42 | Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) Report

conbe 3 to 7 Pg over 50 years (Cole, 1996; Lal, 2002). This may be realized by adopting measures to control desertification, restore degraded soils and ecosystems and improve soil and crop management techniques to enhance the soil organic content pool and improve soil quality. The strategies of soil carbon sequestration include integrated nutrient management and recycling, controlled grazing and growing of improved fodder on rangeland (Lal, 2001, 2002, 2006). In Morocco, Bessam and Mrabet (2001) show that switching from normal tillage to no tillage practices could increase carbon sequestration by 13.6% after 11 years. In Central Asia, the carbon studies component of the Livestock Management and Rangeland Conservation Tools project is providing data on rangeland carbon flux. First estimates in northern Kazakhstan (Wylie et al., 2004) show rangelands had an average of 1.27 tonnes C ha-1 sequestration of CO2 during the 2000 growing season. The potential of soil carbon sequestration in different WANA ecosystems through desertification control and restoration of degraded ecosystems is 2.0 to 5.1 Pg C over 50 years (Table 2-4) (Lal, 2002).

Soils have the potential to reach an annual carbon sequestration rate of 0.2 to 0.4 Pg C, accounting for 24 to 30% of the potential of global dryland ecosystems (Table 2-5) This potential rate of carbon sequestration can be maintained over 25 to 50 years, provided coordinated efforts are made to adopt appropriate land use and recommended soil, water and crop management technology. However, agricultural intensification involves carbon-based inputs including tilling, pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation. Emission of carbon from all these inputs needs to be considered in evaluating the net soil organic content sequestration.

2.1.6.2 Incentives for land-use change

Promoting changes in land use that would increase the carbon sequestration rate will benefit the international community and the governments, international NGOs and private companies that now pay for these services. Opportunities for funding CO2 sequestration through land-use change are limited to reforestation and afforestation under the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry of the Clean Development Mechanisms. This might explain why it is not very popular in the dry areas of the world. Ninety percent of the Clean Development Mechanism projects are in Latin America and Asia and the Pacific. Morocco has registered 21 clean development projects and Egypt 28. However, these focus

 

on clean energy, transport and waste management and only a fifth concern forestation and reforestation.

As the carbon market grows, new opportunities might rise through emerging carbon management programs or voluntary carbon markets (Taiyab, 2006). In addition, biodiversity, desertification control and improved water quality produced through sustainable land use are better valuated and should also be considered.

Biofuel crops and other nonfood crops grown for use in industry, chemicals (plastic, paint), industrial fibers (paper and textiles), pharmaceuticals, personal care products and biofuels can be an alternative to traditional food production. They cut across all development, with significant effects on the economy, society and the environment. They offer an opportunity for farmers to develop exports and industry with more diversified horticulture. Meanwhile, the world's ecosystem gains from a rich source of renewable materials that do not further deplete the earth's natural resources.

In CWANA, water scarcity is the main constraint for developing nonfood crops. Production of renewable biomasssuitable biofuel to be used as a substitute for fossil fuel need not compete with food production. The best opportunities are biomass resulting from agroindustry, biomass from wastelands and agroforestry based on oil trees not dedicated to food production: jatropha for example. It can reduce soil degradation and can be used for bioenergy (http://www .jatrophaworld.org/).

2.1.7 Agrobiodiversity

2.1.7.1 Changes in agrobiodiversity and agroecosystems

CWANA countries have about 10% of the world's endangered species, mainly among animals and about one-third of birds, mammals, reptiles and fishes (Table 2-6) for number of endangered species by subregion). Some of the world hotspots where unique biodiversity is threatened are in the Caucasus, Iran-Anatolia, Mediterranean Basin, mountains of Central Asia and part of the Horn of Africa. The development of key biodiversity areas, representing the most important sites for biodiversity conservation worldwide, is a new concept being tested in the area (http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/redlist2006/redlist2006.htm; http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org). With the exception of some countries in the region, like Turkey and Iran, most of the biodiversity areas are not yet well protected. National con-

 

 

Table 2-4. Potential of soil carbon sequestration through desertification and restoration of degraded soils in the CWANA region.

Ecosystem

Land area (106 ha)

Rate of soils C sequestration with improved management
(Mg C ha-1 yr-1)

Total potential over
50 years (Tg C)

Soil organic C

Soil inorganic C

Total

Irrigated Cropland

11.3

0.1-0.2

0.2-0.3

0.3-0.5

170-283

Rainfed cropland

50.1

0.05-0.1

0.01-0.1

0.06-0.2

150-500

Rangeland*

583.3

0.05-0.1

0.05-0.1

0.06-0.15

1,735-4,337