March 2008UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuel

Expert meeting on standards and strategies or sustainable cultivation of biomass for non-

food purposes

March 2008UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

7 wedges needed for stabilisation

Each wedge avoids 1 billion tonnes of CO2 emission / year by 2054

Pacala & Socolow (2004) Science 305, 968 -972

Stabilising CO2 emissions involves many sectors

Pacala & Socolow wedges

Wedge = 1 billion tonnes of CO2 / year by 2054

Biofuel wedge requires 250 million ha of new high production plantations - with no emissions from inputs or conversion

Now: 1.5 billion ha cropland + 35 m ha abandoned.

237 m ha forest very suitable or suitable for crop cultivation. But carbon losses outweigh gains.

Sources: Pacala & Socolow (2004); FAO GAEZ; MNP 2008

Large land requirements

March 2008

Biodiversity loss from land use change usually outweighs gain from climate

mitigation

March 2008UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Food & feed crop demand doubles in next 50 years

UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels

Coordinator: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

Working groups:GHG – greenhouse gas lifecycle analysis ENV - environmentSOC - socialIMP - implementation

Aim for draft standards by mid 2008 Likely to be meta-standards

March 2008UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Working Group on Environment

(Conservation; Soil; Water; Air; Biotech)

Biodiversity draft principle:Biofuel production should avoid negative

impacts on biodiversity and areas of High Conservation Value

Criteria, requirements, responsibilities, guidance are in development.

March 2008UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

High Conservation Values

ONE OR MORE OF:1. High biodiversity (e.g. endemism)2. Landscape level pristine forest3. Rare / endangered ecosystems4. Critical ecosystem services (e.g.

watersheds) 5. Meeting basic community needs (e.g.

hunting)6. Critical to local cultural identity

Criteria table

March 2008UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Major discussion areas

Indirect effects on land use – unresolved Cut-off dates for land use change Offsets – significant disagreement Definitions for buffer zones, corridors Encouraging good practices beyond the minimum

standard Use of degraded / idle land Use of native species Regional landscape management Avoiding monoculture

WCMC

http://www.unep-wcmc.org/climate

lera.miles@unep-wcmc.org

© C Smith, USFWS

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