IUCN and Role of Protected Areas in Meeting Climate Challenge- Saadullah Ayaz

7/31/2019 IUCN and Role of Protected Areas in Meeting Climate Challenge- Saadullah Ayaz

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IUCN and Role of Protected Areasin meeting climate challenges

IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature

Saadullah Ayaz


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Definitions of Protected Areas

IUCNs definitionA clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated andmanaged, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-Term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services andcultural valuesDudle N. 2008 Guidelines for A l in Protected Area Mana ement Cate ories IUCN


CBDs definitionA geographically defined area which is designated or regulated andmanaged to achieve specific conservation objectiveswww.cbd.int/protected/pacbd/


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Protected areas helping people copewith climate change

Protected areas already cover over 13.9 per cent of the worlds land surface and growing

Protected areas are are proven greenand cost-effective natural solutions to


.

reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughcarbon storage and sequestration

maintaining the essential ecosystem servicesupon which people depend.

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/natsols_4pp_highres_single _pages_with_cropmarks.pdf


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Dual role of Protected Areas

MitigationCapture: At least 15% of the worlds terrestrial carbon stock is stored in PA globally.

Storage: Natural ecosystems capture more than 4.7 gigatonnes of carbon annually

AdaptationProtected areas maintain ecosystem integrity,


u er oca c ma e, an re uce r s s an mpac sfrom extreme events

Maintain essential ecosystem services that helppeople cope with changes in water supplies,

fisheries, disease and agricultural productivitycaused by climate change.

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/natural_solutions.pdf


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CC- Role of Protected Areas

Protected areas are proven tools for maintaining essential natural resources andservices, which in turn can help increase the resilience and reduce the vulnerability of livelihoods in the face of climate change:

Water: both purer water and (especially in tropical montane cloud forests)


Fisheries: Marine and freshwater protected areas conserve and rebuild fish stocksFood: Protecting crop wild relatives to facilitate crop breeding and pollination

services; providing sustainable food for communitiesHealth: Ranging from habitat protection to slow the expansion of vector-borne

diseases that thrive in degraded ecosystems to access to traditionalmedicines

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/natural_solutions.pdf


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CC-PA in UNFCCC

Recognises the role of protected areas as tools for permanent carbonstorage and sequestration and call for the implementation of robustprotected areas systems as a core component of national strategies to

achieve land-based emissions reductions

Emphasises the role of ecosystems in climate change adaptation andincorporate protection of natural ecosystems within national adaptationstrategies and action plans (including National Adaptation Programmes


of Action NAPA) for protection of natural ecosystems as a cost-effective alternative to technology- and infrastructure based adaptationmeasures and to avoid mal-adaptation

Permit nationally appropriate mitigation and adaptation actions that

involve the enhancement of protected areas or national protected areanetworks to receive financial and technical assistance through climate-related financial mechanisms

http://unfccc.int/


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CC-PA in CBD

Convention on Biological Diversity has recognized the role of PAs in addressing climatechange in Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA):1.4.5 Integrate climate change adaptation measures in protected Area planning, management

Encourages development of tools and methods to support countries to evaluate climateimpacts and increase resilience of their protected areas systems, and ensure that their role


Emphasizes the importance of increasing connectivity among national protected areas andtrans-boundary protected areas

Cultivate political urgency for the development of marine protected areas and protectedareas in underrepresented biomes

The Convention also recognizes that there are significant opportunities for mitigatingclimate change and adapting to it, while enhancing the conservation of biodiversity

http://www.cbd.int/


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PACT 2020:Protected Areas and Climate Turnaround

PACT was formally launched at the IUCN World Conservation

Congress in 2008 and supported by IUCNs Innovation Fund.

Under PACT 2020- Climate change was acknowledged to bethe greatest threat to biodiversity and the global system of


.

PACT 2020 aims toEnsure that protected areas and protected area systems are recognisedas an important contribution to climate change adaptation/mitigationstrategies for biodiversity and human livelihoods.

http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/wcpa/wcpa_events/wcpa_climatepasummit/wcpa_pact2020/


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The Issue

60% of global ecosystem services are degraded, reducingtheir ability to mitigate the impact of natural disasters

Economic losses from climate disasters have increasedtenfold in 50 years, and natural disasters continue toincrease in frequency and intensity


Warmer regional temperatures, have already hadsignificant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems

Millennium Ecosystem Assessmenthttp://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf


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CC as driver of Biodiversity Loss

A comprehensive assessment of the linksbetween ecosystem health and human well-being, climate change is likely to become thedominant direct driver of biodiversity loss by theend of the century(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2007)


Projected changes in climate, combined withland use change and the spread of exotic or alien species, are likely to limit the capability of some species to migrate and therefore will

accelerate species loss(CBD, 2009)www.cbd.int/doc/bioday/2007/ibd-2007-booklet-01-en.pdf


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IPCCs Analysis

Observational evidence from all continents

and most oceans shows that many naturalsystems are being affected by regionalclimate changes, particularly Temperatureincreases.


