Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin: Synergies between Adaptation and Mitigation Analysing local people’s resilience to climate change and REDD+ opportunities to recommend synergies between adaptation and mitigation initiatives in the Congo Basin August 2011 Synergies between adaptation and mitigation in a nutshell Bruno Locatelli Adaptation and mitigation What are mitigation and adaptation? What are the other differences between Mitigation and adaptation are the two strategies for adaptation and mitigation? addressing climate change. Mitigation is an intervention Adaptation and mitigation differ in terms of spatial scales: to reduce the emissions sources or enhance the sinks of even though climate change is an international issue, greenhouse gases. Adaptation is an ‘adjustment in natural or adaptation benefits are local and mitigation benefits are human systems in response to actual or expected climatic global. Adaptation and mitigation also differ in terms of stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits temporal scales and concerned economic sectors (Tol 2005). beneficial opportunities’ (IPCC 2001). Mitigation Adaptation Greenhouse gas concentrations Spatial Primarily an Primarily a local issue, scale international issue, as as adaptation mostly mitigation provides provides benefits at Climate change global benefits the local scale Time scale Mitigation has a Adaptation can have long-term effect a short-term effect Impacts because of the on the reduction of inertia of the climatic vulnerability system Responses Sectors Mitigation is a Adaptation is a priority in the energy, priority in the water transportation, and health sectors Mitigation Adaptation industry and waste and in coastal or low- management sectors lying areas How do adaptation and mitigation differ? Both mitigation and adaptation are relevant to the agriculture and forestry sectors Adaptation and mitigation present some notable differences, particularly in their objectives. Mitigation References addresses the causes of climate change (accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere), whereas adaptation IPCC 2001 Climate change 2001. Synthesis report. addresses the impacts of climate change. Both approaches Cambridge University Press. are needed. On the one hand, even with strong mitigation Tol, R.S.J. 2005 Adaptation and mitigation: trade-offs in efforts, the climate would continue changing in the next substance and methods. Environmental Science and decades and adaptation to these changes is necessary. On Policy 8(6): 572-578. the other hand, adaptation will not be able to eliminate all negative impacts and mitigation is crucial to limit changes in the climate system. Forests and mitigation How do forests relate to mitigation? Forests contribute to mitigation because of their capacity to store it. Deforestation and forest degradation cause of remove carbon from the atmosphere and 15-20 % of global GHG emissions. The IPCC LULUCF (Land land to forest); and avoided deforestation (avoiding the Mitigation and forest: Examples conversion of forests to non-forested land) (Watson et al. 2000). Carbon in the ecosystem With reforestation Aorestation How do international mechanisms consider and Mitigation benets forests for mitigation? reforestation (e.g. CDM) Baseline Only afforestation and reforestation projects are eligible (e.g. pasture) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). time Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest Carbon in the degradation (REDD), an initiative now at the top of the ecosystem international negotiation agenda, is based on financial Conservation Avoided incentives to preserve forests and thus maintain or deforestation Mitigation benets increase carbon stocks. A REDD+ approach has been (e.g. REDD+) Baseline proposed for financing not only forest conservation but (eg. deforestation) also the enhancement of forest carbon stocks (e.g. with time reforestation) and sustainable forest management. Reference Use, Land-Use Change and Forests) report distinguishes Watson, R.T., Noble, I.R., Bolin, B., Ravindranath, N.H., three main mitigation activities in the forestry sector: Verardo, D.J. and Dokken, D.J. 2000 IPCC special report afforestation (converting long-time non-forested land to on land-use, land-use change and forestry. Cambridge forest); reforestation (converting recently non-forested University Press. Cambridge, UK. Forests and adaptation Vulnerability How do forests relate to adaptation? The linkages between forests and adaptation are two- + – fold (Locatelli et al. 2010). First, as climate change will affect forests, adaptation measures are needed for forests Potential impacts Adaptive capacity to reduce negative impacts and maintain ecosystem Impacts that may Ability