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Peatland management for sustainability
1. Peatlands globally store large amounts of carbon but 15% are drained and degrading, releasing carbon emissions. Southeast Asia accounts for 50% of global peatland emissions due to drainage and fires. 2. In Europe, drained peatlands account for a large portion of agricultural emissions and subsidies have supported unsustainable practices like growing biofuels on drained peatlands. 3. In Southeast Asia, most remaining peatland forests are in Brunei; others have been drained for agriculture causing subsidence, flooding and high emissions. Solutions include stopping conversion, rewetting drained lands, and "paludiculture" sustainable land use.
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Peatland management for sustainability
- 1. Peatlands management and sustainability MarcelSilvius, Programme Head Climate-smart Land-use Programme IPS, Tullamore, 8 June 2015
- 2. Wetlands International A globalconservation NGO dedicated to “sustain and restore wetlands for people and nature”
- 3. Peatlands around theworld Peatlands globally store twice the carbon stored in forests
- 4. Peat swamp typicalfor Atlantic forest of Brazil and countries of the Guyana shield
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- 6. Peat swamp forest inMaputa land, Southern Africa Valley peats in St Lucia National Park South Africa
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- 9. Degrading peatlands: aglobal issue Hotspots of CO2 emissions (annual) • 400 million ha peatlands world wide • 15% (50 million ha) is drained and degrading, causing CO2 emissions • 50% of global peat emissions come from South-east Asia USA 72 Mt EU 174 Mt Russia 160 Mt Central Asia 15 Mt 1000Mt SE Asia
- 10. 10 Peat CO2 emissionsfrom drainage (without fires) IPCC 5% of all human induced emissions globally
- 11. Close look atEurope Data: H. Joosten and J. Couwenberg
- 12. Peatlands in Europeare often modified land Consequences: • 2% of EU’s agricultural on drained peat causes 70% of EU’s agricultural GHG emissions Netherlands peatlands: 2-6 meters below sea level Land subsidence High flood risks in lowlands High costs for dikes and pumping Loss of biodiversity West Europe > 90% drained Central Europe > 50% drained
- 13. Perverse subsidies inGermany and the EU • Wide-spread maize cultivation on drained peat for biogas production • Used for subsidised energy: electricity and heating • Tax free (EU Commission - for climate change mitigation) But this biogas is not climate friendly Carbon footprint 8 × fossil fuel (from peat oxidation) EU Renewable Energy & Fuel Quality Directives: • No source materials for biofuels from drained peatlands & wetlands – • but this doesn’t apply to energy…….
- 14. Peat extraction Always unsustainable(loss of carbon store)
- 15. Always seek optimaluse of alternatives TheNetherlan Total: 4.2 Millio Soil&growingmedia Total: 35 Million cubic meter Energy Total: 35 Million cubic meter Peat consumption in Europe Total: 70 Million cubic meter Not high added value Plenty of alternatives High added value Kerry, Ireland Ireland (original peatland area 14,000 km2) has degraded 93% of its raised bogs and 82% of its blanket mire resource
- 16. Optimal replacement ofpeat in growing media • EU subsidises the burning of millions of tonnes of high quality compost • This material could potentially replace up to 20% of peat in high quality growing media for horticulture • Climate subsidies thus cause shortage of compost materials for the growing media sector Conclusion: 1. Burning of compost impedes the replacement of substantial amounts of peat in growing media 2. This results in more GHG emissions from peatland degradation 3. EU is subsidising climate change with climate funding! Compost can replace part of peat in growing media
- 17. Leakage and indirectland-use change Is stopping extraction in Germany a solution? It will lead to additional extraction of class 1 & 2 sites in the Baltic states
- 18. • RPP Forhigh added value applications transparency certification • Can there be a win-win? Help restore degraded areas Minimise negative effects Maximise positive effects No extraction from high conservation value areas Requirements over and above existing legislation Peat extraction Peatland rehabilitation after peat mining Esterweger Dose
- 19. Where can therebe RPP? ? ? Never Not allowable, unless… Generally allowable, unless…. Always allowed