IPCC Fourth Assessment Reporthttp://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_ipcc_fourth _assessment_report_synthesis_report.htm


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Summary of IPCC-AR IV Conclusions(contd)

There is also high confidence of the effects on hydrological systems including:

Increased runoff and earlier spring peak discharge in many glacier- and snow-fed rivers

Warming of lakes and rivers in many regions, with effects on thermal structure and water quality


are associated with rising water temperatures and related changes in ice cover,salinity, oxygen levels and circulation including: Shifts in ranges and changes in algal, plankton and fish abundance in high-latitude oceans Increases in algal and zooplankton abundance in high-latitude and high-altitude lakes

Range changes and earlier fish migrations in rivers


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there is very high (i.e. 90 percent) confidence that recent warming is stronglyaffecting terrestrial biological systems, including:

Earlier timing of spring events, such as leaf-unfolding,egg-laying and bird migration Plants and animals shift ranges pole-wards and upwards


,frozen ground (including permafrost) are affected, including the:

Enlargement and increased numbers of glacial lakes Increasing ground instability in permafrost regions and rock avalanches in mountain Changes in Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems, including those in sea-ice biomes, and

affecting top predators


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There is increasing evidence of climate change impacts on coral reefs. Sea-levelrise and human development are also contributing to losses of coastal wetlandsand mangroves and increasing damage from coastal flooding

In the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere agricultural and forestmanagement impacts include earlier spring planting of crops, and alterations indisturbances of forests due to fires and pests


Some impacts on human health, such as excess heat-related mortality in Europe,changes in infectious disease vectors in parts of Europe, and earlier onset of andincreases in seasonal production of allergenic pollen in the high and mid-latitudesof the Northern Hemisphere

Impacts on human activities in the Arctic, in relation to hunting activities and shorter travel seasons over snow and ice, and in lower-elevation alpine areas, such aschanges in mountain sports activities


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IUCNs Solutions


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IUCN believes that conserving nature can help reduce greenhousegas emissions (mitigation) and help us adapt to the impacts of climatechange

IUCNs work puts nature at the centre of climate change solutions inhundred of programmes and projects across the world

IUCN- at the Core of Solution


IUCNs Climate Change Network coordinates and facilitates climatechange work across the Unions programmes, commissions andmember organizations. IUCNs UN Observer Status offers a uniqueposition at key international decision-making fora, including the UnitedNations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

http://www.iucn.org/what/tpas/climate


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IUCNs Viewpoint

Wise conservation and management of biodiversity, protected areas, World Heritageand natural resources must be an importantcomponent of any climate change adaptation


IUCN is uniquely positioned to support

climate change adaptation actions at alllevels from local to regional to global


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Granada Summit onProtected Areas and Climate ChangeNovember, 2009

Reaffirmed that protected area systems can providecosteffective means to combat climate change

Recognised that increasing ecosystem resilience


through effective protection will enhance thepersistence and functions of protected areas inreducing climate change risks to society andbiodiversity.

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/conclusiones_de_la_reunion_de_granada_final_3_.pdf


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IUCN and Climate Change Adaptation

The Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) ThematicGroup of IUCNs Commission on EcosystemManagement (CEM), promotes the science and

practice of Ecosystem-based Adaptation.

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of anoverall ada tation strate to hel eo le to ada t to


the adverse effects of climate change.

EbA aims to maintain and increase the resilience andreduce the vulnerability of ecosystems and people inthe face of the adverse effects of climate change.

http://www.iucn.org/what/tpas/climate/key_topics/eba/

Ecosystem-based Adaptation

A natures solution to climate change


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IUCN- People and Livelihoods

IUCN introduced Community-based Risk ScreeningTool - Adaptation and Livelihoods(CRISTAL)

CRISTAL can reduce impacts of climate change oncommunity livelihoods


(Inner Delta of the Niger River)

Made available by IUCN for wider global use([email protected])


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IUCNs Guidelines for Precautionary Principles

IUCN developed Guidelines for Applying thePrecautionary Principle to BiodiversityConservation and Natural ResourceManagement


(also relevant to climate change)

www.pprinciple.net


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CC-PA- Suggested Policy Response

Well managed protected areas can provide a cost effective option for implementing climate change response strategies because start-up costs have

already been met and socio-economic costs are offset by other services thatprotected areas supply

Protected Areas: helping cope people with climate change


. . . _ _ .

Governments develop policies for climate sensitive public goods including naturalresource protection, coastal protection and emergency preparedness

Sterns Review on Economics of Climate Changehttp://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/CLOSED_SHORT_executive_summary.pdf


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Thank you


Saadullah AyazCoordinator Climate Change/

Country Network Coordinator Clean Air Initiative for Asian CitiesIUCN Pakistan

[email protected]

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IUCN and Role of Protected Areas in Meeting Climate Challenge- Saadullah Ayaz