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