Forests and Climate Change Working Paper 13 Forests and Climate Change in the Caribbean I4220E/1/11.14 Forests and Climate Change Working Paper 13 Forests and Climate Change in the Caribbean Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2014 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. 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Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................iv Foreword .................................................................................................................................v 1. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 1 LEGAL, LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK AND FOREST POLICY .............................................................................. 1 FOREST COVER AND DIVERSITY ............................................................................................................. 3 2. IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTATION OPTIONS ......................................... 13 CLIMATE CHANGE AND RELATED CHALLENGES ....................................................................................... 14 3. MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION OPTIONS AND ISSUES .................................................. 17 4. CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY AND STRATEGY ..................................................................... 20 5. OVERVIEW OF COSTS AND FINANCING MECHANISMS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION IN THE FORESTRY SECTOR ............................. 22 6. REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION ....................................................... 24 7. SUMMARY AND ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION ............................................................... 25 8. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 28 Acknowledgements FAO wishes to express its gratitude to the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) for the preparation of this document. Ms. Neila Bobb-Prescott coordinated the preparation and comments were provided by Susan Braatz, Claus Eckelmann, Nicole Leotaud, Simmone Rose and staff of the Forestry Departments of Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. For more information, please contact Simmone Rose ([email protected]). iv Foreword This document is part of the publication series of FAO’s Forest and Climate Change Programme. The programme works to strengthen countries’ capacities to mitigate and adapt to climate change through actions consistent with sustainable forest management and to promote regional cooperation and international policy development related to forests and climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) Global Resources Forest Assessment 2010 estimated the area of forest in the Caribbean region to be 7 million hectares, representing 30 percent of the total land area. Forests play diversified roles in the Caribbean region, depending on the size and economic and ecological importance of these resources in each country. Even where forests constitute a very scarce resource, they support the livelihoods of the people in the area and are particularly important for the well-being of rural communities and people living at or below the poverty line. In addition to their extractive uses, forest ecosystems provide a number of critical ecosystem services that support non-extractive functions including, among others, watershed protection, soil protection and erosion control, landscape beauty, disaster risk reduction, carbon sequestration and climate regulation. The supply of water for domestic, industrial, agricultural and recreational uses is an especially important service provided by forests in the region. Forested landscapes have also contributed to shaping national identity and national heritage, as illustrated in cultural traditions and religious practices. Climate change is further compromising the structure and functions of forests that are currently already under threat of deforestation and degradation. Consequently, forest-based livelihoods are being increasingly affected by the loss of: ecosystem services from degraded forests; materials (food, wood fuel, medicines, construction material) destroyed by forest fires, storms, disease and drought; and revenues from tourism and the sale of forest products and recreational services. The primary objective of this document is to provide an overview of the actual and potential impacts of climate change on forests and forest dependent people in six Caribbean countries - Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. The paper also examines the major issues and developments related to climate change impacts and responses in the region as regards forests and highlights related opportunities for regional action to address gaps and needs. FAO is working through its Regional Forestry Commissions as well as other regional and sub-regional processes to encourage regional cooperation in the area of forests and climate change. This publication is intended to provide a point of departure for identifying and catalysing regional action to complement and enhance national efforts. The publication will be of interest to specialists and policy- makers in forestry and climate change in the Caribbean as well as forest managers, students and general audiences interested in learning more about forests and climate change in the region. The key findings for the six target countries are: x Throughout history, Caribbean forests have been cleared and degraded. Although many threats still persist, the abandonment of agricultural lands is leading to a trend of increasing forest cover (albeit of secondary forest) in some countries. x Climate change is exacerbating the existing threats to forests, but little or no information is being documented on the impacts on forest structure and function or on forest-based livelihoods. x Forest loss and degradation are compromising the role that forests could play in climate change mitigation and adaptation and is reducing forests’ resilience to climate change. v x There is a need to include adaptation and mitigation objectives into forest management plans and into forest management practice everywhere, regardless of whether management plans exist or not,. x Information on forests and the impact of climate change on forests does not exist for all countries, although national forest assessments and mapping have been undertaken in some countries. Forest management practice, including specific actions for climate change adaptation, is constrained by inadequate information. x The legal, legislative and policy framework for forest management in general is weak, outdated or absent. x The legal, legislative and policy framework does not adequately address the impacts of climate change on forest and forest-based livelihoods. x The potential of forests to play an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation is clear, for example through slope stabilisation and soil protection by hillside forests and coastal protection by mangroves. x There are very few explicit examples of proactive actions specifically targeting climate change adaptation and mitigation as an objective. However, actions under programmes, work plans and projects can contribute to climate change adaptation and/or mitigation. Based on these findings, the following recommendations are proposed for strengthening of the forestry sector in addressing climate change: x Core forest management needs to be strengthened to address existing threats as well as anticipated additional threats from climate change. x More information, based on both scientific and local/traditional knowledge, is needed to fully understand the impacts of climate change on forests and forest-based livelihoods to guide management x Forest management institutions1 need to