RFI - India Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity - USAID-India (2).pdf

Request for Information USAID/India Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity (CMCA)

Reference Number: 72038624RFI00001 Release Date: November 22, 2023 Questions/inquiries Due Date and Time: December 06, 2023, 23:59 hrs (India Local Time) RFI Response Due Date and Time: December 22, 2023, 23:59 hrs (India Local Time) NAICS Code: 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The United States Agency for International Development’s Mission to India (USAID/India) is in the process of gathering information to support an anticipated design for a new USAID/India Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity (CMCA), as described in Attachment 1.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit comments and suggestions in order to incorporate new, innovative solutions into a solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to address coastal and marine biodiversity and ecosystem conservation in India, should USAID decide to issue either a solicitation or NOFO. By issuing this RFI, USAID/India aims to consult with the broad community of public institutions, development partners, non-governmental organizations, private sector actors, industry associations, think tanks and academia, engaged in the conservation of India’s coastal and marine biodiversity, protection of important seascapes, and sustainable management of these resources by those utilizing these areas for their livelihoods.

Please see Attachment 1 for more details.

USAID/India plans to hold a Stakeholder Engagement Workshop on January 12, 2024 in Bengaluru to share a summary of the information received, discuss potential strategies to address the main issues identified, and answer any questions that participants may have. Answers to this RFI will be kept confidential and presented as aggregate data only. If you or your organization plan to attend the workshop, please email desharma@usaid.gov to receive more details about the event.

mailto:desharma@usaid.gov

This RFI neither constitutes a solicitation, NOFO, or a Request for Application (RFA), nor does it commit USAID to issue one or to make an award. Please note that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to or preclude any organization or individual from any solicitation, NOFO, or RFA that may be subsequently issued. USAID will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI and information received will become the property of USAID and can be made public. Therefore, information that cannot be shared should not be submitted.

Any future solicitations or funding opportunities for a potential Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov or at www.grants.gov at a later date. USAID/India is not seeking technical or cost applications/proposals at this time.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted by email to desharma@usaid.gov with a copy to indiarco@usaid.gov no later than the date and time shown above. Please include RFI number 72038624RFI00001 and Title of activity “Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity (CMCA)” in the subject line and use the format provided in Attachment 1, Section II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS. Responders will not receive individualized feedback. All inquiries concerning this RFI must be directed only to the email address identified above by the due date and time cited above. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted nor will phone inquiries be entertained. This Notice is available at www.sam.gov and www.grants.gov. We look forward to receiving your comments.

Best regards, Cheryl Hodge-Snead Agreement/Contracting Officer USAID/India http://www.fbo.gov http://www.grants.gov mailto:desharma@usaid.gov mailto:indiarco@usaid.gov

Attachment 1 - Background and Response Requirements

I. BACKGROUND

USAID/India is a trusted development partner for the Government of India (GOI) based on strong relationships and collaborations with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and state governments on issues related to forest conservation, land restoration, ecosystem services, pollution reduction and livelihoods strengthening. The main activities that USAID/India is currently funding in this sector are described below:

● The Forest Plus 2.0: Forest for Water and Prosperity activity is producing forest management tools, financial instruments, and conservation enterprise models that MoEFCC is scaling to other states.

● The Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI) activity brings together farmers, companies, and other private institutions to rapidly expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests to enhance carbon sequestration, support local communities, and strengthen the climate resilience of agriculture.

● The Strengthening Landscape Management and Conservation (SLMC) activity will enhance the management of ecologically important landscapes to support biodiversity conservation, human well-being, and climate benefits.

● The Cleaner Air and Better Health (CABH) activity aims to strengthen air pollution mitigation and reduce exposure to air pollution in India by establishing evidence-based models for better air quality management.

● The Innovations for Reducing Plastics for a Cleaner Environment in India (inREPLACE) activity will reduce plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, through improvements in solid waste management and by advancing a plastics circular economy in India.

At regional and broader levels, this activity will support and contribute to key strategies, priorities and initiatives for both the U.S. Government, USAID, and the Government of India (GOI). These include directly supporting the goals of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy; the targets of the USAID 2022-2030 Climate Strategy, the USAID Biodiversity Policy, the USAID Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Policy, the USAID Private-Sector Engagement Policy, and the USAID Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

and the legislative, strategy, and policy objectives of the GoI and MoEFCC including the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended in the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 and the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI).

