Improving land use management to mitigate climate change

Learning from evaluation and what it means for GEM

Yale  

School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Your scholar today:

Dr. Chris Elliott

Executive DirectorClimate and Land Use AllianceMember Advisory Board GEM Initiative, Yale University

Yale  

School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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211 What’s the problem?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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What are we doing?

What have we learned?

What does all this mean?

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211 What’s the problem?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Land use has a big impact on emissionsSource: Congressional Budget Office

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Ranking of countries by their estimated contribution to global forest-based emissions

1990 to 2005

%

Source: Congressional Budget Office

The global response to climate change will be unsuccessful without significant reductions in deforestation and forest degradation and improved agricultural practices.

© Jan van der Ploeg / CIFOR

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Success will require that we simultaneously protect the livelihoods and rights of indigenous people and local communities.

© Neil Palmer/CIAT

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Source: USAID

Global demand for food, fuel and fiber increasing

212 What are we doing?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Four partner foundations implementing a shared strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation and other land use changes.

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

The Alliance catalyzes the potential of forested and agricultural landscapes to mitigate climate change, benefit people and protect the environment.  

How?We do this by making high-impact grants and engaging key stakeholders, policy-makers and experts to explore and develop solutions.

Our aim:

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

What are our goals?• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with land use

management• Protect the livelihoods and rights of indigenous peoples and

rural Communities and slow the loss of ecosystem services and biodiversity

• Single grantmaking strategy; draw on collective expertise, networks, and local offices

• Overcome significant technical, social and political barriers through necessary scale, intensity, and innovation

• Leverage funding for the Alliance strategy

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Where do we work?Global climate and land use, and national action in priority countries (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico & Central America, and the United States).

213 What have we learned?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

• Part of our commitment to being an effective organization is evaluating our own progress.

 • To do this, we launched an independent mid-term

evaluation (MTE) in which we examined our:1. Approach:

Has our grant making been well planned and prepared?

2. Deployment: How well organized and efficient is CLUA?

3. Selected challenges and opportunities: What’s next? 14

Has our grant making been well planned and prepared?

•Important niche, hard for any philanthropy to address alone•Shaped by prior foundation experiences, especially in Brazil, Indonesia and Mesoamerica•Emission reduction goals more vision than target to be held accountable for reaching within a finite number of years•Bold undertaking

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21 1. Approach:

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

How well organized and efficient is CLUA?

•Steady progress toward institutional aims•Impressive mutual trust and collaboration, particularly with diversity of foundation perspectives•Strategy reviews valuable; contribute to significant knowledge sharing and mutual learning•Resources allocated consistently with strategies and outcomes

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21 2. Deployment:

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

What’s next?

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21 3. Selected challenges and opportunities:

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

What have we learned from this evaluation?

What does it mean for CLUA and GEM?

214 What does all this mean?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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Diminished prospects for Global REDD+; political realities (less favourable policy environments)

Focus on identifying other viable pathways to pursue policy outcomes we seek and furthering a “no regrets” approach to the work

214 What does all this mean?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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Engaging other sectors, including private sector and diverse economic sub-sectors that influence land use

Private sector so important that it deserves explicit consideration

Broad engagement increases expertise and influence to support solutions that stick

214 What does all this mean?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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Development of low carbon development plans easier than encouraging their adoption and implementation

In addition to identifying viable pathways to low carbon development, explore how to ensure follow through of adoption and implementation – need to ensure the work is done!

214 What does all this mean?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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Periodically summarize and report on the impact of scientific advances and how this impacts approach

Opportunity for GEM/CLUA synergy?

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School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

www.ClimateAndLandUseAlliance.org