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Alexander Belokurov, WWF [email protected]
WWF’s Arguments for Protection series
• Reports published– Running Pure (Drinking water)– Beyond Belief (Sacred sites) – Food Stores (Agro-biodiversity)– Safety Net (Poverty reduction)– Natural Security (Disaster
mitigation)– Vital sites (Health)– Natural Solutions (Climate
Change)
• Tools– PA Benefits Assessment Tool
• Book– Published in Spring 2010
Why protected areas?• Protected area systems are already established as
efficient, successful and cost effective tools for ecosystem management
• They have associated laws and policies, management and governance institutions, knowledge, staff and capacity
• They contain the only remaining large natural habitats in many areas
• Opportunities exist to increase their connectivity at landscape level and their effective management, so as to enhance the resilience of ecosystems to climate change and safeguard vital ecosystem services
Protected areas and climate change
• Protected areas are an essential part of the global response to climate change
• Protected areas contribute to the two main responses to climate change:MitigationAdaptation
Adaptation
The role of protected areas in ecosystem-
based adaptation strategies
The challenge• Ecosystem-based adaptation is the use of
biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of adaptation strategies to help us cope with the adverse effects of climate change
but• The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
estimates that 60% of global ecosystem services are degraded and so these services are rapidly being lost
The challenge
• Health: spread of disease vectors, heat waves, poor sanitation due to lack of clean water
• Food: shortages and crop failure• Water: shortages impacting drinking water,
irrigation and hydropower potential• ‘Natural disasters’: flooding, storms,
drought, wildfire, pest infestations, ocean acidification
The opportunityProtected areas provide two key functions• Protect: maintain ecosystem integrity, buffer
local climate, reduce risks and impacts from events such as storms and droughts and sea-level rise
• Provide: maintain essential ecosystem services that help people cope with changes in water supplies, fisheries, disease and agricultural productivity caused by climate change
Two sides of adaptation• Adaptation for protected areas
to maintain the resilience of ecosystems under new climatic conditions
• Adaptation by protected areasto continue to supply essential services for communities under changing climatic conditions
Protected area management will need to be adapted, to address mitigation and adaptation needs, in addition to biodiversity management objectives.
Implications for protected area management
• Resilience: improve ecosystem resilience• Restoration and connectivity: maintain and
enhance ecosystem integrity• Adaptive management: consider climate impacts
and climate solutions in protected area planning and management
• Valuation: assess and manage protected area services and benefits
• Integrate: include protected areas into national and local adaptation strategies
