ABIOPES

Rapid Assessment of Biofuel Potential and Impact on Ecosystem Services

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'There is evidence to suggest that biofuels provide several ecosystem services (e.g., fuel, climate regulation) but that they also compromise other ecosystem services (e.g. food, freshwater services, cultural services). However, this knowledge is fragmented and little is known about how the ecosystem services provided and/or compromised by biofuels affect human wellbeing. In particular there is: • virtually no research explicitly linking biofuels ecosystem services and human wellbeing (academic gap); • lack of a consistent language/conceptual framework that can be used to put biofuels’ diverse trade-offs into perspective and frame the biofuel debate (policy gap); • lack of rapid and robust integrated assessment mechanisms for assessing the impacts of different biofuel practices and quantifying the biofuel potential in different landscapes (practice gap).

The aim of the proposed project is to bridge these three gaps by exploring how the ecosystem services approach can be used for framing, understanding, assessing and conveying the direct and indirect impact of biofuel production. Central to the proposed project is the development of a methodology that can allow the rapid, robust and user-friendly evaluation of the biofuel potential and the impact of biofuel expansion on ecosystem services in different landscapes around the world. Key deliverables of the proposed project will include: (a) a conceptual framework for putting biofuels in the ecosystem services narrative; (b) a methodology that can assess rapidly and in a robust manner the biofuel potential and the impact of biofuel expansion on ecosystem services in different biofuel landscapes. This methodology will be developed as add-on layers of the Local Ecological Footprinting Tool developed by the host institution (Biodiversity Institute, Oxford University). The developed layers will be validated with case studies in oil palm and jatropha landscapes in Indonesia and southern Africa respectively.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A recent project has looked at how biofuel crops influence ecosystem services and human well-being in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Biofuel crops like jatropha and sugarcane are increasingly cultivated worldwide for their economic value. However, there is little understanding of the overall impact of biofuel crops on ecosystems and the socioeconomic status of people relying on those ecosystems.

The EU-funded 'Rapid assessment of biofuel potential and impact on ecosystem services' (ABIOPES) project used an ecosystem services framework to judge the direct and indirect impacts of biofuel production.

Researchers began by reviewing the literature around biofuel crop production, and categorising the impacts based on effects on ecosystem services. They found that jatropha, sugarcane and oil palm cultivation negatively affect food and fodder provision, water availability, biodiversity and soil erosion.

These changes in turn impact on income, food/fuel security, access to land and public health. Overall, biofuel production led to major trade-offs in these areas for communities within an ecosystem.

In another aspect of the ABIOPES project, scientists surveyed two jatropha projects in southern Africa: a large plantation and a smallholder project. They found that the major effect of these plantations was a decrease in land available for food production. Researchers did note a small positive impact through increased income for farmers and labourers.

Finally, ABIOPES produced a http://unu.edu/publications/policy-briefs/biofuels-in-africa-impacts-on-ecosystem-services-biodiversity-and-human-well-being.html (policy report) highlighting the impacts of biofuel production on human well-being in SSA. This project will bring clarity to the debate around biofuels policy in a changing world.