of a system to adjust for functions (adaptation for forests). Second, forest ecosystems occur, without moderating damages, taking contribute to adaptation by providing local ecosystem considering advantage of opportunities, services that reduce the vulnerability of local communities adaptation or coping with consequences and the broader society to climate change (forests for people‘s adaptation). + + What is vulnerability? Exposure Sensitivity Nature and Vulnerability is a central concept to adaptation. Degree to which a system is degree to which aected, either adversely or Vulnerability to climate change is the “degree to which a a system is exposed benecially, by climate-related system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse to signicant stimuli effects of climate change, including climate variability climatic variations and extremes” (IPCC 2001). Vulnerability is a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. High exposure or sensitivity and low adaptive capacity causes high waves, forests providing products used as safety nets by vulnerability. local communities when agriculture is affected by climate, or forests regulating water quality and river flows. For EbA, What is ecosystem-based adaptation? it is necessary to understand the coupled vulnerabilities of people and ecosystems and to look at ecosystems in their Despite its name, ‘ecosystem-based adaptation’ (EbA) broader context. is a human-centred approach to adaptation. It aims at reducing human vulnerabilities through the provision Should we pursue ‘forests for adaptation’ and of ecosystem services. It is increasingly recognised that ‘adaptation for forests’ together? well-managed ecosystems can help societies to adapt to both current climate hazards and future climate change by Ideally, yes. ‘Forests for adaptation’ is relevant in most places, providing a wide range of ecosystem services, for examples especially where people depend directly on forests for mangroves protecting coastal areas against storms and their livelihoods. But integrating adaptation into forest Ecosystem-based adaptation: Examples Ecosystem goods Soil conservation and hydroelectricity in Central 1 Sustainable and services Resilient society America and resilient in face of • Increasing rainfall intensity and soil erosion. climate change • Increasing sedimentation in hydroelectric dams. ecosystem Sustainable and or other threats • Upstream soil conservation: Part of adaptation. 2 adaptive management Forests and local people in Central Africa • Climate events affect local livelihoods. • Some forest products, less sensitive than agriculture, Forests for adaptation are used as safety nets. 1 • Better forest management: Part of adaptation. Sustainable management for sustainable provision Mangroves and coastal areas in Southeast Asia 2 • Coast vulnerability (storms, waves, sea level rise). of services + Adaptation for forest if sustainable • Protective role of mangrove + provision of goods. management is in place • Better mangrove management: Part of adaptation. management requires forests to be managed or conserved, Reference which is not the case everywhere. For ensuring that forests Locatelli, B., Brockhaus, M., Buck, A. and Thompson, I. 2010 provide relevant ecosystem services for the society (forests Forests and adaptation to climate change: challenges and for adaptation), a sustainable management must first opportunities. In: Mery, G., et al. (eds) Forest and society: be achieved. When immediate pressures on forests (e.g. responding to global drivers of change. IUFRO World deforestation for land conversion) are addressed, a longer Series (25), Vienna. term perspective and climate change can be considered (adaptation for forests). Adaptation and mitigation: Links What are the links between mitigation and forest How can an adaptation project contribute to adaptation? mitigation? Forest mitigation projects (e.g., REDD+ projects) have Adaptation projects can directly affect ecosystems and the potential to facilitate the adaptation of forests to carbon stocks, thus having an impact on mitigation. climate change by reducing anthropogenic pressures on Ecosystem-based adaptation projects can directly benefit forests, enhancing connectivity between forest areas and climate change mitigation, through either increasing or conserving biodiversity hotspots. However, mitigation maintaining carbon stocks. The synergies between ecosystem projects may have to incorporate additional forest services explain the mitigation impacts of an adaptation adaptation measures for reducing the impacts of climate project; for example, mangroves simultaneously contribute change on these forests, as such impacts may jeopardise to protecting coastal areas and to storing carbon. However, the permanence of carbon