Transcript Presentation: Synergies - UNCCD

Options and opportunities for
‘synergies’
Goodspeed
Kopolo
Potential Synergies between
UNCCD, WHC
and Other Conventions
to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate
Change
on World Heritage Properties
Presentation outline
Introduction :  UNCCD and Synergies
 Desertification
Fire:  General
 WH Sites and Fire
 Context
 Activities
Drought:  General
 WH Sites and Drought
Land Degradation and Erosion:
 General
 WH Sites and Erosion
Shifting Sands:  General
 The Case of Timbuktu

UNCCD and Synergies
Article 8 in Convention text of UNCCD:
‘Partnership’
Central issue in many COPs (2,3,5,6)
Joint Liaison Groups
Synergy Workshops
Synergies go beyond the Rio Conventions
 UNEP Issue Based Modules (IBM)

Desertification
Desertification is a misleading term
Long process of land degradation in
•arid
•semi-arid
areas
•dry sub-humid
Result of natural/anthropogenic factors
Desertification

Climate Change
CCD Expertise goes beyond sand dune fixation
Critical themes and linkages
CO2 emissions
Climate change
Biodiversity loss
Land Degradation
Deforestation
Erosion
Unsustainable
production
Economic
vulnerability
Reduced
ecosystem
resilience
Economic
vulnerability
Poverty
Critical themes and linkages
CO2 uptake
Reduced
climate change
Biodiversity gain
Sustainable Land Use
Conservation
Restoration
Management
Reduced economic
vulnerability
Improved
livelihoods
increased
ecosystem
resilience
Reduced economic
vulnerability
 General
Wild land fire: threat to biodiversity in ecosystems
non-adapted to fire
Fire suppression : threat to biodiversity in ecosystems
adapted to fire
Vegetation fire  emissions  climate change
Cheap method to eliminate unwanted biomass but:
deforestation  land degradation  desertification
 WH Sites and Fire : W-Africa
Ghana – Kakum National Park
Central African Republic –
Manovo-Goundo St Floris National Park
Côte d’Ivoire – Comoe National Park
Niger – Air and Tenere Natural Reserves
Senegal-Nikolo-Koba National Park

Context for W-Africa
Fire: • main single threat to biodiversity
• main source of deforestation
Principle direct cause : human activities
• farming
• hunting
• other rural income based activities
Underlying causes:
• poverty
• lack of education and awareness
• lack of legislation and incentives

Activities
Former and Existing Activities
• Ghana: some activities, but still work to do
Potential Synergy Activities
• wild land fire management at national level
• early warning and monitoring systems
• research into wild land fire management
• elaboration/dissemination of guidelines
Potential External Partners
• GFMC, Freiburg
• ISDR (PPEW)

General
Naturally occurring phenomenon :
precipitation significantly low

serious hydrological imbalances

adverse effect on land resource
reproduction system
Increases the risks of • wild land fires
• land degradation
 WH Sites and Drought
India - Keoladeo National Park
natural drought + irrigation  water scarcity
Spain - Doñana National Park
natural drought  dessication
Kenya - Lake Turkana National Park
natural drought  lake is shrinking
Activities undertaken (Kenya):
• Indigenous Vegetation Project
• Desert Margins Project

General
Soil erosion (wind/water) is one of the processes
leading to land degradation
Result of
• human activities
• habitation patterns
Not always in
•arid
•semi-arid
•dry sub-humid
but CCD could provide some expertise
areas
 WH Sites and erosion
Nepal – Kathmandu Valley
Gambia – St James Island
Australia – Tasmanian Wilderness
Tanzania – National Park of Kilimanjaro
Philippines – Cordilleras Rice Terraces
Potential Synergy: FAO: GIAHS

General
Problem most identified with UNCCD
Two WH Sites directly threatened:
• Timbuktu (Mali)
• Chinguetti (Mauritania)
Discussion of desertification in Sahara
natural oscillations  manmade / climate change

The Case of Timbuktu
Desertification Situation
• shifting sands
• moving sand dunes
• wider region:
- ecosystem fragility
- water shortage
Former and existing activities
• European Commission (1990-2001)
Sand dune fixation program
• GEF (biodiversity/land degradation)
Enabling sustainable dryland management through mobile
pastoral custodianship (2005)
Desert Margins Program (3 Phases)
Management of Indigenous Vegetation for the
Rehabilitation of Degraded Rangelands in the Arid Zones
of Africa (1998)
Potential synergy activities
• monitoring of and research on the influence of
climate change  desertification  WH properties
• introduction of benchmarking system
• early warning system
• knowledge exchange/cooperation on shifting sands
and its mitigation
• awareness- raising activities