- 20. Creating an after-useoutcome that is better than the situation pre-extraction NET POSITIVE IMPACT
- 21. Biomass ≠ sustainablebioenergy If using high quality compost materials that could be used to replace peat in growing media Agriculture on peat ≠ sustainable It is one of the most climate destructive activities Biogas ≠ sustainable energy If it is derived from biomass grown on drained peat Stopping peat extraction in Germany ≠ good for the environment It displaces the problem to the Baltics and Scandinavia with higher impacts on biodiversity and climate Peat extraction on degraded peatlands ≠ bad It can help to restore degraded peatlands Not everything is what it looks like
- 22. Towards European Actionon Peatlands Conservation: • Establish system of effective peatland conservation Representation of all biogeographic regions Peat mining: • Peat extraction only in degraded sites, with requirement for peatland restoration after extraction Nature restoration or Paludiculture Invest in research and availability (!) of alternatives Agriculture: • No expansion of drainage-based agriculture on peat • Phasing out of drainage-based agriculture on peat
- 23. Close look atSouth-east Asia
- 24. Most (60%) tropicalPSF is in SE Asia; mainly Sumatra & Borneo
- 25. SE Asia’s remainingprimary PSF is mainly limited to Brunei Belait peat swamp forest, Brunei
- 26. SE Asian peatforests have high species biodiversity!
- 27. • 11% ofplants found in PSF are endemic to PSF • 14% of freshwater fish in PSF are point endemics • 45% mammals / 33% birds of PSF in IUCN Red List • Endemism: especially species directly related to peat soil or water Many rare and endemic species in SE Asian peat forests
- 28. Dragonfly endemism in PSF PodolestesatomariusElattoneura erythroma Amphicnemis platystyla Amphicnemis spec. novum Prodasineura spec novum Raphismia inermis Coeliccia species novum Elattoneura longispina Coeliccia spec novum > 10% of dragonfly species known from Central Kalimantan are PSF specialists
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- 30. Impact of peatlanddrainage: oxidation and fires August 2013 fires in Riau
- 31. Peatlands the largestcarbon source in Indonesia • 50% of Indonesian GHG emissions from peatlands • only 6% of agricultural land
- 32. Peatland drainage, subsidenceand flooding Matu-Daru district, Sarawak, Malaysia CO2 CO2CO2
- 33. Examples of subsidencein the field Drained > 100 years Oil palm flooded after 10 years Foundation constructed 2002 Peat subsidence and resulting flooding is a fact Johor, Malaysia, 2011Alabio polder, South Kalimantan 70 cm Flooded oil palm plantation in Riau, 2014
- 34. Almost all lowlandpeatlands of Sumatra and Borneo will be affected by flooding Case study: Rajang delta, Sarawak
- 35. • Deforestation 8% peryear • Rapid conversion to palm oil • Remaining peat forests largely affected by drainage Land conversion Sarawak Situation in 2004 Situation in 2014
- 36. • 2009: most ofthe delta lies above mean sea level • 2019: subsidence will have brought most of the peatland down or just above mean sea level Projected peatland subsidence
- 37. Projected impacts ofsubsidence and related flooding N
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- 39. 1.Stop further peatlanddegradation: • Stop conversion of natural peat forests • Exclude drained peat based products from supply chains (e.g. palm oil, paper) 2.Rewet drained peatlands: • Phase out drainage based land-use • Phase in paludiculture Commercial use of rewetted peatlands Priorities for reducing impacts
- 40. Peatland rewetting, CentralKalimantan Hydrological restoration stops emissions and restores biodiversity
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- 42. Paludiculture, Central Kalimantan Communitiesreplant degraded peatlands Reforestation
- 43. In cooperation withPT RMU and Ecosystem Restoration Concessions in Indonesia Wetlands International staff surveying the 150,000 ha Katingan Ecosystem Restoration Concession
- 44. Community-based implementation Local stakeholdersmust benefit Healthy & productive environment Employment & benefit sharing Micro-credits See: www.wetlands.org/bio-rights Paludiculture sustainable income Carbon credits from village forests and paludiculture
- 45. We need tostart a paradigm shift from unsustainable practices to Net Positive Impact More information on www.wetlands.org Thank y u