Wetland restoration, adaptation and Ramsar Convention guidance

Transcription

1 Wetland restoration, adaptation and Ramsar Convention guidance Prof Nick Davidson Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention Workshop: Adaptation options for wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin Canberra, ACT, July 2010

2 What is adaptation? In relation to climate change, adaptation can be considered in 2 ways: Socio-economic: People adapting to living in environment changing because of climate and its consequences for livelihoods, health and well-being Policies, strategies, mechanisms and support for such adaptation Ecological: ecosystems and species changing and adapting to a changing climate

3 What is adaptation? Closely linked: ecosystems & services needed by people to cope with a changing climate Ecosystem-based adaptation: maintenance and restoration of natural ecosystems to reduce people s/communities vulnerability to climate change Conserve biodiversity and make ecosystems more resistant and resilient to changing climate Continue to deliver ecosystem services to people

4 Wetlands & climate change adaptation all about water Even bigger challenges for wise water & wetland management with an increasingly extreme and unpredictable climate IPCC (2008): climate change effects felt mainly through water Increasing drought and too little water in some basins too much water (or at the wrong time) in others Increased variability in rainfall and water

5 Wetlands & climate change mitigation all about carbon Many wetlands sequester & store significant carbon Degrading wetlands releases carbon Degraded wetlands store less carbon Avoided degradation & restoration of wetlands tools for climate mitigation Double-win with ecosystem-based adaptation Relative carbon storage per unit area

6 Ramsar s Wise Use Toolkit: a framework for climate adaptation? Ramsar implementation guidance: Since 1971, the Convention has adopted a major suite of implementation guidance for countries Most prepared by Scientific & Technical Review Panel (STRP) Included in 17 Ramsar Wise Use Handbooks (3 rd edition, 2007) CD-ROM and Ramsar Website 4 th edition (including COP10 substantive new guidance) in preparation 2010/2011

7 Ramsar s Wise Use Toolkit: a framework for climate adaptation? Includes: Conceptual framework for wise use National Wetland Policies Laws and institutions Wetland management planning Local communities and indigenous people s participation in management Coastal management Inventory, assessment and monitoring Wetland CEPA

8 Ramsar, wetlands & water since COP6 (1996) Since COP6: major suite of water-related guidance (prepared by STRP) First operational tools for water and ecosystems adopted by governments globally Recognition that not only is water crucial for wetlands, but also Wetlands crucial for water security

9 Ramsar s water-related guidance covers: Integrated Framework for water-related guidance River basin management Water allocation and management for maintaining wetland ecosystems Groundwater management Integrated Coastal Zone Management International cooperation (incl. shared water resources)

10 Ramsar s Wise Use Toolkit: addressing ecological character change Includes: Assessing and reporting change in ecological character Deleting or restricting boundaries of a Ramsar site Designing restoration programmes Compensation and mitigation for wetland loss COP10 (2008): Framework for processes of detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character (Resolution X.16)

11 Detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character

12 Detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character

13 Detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character

14 Detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character

15 Ramsar s principles & guidelines for wetland restoration Set of general principles, guidelines & feasibility issues: To aid planning and decision-making for restoration Restoration used in broad sense, covering both: Restoring to pre-disturbance ecological character; and Rehabilitation to improve wetland functions, but not necessarily to pre-disturbance ecological character

16 Principles & guidelines for wetland restoration: feasibility issues Will there be environmental benefits? What is the cost-effectiveness for a long-term sustainable restoration? What options, advantages or disadvantages will the restored area provide for local people and the region? What is the current ecological status? Will any important wetland features or wetland-dependent species be lost or damages? What is the ecological potential of the project? What is the current land use status of the area? What are the main socio-economic constraints? Is there positive regional and local interest in achieving the restoration? What are the main technical constraints?

17 Principles & guidelines for wetland restoration Process for identifying potential restoration projects

18 Principles & guidelines for wetland restoration Steps in undertaking a wetland restoration

19 STRP current work: Avoid/Mitigate/Compensate framework Identifies requirements for wetland restoration in a wider context Avoid impacts: maintain/protect/conserve the wetland from impacts Mitigate impacts: if impacts cannot be avoided, mitigate onsite Incl. minimise, reduce or abate impacts and/or restore or rehabilitate Compensate/offset impacts: if impacts remain after mitigation (or mitigation not possible) responsible body compensates or offsets by paying to maintain or to restore/rehabilitate other wetlands (i.e. off-site)

20 STRP current work: Avoid/Mitigate/Compensate framework

21 STRP current work: Avoid/Mitigate/Compensate framework

22 STRP current work: Avoid/Mitigate/Compensate framework Compensate Avoid Mitigate (Restore)

23 STRP current work: Assessing utility of Restoration guidance Key question: does the existing Ramsar restoration guidance (in its current form) allow a potential user to deliver their wetland restoration objectives? Different wetland restoration scenarios: The ecological character of my wetland has become degraded, and I want to restore it to its former character The ecological character of my wetland has become degraded, and I want to rehabilitate it so that it can deliver more/greater ecosystem services A development planning proposal will, if permitted, destroy or damage part, or all, of my designated Ramsar site. What restoration should be required so as to mitigate and/or compensate for this loss? So as to mitigate the impacts of climate change, I want to restore my wetland so as to increase its carbon storage capacity and so that I can achieve an offset through carbon markets. I am invoking urgent national interest under Article 2.5 to permit loss of part/all of my Ramsar site what must I do in terms of wetland restoration as mitigation of and compensation for this action?

24 STRP current work: Assessing utility of Restoration guidance... More restoration scenarios: I need to compile a national inventory of wetlands with the potential for restoration I need to identify sites that are a priority for restoring I ve embarked on a mitigation/restoration initiative, what should I be doing to monitor its effectiveness and if necessary to take corrective action if it appears likely to fail to meet any of its objectives? I want to improve the health of local human communities through improving and restoring the health of their local wetland to reduce waterborne disease risk I want to create a new wetland for one of many reasons e.g. water purification, poverty reduction or local economic growth I want to restore a wetland to increase its resilience to climate change, to support people s adaptation

25 STRP current work: Assessing utility of Restoration guidance

26 STRP current work: Assessing utility of Restoration guidance Initial assessment of two categories of potential guidance user: Mid-level government official in a statutory agency Good understanding of national policies and objectives, but Little hands-on experience of doing a restoration Expert in practical wetland restoration design & implementation Not aware of the national scale policies and frameworks Range of different restoration purposes, and example wetland types 4 categories of guidance utility: from Very Useful to Not Useful

27 STRP current work: Assessing utility of Restoration guidance Mid-level government official

28 STRP current work: Assessing utility of Restoration guidance Expert wetland restoration practitioner

29 STRP current work: Assessing utility of Restoration guidance Some initial conclusions: Useful as generic approach to wetland restoration, but Not targeted at specific types of end user affects utility More useful to mid-level officials than restoration practitioners & recommendations: Links to other relevant Ramsar guidelines need to be made Add explanation of uses of restoration as a response option Identify links to other good quality restoration guidance e.g. on specific wetland types (a guide to the guidance ), and include more case study examples Define end-user needs better Improve guidance on prioritising restoration in national policy context Further evaluate current guidance with a wider range of end-users

30 Restoration as a climate adaptation option Ramsar guidance not specifically designed for climate adaptation Is current Ramsar guidance and approach useful? What else is need to guide planning and implementing restoration for climate adaptation? What specific issues need to be taken into account in designing and achieving wetland restoration as tool for climate adaptation?

31 STRP: welcome advice/ideas from the workshop...

32 Join in the Ramsar 40 th Anniversary celebrations