The role of blue forests to capture and store atmospheric carbon and other ecosystem services, nationally and globally Dr Sindre Langaas Research Manager Norwegian Institute of Water Research & Norwegian Blue Forests Network Presentation at United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, Eighteenth meeting: "The effects of climate change on oceans, 15-19 May 2017, United Nations Headquarters
Contents Definitions Blue forest types, their carbon sequestration & storage capacity Peter Prokosch/GRID-Arendal/NBFN Other pertinent ecosystem services offered by blue forests Recognition of blue forests/blue carbon in UN FCCC and related initiatives Janne Gitmark/NIVA/NBFN
Definitions
Blue forests Marine and coastal ecosystems that are particularly valuable through their provision of multiple ecosystem services, of which carbon sequestration and storage is one Figure Global distribution of seagrasses, tidal marshes, and mangroves. Pendleton L, et al. 2012. PLOS ONE 7(9): e43542. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0043542 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10. 1371/journal.pone.0043542
Blue Carbon Carbon stored, sequestered or released from coastal ecosystems such as tidal marshes, mangroves, seagrass meadows and kelp forests STORAGE BURIAL RATE Carbon burial rate (kg C/ha/yr)
Ecosystem services the benefits people obtain from ecosystems
Blue forest types, their carbon sequestration & storage capacity
(Tidal) Saltmarshes Coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone that is regularly flooded by tides Peter Prokosch/GRID-Arendal/NBFN
Saltmarshes
Seagrass meadows Flowering plants that grow in shallow coastal waters and can form vast meadows, which alter the waterflow, nutrient cycling and food web structure Steven Lutz/GRID-Arendal/NBFN
Seagrass meadows
Mangrove forests A shrub or small tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species.
Mangroves
Kelp forests Underwater areas with a high density of kelp. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth.
Kelp forests the new «climate actor» Kelp have largely been excluded from discussions of marine carbon sinks as it typically grow on hard bottoms. However, there are increasing reports of presence of macroalgal carbon in the deep sea and sediments, where it is effectively sequestered from the atmosphere. A synthesis of these data suggests that kelp could represent an important source of the carbon sequestered in marine sediments and the deep ocean. A rough estimate suggests that kelp could sequester about 173 TgC yr 1 (with a range of 61 268 TgC yr 1) globally. This estimate exceeds that for carbon sequestered in seagrasses, tidal saltmarshes and mangroves Dorte Krause-Jensen & Carlos M. Duarte (2016) Substantial role of macroalgae in marine carbon sequestration. Nature Geoscience 9, 737 742 (2016) doi:10.1038/ngeo2790
Other pertinent ecosystem services offered by blue forests
Blue forest type Seagrass meadows Tidal saltmarshes Supporting services Provisioning services Regulating services Cultural services Primary production Reservoirs of high biodiversity Food basket Hide and breeding area Water purification Cultural values Recreation & tourism Primary production Water purification Cultural values Recreation & tourism Mangrove forests Primary production Reservoirs of high biodiversity Fuelwood, Other wood products Shoreline stabilization & storm protection Food basket Hide and breeding area Sediment & nutrient retention and export Cultural values Recreation & tourism Kelp forests Primary production Reservoirs of high biodiversity Alginate Food Medicine Thickener Coastal defence Food basket Hide and breeding area Water purification Reducing ocean acidification Cultural values Recreation & tourism
Explicit recognition of blue forests/blue carbon in global climate convention and related initiatives
UN FCCC Countries that included a reference to blue forests in terms of mitigation and/or adaption in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (28 countries) (59 countries) BLUE CARBON - NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS INVENTORY Appendix to: Coastal blue carbon ecosystems - Opportunities for Nationally Determined Contributions http://dev.grida.no/blueforests/blue-carbon-ndc-appendix.pdf
IPCC Ch. 4 Coastal Wetlands in: 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands Guidance and methodology for reporting GHG emissions and removals from managed coastal wetlands Co-ordinating Lead Authors: Hilary Kennedy (UK), Daniel M. Alongi (Australia) and Ansarul Karim (Bangladesh)
REDD+ Mangroves are increasingly being included in REDD+ mechanisms Barriers to mangrove inclusion in REDD+ Lack of appropriate certification methodologies A complex institutional landscape Lack of understanding of mangrove deforestation rates Opportunities and provisions to promote REDD+ in mangrove forests The causes of deforestation and forest degradation are similar in terrestrial and mangrove forests REDD+ projects in mangrove forests need to be designed to address the socioeconomic context of coastal communities Social carbon certification schemes appear suitable for assessing social impacts in mangrove communities
Thank you for listening! Contact: sindre.langaas@niva.no +47-982 27 747 www.nbnf.no