Project Title: Promoting Peatlands in Relation to Climate Change to Environmental Conventions

Grant Agreement Nr. WGP2 39 GPI 41

Agreement holder: Faizal Parish
Global Environment Centre
2nd floor, Wisma Hing, No. 78, Jalan SS2/72
47300, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603-79572007, Fax: +603-79577003
Email: fparish@genet.po.my

Country/region:Global

Activity period: October 2002 - December 2003

Documentation and products available:

  1. Peatland & Climate Change Poster
  2. Report on side event at CBD SBSTTA, November 2003
  3. Report on Side event at UNFCCC COP9, December 2003
  1. Inclusion of peatlands in Ramsar Resolution VII/3 on Wetlands and Climate change
  2. Inclusion of wetlands in SBSTTA Recommendation IX/ on Biodiversity and climate change

Background:

Peatlands are one of the major global carbon stores and play a key role in controlling the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and mitigating climate change. However, the importance of peatlands as carbon stores and hence the significant carbon emissions following their degradation has not yet been fully recognised in deliberations under the global environment Conventions especially the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the associated Kyoto Protocol, but also the Convention on Biological Diversity and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The significance of peatlands was identified in the Report of the Intergovernmental panel on Climate change on Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) in 2000, but this has yet to be translated into mechanisms under the conventions. Given the current focus on sequestration of above-ground carbon in forest ecosystems it is important that the key role of peatlands is highlighted further at these convention deliberations to enhance the chance of inclusion of peatlands in Programmes of work agreed under the framework of the Conventions.

Brief project description:

The project organised a range of activities to promote the importance of peatlands in relation to climate change in the framework of UNFCCC, the Ramsar Convention, and Convention on Biological Diversity. The project includes collation of information on peatlands and climate change, development of information materials on this subject and dissemination through statements, workshops and other means to negotiators involved in environmental conventions. The project was linked to and co-funded by a 3-year project on Integrated Management of Peatlands for Biodiversity and Climate change funded by UNEP-GEF, CIDA and other agencies.

Photo: A canal block to stop peatland drainage in order to prevent fire and carbon release, at SP1-Mentangai, in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Partners:

Involvement of governments and Convention secretariat:

  • Ramsar Convention Bureau
  • Secretariat of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  • Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
  • Selected members of country delegations to international negotiations

NGOs:

  • WI - HQ (The Netherlands)
  • WI-Indonesia,
  • WI-China,
  • WI-Russia

Other:

  • Wildlife Habitat Canada
  • CIDA project on Climate Change, Forests and Peatlands in Indonesia (CCFPI)
  • UNEP-GEF Project on Integrated management of peatlands for Biodiversity and Climate Change

Results:

Expected
Outputs and Results achieved

Objective 1 : To raise awareness at the global level on the relationship between peatlands and climate change and facilitate linkages to environmental convention deliberations and actions

Direct actions:


  1. Collate information on peatlands and climate change
  2. Input to key ongoing deliberations and activities under global environmental conventions
  3. Strengthen dissemination of information through the internet

The objective was achieved and all activities undertaken.

  1. Collation of literature and information.
  • Various information on peatlands biodiversity and climate change was collated. Based on this a peatland and climate change poster (Annex 1) was designed, printed and widely circulated in UNFCCC COP9 in Milan.
  1. The project provided input to deliberations at the following meetings:
  • UNFCCC COP8 in New Delhi in Oct-Nov 2002 - through statements on Importance of peatlands for carbon storage at various side events.
  • Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) workshop on wetland restoration and round table on biodiversity and climate change - prior to Ramsar COP8 in Nov 2002. A presentation was made on peatland restoration options resulting in inclusion of peatland and climate change issues in the GBF statement to Ramsar COP (Annex 2).
  • Active participation in the Ramsar COP8 Contact group on the resolution on Wetlands and Climate Change resulted in specific wording on peatlands and climate change being incorporated into the resolution (Annex 3).
  • Input was given in regional group meetings at Ramsar COP8 to support the Resolution on Global Action on Peatlands which was subsequently adopted.
  • Consultations were held with the Secretariats of the UNFCCC, Ramsar Convention and CBD in July, Nov. and Dec. 2003, over inclusion of peatland and climate change issues into convention processes.
  • Presentations on selected project activities were made to the IPS-IMCG meeting and GPI Meeting in Oct.-Nov. 2003 in the Netherlands
  • A statement on peatlands and climate change was made to the session of the Working Group of CBD SBSTTA 9 considering Biodiversity and Climate Change on 10-11-'03. A workshop on Peatlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change was organised on 12-11-'03. As a result, the project representatives were invited by the Chair of the Working Group to join the Friends of the Chair to prepare the draft decision on biodiversity and climate change. With support from various countries the issue of wetlands as well as the Ramsar Convention was inserted into the decision.
  • The project was represented at UNFCCC SBSTA 18 in June 2003 and COP9/SBSTA 19 in Dec. 2003 in Italy. A formal statement was presented to the SBSTA 19 session on Methodological issues on the 2nd Dec. A side event at COP9 was organised later on the 2-12-'03 (attended by 50 people from 22 countries and seven international organizations). As a result of the various activities, the project was invited to contribute to the Emission factor database managed by IPCC and help identify relevant peat experts for involvement in the preparation of the IPCC 2006 guidelines. In addition the final COP9 Decision on common reporting format incorporated the issue of separate reporting on peatland areas as recommended in the project interventions.
  1. The PEAT-PORTAL web site was developed further with support under the project and is currently operating with 150 members and a much larger number of people accessing and downloading information.. It has served to be a clearing house for updated information on peatland and climate change related issues.

A user manual had also been developed for the peat portal and is provided for download on line or through promotional and training activities. Discussions have been held with GPI, IMCG and IPS about use of the peat portal to share information on their respective activities.
Evaluation

The project has been very successful particularly through its ability to promote the issue of peatlands and climate change to Convention negotiators resulting in specific wording on peatlands and/or climate change issues being included in resolutions by the Ramsar Convention, CBD and UNFCCC. The wording included was strongest in the Ramsar Convention compared to CBD and UNFCCC. It is hoped that it will be possible to use the Ramsar decision to persuade parties to include stronger or more specific language in future decisions of CBD and UNFCCC.
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last update: 20/07/04