Sustainable Land Management for Mitigating Climate Change

56062


SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT FOR MITIGATION OF AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Environment Department

The World Bank

June 29, 2010

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
2

Executive Summary

3

I. Introduction

6

II. Rationale and Context 9

III. Objectives
13

IV. Methodology and Scope

14

V. Climate Variability and risks of global food insecurity

15

VI. Food Security, Climate Change and Sustainable Land Management

16

A. Adaptation Versus Mitigation: conceptual issues

18

23

B. Soils as a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide
23

C. Soil Carbon Sequestration (SCS)

28

VII. SLM Technologies and Other Greenhouse Gases

29

VIII. Priority Action Themes and Range of SLM Practices

30

IX. Operationally Relevant SLM Technologies and Practices for Diverse Soils and Land Uses

32

X. Tropical Forest Ecosystems (TFEs)

34

A. Natural Regrowth and Forest Succession

36

B. Forest Plantations

38

XI. Tropical Savanna and Rangelands Ecosystems (TSREs)

44

A. Fire and Emission of Greenhouse Gases

48

B. Conversion of TSREs to Agriculture

50

(i) Native Savannahs to Pastures

52

(ii) Native Savannahs to Forest Plantations

54

C. Carbon Budget of Savanna Ecosystems

57

XII. Cropland Management

60

A. Land Use Conversion

60

B. No-Till Systems

61

C. Integrated Nutrient Management 63

D. Cropping and Agroforestry Systems
67

E. Biochar

70

F. Water Management

71

XIII. Desertification Control

74

XIV. Management of Salt-Affected Soils

81

A. Salt Tolerance 83

83

B. Techniques to Enhance the Quality of Salt-Affected Soils

86

(i) Manuring

86

(ii) Crop Residue Management

87

(iii) Establishing Tree Plantations

88

(iv) Agroforestry Systems

90

(v) Perennial Grasses and Pastures

92

(vi) Integrated Nutrient Management

97

D. Potential of SOC Sequestration in Salt-Affected Soils 99

E. Growing Halophytes as Biofuel Feedstocks
100

XV. Potential of Desertification Control to OFFSET Anthropogenic Emissions 101

XVI. Fostering a Conducive Environment for Implementing SLM Practives in Developing Countries
103

XVII. Payments for Ecosystem Services 105

A. Trading Soil Carbon and Green Water Credits
105

XVIII. Co-Benefits and Ecosystem Services through SLM

112

XIX. Deepening and Scaling Up of SLM-Related C Sequestration Activities

115

A. Processes of Soil C Sequestration and Improvements in Soil Quality

117

B. Methods for Assessment of Soil C

119

C. Modeling Soil C Pool At Different Scales

120

XX. Some Constraints to Adoption of SLM in Developing Countries

121

A. Choice of Site-Specific Technologies

124

B. Principles of Sustainable Soil Management

126

C. SLM Synergies and Trade-offs

129

D. Inappropriate Policies

130

E. Elements of a strategy that twins SLM and local climate action

131

XXI. Conclusions 134

XXII. References
140

XXIII. Acronyms

191

XXIV. Glossary 194

XXV. Units and Conversions 202