International Forum: Soils, Society & Global Change Celebrating the Centenary of Conservation and Restoration of Soi

1. International Forum: Soils, Society & Global Change Celebrating the Centenary of Conservation and Restoration of Soil and Vegetation in Iceland 31 August - 4 September 2007, Selfoss, Iceland Main Conclusions Andres Arnalds Soil Conservation Service Iceland Don’t Forget the Soil!

2. policy lessons from a century of soil conservation in Iceland

3. What is the most precious resource on Earth? • Soil! • Foundation for food • Ecosystem services • The Globe without soil?

4. Soil in Trouble!

5. The main aim of the forum Elaborate on the synergistic roles of soil conservation and vegetation restoration in meeting local, regional and global environmental and social challenges, and highlighting the importance of soil as the vital common denominator achieving global, regional and local goals related to: Climate Change, Biodiversity, Water Supply, Food Security, Poverty Reduction and Peace

6. Plenary sessions 1. Setting the Stage: Global, Regional and Local Perspectives 2. Healthy Soils - Supporting Food Security, Water Provision, Poverty Reduction and Biodiversity 3. Mitigating Climate Change Through Restoration of Degraded Land 4. Creating an Enabling Environment

7. The Working Groups Soil Stewardship and Land Care Synergies - Soil Management and the MEAs Knowledge Management and the Role of SLM Indicators for better decision making Improving Legislation and Policy Frameworks through Capacity Building Carbon Sequestration and Land Restoration

8. Land degradation and and loss of soil – A risk to our future Iceland - showcase for both destruction and restoration of natural resources

9. Settlement in 874 • A fertile country • Up to 2/3 vegetated • At least 25% of country wooded • Great prosperity

10. A delicate balance was disrupted • The woodlands burned, cut and grazed • Recovery hampered • Interaction • Unsustainable land use • climatic fluctuations • volcanic eruptions • marked the beginning of dramatic ecosystem destruction • lasting 1100 years

11. The deforestation • Iceland lost 95% of woodland cover in 1100 years • Burning • Cutting • Firewood and charcoal • Grazing prevented regeneration

13. The destruction in a nutshell Desertification in a humid environment The “rofabard” The erosion front Glacial pavement Volcanic ash Charcoal pit Same area 16 years later

14. Soil conservation and land restoration initiated by law in 1907 Erect windbreaks Seed sand stabilizers Protect from grazing

15. A long era of top-down approaches • 1907-1990 Institute staff + machinery • Little local involvement • Lack of land user responsibility • Consequences: • Slow problem acceptance • Low conservation awareness and lack of “problem ownership” • Conservation became governmental responsibility • International problem of conservation until about 1990 • Still a huge problem in some countries

16. Evolving approaches since 1990 • From top-down • localized • single issue soil conservation • Curing symptoms, not causes • towards ecosystem management and multiple use in a sustainable manner

17. Participation in stewardship • Dictatorial approaches failed to work in past • Get farmers together to recognise problems & identify solutions • Develop action plans using local advisors as facilitators • Reach, involve, educate

18. Example of this direct and indirect incentive: “Farmers heal the land” • Established in 1990 • 25% of livestock producers • Stimulus - stewardship • Mutual trust • Positive channels for resolving other issues • Power of the grassroots research • Participation is a main characteristic of soil conservation in Iceland • A real a trigger for change

19. Farmers heal the land

20. WG-1 Soil Stewardship and Landcare • guiding principles for Soil Stewardship and Land Care be developed and promoted as part of a Soil Stewardship and Land Care knowledge base • existing materials on land literacy education and training programs and tools be brought together as part of a Soil Stewardship and Land Care knowledge base • the feasibility of an International Year of Land Care should be further investigated beyond this meeting

21. ... Ultimately, the underlying basis for achieving goals of sustainable land use • Land literacy • To be able to read the land and understand its needs • Reach the children while they are young • Ethics - Stewardship

22. WG-2 Operationalizing synergies amongst the Conventions. The life in the soil Biodiversity The water holding capacity The interconnected ecosystems The release of C to atmosphere The birds

