Peatlands – guidance for climate change mitigation by conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable use

This publication informs on management and finance options to achieve emissions reductions and enhance other vital ecosystem services from peatlands.

Peatlands: hotspots for emissions reductions

Peatlands play a critical role in climate regulation, storing twice as much carbon as the entire world’s forest biomass and emitting large amounts of carbon when drained. Peat carbon stocks are distributed worldwide. The mitigation potential is very significant, but possible future possible emissions as well if no rapid action is taken to protect and restore them. The UNFCCC provides significant opportunities to safeguard and restore these concentrated and important reservoirs of terrestrial carbon. 

LULUCF: The ‘No Loopholes’ Environmental Integrity Package For Ministers

Closing LULUCF loopholes

The Forestry and Land Use sector (LULUCF) is responsible for at least 30% of global emissions and has huge emission reduction potential. Loopholes in coverage across land and forests of developed countries currently undermine emissions reduction and the integrity of targets. Ministers, here are your options on the table to contribute to ambitious emissions reductions with LULUCF. 

Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions and REDD+

The landmark REDD+ agreement reached at Cancun has significant potential to protect and restore the world’s forests. This ECA paper argues that Parties should not allow the extensive work put into REDD+ to now be undermined by the use of alternative and less stringent provisions relating to Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Activities (NAMAs).

Policy recommendations to SBSTA on Peatlands and REDD

This Wetlands International policy brief provides background and recommendations with regard to REDD+ modalities and guidelines to be developed by the SBSTA. Besides for forested peatlands, this information is also relevant for reducing emissions from non-forested peatlands which have a similarly high mitigation potential.

Special Bulletin Part 1: Call for Truth in Targets in LULUCF

Humane Society International's Special Bulletin, Part 1.

It is time for developed countries to get real about the real impact of land and forestry sector emissions on their economy wide emission reduction targets. Action in the Land use, land use change and forestry(LULUCF) sector can – and should - strengthen ambition in setting higher targets. Instead, current accounting rules, and proposed changes to them, actually improperly inflate the targets of Annex 1 Parties.

Submission to SBSTA on forests in exhaustion

A submission by CDM Watch and members of the Ecosystems Climate Alliance recommending that SBSTA reject a proposal to include reforestation of lands with forest in exhaustion as afforestation and reforestation clean development mechanism (CDM) project activities.

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Forests in Exhaustion

At the upcoming climate change talks in Cancun, Mexico, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) will consider a controversial proposal from Brazil to amend the Clean Development Mechanism to include “Forests in Exhaustion”. "Forests in Exhaustion: An ECA Guide for the Perplexed" explains the proposal and sets out the key issues.

Q&A on AFOLU, ‘wetland management’ and the road to land-based accounting

This Question & Answer booklet aims to give insight into the opportunities and obstacles with regard to reporting and accounting for changes in carbon stores in, and anthropogenic greenhouse gas fluxes from, terrestrial ecosystems. Special attention is paid to ‘wetland management’, a proposed new accounting activity under LULUCF for which huge emissions reduction potentials are readily available.

Submission to the REDD+ Partnership Concerning the Work Program for 2010

This submission contains the input from a number of members of the Ecosystems Climate Alliance (ECA) to the REDD+ Partnership workplan, as per the invitation for input by the Chairs of the Partnership.