Climate Change

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Climate Change Resilient Ecosystems Securing
ecosystem services for human well-being E-parliame
nt hearing, Mabula Lodge, South Africa 12-13
April 2008
What legislators can do for the sustainable use
of THE DRYLANDS
Dr. Juliane Zeidler, IECN, Namibia
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What is special about drylands?

• Naturally arid climates, prevailing droughts are
  normal
• Water is scarce and often the limited factor for
  sustainable development o f drylands
• Traditionally, people mainly live on livestock
  (pastoralists), game and some plants and fruits -
  relatively low impact
• Agriculture depends heavily on water - drylands
  agriculture is seldom sustainable and requires
  high inputs
• Biodiversity is uniquely adapted to the climatic
  and environmental conditions

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Map of world drylands
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Did you know .

• That drylands occupy approximately 50 of the
  Earths land surface around the world? (excl. the
  Arctic and certain Tundra areas)
• That about 70 of the drylands worldwide are
  affected land degradation and loss of
  biodiversity?
• That all drylands are faced with climate change
  impacts and have to adapt to them accordingly?
• That more than 35 of the worlds population is
  living in drylands, many directly depending on
  natural resources and biodiversity for their
  daily survival food, water health?
• That a majority of people living in drylands are
  living poverty?

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A majority of people living in drylands are
living in poverty peoples development and
ecosystem objectives need to be addressed
together!
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CC Risks and Impacts to be expected

• Increase in temperature reduced rainfall
• Increased rainfall increased temperature
• Increased rainfall
• More extreme events (droughts floods)
• Changes in growing season ecosystem shifts

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CCA action areas
(a) Water resources (b) Food security and
agriculture (c) Health (d) Disaster preparedness
and risk management (e) Infrastructure (f)
Natural resources management (g) Community level
adaptation
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Some policy responses Case examples
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Some case studies from Africa

• Namibia Wildlife as drylands compatible land use
• Eritrea Options for water usage and range
  development

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• Namibia Wildlife as drylands compatible land use

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A Growing Land Management Option CBNRM Wildlife

• 50 Conservancies gazetted to date
• 118,276 km2 (13 of Namibias land mass) now
  falls within communal area conservancies
• 212,000 people living in conservancies

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Results Game Populations
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Results Economic Impacts
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Source of Benefits - 2005
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• 2. Eritrea Options for water usage and range
  development

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(No Transcript)
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Some key policy option areas
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Some key policy option areas

• Community Empowerment and strengthening of
  adaptive capacities incl. Community-based Natural
  Resources Management (CBNRM)
• Appropriate and compatible land uses
• Safeguards SEA/EIAs feasibility assessments
  red flags
• Mainstreaming CC and drylands concerns into key
  national development policies focus on
  adaptation
• Reducing carbon emissions SLM, sustainable
  energies and energy efficiency, watershed
  management and conservation