The brief addresses ‘Managing Ecosystems in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation: A review of current knowledge and recommendations to support ecosystem-based mitigation actions that look beyond terrestrial forests.’ More specifically, the report looks at carbon stocks and flows in different types of ecosystems and the influence of biodiversity on them; managing ecosystems to support climate change mitigation and to provide additional benefits for biodiversity and people; and integrating ecosystem management at the landscape level.
The report describes the important role that ecosystem management can play in mitigation and adaptation if current practices become more sustainable and the potential of ecosystems beyond terrestrial forests to contribute to climate change mitigation. It relays management techniques for peatlands, grasslands and savannahs, coastal ecosystems and croplands to enhance carbon stocks and carbon sequestration. The report affirms that knowledge is already available to guide planning and target setting regarding ecosystem-based approaches to mitigation, and that a first step to designing such approaches is to assess the extent and drivers of degradation and conversion, and opportunities for restoration and sustainable use.
The brief recommends planning at the landscape level and making climate-friendly forms of management more economically viable. It invites donors to invest in regionally specific baseline data for planning mitigation and adaptation actions based on ecosystems, and suggests assessing outcomes of these actions to avoid unintended consequences for mitigation and adaptation, DRR, biodiversity conservation and local livelihood conditions.
