A Regional Perspective on Climate Change and Development: key issues, challenges and opportunities i

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A Regional Perspective on Climate Change and
Development key issues, challenges and
opportunities in West Africa

• Racine Kane, Country Director UICN Senegal

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The regional context
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The regional context

• Two major eco-geographical areas
• 9 countries of the Sahel
• 8 countries along the Gulf of Guinea
• Water interdependency (Transboundary rivers)
• Concentration of populations and industries on
  the coastal area
• Essentially rural population
• Extreme poverty
• Rainfed agriculture (some attempts for
  irrigation, Senegalese river, Niger River,
  Burkina Faso)
• Regional integration

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Current sensivity Vulnerabilities

• The Sahel is prone to droughts and disturbances
  of significant magnitudes since early 70s
• Vulnerability is aggravated by the interaction of
  climate and other multiple stresses

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Water resources

• Decline in the discharge of major watercourses
• Threatened continental wetlands
• Degradation of water quality
• Decline in groundwater recharge level
• Water availability for agricultural production,
  irrigation, hydropower, domestic use, flood
  occurencies, etc.

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RAINFALL

• Significant decline in recent decades (30 Sahel)
• 200 km southward shift in isohyets
• Most crucial climate issue for African decision
  makers
• NB. Rainfall seems to increase since the last 10
  years

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Climate variability in the Central Senegal
Droughts and land degradation
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Deficient replenishment of water reservoirs

• Fluctuation in the water level of the Akosombo Dam

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Shrinking Wetlands

• Shrinking of the Lake Chad (Niasse, 2006)

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Agriculture

• Mainstay of Sahels economy up to 70 of GDP
  and working population
• Agricultural growth not commensurate with
  population growth
• Correlation between inter-annual rainfall
  variability and economic growth
• Need to improve the existing operational early
  warning systems

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Health

• Climate impacts public and animal health
• Sub-optimal investment on health in rural areas
  (1.69 GDP)
• Heavy health burdens Malaria, Meningitis,
  Cholera, Tuberculosis.
• More research needed to better understand
  linkages between climate variability and emerging
  or re emerging diseases.

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Ecosystems and land degradation

• Highest rate of deforestation in the world (more
  than 1.5 annually)
• 25-35 km southward shift in the Sahel from 1970 -
  1990
• Main causes are domestic energy needs, land for
  agriculture, forest fires, population growth,
  development of infrastructures, armed conflicts,
  poor forest policies, etc.
• Habitat degradation and loss productive
  potentials (soil fertility decline, reduction of
  ecosystem services, depletion of biodiversity)
  means communities/species survival threatened ??

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Ecosystems and land degradation

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Coastal zones

• Sea Level Rise flooding of lowest coastal zones
  (deltas, estuaries)
• About 30 of coastal infrastructure could be
  inundated by SLR, with very significant losses in
  income (tourism, fishing) and high cost of
  repairs 
• Significant areas of mangrove and coastal
  wetlands will disapear affecting local economies,
  migration cycles, etc.
• Salinization of soils, ground water and surface
  water

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IUCN focus for adaptation

• Political aspects Ratification of the Kyoto
  protocol, transposition of recommendations in
  country legislations
• Financial aspects increase the regions share
  in the carbon trade Africa does not benefit
  adequately
• Strenghthen awareness of populations
• Disseminate tools
• Build capacity to anticipate and measure impacts
• Mitigation plans for extreme events, organize
  local responses and preparedness
• National and regional strategies (e.g. regional
  strategy for climate change and water resources)

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Adaptation reducing current vulnerability

• A great number of initiatives
• Region CILSS Agrhymet, PRESAO Initiative,
  HYCOS-AOC, FRIEND, AIACC, AMMA, RIPIESCA, ACCA
• Country National communications, water control
  infrastructures, artificial rains, small dams and
  big dams, Bassins de rétention
• Increasing mobilization of CSOs NGOs to promote
  adaptation strategies ENDA
• Development of tools IISD-IUCN Cristal

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Adaptation opportunities

• Promotion of Integrated Water Management IWRM
• Mainstreaming climate change into development
  policies climate proofing the development
  programmes
• Better legislations or enforcement of
  legislations role of Parliaments
• Increasing communities awareness and
  participation into the climate change debate
• Diversification of rural activities
• Capital investment (microfinance

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Community based Adaptation

• Change in crop production techniques
• Diversification of crops
• Market gardening
• Use of manure/chemical fertilizers for soil
  fertility reconstitution
• Use of pesticides
• Introduction of new crops (water melon, sesames,
  hibiscus)
• Development of food crop as source of income
  (development of urban middle class)
• Reduction of fallows
• Tree planting to reduce erosion (Fedherbia
  albida, Cordyla pinnata,) Agroforestry
• Village woods planting (energy and construction)
• Field fencing to minimise wind erosion (Euphorbia
  balsamifera, Jatropha curcas)
• Migration (remittances)
• Off farm activities (small business, extraction
  of natural resources such as honey, charcoal,
  medical plants, wild fruits or gathering products
  for income baobab, ziziphus, )
• Religious practices (group prays, offrandes)

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(Climate?) Migrations
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Tradable Rights Carbon
CDM project locations (2006 shares of volume)
Sources World Bank (2007) Point Carbon (2007)
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Payments for ecosystem services Examples from
the developing world

• Brazil A water utility in the city of Sao Paulo
  pays 1 of total revenues (2,500 per month) for
  the restoration and conservation of the
  Corumbatai watershed. Funds are used to establish
  tree nurseries and for reforestation along
  riverbanks.
• China Water supply and hydroelectric companies
  pay 0.01 Yuan per tonne of water, and 0.005 Yuan
  per Kilowatt of electricity, to local farmers who
  agree to plant and manage trees on their land, in
  order to maintain dry season flows and improve
  water quality.
• Costa Rica A hydropower company pays US10 per
  ha/year to a local conservation NGO for
  hydrological services in the Peñas Blancas
  watershed. In Heredia, the drinking water company
  earmarks a portion of water sales revenue for
  reforestation and forest conservation.
• Ecuador Municipal water companies in Quito,
  Cuenca and Pimampiro impose levies on water
  sales, which are invested in the conservation of
  upstream areas and payments to forest owners.

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Knowledge Gaps

• More needs to be known about West Africa and
  Africa climate
• Impacts of climate change on ground water and
  energy systems
• Climate change implications for incidences and
  spread of other diseases
• Need to support more regional strategies for
  adaptation
• Mainstreaming climate change concern into
  developmental policies and plans.

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Knowledge gaps statistics (ECOWAS)
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Thank you!