Abstract
There is growing interest in designing and implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation (M + A) in synergy in the forest and land use sectors. However, there is limited knowledge on how the planning and promotion of synergies between M + A can be operationalized in the current efforts to mitigate climate change through forest carbon. This paper contributes to fill this knowledge gap by exploring ways of planning and promoting M + A synergy outcomes in forest carbon initiatives. It examines eight guidelines that are widely used in designing and implementing forest carbon initiatives. Four guiding principles with a number of criteria that are relevant for planning synergy outcomes in forest carbon activities are proposed. The guidelines for developing forest carbon initiatives need to demonstrate that (1) the health of forest ecosystems is maintained or enhanced; (2) the adaptive capacity of forest-dependent communities is ensured; (3) carbon and adaptation benefits are monitored and verified; and (4) adaptation outcomes are anticipated and planned in forest carbon initiatives. The forest carbon project development guidelines can encourage the integration of adaptation in forest carbon initiatives. However, their current efforts guiding projects and programs to deliver biodiversity and environmental benefits, ecosystem services, and socioeconomic benefits are not considered explicitly as efforts towards enhancing adaptation. An approach for incentivizing and motivating project developers, guideline setters, and offset buyers is imperative in order to enable existing guidelines to make clear contributions to adaptation goals. We highlight and discuss potential ways of incentivizing and motivating the explicit planning and promotion of adaptation outcomes in forest carbon initiatives.
Highlights
Climate change is already having serious consequences on social and ecological systems with individuals, countries, and ecosystems being affected differently
We provide an interpretation of whether the proposed principles and criteria are taken into account in the operational guidelines of the standards, the mechanism, and the fund that support the design and implementation of forest carbon projects and programs
Only the Climate Community Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) standards have requirements that take into account the assessment of the exposure of forest and other natural systems to climate change
Summary
Climate change is already having serious consequences on social and ecological systems with individuals, countries, and ecosystems being affected differently. Mitigation, which addresses the causes of climate change, is about reducing emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and enhancing sequestration [1]. The management of natural systems through land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) activities are responsible for about 15%–25% of total. Carbon sinks can be enhanced by carbon sequestration, while reducing carbon emission sources can be achieved by conserving carbon stocks exposed to degradation. Sequestration activities are aimed at transforming low carbon stock storing capacity land to land with higher capacity for storing carbon. Conservation activities prevent land with high carbon stocks from being converted to land with low carbon stocks [1]
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