestation ICCD/CRIC3(3)/9 (June 2005) Reforestation and afforestation in the context of sustainable forest are important elements in combating desertification synergy and complementarity between NAPS and national forest programmes must be ensured when planning or implementing forest related activities. Such programme provide income-generating opportunities and relate to coping strategies in relation with population pressure, water scarcity, poverty and migration

11 UNCCD EUROPEAN COUNTRY PARTIES UNCCD EUROPEAN COUNTRY PARTIES UNCCD and its European country parties Affected country Parties Developed country Parties Regional implementation Annex for Northern Mediterranean (ANNEX IV) Regional implementation Annex for Central & Eastern Europe (ANNEX V)

12 ANNEX IV ANNEX V For Northern Mediterranean For Central & Eastern Europe Albania, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Croatia, Slovenia Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy Malta, Monaco, Portugal, Spain, Turkey Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Rep., FYR of Macedonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Rep. of Moldova, Slovak Rep., Romania, Russian Fed., Ukraine NON PARTIES Estonia, Serbia, Montenegro

13 Current efforts and activities of Northern Mediterranean and Central & Eastern Europe countries in reforestation/ afforestation: National Reports Albania: NAP includes technical activities related to reforestation, (cp. National Report Albania 2000) Cyprus: Reforestation and Afforestation activity started in the 1980 s as an on-going project to afforest land under extreme conditions: ha afforested by 2001, 671 ha in 2001 was. The project will continue with estimated ha to be afforested in the coming 10 years, at a cost of $15 million. Another project undertaken is the afforestation of ha of abandoned and degraded agricultural land at a total cost of approximately $4 million. (cp National Report Cyprus 2000) 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification

14 Greece: National Reports Among the targets of forestry services are included inter alia, connected to the fight against desertification: Reforestation on bald areas or forest ones, which have been burnt (cp National report Greece 2000) In line with the NAP a Forest Functional Plan has been prepared, including the restoration of burned forests. Forest plant nurseries produced seedlings for the year Reforestation of acres by seeding and replant. (cp National Report Greece 2002) 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification

15 Italy: National Reports In the framework of the NAP regional actions in reforestation were undertaken, (cp. National Report Italy 2002). Related to the UNCCD in the framework of NAP/SRAP and RAP Italy started a national project entitled Monitoring and functional evaluation of reforestation and olive trees cultivation in combating desertification in Italy. (cp. National Report Italy 2006) International Year of Deserts and Desertification

16 Republic of Moldova: Relating to the NAP during about units of plant materials were sold in reforestation activities. (cp National Report Moldova 2006) Romania: National Reports According to the NAP one of the main measures for desertification control in Romania is to take care of the physical und functional forest integrity inter alia through afforestation activities. (cp National Report Romania 2000) Afforestation of degraded lands relaunched after 1999, after a period of slow pace. Degraded lands area annually planted, in average, ha before 1989, 630 ha between 1990 to 2000 and 3000 ha after Areas afforested are those flagged as first priority in the National Action Program to Combat Drought, Land Degradation and Desertification. (cp National Report Romania 2006)

17 Turkey: In order to implement application measures of UNCCD it is foreseen that a number of activities for combating desertification including reforestation in an area of hectares, soil conservations in an area of and pasture improvement in an area of will be carried out during NAP periode. The main objective is to improve global carbon cycle, meet wood demands and support livelihood of the rual communities. (cp National Report Turkey 2000) National Reports Relating to combating desertification and because of the important role of forests in general, Turkey launched reforestation/afforestation programmes. (cp National Report Turkey 2006)

18 Offers and needs. The Activity Master Northern Mediterranean

19 Activity Master Northern Mediterranean

20 Offers and needs. The Activity Master Central & Eastern Europe

21 Activity Master Central & Eastern Europe

22 Regional activities in Northern Mediterranean under UNCCD Scientific cooperation and Training/capacity building The regional Northern Mediterranean meeting (Bonn, Germany, 2004) identified Reforestation/afforestation/tree plantation in affected areas and soil conservation strategies/planning as two of the eight priority areas adopted for scientific cooperation. => Spain in discussion to organize a regional training on Rehabilitation techniques for degraded soils Reforestation/afforestation/tree plantation in affected areas Turkey will organize in Spring 2007 a regional training on Reforestation/afforestation/ tree plantation in affected areas

23 Regional activities in Central & Eastern Europe under UNCCD Scientific cooperation and Training/capacity building The regional Central & Eastern Europe meeting (Minsk, Belarus,2003) identified reforestation/afforestation/ tree plantation in affected areas and sustainable forest strategies as the priority areas for regional scientific cooperation. => The Forest Research and Management Institute in Romania offers to be he a host institution for a regional thematic network (RTN) on afforestation in temperate zone affected by drought (launching planed in 2007) => The Forest Research and Experimental Centre (FREC) of the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia offered to be used as a regional training centre (RTC) in the area of reforestation/afforestation/tree planting in affected areas

24 Synergy among International Conventions UNFCCC UNCCD UNCBD Common Goal: Sustainable Use of the World s Resources 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification

25 SYNERGY BETWEEN CONVENTIONS - UNCCD/CBD/UNFCCC Joint Liaison Group (JLG) (next meeting in December 2006) - National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA) - FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.19 «Options for enhanced cooperation among the three conventions» - Workshop on Identifying synergies through forests and forest ecosystems, March 2004, Viterbo, Italy - ICCD/COP(7)/16/add.1 related to sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable use of forest as an effective means for the objectives of the 3 conventions.

26 Linkages Land Degradation / Desertification Loss of top soil in quantity and quality Biodiversity Vegetation Climate Landscape

27 Afforestation/reforestation = Anti- desertification /land degradation Maintain soil fertility: - by adding organic matter to the litter - by solubilization of phosphorus through mycorrhiza or bacterial activity - by biological nitrogen fixing Improve the physical properties of the soil : - water retention - permeability - aggregate stability - regularization of temperatures Reduce the negative effects of the nutrients leaching (roots of the trees) Minimize on top soil the erosive action of wind and rain Increase the biological productivity of soil Decrease evapotranspiration

28 Soil and global changes Silent disaster of world, including European soil degradation High buffer capacity and resilience of soil ecosystems and their ability to absorb changes but with limits interrelation between climate change and soil very complex : Impacts of climate change on soils properties and performance Influence of soil on global change with its important role of carbon sequestration and its possible variation of biomass

29 CONCERNS creation of an enabling environment with reform of environmental policies integrated approach of management of afforestation projects taking into account soil conservation issues setting-up of mechanisms facilitating access to financial resources setting up incentives and system of compensation to rewards efforts of rural stakeholders introduction of remunerative prices for products use of conservation adequate technologies adaptation of plan to soil potential

30 CONCERNS (cont.) decentralization at local level of accountability and decision making of natural resources, including forest analysis of the needs of local populations, local access to the markets upgrade of skill of stakeholders size of the surface of plantation and used methodology how to be involve and to benefit from the CDM at local level transboundary, subregional and regional perspectives adding more socio economic impact studies in the debate ownership of the process

31 CONCERNS (cont.) to federate local stakeholders around projects with the objectives of the 3 conventions; integrated local area development programme around an integrated territorial platform to galvanize the NFPs to build concrete actions on information received from each of the 3 processes to ensure a synergy in the reporting process of the 3 conventions on afforestation/reforestation