Transcript Peatlands
UN-FCCC Bonn meeting 2 April 2009 Peatlands, carbon and climate change Countries with most peat • • • • [email protected] World wide 400 million ha 3% of global land area; 40% of all wetlands In all climate zones; >150 countries Indonesia 6 % of global peatlands Peatlands occur everywhere … from the tundra … Yakutia, Russian Federation ...to the tropics… Berbak National Park, Indonesia … from the mountains … Kyrgystan Over permafrost NWT, Canada Under grasslands … Sichuan, China … along the rivers … Kyrgystan Ruaha River Tanzania … to the sea … Archangelsk, RF …to the end of the Earth… Tierra del Fuego Argentina What are peatlands? • Peat: organic matter accumulated over thousands of years, storing concentrated carbon in thick layers Fens occur at groundwater level Peat bogs accumulate peat above ground water levels The peat bog is rain water fed Tropical peat swamp forest River < 1m Organic carbon Mineral Soil > 3m Peat dome River Peatlands are water Flow Country, Scotland Peat, carbon and climate change • Globally peatlands store 550 Giga ton (Gt) Carbon • Equivalent to 30% of terrestrial carbon – twice the carbon stored in forests – 75% of all carbon in the atmosphere • Global emissions 2 - 3 Gt CO2 / yr ~ half of LULUCF Peatlands store large amounts of carbon Peatland degradation leads to CO2 emissions which contribute to global warming Hotspots of CO2 emissions from drained peat 0.5% of land surface ~ 10% global emissions ~ almost half from Annex 1 countries SE Asia: ~ 6 % of global emissions • world’s main source area of peat emissions SE Asian peatland emissions disproportionately high Peatland e xtent by region (global total: 381 Mha; source: PEAT CO2) SE Asia Russia N America S.E. Asia (6% ) C. America (1% ) N. America (35% ) Africa (1% ) S. Asia C. Europe (1% ) W. Europe (1% ) S. America (2% ) E. Asia (2% ) N.W. Europe (5% ) C. Asia (1% ) Russia (43% ) Australia Pac. S. Europe Middle East CO2 emissions from oxidation in drained peatlands (fires excluded), by region (global total: 887 Mt/y; source: PEAT-CO2) Indonesia Malaysia Indonesia (58%) Other SE Asia (13%) C. America (8%) N. America (5%) Africa (4%) S. Asia (4%) C. Europe (4%) W. Europe (3%) S. America (3%) E. Asia (3%) N.W. Europe (2%) C. Asia (1%) Russia (1%) Australia Pac. S. Europe Middle East 6% of global peat area 50-70% of global peat emissions < 0.1% of global land area 6% of global CO2 emissions Peatland issues • Deforestation • Drainage • Fires Tropical peat forest deforestation 100.00 99.00 98.00 97.00 96.00 95.00 Total forest decline Peat forest decline 94.00 93.00 92.00 91.00 90.00 19 99 1 20 2 00 1 20 2 01 12 20 02 1 20 2 03 1 20 2 04 1 20 2 05 12 Area remaining since 1999 (%) Relative total vs PSF area decline Insular SE Asia Year Peatland deforestation: • since 2000: 1.5%/yr: twice the rate for non-peatlands • currently 45% deforested Peat forest conservation • < 5% of total peatland area Preliminary results presented at UNFCCC CoP Nairobi, 07-11-2006 Logging and drainage • Channels used to transport equipment and logs • Result in drainage and oxidation of the peat soil, • Cause high emissions of CO2 • Increased fire risks Impact of drainage on peatlands Relation between CO2 emission and watertable depth CO2 emission (t / ha / yr) 100 Source: Alterra Tropics Temperate Boreal 80 60 40 20 0 0 0.2 Source: Wösten, Alterra 0.4 0.6 average watertable depth (m) 0.8 • Drainage to 1 meter = in tropics emission of 90 ton CO2/ha/yr = temperate zone 30 ton CO2/ha/yr 1 Peat drainage increases the risk of fires Tentative estimate of CO2 emissions from fires in Indonesia C emission from peat fires (CO2, Mt/y) 10000 8000 6000 Minimum estimate (1.42 Gt/y average) Maximum estimate (4.32 Gt/y average) 4000 2000 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adapted from data provided by Siegert and Page 2003 2004 2005 2006 • Between 1997 and 2006 there were over 60,000 fires in peat swamp areas on Borneo in 3 out of 10 years (1997, 1998, 2002) • Most affected were deforested and drained peatlands International impacts of fires Smog and smoke over SE-Asia © NASA TOMS 22 Oktober 1997 Conversion SE Asian peat forest areas Even when the rate of peatland conversion decreases, annual peatland emissions will continue to increase This makes it a totally different ball game from forests Stopping the rate of conversion is not enough. To decrease peatland emissions eco-hydrological restoration (rewetting & replanting) is necessary Omissions in reporting on peat emissions • Weak in both Annex 1 and non Annex 1 • Peatlands unknown • Drainage often not accurately assessed • IPCC default values underestimate emissions • Emissions from extraction for horticulture may remain unreported Omissions in reporting • Agricultural fires assumed to burn renewable biomass • Ground water extraction and offsite drainage not recognised • Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Romania are not reporting emissions from organic soils in general • Bogs are placed under different categories • Unmanaged drained peatlands ignored Pros and contras for accounting of peat based emissions and emission reductions under LULUCF • No accounting? No incentive! • Mandatory accounting – offsetting against fossil fuel – support for higher targets – creates incentives for reducing emissions from peatland degradation As a result • As a result, UNFCCC and Kyoto are overlooking a large part of the 2000 – 3000 Mt CO2 emissions from peat degradation What if current lack of mechanisms is perpetuated? Use of peat-based palm oil as biofuel results in 3 to 10 times more emissions as use of fossil fuels REDD Recommendations • Support developing countries to reduce emissions • Community-based approaches • Deforested peatlands included • Exclude drained plantations • Exclude emission reductions resulting from peatland shrinkage Needed •Pro-poor development •Community based mechanisms •Address root causes of peatland degradation – illegal logging – unsustainable development, e.g. conversion to plantations – perverse incentives •Good governance/Green policy •Financial incentives – monetise international peatlands values Biorights PES Priority 1 Restoration of hydrology of drained areas Central Kalimantan, ex mega rice area Priority No 2 Fire prevention & fighting Priority # 3 Socio-economic development Priority # 4: Re-greening degraded peatlands • Planting useful species • Planting indigenous species • Fire resistant species Priority # 5 Nature Conservation Added value Climate change mitigation Biodiversity conservation Poverty reduction Reduced land degradation A WIN4all Rapid action is needed Terima kasih