Vietnam is one of the few tropical countries that has increased its forest cover over the past several years, so it plays a unique and important role in global discussions on the importance of forests in combating climate change, sustaining people’s livelihoods and safeguarding biodiversity. Vietnam is also one of five countries expected to be most affected by climate change, due to its long coastline and stretched natural resources.
CIFOR scientist Daniel Murdiyarso gave this presentation on the importance of mangroves for climate change mitigation and adaptation at a journalist training workshop on ‘Investing in coastal ecosystems’ held on 27–29 March 2012 in Da Nang City, Vietnam. Media plays a critical role in informing and influencing public perception, as well as informing policymakers. But aside from limited coverage, most environmental articles, and those on climate change and REDD in particular, are of low quality in Vietnam, most notably in objective reporting of scientific findings. To address these gaps and in response to requests, CIFOR organised a series of media trainings in Vietnam in association with Transparency International, IUCN, UN-REDD and the National Journalism Association.
The role of mangroves in the fight against climate change
1. The role of mangroves in the
fight against climate change
Daniel Murdiyarso
2. Who we are
CIFOR is one of 15 centers that make up the CGIAR
CIFOR is the lead center for the CGIAR Research Programme Forests, Trees
and Agroforestry (CRP6), in partnership with the World Agroforestry Centre,
Bioversity and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
3. Where we work
Peru Brazil Burkina Faso Cameroon Zambia Kenya Ethiopia Indonesia Vietnam
Headquarters: Bogor, Indonesia
8 regional & project offices
Research sites in more than 30 countries
4. Why forests are important
They make up 31% of the world’s land mass
Forests provide $250 billion in various forms of income and are essential to
the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people – a quarter of the world’s population
They contain 80% of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity
Forests absorb up to a third of all carbon emissions
5. Mangroves forests
• Support numerous ecosystem services, including
fisheries production, nutrient cycling, coast protection
• Globally cover 13.8 million ha; declined by 30–50% over
the past half century due to coastal development,
aquaculture expansion and over-harvesting
• Resulting carbon emissions of 0.02– 0.12 Pg per year
(0.2-1.2 billion tons Carbon per year)
• Ten percent of global emissions due to deforestation of
tropical forests (0.7% of total tropical forest area)
6. Research
component Climate change adaptation and mitigation
Harnessing forests, trees and agroforestry for climate
change mitigation
Enhancing climate change adaptation
Understanding synergies between climate change
mitigation and adaptation
7. How to fight climate change?
Adaptation
Climate change and
variability
Mitigation
Impacts
Mitigation Adaptation
Responses
Kyoto Protocol UNFCCC
13. Woody debris
Fine : < 0.6 cm (count along 10-12 m)
Small : 0.6 - 2.5 cm (count along 7-10 m)
Medium : 2.5 - 7.5 cm (count along 2-7 m)
Large : >7.5 cm (measure, sound and rotten)
17. Mangroves for
CC mitigation
New finding: Surprisingly large amounts
of carbon stored in mangrove forests,
Mangrove photo especially below ground
Source: Donato et al. (2011)
20. A Reference Level is needed
Forest carbon stocks
Crediting period = 35 years?
Base
Period
Or With REDD+
Historical With REDD
baseline
Reduced emissions
Without REDD
5 or 10
(BAU)
years?
21. Cancun Agreement: Phase approach
• REDD+ national strategy: follow
UN-REDD and WB FCPF processes
• National reference level: sub-
national reference level is
accepted only temporary in while
taking care of domestic leakage
• Forest monitoring system: to
demonstrate additionality that
includes environmental and social
safeguards (UN-DRIP)
24. Adaptation agenda:
window of opportunity
The UNFCCC’s Adaptation
Fund Board approved the first
proposal
Joint CIFOR-CATIE research in
Honduras on CC adaptation
We can do the same for
Vietnam or SEA region
To mainstream CC adaptation
in mangroves in development
agenda
25. Financing Adaptation
• Adaptation Fund Board
– Guidelines to access the fund
– Established accreditation panel
• Adaptation fund – available for LDCs
• Levy from CDM – 2%
• To date (March 2012)
– Registered projects: 3887
– Issued CERs: 877 million
– Sale of CERs generate $ 18.7 million
• Expected CERs (2012): 2163 million
• Expected AF generated (2012): Euro 300 million
26. Adaptation Strategy for Mangroves
Mangroves = protective roles
(low-laying coastlines)
• Species and rooting system
• Depending on the coastal
topography
Sequester and store large
amount of carbon
Adaptation to CC-related sea
level rise
29. The Sundarbands
The world mangroves
• The world's
largest remaining
single block of
mangrove forest
• Appr. 1 Mha
(10,000 km2)
• Delta front has
undergone a net
erosion of ~170
km2 of coastal
land in the past
37 years study
period
Source: Rahman et al. (2011)
31. Concluding remarks
• Mangroves ecosystem have a huge potential for CC
adaptation and mitigation
• Climate change mitigation (CDM, REDD+) has been
widely recognized
• Putting back CC adaptation is necessary for
countries with low-laying coastal zones like Vietnam
• Financially it is funded by public; the mechanism
should attract private sector to get involved