SOC as indicator of progress towards achieving Land
Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon: Unlocking the Potential of Mitigating and Adapting to Climate ChangeRome | 21-23 March 2017
Barron Orr and Annette Cowie, SPI
Themes
What is LDN and why is it being pursued as a new approach to respond to land degradation?
LDN and SOC: Why is soil organic carbon (SOC) an indicator of LDN?
How is LDN an opportunity for those here today?
Land Degradation Neutrality“A state whereby the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems”
“A state whereby the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems”
UNCCD COP12 October 2015
What is LDN?
Why LDN?
Because despite all of our best efforts,
our solutions are failing to keep pace with new degradation and
its impacts
By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation neutral world.
SDG Target 15.3
Linkages and FeedbackLand degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss are mutually reinforcing nested feedback loops
Land Degradation
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Desertification Synthesis. Redrawn by Ministry of the Environment, Japan
Linkages and Feedback
Thresholds of use / misuse – sustainability / land degradation
Source: Uriel Safriel, Hebrew University
• LDN definition produced by post Rio+20 inter-governmental working group of experts from all regions
• Scientific Conceptual Framework for LDN developed by interdisciplinary team of scientists led by the UNCCD SPI
• SPI worked hand-in-hand with UNCCD Global Mechanism - responsible for training countries in LDN target setting i.e. scientific process informed by the stakeholders trying to put the scientific framework into practice and visa versa.
10 independent scientists selected globally5 independent scientists selected regionally
5 scientist delegates (the direct link to policy)
Developing the LDN conceptual framework
The LDN Target Setting process has demonstrated how important these engagement and knowledge co-creation has been: Though
LDN is voluntary, over 100 countries have already started
Ensuring “no net loss” is a laudable goal.
Pursuing it effectively requires a conceptual scientific framework.
LDN = no net loss
Scientific Conceptual Framework for LDN
This definition captures the reality that addressing land degradation gives multiple benefits:
• climate change mitigation, adaptation
• biodiversity conservation• food security• sustaining livelihoods
LDN is “A state whereby the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems”
UNCCD COP12 October 2015
The framework is based on the
definition
Vision of LDN
to sustain and improve the stocks of land-based natural capital and the associated flows of ecosystem services, in order to support the future prosperity and security of humankind
Mechanism for achieving neutrality
Neutrality = no net loss compared to the reference state
Counterbalancing future land degradation (anticipated losses) through planned measures to achieve equivalent gains elsewhere within the same land type
“like for like”
Response Hierarchy
Avoiding degradation is the highest priority, followed by reducing degradation and finally reversing past degradation
Planning for LDN
LDN introduces a new approach in which land degradation management is coupled with land use planning: integrated land use planningKeep track of cumulative impacts, and plan measures to counteract losses
Projecting the impacts of land use decisions
Projecting the impacts of land use decisions
The LDN logic model (“theory of change”)
Monitoring LDN status
Neutrality is assessed by monitoring the LDN indicators relative to the baseline
Recall that the vision of LDN is to maintain or improve ecosystem services and ecological functions provided by land-based natural capital
Why SOC?
Selection of indicators based on ecosystem services to be monitored
Ecosystem services derived from land-based natural capital: mapping indicators
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Mineralisation Soil organic matter
Carbon stored as soil organic matter builds healthy soil and sustains humanity
Healthy ecosystems
Stable climate
Biodiversity
Clean water
FoodProductive
farmland
Income
The multiple benefits of SOC
Reduce carbon• Land clearing• Regular cultivation• Stubble burning
Soil carbon stock = Input - Loss
Build carbon• Healthy plant cover• Minimum
disturbance• Stubble retention• Organic matter
application• Agroforestry
Promote soil carbon
Monitoring the LDN indicators
In the LDN conceptual framework, SOC is considered with other indicatorsThe framework does not prescribe how we measure SOC nor how it should be managed. It recommends that we work to achieve consensus on common criteria and standards so they can be pursued in a harmonized way, nationally & globally.The framework also encourages a combination of synoptic and local approaches, maximizing the strengths in each.
Three global indicators:Land cover Land cover changeProductivity NPPCarbon stocks SOC“One out, all out”
Complemented by:Locally-relevant indicatorsProcess indicatorsOutcome indicators
Verified using local knowledgeFalse positives
The challenge is also an
opportunity
Principles and perspectivePrinciples are provided to govern application of the framework and to help prevent unintended
outcomes during implementation and monitoring of LDN.
Technically speaking, SOC is a biophysical measure. For the future of our environment, SOC is very much about
people.
Principles (1)1. Maintain or enhance land-based natural capital.2. Protect the rights of land users.3. Respect national sovereignty.4. For neutrality, the LDN target equals (is the same as) the baseline.5. Neutrality is the minimum objective: countries may be more ambitious.6. Integrate planning and implementation of LDN into existing land use planning processes.7. Counterbalance anticipated losses in land-based natural capital with interventions to reverse degradation, to achieve neutrality.8. Manage counterbalancing at the same scale as land use planning.9. Counterbalance “like for like” (within the same land type). Not between conservation and production areas.10. Balance economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Principles (2)11. Base land use decisions on multi-variable assessments, considering land potential, land condition, resilience, social, cultural and economic factors.12. Apply the response hierarchy : Avoid > Reduce >Reverse.13. Apply a participatory process including stakeholders in designing, implementing and monitoring LDN.14. Reinforce responsible governance: protect human rights, including tenure; ensure accountability and transparency.15. Monitor using the three UNCCD land-based global indicators: land cover, land productivity and carbon stocks.16. Use “one-out, all-out” to interpret the three global indicators.17. Use national and sub-national indicators to aid interpretation and fill gaps.18. Apply local knowledge to verify and interpret monitoring data.19. Apply a continuous learning approach: anticipate, plan, track, interpret, review, adjust, create the next plan
Further information• Orr, B.J., A.L. Cowie, V.M. Castillo Sanchez, P. Chasek, N.D. Crossman,
A. Erlewein, G. Louwagie, M. Maron, G.I. Metternicht, S. Minelli, A.E. Tengberg, S. Walter, and S. Welton (2017). Scientific Conceptual Framework for Land Degradation Neutrality. A Report of the Science-Policy Interface. http://www2.unccd.int/publications/scientific-conceptual-framework-land-degradation-neutrality
• UNCCD/Science-Policy Interface (2016). Land in Balance: Scientific Conceptual Framework for Land Degradation Neutrality. Science-Policy Brief 02- September 2016. http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/Publications/10_2016_spi_pb_multipage_eng.pdf
• UNCCD/The Global Mechanism (2016). Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality at the country level, Building blocks for LDN target setting. http://www2.unccd.int/sites/default/files/documents/18102016_LDN%20country%20level_ENG.pdf
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