53599_Couvert_no10 11/20/03 12:42 PM Page 1 Interlinkages between change Interlinkages biological and climate diversity Secretariat CBD Technical Series No. of the Convention on Biological Diversity Also available Issue 1: Assessment and Management of Alien Species that Threaten INTERLINKAGES BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL Ecosystems, Habitats and Species DIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE Issue 2: Review of The Efficiency and Efficacy of Existing Legal Instruments Advice on the integration of biodiversity considerations Applicable to Invasive Alien Species into the implementation of the United Nations Issue 3: Assessment, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Biodiversity Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol Issue 4: The Value of Forest Ecosystems Issue 5: Impacts of Human-Caused Fires on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning, and Their Causes in Tropical, Temperate and Boreal Forest Biomes 10 Issue 6: Sustainable Management of Non-Timber Forest Resources Issue 7: Review of the Status and Trends of, and Major Threats to, the Forest Biological Diversity Issue 8: Status and trends of, and threats to, mountain biodiversity, marine, coastal and inland water ecosystems: Abstracts of poster presentations at the eight meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Issue 9: Facilitating Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, Abstracts of poster presentations on protected areas and technology transfer and cooperation at the ninth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice CBD Technical Series No.CBD Technical 10 CBD2_10/b14/11/03.qxd 14/11/03 14:56 Page 2 INTERLINKAGES BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE Advice on the integration of biodiversity considerations into the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol Ad hoc Technical Expert Group on Biological Diversity and Climate Change October 2003 CBD2_10/b14/11/03.qxd 14/11/03 14:56 Page 3 Interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change Published by the Secretariat of the Convention Citation on Biological Diversity. ISBN: 92-807-2389-8 Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2003). Interlinkages between biologi- Copyright © 2003, Secretariat of the cal diversity and climate change. Advice on the Convention on Biological Diversity integration of biodiversity considerations into the implementation of the United Nations The designations employed and the presentation Framework Convention on Climate Change and of material in this publication do not imply the its Kyoto protocol. Montreal, SCBD, 154p. (CBD expression of any opinion whatsoever on the Technical Series no. 10). part of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its For further information, please contact: frontiers or boundaries. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity The views reported in this publication do not World Trade Centre necessarily represent those of the Convention on 393 St. Jacques Street, suite 300 Biological Diversity nor those of the reviewers. Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9 Phone: 1 (514) 288 2220 This publication may be reproduced for educa- Fax: 1 (514) 288 6588 tional or non-profit purposes without special E-mail: [email protected] permission from the copyright holders, provided Website: http://www.biodiv.org acknowledgement of the source is made. The Secretariat of the Convention would appreciate receiving a copy of any publications that uses this document as a source. ii CBD2_10/b14/11/03.qxd 14/11/03 14:56 Page 4 Interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change FOREWORD BY THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY The human pressure on our planet’s natural systems The impacts of climate change on biodiversity are of is unprecedented. Loss of biological diversity threat- major concern to the Convention on Biological ens to unravel the intricate ecosystems that life of Diversity. The Conference of the Parties has high- Earth depends. Climate change is having profound lighted the risks, in particular, to coral reefs and to for- and long-term impacts on human welfare and adds est ecosystems, and has drawn attention to the serious yet another pressure on terrestrial and marine ecosys- impacts of loss of biodiversity of these systems on tems that are already under threat from land-use people’s livelihoods. More recently, the Conference of change, pollution, over-harvesting, and the introduc- the Parties has also turned its attention to the poten- tion of alien species. tial impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems of the var- At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable ious options for mitigating or adapting to climate Development (WSSD), the world’s leaders reaffirmed change and requested the Convention’s Subsidiary the need to tackle these issues and endorsed the target Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological set by the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Advice (SBSTTA) to develop scientific advice on these Conference of the Parties to achieve, by 2010, a signif- issues. icant reduction in the rate of loss of biological diver- SBSTTA established an ad hoc technical expert group sity. The World Summit also reaffirmed the central to carry out an assessment of the inter-linkages importance of the Convention on Biological Diversity between biodiversity and climate change. The results and the United Nations Framework Convention on are contained in the present report, which draws Climate Change—the conventions adopted at the Rio upon best available scientific knowledge, including Earth Summit 10 years earlier—in addressing these that provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on issues. Climate Change. The report concludes that there are significant oppor- The objectives of these two conventions are tunities for mitigating climate change, and for adapt- closely inter-related: ing to climate change while enhancing the conserva- •Climate change is a major cause of biodiversity tion of biodiversity. However, these synergies will not loss and one of the obligations under the happen without a conscious attention to biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is to concerns. The report identifies a wide range of tools identify and address such threats. At the same that can help decision makers assess the likely impacts time, the ultimate objective of United Nations and make informed choices. Framework Convention on Climate Change The report provides the scientific basis for the devel- (UNFCCC) includes the stabilization of green- opment of recommendations, as appropriate, under house gas concentrations within a timeframe suf- each Convention, for setting priorities for future ficient to allow ecosystems to adapt to climate research. I hope that it will also be used widely by change; countries as they seek to implement policies, pro- •Biodiversity management can contribute to cli- grammes and activities under the Convention on mate change mitigation and adaptation and to Biological Diversity and the United Nations combating desertification. Indeed, the UNFC- Framework Convention on Climate Change. CC calls for the conservation and enhancement This report is a tangible product of cooperation of terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems as among the Rio conventions. I trust that it will prove sinks for greenhouse gases; to be a useful step in promoting implementation of •Both conventions, as well as the United the three Rio Conventions in a mutually supportive Nations Convention to Combat manner. Desertification, are intended to contribute to sustainable development. Hamdallah Zedan Executive Secretary iii CBD2_10/b14/11/03.qxd 14/11/03 14:56 Page 5 Interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change Acknowledgements First of all, I wish to thank all members of the Ad Peter C. Frumhoff, Sandy Gauntlett, Mike Harley, Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biological Lee Hannah, Mikael Hildén, Floyd Homer, Lesley Diversity and Climate Change whose expertise Hughes, Bryan Huntley, Joy Kim, Jyrki Luukkanen, contributed to the preparation of this report, as J. Piers Maclaren, Anita Mäkinen, Petra well as those persons from major agencies and Mahrenholz, John Parrotta, Lucio Pedroni, Hannah institutes, intergovernmental and non-governmen- Reid, M. J. Sanz, Ernst-Detlef Schulze, John Stone, tal organizations who also provided with substan- Gijs van Tol, Jussi Uusivuori, Liette Vasseur, Henry tial inputs in various chapters. I also want to thank Venema, Markus Vinnari, Clive Wilkinson, Edgard the Group co-chairs, Ms. Outi Berghäll and Mr. Yerena, Lewis Ziska. Also, the Governments of Robert Watson for their valuable efforts, as well as Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Finland, to the coordinators of the substantive chapters: Mr. Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Braulio Dias, Ms. Habiba Gitay, Mr. Horst Korn, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Mr. Phocus Ntayombya, Mr. Robert Watson, and United Kingdom, United States of America, and Ms. Kanta Kumari. The Secretariat also wishes to Uzbekistan reviewed the draft report. Finally, valu- thank the Government of Finland for its financial able observations were provided by the following support to carry out the first and third meetings of organizations: FAO, Forests and the European the Group, which also benefited from the gracious Union Resource Network (FERN)-U.K.