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/U.S.-Indo-Pacific-Strategy.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/climate/strategy https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pdacy300.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/document/2023-gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment-policy https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/usaid_psepolicy_final.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/usaid_psepolicy_final.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/indigenous-peoples/usaid-policy-on-indigenous-peoples http://nbaindia.org/uploaded/Biodiversityindia/Legal/15.%20Wildlife%20(Protection)%20Act,%201972.pdf http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/wildlife%20protection%20amendment%20act%202022.pdf http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/wildlife%20protection%20amendment%20act%202022.pdf https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1939369

At the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in December 2022, 188 countries including India adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF includes the target known as “30x30”1 which aims to conserve and protect 30% of the world’s terrestrial and marine habitats by 2030. The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration emphasizes the urgency to fully implement the Kunming-Montreal GBF and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. India is recognized as2 one of the “mega-diverse” countries of the world as it accounts for 7% to 8% of the world’s total recorded species. Conservation of biodiversity in India is therefore a critical part of3 conserving the world’s biodiversity and meeting international conservation and development goals such as “30x30”.

In particular, coastal and marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened worldwide due to urbanization, pollution, overfishing, and climate change impacts. In India, more than 364 million people live in the coastal zone (the highest for a single country globally) and that figure is expected to rise by 13% to 411 million people by 2035. People in these coastal4 communities benefit from multiple ecosystem services provided by coastal and marine ecosystems including food security, livelihood opportunities, and protection from erosion and storm damage. Coastal and marine ecosystems also support nationally and globally significant biodiversity and play an important role in addressing climate change.

Coastal and marine systems are key integrated seascapes and landscapes that have an important impact on both climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and5 climate change adaptation through nature-based solutions for increased resilience.6

Integrated sea-land-scapes connecting mangroves, seagrasses, and reef systems provide increased “blue carbon” (the term for carbon captured by ocean and coastal ecosystems) sequestration (Figure 1) that can be as much as 1.8 times higher for combined mangrove-

6 van der Meulen, F., IJff, S. and van Zetten, R., 2023. Nature‐based solutions for coastal adaptation management, concepts and scope, an overview. Nordic Journal of Botany, 2023(1), p.e03290.

5 Suresh, H.S., Bhat, D.M., Ravindranath, N.H. and Sukumar, R., 2017. Carbon stocks and sequestration potential of Indian Mangroves. Trop Ecol, 58(3), pp.547-553.

4 Maul, G.A., Duedall, I.W. (2019). Demography of Coastal Populations. In: Finkl, C.W., Makowski, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93806-6_115

3 Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC), New Delhi and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK. 2001.

2 https://www.g20.org/content/dam/gtwenty/gtwenty_new/document/G20-New-Delhi-Leaders-Declaration.pdf - Accessed 27 OCT 2023

1 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: An important global agenda for biodiversity conservation [J]. Biodiv Sci, 2023, 31(4): 23133 https://www.g20.org/content/dam/gtwenty/gtwenty_new/document/G20-New-Delhi-Leaders-Declaration.pdf seagrass systems compared to those without an adjacent seagrass ecosystem. In terms7 of increasing resilience, these ecosystems provide a strong climate adaptation co-benefit since these ecosystems (particularly mangroves) buffer against climate induced weather phenomena such as storm surge from cyclones.8

Figure 1: Distribution of potential blue carbon ecosystems in India.9

India has 131 declared marine protected areas, 16 of those (12%) are larger than 10,000 ha and 59 are smaller than 100 ha. In addition to natural threats to marine biodiversity –10 which include earthquakes, cyclones, and tsunamis – sea level rise attributed to climate change is also affecting coasts and their ecosystems. Climate-related impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems include warmer temperatures of the sea surface layers altering distribution patterns of marine life and contributing to coral bleaching events, and ocean

10 MOSPI. 2019. EnviStats India 2019. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Statements 1.32(a) and (b)

9 Reproduced from - Chanda, A. and Ghosh, T., 2022. Blue Carbon Potential of India: The Present State of the Art. In The Blue Economy: An Asian Perspective (pp. 159-180). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

8 Blankespoor, B., Dasgupta, S. and Lange, G.M., 2017. Mangroves as a protection from storm surges in a changing climate. Ambio, 46(4), pp.478-491.

