Blue Forests. Global conservation opportunities and research needs. Steven Lutz, GRID-Arendal. Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures

Transcription

1 Blue Forests Global conservation opportunities and research needs Steven Lutz, GRID-Arendal Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures

2 Blue Forest ecosystems are threatened ecosystems 14% of all seagrass species are at risk of going extinct 1 to 2% of the world s saltwater marshes are lost each year, 67% are already gone Over 30 % of global mangroves are thought of as degraded These ecosystems are also vitally important to the livelihoods of many in coastal communities around the world, through the myriad of valuable ecosystem services they provide. Riandi/Wikimedia Commons Peter Prokosch Steven Lutz

3 Nat. Geo 10 Feb. 2115

4 Why Blue Forests conservation? Healthy ecosystems store and sequester carbon Degraded ecosystems release carbon Blue Forests can be part of a mitigation strategy istockphoto

5 Coastal Habitats Store Carbon In coastal habitats, most carbon is stored in sediments and less in biomass Boreal ~ Emissions produced by 214 passenger vehicles per year Source: Murray, Brian, Linwood Pendleton, W. Aaron Jenkins, and Samantha Sifleet Green Payments for Blue Carbon: Economic Incentives for Protecting Threatened Coastal Habitats. Nicholas Institute Report. NI R NOAA

6 What is the cost of blue forests emissions? Ecosystem Global Extent (Mha) Current Conversion Rate (% yr -1 ) Near Surface Susceptible Carbon (Mg CO 2 ha -1 ) Carbon Emissions (Pg CO 2 yr -1 ) Economic Cost (Billion US$ yr -1 ) Tidal Marsh Mangroves Seagrass Total (0.45) Assumes social cost of carbon = US$41/ton Pendleton et al PLoSOne Annual mitigation potential for all three habitat types is roughly between 300 and 900 million t carbon, approximately equal to the industry and energy emissions of Poland and Germany respectfully. Murray et al, 2011

7 Improving ecosystem management through Blue Forests AGEDI, 2014

8 GRID-Arendal Blue Carbon Programme GRID-Arendal aims to promote the sustainable management of coastal blue carbon ecosystems through approaches focused on the valuation of carbon and other coastal ecosystem services. Global approach in coordination with UNEP: Arabian Peninsula Feasibility Assessment Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project GEF Blue Forests Project Blue Carbon Portal - Interest in Caribbean, West Africa, Coral Triangle and Pacific

9 UNEP/GEF Blue Forests Project The Blue Forests Project is a UNEP initiative aiming to implement better coastal ecosystem management by harnessing the values associated with carbon and ecosystem services at a number of demonstration sites throughout the globe. GEF funds: $4.5m USD Co-financing: over $15m USD (inc. MoFA) Implementation: January 2015 Duration: 4 years Managed by GRID-Arendal

10 Global partners - UNEP GRID-Arendal UNEP-WCMC Duke University IUCN Blue Ventures Conservation International WWF Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs And Fisheries UNEP-ROLAC Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute US Forest Service South African Institute of International Affairs The Ocean Foundation US NOAA Stockholm University Charles Darwin University

11 Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project Project lead: Goal: Abu-Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI). Assess all three coastal blue carbon ecosystems and related ecosystem services and provide options for incorporating these values into policy and management. Duration: Nov March 2014.

12 In action AGEDI AGEDI AGEDI

13 Abu Dhabi - significant results Project findings are being recognized in policy and management though: Incorporation into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan. Incorporation into Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) Climate Change programme for the next 10 years. Incorporation into urban and marine spatial planning. Utilization by the Abu Dhabi municipality. Additionally: AGEDI is continuing the exploration of Blue Carbon in other Emirates (Nov 2014). Significant training and capacity building was accomplished from the local to the international scale (Madagascar and Indonesia).

14 Mikoko Pamoja - Small Scale Carbon-offset Project Certified under the Plan Vivo Standard, a framework for supporting communities to manage their natural resources more sustainably, with a view to generate benefits through payments for ecosystem services (PES); in this case carbon Project lead: Kenyan Marine Fisheries Research Institute

15 Mikoko Pamoja 1970 s Coastal degradation, primarily through commercial logging and land conversion. Resulting in impacts to local communities - shortages of firewood and building poles, decline in fisheries, and increased coastal erosion. Approval of Project Idea Note (PIN). Validation of project. Independent verification of project. Government issued a Forest Management Agreement to the Gazi Bay community. Mar 2014 Payments realized!

16 Project Impacts - Direct Job creations Livelihood support o o Ecotourism Energy efficient stoves Community services o o Education Water & Sanitation Mangrove reforestation KMFRI

17 - Mikoko Pamoja has the potential to influence mangrove management policy in Kenya and elsewhere in the region through upscaling by the UNEP-GEF s Blue Forest Project Outcome KMFRI

18 Blue Forests Research Needs Refining the numbers need more data points! Ultimate fate of carbon fixed in coastal ecosystems? Fate of carbon in degraded ecosystems? Socio-economic impacts of projects? Valuation of other ecosystem services? Evidencing the impact demonstrating it works! Ocean - fish carbon?

19 What role can marine vertebrate carbon services play in addressing the global climate challenge?

20 Marine Vertebrate Carbon Services

21 1. Trophic Cascade Carbon Food web dynamics help maintain the carbon storage and sequestration function of coastal Blue Carbon ecosystems Steven Lutz P. Lindgren/Wikimedia Commons Matt Knoth/Wikimedia Commons

22 Heithaus et al. 2014

23 8. Marine Vertebrate Mediated Carbon Marine vertebrates transfer organic carbon through marine food webs and transport it to deep waters via rapidly sinking faecal material Catlin Seaview Survey

24 Sediment traps are believed to underestimate total carbon export because they under sample large, rare particles and flux episodes on short time scales, and because they do not sample active transport. Davidson et al 2013 NOAA

25 Moving Forward Fish Carbon identifies new directions for research into the role of marine vertebrates in the carbon cycle and new opportunities to address the global climate challenge. Q: What is the total significance of Fish Carbon in comparison to that of phytoplankton? NOAA

26 Tussen takk! Steven Lutz - steven.lutz@grida.no Blue Carbon Portal -