Implementing sustainable bioenergy production; a compilation of tools and approaches

Concerns about energy security, climate change and support for rural development have climbed rapidly up the political agendas, both in developing and industrialised countries. Bioenergy occupies a unique position at the nexus of energy, environment, climate change and rural development agendas. In most countries, bioenergy and biofuels have seen record levels of support in the form of subsidies, mandates and investments, as governments seek to maximise the perceived synergies between the various opportunities offered by bioenergy. This paper is a compilation of principles, frameworks and tools already in use to identify and reduce environmental as well as socio-economic risks. It also promotes links between bioenergy, biodiversity conservation and livelihoods.<br /><br />The authors present different tools that determine the environmental impact of bioenergy and biofuels along the entire production chain. These tools include: impact assessment tools, agricultural tools, water resource tools, forestry tools, ecosystem restoration tools, climate adaptation tools, among others.<br /><br />The report finds that the tools developed for successful creation and management of protected areas also provide approaches that may be applied to other goals of bioenergy projects, such as ensuring equitable inclusion and participation of indigenous peoples in the planning process. It is also argued that certification schemes, among other factors, can potentially be used to promote biofuels that are produced with lower environmental impacts and greater socio-economic benefits.<br /><br />Recommendations in the paper include:<br /> careful planning and adaptation of existing knowledge quickly maximises the opportunities of bioenergy and minimises the risks project planners should assess the opportunity costs of all viable project options and not assume that bioenergy provides the best synergies between energy, environment and development goals in every context there is a need to use existing tools and datasets innovatively to feed into decision-making at multiple scales, for example: to identify areas of greatest potential to reduce health impacts from traditional fuelwood and dung combustion.