This document discusses the connections between biodiversity and climate change. Climate change is a major driver of biodiversity loss through its impacts on ecosystems like changes in structure and function. Protected areas play an important role in both climate change mitigation and adaptation by storing carbon, capturing more through restoration, and maintaining ecosystem integrity and services. Opportunities exist for governments to increase protected areas' contributions to climate strategies through landscape approaches and expanding networks in high carbon/deforestation areas. Case studies from Belarus show peatland restoration providing mitigation, biodiversity, and economic benefits.

1. BIODIVERSITY IN A CHANGING CLIMATE: ECOSYSTEM BASED ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION Adriana Dinu, Regional Environment and Energy Practice Leader, Europe and CIS Putoransky, Taimyr © 2010 UNDP. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Proprietary and Confidential. Not For Distribution Without Prior Written Permission.

3. Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity Role of Protected Areas in CC mitigation and Adaptation Opportunities Nalichevo Park, Kamchatka

5. Adapting to Climate Change

7. Increasing GHG emissions

10. Bogs, mires and fens - most vulnerable - 50 % affected (concern as they are important carbon stores);

11. Snow, ice and frozen ground: increased number of glacial lakes; increased ground instability in permafrost;

12. 19 % of habitats and 12 % of species of European interest are threatened by CC over their European range (2008, reports on Habitat Directives);

13. Approx. 10% of species at high risk of extinction for every 1°C rise in global mean temperature;- Amphibians - 45 % of species negatively affected

14. Role of selected European ecosystems in the carbon balance Source: Adapted from Trumperet al., 2009.

15. Ecosystem conversion – second largest source of GHG and first cause of species extinction Protected Areas the most sensible response to conversion.

16. Terrestrial carbon stock in the protected area network 85% Carbon outside protected areas 13.7% of world’s terrestrial area is protected, but contains 15.2% of C stock

17. PAs are essential part of the global response to CC MITIGATION STORE: 312 Gt of terrestrial C: If lost - equivalent to 23 times the total global C emissions for 2004 CAPTURE: further sequestration of CO2 - increasing the size of carbon pools (afforestation, reforestation and restoration) Mitigation dividend: existing and potential forest PAs are richest carbon pools. ADAPTATION PROTECT: maintains ecosystem integrity; reduces vulnerability to Climate Change PROVIDE : ecosystem services

18. Protected Areas Contribute to strategies to reduce GHG emissions; Complement infrastructure investments to reduce vulnerability to climate change: nest the PA agenda into the development agenda Are an effective means of safeguarding ecosystem services, vital to adaptation, carbon storage and sequestration. Are a cost effective means of providing these services, relative to the costs of other land governance systems. Convenient Solutions to an Inconvenient Truth: Ecosystem-based Approaches to Climate Change June 2009 Environment Department, The World Bank

19. Opportunities: National and sub-national governments Increasing the Roles of Protected Areas in National and sub-national CC Strategies Incorporate CC into ecological gap assessments Increase coverage, level of protection and management effectiveness; Landscape approaches, connectivity - critical to promoting resilience across large landscapes Strengthening PA network in areas of high deforestation pressure and high carbon could be one strategy to reduce emissions. Altai Sayan

20. Peatland restoration in Belarus: mitigation benefits 28,000 ha rewetted. Reduced annual emission of CO2 by 280,000 tons

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