23. Soil is the vital but missing link between the Conventions. Let´s build the bridges

24. WG-2 Synergies and stewardshipSoil management and the MGA´s • Establish a joint mechanism between the Conventions to operationalize synergies • CCD should request to IPCC: Report on Land Degradation and Climate Change and Restoraton - As done for biodiversity • Strengthen the science and cooperation behind the CCD • Bring together the science behind the various MEA´s • Enhance cooperation in implementing the MEA´s on the ground

25. Soil management and MEAs • Establish a certification mechanism / guidelines for joint implementation • Each Convention will develop a certification criteria for the subject matter for each of the other two Conventions. Target focal points and donors • Invest in awareness raising, training and education on linkages and synergies for stakeholders on the ground: • The three Conventions launching an initiative for a “Training the trainers” programme on the subject of linkages among MEA´s subject matters complementing and promoting already existing initiatives.

26. WG-3 Enabling Knowledge management to inform better decision making

27. A breakthrough:First national soil erosion survey 1997 • Led to problem acceptance at the public level – • Slower at agricultural level • Basis for the new action plans and prioritization of conservation and restoration work

28. WG–3 Knowledge Management 1. Outdated data & information • Issue: Assessments are based on old data leading to ineffective policies • Solutions: • Funding • Data index • Harmonized methodologies • Fast-track data accreditation Action plan was outlined

29. Improving legislation and policy frameworks through capacity building WG-4 • Iceland needs to: • Provide a legal • framework • harmonizing all law • affecting land condition • 2. Link governmental • service better to goals • of sustainability

30. Livestock grazing No harm if well managed – but ...

31. Grazing in area of desertificatication Protected Grazed

32. Agricultural Support with weak environmental links We were paying at both ends!

33. WG 4. Recommendations: Capacity-Building for Legal and Policy Development • The WG recommends that the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law Specialist Group on Sustainable Use of Soils and Desertification develop guidelines to assist national governments to implement their responsibilities under the CCD in relation to the protection and sustainable use of soils.

34. International legal instrument • In progress by IUCN Environmental Law Specialist Group – with the aim to strengthen: • Legal, Policy, Ethical, and Institutional frameworks at both national and international levels • Globalization of CCD as soils / land degradation convention needed • And form better legal links between the conventions

35. WG-5 Financing the urgent task ofhealing the land

36. Icelandic Climate Change Action Program Iceland may have lost 1,6 billion tons of CO2 equivalents since 874 Carbon sequestration by revegetation and aforestation one of the tools for first commitment period

37. CO2 +H2O Conserving climate • CO2 responsible for 2/3 of greenhouse effects • Influence flow of CO2 between atmosphere and organic matter Organic matter

38. Carbon sequestration is an integral part of any land restoration activity Iceland only “Kyoto country” that has elected “revegetation (+ the green Japan)

39. From: IPCC 2000

40. 30% governmental fund increase 1997- 2000 • Halting soil erosion • Land restoration country” • “Farmers heal the land” • Reforestation • Reclamation forestry • Research

41. About 60% -80% of C stored in soil – permanently.

42. WG-5. Carbon sequestration and Land Restoration • Global potential of 1-2 billion tn C sequestration by restoration of degraded land • To overcome barriers for financing: • Transform the market to include flexible mechanisms • Modify CDM requirements such as: increase limit of small-scale projects, expand eligible land use and reduce transaction costs. • Enhance integrity and credibility to maximize benefits to the local land users

43. Obtain recognition of multiple benefits Carbon Sequestration a byproduct Not a goal in itself The polluter pays? Cost sharing? Fertility – Agriculture - Income - Recreation - Ecosystem restoration - – Biodiversity - Water

44. The CDM limits restoration Need to add revegetation into post- Kyoto CDM * Add tools for restoration * Biodiversity

45. Restoration of degraded land – A win win situation

46. Don´t forget the soil! A key to Global Sustainability Linking Landcare with Climate, Biodiversity, Water, Food Security, Poverty Reduction and Peace

47. From CCD Comics