Notes |
Introduction
Drylands cover about 40% of the Earth’s land surface, excluding Antarctica and
Greenland, and are home to more than two billion people (WRI 2002). They are
susceptible to desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) and their
populations, agriculture and ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change and
variability. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), one
of the three ‘Rio’ conventions born out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED), aims to address these issues and
emphasises action to promote sustainable development at the community level.
The other Rio conventions are the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The areas of
interest of the three Conventions are closely linked and each has accepted the need to
work in concert. One area of joint interest is that of the uptake of carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere by plants and its storage in ecosystems. It is perhaps the only
practicable way of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the short term
and therefore one of the few options for addressing its existing carbon load, as distinct
to slowing future loading by reducing current and future emissions. Most attention so
far has focussed on carbon sequestration by tropical forests. More recently, some have
argued for a more holistic approach to terrestrial carbon (The Terrestrial Carbon
Group, 2008). This paper reviews the potential for carbon sequestration in dryland
ecosystems, which includes forests, but also covers other habitats, such as grasslands,
and, importantly, soils. It also considers ways in which carbon storage in drylands
affects land degradation issues. |
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