7 Mishra, A.K., Acharya, P., Apte, D. and Farooq, S.H., 2023. Seagrass ecosystem adjacent to mangroves store higher amount of organic carbon of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andaman Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 193, p.115135.

http://www.mospi.gov.in/publication/envistats-india-2019-voli-environment-statistics http://www.mospi.gov.in/publication/envistats-india-2019-voli-environment-statistics http://www.mospi.gov.in/publication/envistats-india-2019-voli-environment-statistics acidification negatively impacting shellfish and corals. Some portions of the coast, such as11

Odisha, face heavy coastal erosion from stronger wave action and altered shorelines (e.g., removal of mangroves and saltmarshes). Climate-related impacts, however, have not been fully documented throughout India’s coastal and marine zone.

The most serious and immediate negative impacts on coastal and marine biodiversity originate on land. The MoEFCC summarizes the causes to be “untreated wastes from municipal, agricultural and industrial sources, thermal effluents from power plants, brine discharge from desalination plants as well as physical impacts due to land use change, dredging, destructive fishing practices, and unregulated tourism.”12

Some conservation successes are being realized in India’s coasts. A 2016 review showed that a growing number of research efforts and conservation actions are focusing on India’s coastal and marine ecosystems. More than 10,700 km2 of important coastal and marine13 biodiversity areas have been identified for integrated coastal zone management with local communities, and small-scale reef restoration succeeded in the Gulf of Kachchh.14 15

USAID/India intends to leverage its long-standing presence in the country and its reputation as a trusted convener to deliver high-quality technical assistance through a new Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity (CMCA). Building on USAID’s global experience and current programming on marine conservation and coastal resilience, the CMCA will work to improve the health of coastal and marine ecosystems and the wellbeing of the communities that depend on them.

Currently, USAID/India is proposing the following theory of change associated with CMCA:

IF the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and their network is strengthened, including the conservation of endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species;

AND IF the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of coastal areas and associated seascapes is enhanced;

AND ALSO IF the resilience of coastal communities is increased;

15 MoEFCC. 2019. Op cit.

14 K. R. Saravanan, K. Sivakumar and B.C. Choudhury (2013). Important Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Areas of India. ENVIS Bulletin: Wildlife & Protected Areas. Vol. 15 Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.

13 Saroj, J; RK Gautam; A Joshi; and P Tehseen. 2016. Review of Coral Reefs of India: Distribution, status, research and management. International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology Vol. 5(5): 3088 – 3098.

12 MoEFCC. 2019. Implementation of India’s National Biodiversity Action Plan: An Overview

11 USAID., 2020. India Forest and Biodiversity Analysis (FAA 118 & 119): Report for Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS): 2020-2024 https://wiienvis.nic.in/Database/ICMBAs_8247.aspx https://wiienvis.nic.in/Database/ICMBAs_8247.aspx https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309321836_REVIEW_OF_CORAL_REEFS_OF_INDIA_DISTRIBUTION_STATUS_RESEARCH_AND_MANAGEMENT https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309321836_REVIEW_OF_CORAL_REEFS_OF_INDIA_DISTRIBUTION_STATUS_RESEARCH_AND_MANAGEMENT http://nbaindia.org/uploaded/pdf/IndiaNationalBiodiversityActionPlan2019.pdf

THEN the health of marine and coastal ecosystems and the wellbeing of the communities that depend on them will be improved.

USAID/India is considering the following areas for potential engagement:

1. Strengthen the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and their network, including conservation of endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species.

MPAs, and their overall network across India, are critical for protecting key biodiverse ecosystems that play a critical role in supporting India’s economy by virtue of the resources, productive habitats, and rich biodiversity they support. Ensuring that individual MPAs as well as the overall network of MPAs are connected to share experiences and successes and coordinate is critical for their long-term success.

Supporting these MPAs and the wider network may also include coordinating multiple stakeholders around specific topics such as ETP species conservation, and building or strengthening communities of practice at the national or state levels.

2. Enhance the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of coastal areas and associated seascapes.

Coastal areas and their associated seascapes provide a myriad of benefits to coastal communities, as well as support rich biodiversity and key species, like sea turtles, in the nearshore environment. In the coastal zone (extending inland to where there is tidal influence and a practical salinity unit [PSU] of 5 or greater), specific ecosystems like mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes and other associated coastal ecosystems represent areas where blue carbon is sequestered, thereby providing high opportunities for climate mitigation. Conserving existing integrated systems of mangroves and seagrasses, restoring degraded landscapes or reclaiming abandoned areas for restoration can also help improve coastal resilience. Connecting seascapes to be conserved and/or restored synergistically can increase their overall conservation value.

A small grants facility to support tailored coastal and marine conservation efforts could be used to scale up and refine successful local initiatives.

