From Principle to Practice

Achieving Coastal Mitigation and Adaptation Outcomes

through Demonstration Projects and Upscaling

Side Event, UNFCCC CoP 20, 9 December 2014

Tim Christophersen, Jerker Tamelander, Takehiro Nakamura, UNEP

© J Tamelander

Importance of coastal wetlands

Seagrass beds, mangroves, and other intertidal vegetated habitats

deliver among the highest ecosystem service values of all natural systems

Half of the world’s mangrove forest and tidal marsh area has been lost,

and the global area of seagrass has declined by a third in the past century

© J Tamelander

Opportunities

2011: ‘wetland drainage and rewetting’ eligible

activity under KP => step towards integration

of wetlands in future global mitigation

architecture

2013: Wetlands Supplement to the 2006 IPCC

Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas

Inventories => Parties can account for all sinks

and emissions from any wetlands

Paris CoP may agree to include blue carbon

as a whole, or certain blue carbon, in a

comprehensive accounting and crediting

framework under UNFCCC

© J Tamelander

Opportunities

Great potential for management and restoration

of coastal wetlands under REDD+ and NAMAs

Many REDD and NAMA readiness activities

pave the way, e.g. institutions, land inventories,

tenure allocations, policy mainstreaming

CDM methodology for mangrove afforestation

and reforestation - but excludes conservation

and generates only temporary carbon credits

Voluntary carbon markets provide ample

opportunity, e.g. >15 relevant VCS AFOLU

methodologies, > 80 individual projects

© J Tamelander

Distils best practice principles for coastal wetland carbon projects

Drawing on wetlands restoration, terrestrial carbon projects, carbon policy and community engagement

Targeted at practitioners familiar with carbon project and policy development or wetlands restoration

Gives guidance on additional requirements for successful coastal wetland or ‘blue carbon’ interventions

Ensures intervention are feasible, scalable, and provide intended benefits

Mandate

Keep the world environment under review; Catalyze and promote international cooperation and action;

Facilitate development of standards and norms; Capacity support

Blue Carbon in UNEP’s work

Medium Term Strategy 2014-2017

Climate Change; Disasters and Conflicts; Ecosystem Management; Chemicals and Wastes;

Resource Efficiency; Environmental Governance; Environment under Review

Programme of Work 2014-2015

Climate Change

a) Ecosystem-based adaptation approaches implemented and integrated into key strategies

c) Transformative REDD+ strategies and finance approaches developed and implemented

Ecosystem Management:

b) Use of ecosystem approach to sustain coastal and marine ecosystem services increased

c) Services and benefits from ecosystems integrated in development planning and accounting

UNEP Blue Carbon Initiative

Develop methodologies and tools for valuation of carbon and other ecosystem services

=> application in planning and management

Policy analysis and dialogue

=> adoption of methodologies, tools and policy frameworks

=> create incentives for sustainable use of blue carbon ecosystem services

Fill knowledge gaps

=> Targeted research on ecosystem services provided by coastal wetlands

Communication

=> Provide information to a wide audience, create enabling environment

Delivery and uptake

global community to develop tools and approaches and share lessons learned

regional adoption, dissemination and capacity building through

Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans

national pilot testing and demonstration implementation

UNEP/GEF Blue Forests Project

“Blue Forests” - coastal carbon and related ecosystem services

coastal ecosystem management harnessing the values associated with carbon

sequestration and storage and other ecosystem services

USD 4.5M over 4 years, with over USD 23M cofinance

© J Tamelander

UNEP/GEF Blue Forests Project

Component 1. Development of guidance and methodologies for project support

Component 2. Small-scale interventions:

– Improving understanding of carbon and ecosystem services

– Improving capacity for ecosystem management of blue forests

– Target countries: Madagascar, Ecuador, Mozambique, Indonesia, UAE

– Replication and scaling-up: e.g. Kenya; Central America

Component 3. Improved understanding through targeted research

Component 4. Adoption of methodologies and approaches for greater policy

and GEF IW uptake

Component 5. Monitoring, networking and information sharing

Blue Forests Project Global Reach

• UNEP

• GRID-Arendal

• UNEP-WCMC

• Duke University

• IUCN

• Blue Ventures

• Conservation International

• WWF

• AGEDI

• Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs And Fisheries

• UNEP-ROLAC

• Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute

• US Forest Service

• South African Institute of International Affairs

• The Ocean Foundation

• NOAA

• Stockholm University

• Charles Darwin University

Blue

Forests

Project

Partners

www.bluecarbonportal.org