Vietnam is one of the few tropical countries that has increased its forest cover over the past several years, so it plays a unique and important role in global discussions on the importance of forests in combating climate change, sustaining people’s livelihoods and safeguarding biodiversity. Vietnam is also one of five countries expected to be most affected by climate change, due to its long coastline and stretched natural resources. CIFOR scientist Daniel Murdiyarso gave this presentation on the importance of mangroves for climate change mitigation and adaptation at a journalist training workshop on ‘Investing in coastal ecosystems’ held on 27–29 March 2012 in Da Nang City, Vietnam. Media plays a critical role in informing and influencing public perception, as well as informing policymakers. But aside from limited coverage, most environmental articles, and those on climate change and REDD in particular, are of low quality in Vietnam, most notably in objective reporting of scientific findings. To address these gaps and in response to requests, CIFOR organised a series of media trainings in Vietnam in association with Transparency International, IUCN, UN-REDD and the National Journalism Association.

1. The role of mangroves in the
fight against climate change
Daniel Murdiyarso

2. Who we are
 CIFOR is one of 15 centers that make up the CGIAR
 CIFOR is the lead center for the CGIAR Research Programme Forests, Trees
and Agroforestry (CRP6), in partnership with the World Agroforestry Centre,
Bioversity and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture

3. Where we work
Peru Brazil Burkina Faso Cameroon Zambia Kenya Ethiopia Indonesia Vietnam
Headquarters: Bogor, Indonesia
8 regional & project offices
Research sites in more than 30 countries

4. Why forests are important
 They make up 31% of the world’s land mass
 Forests provide $250 billion in various forms of income and are essential to
the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people – a quarter of the world’s population
 They contain 80% of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity
 Forests absorb up to a third of all carbon emissions

5. Mangroves forests
• Support numerous ecosystem services, including
fisheries production, nutrient cycling, coast protection
• Globally cover 13.8 million ha; declined by 30–50% over
the past half century due to coastal development,
aquaculture expansion and over-harvesting
• Resulting carbon emissions of 0.02– 0.12 Pg per year
(0.2-1.2 billion tons Carbon per year)
• Ten percent of global emissions due to deforestation of
tropical forests (0.7% of total tropical forest area)

6. Research
component Climate change adaptation and mitigation
 Harnessing forests, trees and agroforestry for climate
change mitigation
 Enhancing climate change adaptation
 Understanding synergies between climate change
mitigation and adaptation

7. How to fight climate change?
Adaptation
Climate change and
variability
Mitigation
Impacts
Mitigation Adaptation
Responses
Kyoto Protocol UNFCCC

8. Tropical Wetlands Initiatives for Climate
Adaptation and Mitigation
(TWINCAM)

9. Standardized Method
• Tested across Indo-Pacific region
(30o Lat, 73o Long)
• Results have been peer-reviewed
and published

10. Sonneratia sp. Rhizophora sp.
Avicennia sp. Bruguiera sp.

11. Measuring stem diameter

12. From diameter to biomass
Kauffman and Cole (2010)

13. Woody debris
Fine : < 0.6 cm (count along 10-12 m)
Small : 0.6 - 2.5 cm (count along 7-10 m)
Medium : 2.5 - 7.5 cm (count along 2-7 m)
Large : >7.5 cm (measure, sound and rotten)

14. Soil carbon
Intervals: 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm, 30-50 cm, 50-100 cm, 100-300 cm

15. Large belowground C-stocks
400
Aboveground
Total C stock ( x Mg ha-1): Aboveground pools
200 863.3 891.9 1044.4 1038.8 1073.4 1047.8 Trees
Carbon stock (Mg ha )
-1 Down wood
0
Belowground pools
200 Roots
Soil
400
Belowground
600
800
1000
1200
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Distance from Ocean (m)

16. Indo-Pacific region (30o Lat, 73o Long)

17. Mangroves for
CC mitigation
New finding: Surprisingly large amounts
of carbon stored in mangrove forests,
Mangrove photo especially below ground
Source: Donato et al. (2011)

18. Global survey
Mexico Gabon Vietnam
Costa Rica Mozambique India
Ecuador

19. Bali Action Plan: REDD+
REDD
Conservation SFM ECS
Source: Pedroni (2009)

20. A Reference Level is needed
Forest carbon stocks
Crediting period = 35 years?
Base
Period
Or With REDD+
Historical With REDD
baseline
Reduced emissions
Without REDD
5 or 10
(BAU)
years?

21. Cancun Agreement: Phase approach
• REDD+ national strategy: follow
UN-REDD and WB FCPF processes
• National reference level: sub-
national reference level is
accepted only temporary in while
taking care of domestic leakage
• Forest monitoring system: to
demonstrate additionality that
includes environmental and social
safeguards (UN-DRIP)

22. GHG emissions from
Vietnam – 2000
Source: Vietnam SNC 2002

23. Mangroves:
Providers of ecosystem services
Direct benefits to the community

24. Adaptation agenda:
window of opportunity
 The UNFCCC’s Adaptation
Fund Board approved the first
proposal
 Joint CIFOR-CATIE research in
Honduras on CC adaptation
 We can do the same for
Vietnam or SEA region
 To mainstream CC adaptation
in mangroves in development
agenda

25. Financing Adaptation
• Adaptation Fund Board
– Guidelines to access the fund
– Established accreditation panel
• Adaptation fund – available for LDCs
• Levy from CDM – 2%
• To date (March 2012)
– Registered projects: 3887
– Issued CERs: 877 million
– Sale of CERs generate $ 18.7 million
• Expected CERs (2012): 2163 million
• Expected AF generated (2012): Euro 300 million

26. Adaptation Strategy for Mangroves
 Mangroves = protective roles
(low-laying coastlines)
• Species and rooting system
• Depending on the coastal
topography
 Sequester and store large
amount of carbon
 Adaptation to CC-related sea
level rise

27. Beach erosion leading to ecosystems loss

29. The Sundarbands
The world mangroves
• The world's
largest remaining
single block of
mangrove forest
• Appr. 1 Mha
(10,000 km2)
• Delta front has
undergone a net
erosion of ~170
km2 of coastal
land in the past
37 years study
period
Source: Rahman et al. (2011)

30. 1 m sea level rise

31. Concluding remarks
• Mangroves ecosystem have a huge potential for CC
adaptation and mitigation
• Climate change mitigation (CDM, REDD+) has been
widely recognized
• Putting back CC adaptation is necessary for
countries with low-laying coastal zones like Vietnam
• Financially it is funded by public; the mechanism
should attract private sector to get involved