3. Increase the resilience of coastal communities.

Coastal communities face increasing risks across India, ranging from increasing sea levels, coastal erosion, increasing number and frequency of cyclones, eutrophication, and changes in biodiversity resources. These climate and environmental impacts have affected their traditional income streams and increased challenges particularly for underserved or underrepresented groups, such as women and youth. USAID will intentionally include diverse voices of these communities to understand the gender dynamics, their specific needs, and role of local communities in natural resources management. Ensuring these communities have access to and sustainably use natural resources, and can withstand the impacts of climate change will be critical for their wellbeing and empowerment.

Figure 2: Proposed Results Framework diagram for the Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity

(CMCA).

4. Increase knowledge and data generation, sharing, and packaging to support sustainable management of coastal and marine ecosystems.

Having access to high quality data, at all levels from decision makers to local communities, is critical to ensure effective management of marine protected areas and ETP species, and to protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change. To this end, identifying key data gaps, user needs, and effective dissemination modalities will be critical to meet the overall goal, and by extension, each of the three primary outcomes of CMCA. This can include generating effective climate information to help increase fisher’s safety at sea, collecting data to improve coastal management, and promoting knowledge and information sharing at the national level.

5. Improve opportunities and leadership roles for women and youth in coastal communities.

Women support the shoreside aspects of artisanal and commercial fisheries production including fish processing and trade. Women are also mainly responsible for collecting firewood and therefore, play a key role in the management of coastal forests. Many men and youth are internally migrating in search of new income opportunities and better places to fish, which means that women are increasingly left to lead households. Ensuring that women have equal opportunities in the fishery sector and that their voices are included in leadership and decision making processes at different levels will be critical to bridge the gender gap, promote more equitable decision-making processes, and ensure their effective representation throughout the value chain.

6. Enhance sustainable financing models to support effective conservation Sustainable financing is critical for effective management of MPAs, protection against storm damage and erosion, and the overall resilience of coastal areas and communities. Identifying and enhancing innovative ways to finance and support MPAs from a combination of public, private, and donor resources will be critical to ensuring their long-term positive development outcomes. This can include actions around collective financing, insurance opportunities associated with climate risk, and trade of carbon credits or easements for protection of critical sea-land-scapes.

USAID/India aspires to work together with the GOI and other key stakeholders in a transparent and accountable manner to further advance national, state, and local capacity to improve the health of critical coastal and marine ecosystems and the wellbeing of the communities that depend on these ecosystems. USAID is keen to draw on the expertise and resources of GOI, the U.S. Government, the private sector, financial institutions, academia, civil society organizations, and like-minded partners.

II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

Responses should include the following:

1. Cover page, not to exceed one (1) page, that includes:

a. Organization name and address;

b. Point of contact name and contact information; and

c. Brief statement of interest and capability that indicates:

i. The organization’s level of interest in partnering with USAID on a potential Coastal and Marine Conservation Activity; and

ii. Whether the organization has experience implementing coastal and/or marine conservation activities, in what geographical areas, on what topical themes, and in what capacity.

2. Please share information on how USAID/India can best provide the support needed to address coastal and marine conservation in the Indian context. In your responses to the questions below, please provide any relevant sources for the information, including peer-reviewed or gray literature, expert opinion, project evaluation reports, and other documents to support your responses.

Respondents are free to answer any or all of the questions below [5 pages max.

excluding the cover page].

1) What are the key challenges to improve the conservation and management of coastal and marine ecosystems, including MPAs and broader sea-land-scapes, in India? In your response please consider challenges related to data availability and access, the mobilization of sustainable and effective financing, and the inclusivity of women, youth, and other marginalized groups.

2) Is the proposed theory of change for CMCA and the six (6) areas of potential engagement outlined in Attachment 1 adequate and feasible for addressing the challenges of coastal and marine conservation? Why?

3) Who are the critical stakeholders at the national, state, and grassroot level that USAID/India should engage with for coastal and marine conservation and how can the coordination and collaboration of these stakeholders be improved?

4) What recommendations can you provide to improve coastal and marine conservation inside and outside marine protected areas? In your response, please consider the economic, political, gender, and social realities of India and how they may affect the feasibility of pursuing such opportunities.

5) What are the most promising innovations to support the joint economic prosperity of fishing and non-fishing coastal communities around the sustainable use/management of coastal and marine resources?

6) How can the youth and women in coastal communities who are particularly vulnerable be engaged to help shape the future of their communities and associated natural systems?

No other documents or information are requested at this time. USAID asks respondents to not send any additional information other than what is requested above and to kindly adhere to the page limits mentioned.