A Permanent Soil Carbon Sequestration Vocation for C ILSS

1
A Permanent Soil Carbon Sequestration Vocation
for C ILSS
2
Three Decades of Success

• Today, among Africas semi-arid countries, and
  in spite of adverse conditions, the CILSS member
  states are the most food secure.

3
The Next Hurdle

• These gains in food productivity, marketing and
  distribution cannot be sustained unless
  desertification (land degradation) is permanently
  reversed.

4
Additional Incentives Needed

• Change for greater Land Use Sustainability in
  the Sahel (LUSIS) requires strong, long-term
  incentives to farmers and communities.

5
Permanent Soil Carbon Sequestration

• A new opportunity for Global Warming Mitigation,
  local climate improvement, soil productivity
  maintenance, and poverty alleviation.

6
The Sahels Carbon Storage Capacity

• 20 million hectares of arable or grazable land,
  up to 40 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year,
  stored below ground.

7
Extent of vegetation (from NDVI) in the Sahel and
West Africa
8
Potential Global Impact

• If maintained for five years, could permanently
  remove one-fifth of the planets excess carbon
  dioxide.
• If done on a large scale, can create improved
  micro- and localized climates.

9
Who Pays?

• Tons of CO2 equivalent can be sold to greenhouse
  gas emitting firms.
• For non-US industries, this can also help meet
  Kyoto Protocol targets.

10
Technical Services to be Provided by CILSS

• Ensuring that appropriate technologies are used
  by empowered farming communities.
• Measurement and verification of permanently
  sequestered soil CO2.

11
The Sahel Foundation

• CILSS must move toward a secure, non-ODA
  endowment underwriting its operations.
• Non-Kyoto but measurable and verifiable trades
  in CO2 can be effective in GHG removal.

12
The Opportunity

• Providing to the world an international
  environmental service by packaging certified
  permanent soil carbon sinks for the global offset
  market.

13
Sustainable Incomes

• With sales of CO2 offsets, CILSS can
• channel most revenues to member states and local
  communities,
• generate income through technical services over
  the long-term, and
• pre-finance new CO2 sequestration initiatives.

14
Next Steps

• Establish a technical and institutional capacity
  to broker carbon offsets on behalf of member
  states, producers associations, communities.
• Identify sources of pre-financing for pilot and
  demonstration contracts.