Synergies and trade-offs between nature conservation and climate policy: Insights from the "Natural Capital Germany – TEEB DE" study.

authored by

Henry Wüstemann, Aletta Bonn, Christian Albert, Christine Bertram, Lisa Biber-Freudenberger, Alexandra Dehnhardt, Ralf Döring, Peter Elsasser, Volkmar Hartje, Dietmar Mehl, Jochen Kantelhardt, Katrin Rehdanz, Lena Schaller, Mathias Scholz, Daniela Thrän, Felix Witing

Abstract

Ecosystem-based approaches provide opportunities for climate policy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to expand the adaptive capacities and resilience of land systems to a changing climate, and to simultaneously protect biodiversity and ecosystems services (ESS). However, knowledge about the economic benefits and cost-efficiency of ecosystem-based approaches is still limited. The objective of this paper is to enhance understanding of synergies and trade-offs between climate policy related measures and nature conservation and how ecosystem-based approaches can contribute to both climate as well as biodiversity and ESS conservation goals, through overall economic analyses to inform balanced decision making. The paper builds upon the current state of knowledge as brought together by contributors to the German national TEEB-study “Natural Capital and Climate Policy – Synergies and Conflicts”. We present options and lessons learned from major land-use sectors of high relevance for ecosystem-based approaches to climate change, namely agriculture, peatlands, forests, wetlands and coastal and marine ecosystems. Based on these assessments, we argue that successful implementation of an ecosystem-based climate policy requires effective coordination and coherence between sectors and their respective policies, for example agriculture, forestry and energy. We identify specific targets for an ecosystem-based climate policy and options for achieving this coherent implementation.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Environmental Planning

External Organisation(s)

Technische Universität Berlin
Leipzig University
Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Kiel Institute for the World Economy
Institute for Environmental Economics Research (IÖW)
Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries
biota – Institut für ökologische Forschung und Planung GmbH
Kiel University

Type

Article

Journal

Ecosystem Services

Volume

24

Pages

187-199

No. of pages

13

ISSN

2212-0416

Publication date

2017

Publication status

Published

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous), Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Global and Planetary Change, Ecology

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 14 - Life Below Water, SDG 15 - Life on Land

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.02.008 (Access: Closed)