„Klimawald“ – The beginning

The large-scale fires in Australia recently brought the impacts of climate change on forests back into the public eye. However, climate change not only increases the risk of forest fires, but it also presents other major problems to forests in these parts. This can currently be observed in some regions of Germany, where spruce trees in particular have fallen victim to drought and infestations of bark beetles.
In order to better adapt a Bayreuth forest to climate change, GCE students Theresa Landwehr, Kun Woo Ro and Nikunj Pathak initiated the “Klimawald” project. In cooperation with several project partners, these three students with the help of around 250 volunteers planted over 4,500 trees in three days at the end of April 2019. This project took place in a forested area that had been damaged by storms and drought. The planted tree species had previously been selected by experts and were characterized not only by their climate tolerance but also by their valuable wood. In the next few years, the seedlings will continue to be cared for and replanted if necessary.

„Klimawald“ – The continuation

The GCE students were overwhelmed by the great response their project generated. The regional media reported on the “Klimawald” and there is still great interest among the population. In the meantime, the “Klimawald” has become an excursion destination and more areas are scheduled to be planted with climate-tolerant tree species.
The idea of ​​the “Klimawald” is also spreading outside of Bayreuth: For example, students from Höxter have proposed they would like to carry out a similar project themselves. Yet, this project idea may not remain just within Germany. GCE student Kun Woo Ro is currently carrying the project idea further to his home country in South Korea. Thus, not only the seedlings in the Bayreuth forest continue to grow, but also the idea of ​​the “Klimawald”.

This text was written for the Elite Network Bavaria.
English editing kindly done by Taylor Blair

The post „Klimawald“ – Climate tolerant forests appeared first on Global Change Ecology.

Tree plantation: 25-27 April 2019

Back to the 17th century, when the mining industry in Saxony was threatened by the scarcity of forests, Hans Carl von Carlowitz formulated principles for sustainable forestry. In his work Sylvicultura Oeconomica oder naturmäßige Anweisung zur wilden Baum-Zucht (Sylvicultura Oeconomica or the Instructions for Wild Tree Cultivation) he coined the term ‘sustainability’ or “Nachhaltigkeit” (in German) and emphasized on the need of planned reforestation projects. Today our world is facing a serious threat from climate change. In the year 2018, we experienced the warmest summer in Germany in recent times. According to the National Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetter Dienst, DWD), the temperature in June 2018 was 2.4°C higher than the average temperature between 1961-1990. There is enough evidence to say that the increase in global temperatures is caused by anthropogenic Green House Gas emissions (GHGs).

After energy and industry, the transport sector is the third largest contributor to GHG emissions in Germany and Europe. The overall emissions from the transport sector in Europe have increased by 3%, the emissions from international aviation have increased by 1.5 % in 2017 (EEA). In our study program, Global Change Ecology (GCE) students come from many countries. The present cohort of GCE students represents four major continents namely Asia, Africa, Europe, and America. Due to the diversity of study program, and its unique course structure, we (students) travel for conferences, internships, science schools, master thesis, and visit our family in home countries. Through these activities, we end up releasing tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. To check this, we decided to do a carbon footprint calculation for our friend Kun. In the year 2017-18, he traveled between South Korea, Germany, and Finland and this travel itinerary produced 3.07-ton CO₂ equivalents in the atmosphere. Like Kun, many of us travel in Germany, Europe or abroad for work and studies. This means we are emitting more GHGs in the atmosphere.

So, “What shall we do now? How can we offset our carbon emissions?”, we asked ourselves. After looking for all possible mitigation options we thought why not do something here in Bayreuth, why not plant some trees for offsetting our emissions. Well, we know that on an average, a tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and sequester about 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it ages 40 (Tree fact NC State University). Furthermore, forest ecosystems provide valuable ecosystem services, as they prevent erosion, absorb solar radiations and reduce global warming. In addition, they provide habitat for birds, insects, animals, and humans. But the question was how, when and where to plant trees. We pitched our idea to Dr. Birgit Thies (BayCEER) and Dr. Gregor Aas (Ökologische Botanischer Garten, ÖBG). They were overwhelmingly positive about our idea. Together we prepared a proposal and decided to approach the  “Amt für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten” (AELF) and the “Stadtförsterei Bayreuth”. The officials from AELF and Stadtförsterei liked our proposal and provided 1-hectar (ha) land for the project.  In the past, this forest land has suffered from drought, heat, and bark beetles. Therefore, we decided to reforest this land. And thereby the Klimawald Bayreuth was born.

