Natural Rubber Systems and Climate Change Proceedings and Extended Abstracts from the Online Workshop, 23–25 June 2020
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
May 2021 FTA WORKING PAPER • 9 Natural rubber systems and climate change Proceedings and extended abstracts from the online workshop, 23–25 June 2020 Salvatore Pinizzotto, Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz b S A Kadir, Vincent Gitz, Jérôme Sainte-Beuve, Lekshmi Nair, Eric Gohet, Eric Penot, Alexandre Meybeck Natural rubber systems and climate change Proceedings and extended abstracts from the online workshop, 23–25 June 2020 The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) Working Paper 9 © 2021 The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) Content in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ DOI: 10.17528/cifor/008029 Pinizzotto S, Aziz A, Gitz V, Sainte-Beuve J, Nair L, Gohet E, Penot E and Meybeck A. 2021. Natural rubber systems and climate change: Proceedings and extended abstracts from the online workshop, 23–25 June 2020. Working Paper 9. Bogor, Indonesia: The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry CIFOR Headquarters Jalan CIFOR Situ Gede, Sindang Barang Bogor Barat 16115 Indonesia T +62-251-8622-622 E [email protected] foreststreesagroforestry.org We would like to thank all funding partners who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Fund. For a full list of the ‘CGIAR Fund’ funding partners please see: http://www.cgiar.org/our-funders/ Any views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA), the editors, the authors’ institutions, the financial sponsors or the reviewers. Disclaimer The present document summarizes the contributions from a digital workshop held over 3 days online (23–25 June 2020). The content of this document does not reflect any official position from the organizations but the positions of the participating researchers. iii Contents Acknowledgements v Summary vi Introduction xii Agenda xiii Welcome address xiii Opening 1 Session 1: Impact of climate change on rubber and potential changes in the geography of production 5 1.1 What do we know about climate change that is meaningful for rubber production? 6 • Impact of climate change on natural rubber cultivation in India 7 • Worldwide climate typologies of rubber tree cultivation: Risks and opportunities linked to climate change 10 • Rubber tree ecophysiology and climate change: What do we know? 13 • Impact of climate change on latex harvesting 16 • Impact of climate change on diseases and pest outbreaks on rubber tree 19 Conclusion from the chair 22 1.2 Country experiences 23 • Tornado disaster assessment of rubber plantation using multi-source remote sensing data: A case study in Hainan Island, China 24 • A planter’s experience with disease outbreaks and the challenges to achieve productivity targets 27 • Climate change and its impact on the outbreak of the Pestalotiopsis epidemic of Hevea in South Sumatra 30 • Management of Pestalotiopsis outbreak in a rubber plantation in North Sumatra 32 • Preparedness of the Sri Lankan rubber sector to minimize the impact of climate change 34 Conclusion from the chair 36 1.3 What is the potential impact on rubber production in both traditional and new areas? 37 • The place of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in climate change 38 • Managing soil quality to improve sustainability of rubber plantations, what do we know? 42 • Breeding rubber clones for non-traditional areas 46 • Climate monitoring and analysis to optimize rubber cultivation 48 Conclusions of the chair 50 iv Session 2: Rubber and climate change mitigation and adaptation 53 2.1 How can rubber systems contribute to climate change mitigation? 54 • Effects of large scale tree plantations on local climate: What potential for rubber tree plantations? 55 • Improving biodiversity in rubber plantations: A low-cost strategy to sustain soil health and mitigate drought 58 • Product from specialty natural rubber as an alternative material to synthetic rubber towards application of naturally sustainable resources 60 • Modelling the impact of rubber expansion on carbon stocks in the mountainous landscape of Southwest China 63 • Climate change and Hevea species 65 2.2 What’s the role of rubber systems for adaptation? 67 • Rubber cultivation for enhancing the environmental and social resilience to climate change in drier climates of Sri Lanka 68 • The role of rubber agroforestry in farming systems and its effect on households: Adaptation strategies to climate change risks? 