Melinda Firds Program Management Unit Assistant
World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang,
Bogor Barat - Indonesia 16115
Tel: +62 2511 8625415
Fax: +62 2511 8625416
Email: icrafseapub@cgiar.org
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Land Use Sector: From Complementarity to Synergy
Author
Lalisa A. Duguma, Peter A Minang and Meine van Noordwijk
Year
2014
Journal Title
Environmental Management
Institution
Springer
Call Number
JA0582-14
Keywords
Adaptation, Complementarity, Land use, Mitigation, Synergy, Systems thinking
Abstract:
Currently, mitigation and adaptation measures
are handled separately, due to differences in priorities for the
measures and segregated planning and implementation policies
at international and national levels. There is a growing
argument that synergistic approaches to adaptation and
mitigation could bring substantial benefits at multiple scales
in the land use sector. Nonetheless, efforts to implement
synergies between adaptation and mitigation measures are
rare due to the weak conceptual framing of the approach and
constraining policy issues. In this paper, we explore the
attributes of synergy and the necessary enabling conditions
and discuss, as an example, experience with the Ngitili
system in Tanzania that serves both adaptation and mitigation
functions. An in-depth look into the current practices
suggests that more emphasis is laid on complementarity—
i.e., mitigation projects providing adaptation co-benefits and
vice versa rather than on synergy. Unlike complementarity,
synergy should emphasize functionally sustainable landscape
systems in which adaptation and mitigation are optimized
as part of multiple functions.Weargue that the current
practice of seeking co-benefits (complementarity) is a necessary
but insufficient step toward addressing synergy.
Moving forward from complementarity will require a paradigm
shift from current compartmentalization between
mitigation and adaptation to systems thinking at landscape
scale. However, enabling policy, institutional, and investment
conditions need to be developed at global, national, and
local levels to achieve synergistic goals.
Download file(s):Click icon to download/open file.