We are aware of the ongoing climate change, and the rising mean annual temperatures which are putting our forest ecosystems under stress. Our project Klimawald Bayreuth will build a climate resilient forest – a forest for future climate. This forest will be capable of tolerating at least 2°C warming condition. For this reason, we decided to plant a mixture of native and non-native trees. Around 4700 trees belonging to 10 different species will be planted in the first leg of the project, from April 25-27, 2019. The second plantation drive will be organized in spring next year. Based on soil, light and climatic conditions long-term forest management plan for maintenance of the site is being prepared. Moreover, the project site is fenced for preventing any interference from surrounding wildlife. Through this project, we want to mitigate climate change, reduce our emissions and bring a positive change in society.

At present, our target is to mobilize approx. 180 participants working in 9 groups – 3 groups per day with each having 20 participants. The planting will take place from 25 – 27 April 2019. In the interest of sustainability, and for a happy and green future, we invite university students, researchers, lecturers, high school students, and citizens to join our efforts.

Together we will create a forest of the future!

Where birds will sing,
Bees will fly,
Soil will be steady,
And trees grow high…

To join our efforts in planting trees, please register at https://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/klimawald/?lang=en

For more information visit our website: https://www.klimawaldbayreuth.com/

The project is supervised by Dr. Birgit Thies (BayCEER) and Dr. Gregor Aas (ÖBG) with support from AELF and Stadtforestei Bayreuth. We are thankful to our partners Friends of GCE e.V., Summer in the City e.V., KHG Bayreuth, Forum 1.5 and BcG Alumni e.V.

References

Pan, Y., Birdsey, R. A., Fang, J., Houghton, R., Kauppi, P. E., Kurz, W. A., … & Ciais, P. (2011). A large and persistent carbon sink in the world’s forests. Science, 333(6045), 988-993.

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/

https://knoema.com/atlas/Germany/CO2-emissions-per-capita

Title Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash

The post Klimawald: forest-for-future appeared first on Global Change Ecology.

Event Date: Monday 13th November , 2017

Location: German Pavillion, Bonn Zone, Freizeitpark Rheinaue

Today I attended a panel discussion on the Peruvian case of Climate Change adaptation, with invited speakers from the Chilean and Ecuadorian Governments.

Latinamerican Importance for COP

Latin America is a highly biodiverse region and on the socioeconomic level also very vulnerable to Climate Change impacts. El Niño among other climatic processes in change are impacting the economic productivity and human security of communities and Cities living across the Latinamerican Pacific coast.

With this economic and political backhground, three countries: Chile, Peru and Ecuador presented today the national measurements these neighbours are undertaking in order to adapt towards a changing climate.

These efforts are of special relevance for COP23, as these countries have started multisectorial approaches to combat Climate Change with a top-down strategy.

Main Outcomes

Alfonso Galarce from the Chilean Climate Change Division, highlighted very concrete and Down-to-Earth Chilean initiatives to Combat Climate Change, i.e. making the Paris Agreement a National and Constitutional Law, promotion of Carbon markets and associated financial mechanisms and the innovative perspective of the country to achieve Energy transition by 2050 with 90% of their energetic supply to become renewable.

Elsa Galarza, Peruvian Minister of Environment,  presented the multisectorial strategy launched together with other 12 Peruvian ministeries (Energy, Agricututre, Fishing, Housing, Transport, etc) to come up with an strategic plan to combat Climate Change from all possible governmental areas. Initiatives presented where cleaner transport systems in the the main City (Lima), as well as the Ministry’s partnership with Global Fishing Watch to guarantee transparency and sustainability in the peruvian fishing industry.

My perspective

The audience and myself celebrated the strong, strategic, transparent and concrete steps Chile is undertaking to combat Climate Change. The top-down approach and the clarity in their environment policies can only strenghthen the Global Climate Action urgently needed, not only from the most polluting countries, but also from the emerging economies of Latin America and the Global South.

Much more join effort is needed. #COP23 #ClimateAction #LessSweetTalk

More infos:

German Pavillion schedule

Panelists: Tarsicio Granizo (Minister of Environment of Ecuador), Philipp Knill (BMZ, Germany), Alfonso Galarce (Ministry of the Environment of Chile), Miriam Morales (Ministry of Transport and Communications, Peru), Pedro Herrera (Ministry of Economy and Finance, Peru), Pedro Belber (Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Peru)

The post COP23: Latin America adapts to climate change appeared first on Global Change Ecology.