70 Conclusions of the chair 78 Session 3: Integration of rubber in broad climate change and sustainability policies, including economic and social dimensions 81 • Natural rubber: A strategic material for a sustainable world 82 • Delivering the circular bioeconomy for low-emissions development: The place for rubber 85 • Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World initiative and its relevance to the rubber and climate change agenda 88 • FLEGT and other mechanisms to promote wood trade legality and avoided deforestation 90 • Jurisdictional approaches to reducing deforestation and promoting sustainable livelihoods 93 Conclusions of the chair 95 Session 4: Rubber and climate change in the international fora 97 • Opportunities for natural rubber in international climate change negotiations and mechanisms 98 • Opportunities for natural rubber in NDCs and NAPs 102 • Climate risks: What 1.5 °C pathway for rubber fora? 105 Conclusions of the chair 107 Session 5: The way forward: Short term actions and long term plans 109 v Acknowledgements This report gathers the extended abstracts Particular thanks go to Fabio Ricci for of the presentations from the joint technical coordinating the logistics of the event and the workshop on Natural rubber systems and publication, and to Alexandre Meybeck for climate change, organized by IRSG, IRRDB, reviewing the extended abstracts. CIRAD, CIFOR-ICRAF and FTA. The workshop was held online from 23rd to 25th June 2020. The Scientific Committee who prepared the workshop and selected the presentations is We wish to acknowledge the essential role composed of: of all the chairpersons in moderating and managing sessions and sub-sessions of • Salvatore Pinizzotto, Secretary General, this workshop: Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz b S A IRSG Kadir, Vincent Gitz, Eric Gohet, James Jacob, • Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz b S A Kadir, Lekshimi Nair and Salvatore Pinizzotto. Secretary General, IRRDB • Vincent Gitz, Director, CIFOR, CGIAR We also want to thank the technical team Research Program on Forests, Trees and who made the online event possible, Agroforestry (FTA) including its recording and online posting: • Jérôme Sainte-Beuve, Rubber Value Chain Gusdiyanto, Vito Gama Kaparang, Correspondent, CIRAD Mokhamad Edliadi, Ashley Sam and Dinny • Lekshmi Nair, IRSG Dwi Hadi Saputri; and the editorial team • Eric Gohet, CIRAD for laying out this publication: Vidya Fitrian, • Eric Penot, CIRAD Rumanti Wasturini and Gideon Suharyanto. • Alexandre Meybeck, CIFOR/FTA vi Summary Climate change is already impacting The first session considered knowledge about rubber production. There is an urgent climate change impacts on natural rubber need to understand how global natural production systems now and in the future. It rubber production can be safeguarded and was composed of three sub-sessions. sustainably increased on a lasting basis under climate change, while contributing The first sub-session, chaired by Dr James to climate mitigation goals. Climate action Jacob, Director, Rubber Research Institute of needs to be grounded in science, in a India (RRI), tackled the question: what do we common understanding of issues and means know about climate change that is meaningful to address them. for rubber production? Most of the current rubber plantations are localized in areas This is why the International Rubber Study where mean annual temperature ranges from Group (IRSG), with the International Rubber 26°C–28°C and almost nothing is known about Research and Development Board (IRRDB), rubber cultivation at higher temperatures. the CGIAR research program on Forests, Climatic margins of rubber cultivation are Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) led by the mainly determined by two rather independent Center for International Forestry Research climatic factors (temperature and rainfall), (CIFOR), and the French Agricultural which in turn will be affected differently in the Research Centre for International different types of climates under which rubber Development (CIRAD), organized an open is currently cultivated. The impacts of climate digital workshop on natural rubber systems change are different in the different natural and climate change on 23–25 June 2020. rubber-producing regions, some traditional The purpose of the workshop was to review areas becoming less favourable because of recent research results on impacts of climate drought, some marginal areas becoming more change on natural rubber production, favourable thanks to warming. potential means of adaptation and contribution to mitigation of climate change, We know little about the direct effects of higher and to identify knowledge and research temperatures on rubber tree physiology. A gaps as well as recommendations for action. key research topic is the interactions between climate changes and tapping systems. Higher The workshop comprised five sessions temperatures will likely reduce latex flow and