The Energy LandscapeHow biomass-based fuels could contribute to REDD+ and

maintain the integrity of a landscape.Arend van der Goes, COP 21, Paris, 6 December 2015

BackgroundIn June 2014, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation published its REDD+ Compatible Wood-fuel Value Chain Approach. In essence it concerns a three-step process to counter the all too familiar setting of deforestation & degradation of forests where extraction of wood far outstrips the regenerative capacity of forests:

1. Analysing who’s who among the entire energy value chain and what the main factors are that are precluding biomass energy to become renewable

2. Identifying alternatives to the business as usual scenario

3. Assessing and choosing an intervention befitting of three criteria (3E Principle, developed by CIFOR):

i. The intervention is effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissionsii. The intervention is cost efficientiii. The intervention is socially equitable

Wood-fuel approach in practiceThe approach was inspired by SNV projects in Ghana (fish smoking in mangrove areas), Burkina Faso (Dolo beer brewing in savannah areas) and Democratic Republic of Congo (charcoal making in tropical forests, with Hanns Seidel Foundation and CIRAD). In turn, the approach informed larger scale programs such as Burkina Faso’s Biomass Energy NAMA (funded by NAMA Facility) and DRC’s Integrated REDD+ program (funded by African Development Bank).

Plantation & tree management

Transformation

Alternative biomass sources

Controlling trade

Organising the value chain

Energy efficient consumption

Switching energy sources

Revaluing wood energy

Institutional mitigation measures

Risks

REDD outcomes: Reduced emissions

Carbon effectiveness

Cost efficiency

Socio-economic equity

Transformation

Transport

Production

Retail

Consumption

REDD outcomes: co-benefits

The SNV approach

Efficient trade and transport

Strengths & weaknessesThese experiences highlighted both strengths and weaknesses. Strengths include the extension of the concept to other biomass based energy sources and the ability to use the approach in various stages of the program cycle: planning, (monitoring) implementation and evaluation.

The main weakness lay in the analytical section which initially excluded other land uses like agriculture that often go hand in hand with deforestation for energy needs.

Wood-fuel in the landscapeIn 2015 SNV developed its landscape approach allowing for a more coherent and inclusive analysis of emission and poverty factors. By implication, more creative solutions cutting across sectors become apparent. These aim to reinforce the integrity of a given landscape.

An example is the integrated REDD+ program in DRC. In the city of Kananga, brick firing is the leading cause of deforestation (photo 1), ahead of agriculture and domestic cooking. It supplies the construction sector, which in turn is pushed by school construction and other public buildings, inspiring the domestic housing sector to switch massively to wood fired bricks as well.

Project solutionsThe project solutions are:

1. Switch to stabilised, pressed brick- making not requiring fuel (photo 2), thus decreasing pressure on the forest

2. Switch fuels using rice waste, another biomass based fuel (this depends upon the start of a large rice project in the area, which so far has been delayed)

3. Promote fuel-wood plantations (currently facing land tenure difficulties and likely to be combined with agroforestry)

The purpose is to offer a menu of choices to people that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create livelihood opportunities, and maintain or contribute to the resilience of landscapes.

For further informationContact SNV Global REDD+ & Climate Smart Agriculture Coordinator, Richard McNally, rmcnally@snvworld.orgOr visit www.snv.org/REDD

Photo 1: Brick firing in the DRC Photo 2: Stabilised, pressed brick-making centre not requiring fuel