Attachment J.3 - Initial Environmental Examination (IEE).pdf

IEE TEMPLATE VERSION 3.1

INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL

EXAMINATION

PROJECT/ACTIVITY DATA

Project/Activity Name: USAID’s Multispecies Wildlife Conservation/Bonnoprani Activity

Geographic Location(s) (Country/Region): Bangladesh

Amendment (Yes/No), if Yes indicate # (1, 2...): Yes, #5 to Asia 23-138

Implementation Start/End Date (FY or M/D/Y): January 2024 - 2028 as per Asia 23-138

If Amended, specify New End Date: o/a June 15, 2024 – December 31, 2029

Solicitation/Contract/Award Number(s): N/A (new award)

Implementing Partner(s): TBD

Bureau Tracking ID:

Tracking ID of Related RCE/IEE (if any): 1. Asia 23-138

2. Asia 19-013

Tracking ID of Other, Related Analyses: N/A

ORGANIZATIONAL/ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

Implementing Operating Unit(s):

(e.g. Mission or Bureau or Office)

USAID Bangladesh

Other Affected Operating Unit(s): N/A

Lead BEO Bureau: William Gibson, Bureau Environmental Officer, Asia

BEO

Funding Account(s) (if available): Development Assistance (DA)

Original Funding Amount: $ as per Asia 23-138

If Amended, specify funding amount: $ (increase of 50 %)

If Amended, specify new funding total: N/A

Prepared by:

Date Prepared: February 04, 2024

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE REVIEW DATA

Analysis Type: ☐Environmental Examination ☐Deferral

Environmental Determination(s): ☒Categorical Exclusion(s)

☒Negative Determination with Conditions

☐Positive

☐Deferred (per 22 CFR 216.3(a)(7)(iv)

IEE Expiration Date (if applicable): December 31, 2029

Additional Analyses/Reporting Required: No

Climate Risks Identified (#): Low ___X___ Moderate ___X___ High ______

Climate Risks Addressed (#): Low ___X__ Moderate __ X___ High ____

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THRESHOLD DETERMINATION AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

I. PROJECT/ACTIVITY SUMMARY

The purpose of this Activity is to improve the conservation and protection status of key wildlife species, such as Asian Elephants, Bengal Tigers, Sharks, and Rays, in Bangladesh through a comprehensive wildlife conservation approach that is informed by research. This Activity will aim to improve wildlife conservation and protection through social and scientific research, community-government led actions, citizen engagement including journalists and youth, private sector engagement and awareness, stronger political commitment and coordination across different government and non-government agencies and countering illegal logging and wildlife crime through improved enforcement actions. This Activity will support Bangladeshis (especially government entities(see section Section 2.3 for a full list)) to improve coordination and collaboration at a local, regional, transnational, and transcontinental level to combat wildlife crime.

Key targeted areas will include key wildlife landscapes, and not limited to: 1) Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar; 2) Sundarbans; 3) Inland wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems (if possible).

Different locations of Bangladesh may be covered under this activity depending on associated wildlife crime hotspot areas. Key landscapes will be selected based on the Activity’s threat and climate risk analyses, and prioritization of wildlife species post award. Further refining of complementary efforts will be done post award as well in areas where USAID environmental activities exist. Wildlife species that are illegally poached, traded or consumed will receive special attention.

The summary of objectives and the intermittent results are as follows:

Projects/Activities Summary Description

Objective 1: Strengthened Conservation of Wildlife: This objective focuses on research, community engagement and empowerment and public-private partnership. Research will inform wildlife conservation actions that address climate risks, site specific threats and is inclusive of diverse stakeholders. Community engagement efforts will complement

USAID’s co-management support and private sector engagement and partnership will increase conservation finance for wildlife protection.

IR 1.1 Improved knowledge base of key wildlife and native flora

This activity will use a scientific approach to assess threats to wildlife. Research will be done to understand wildlife trade and role of gender in Bangladesh and its impact on threatened species. The activity will research habitat conditions and species range distributions. Also, local capacity of researchers, NGOs, universities and government entities will be developed.

IR 1.2 Evidence-led informed and coordinated local conservation

This activity will work with stakeholders to build wildlife management capacity and to enhance local leadership values. It will support community and youth conservation volunteers, including alternative livelihoods and market access through capacity to protect wildlife and ecosystem private sector engagement, with a special focus on women, girls, disadvantaged and underrepresented groups.

IR 1.3 Reduced

Human-Wildlife

Conflict

Scientific approaches to minimize human-wildlife conflict will be explored and scaled up. Capacity among local community, civil society, youth, ethnic groups, and government entities will be developed to rescue, rehabilitate, and release wildlife safely into their habitats. This Activity will develop a business model that can continue human-wildlife conflict reduction activities beyond the activity period.

IR 1.4 Public-private partnership and conservation financing to support wildlife conservation increased

Public private partnership will be explored for access to conservation finance (local/global) and market systems that support sustainable non-timber forest extraction, fishing and resilient livelihoods. Technical assistance for accessing conservation finance through public-private sector partnerships for wildlife treatment and support through a third party monitoring system on the management and use of funds will be explored and implemented. A business model exploring ethical business practices including ecotourism will ensure sustainable financing mechanisms for wildlife conservation including species facing human-wildlife conflict such as elephants. Technical capacity development assistance for emergency medical aid to treat injured Asian Elephants and other wildlife (including transboundary) to Bangladesh Forest Department and any other relevant institutes with sustainability measures.

Objective 2: Enhanced Positive Behavior Change to protect Wildlife: This objective has a focus on positive social behavior change that improves commitment to protect wildlife across diverse stakeholders. It will also improve engagement of the private sector, transportation, logistics, civil society, local community and decision makers to protect wildlife including youth and media to protect wildlife. Furthermore, the Activity will identify risks associated with engaging conservation volunteers and organizations in wildlife protection and ensure safeguards. It will work with targeted government entities and aid in developing protection and compensation mechanisms for frontline staff involved in addressing wildlife crime.

IR 2.1 Conservation actions practiced across diverse stakeholders in targeted landscapes

The Activity will include systemic awareness raising activities including social behavior change campaigns that improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices of diverse stakeholders with focus on girls, women, marginalized communities, and youth. It will identify innovative mechanisms to engage the private sector and policymakers in its outreach efforts.

IR 2.2 Improved engagement of private sector, transportation, logistics, civil society, local community, and decision makers to protect wildlife

The extent of private sector participation and engagement will be explored in addressing wildlife conservation and crime. It will develop guidelines and safeguards for road development in wildlife sensitive areas of Bangladesh. Major land, air, and seaports will be assessed on wildlife tracking skills, monitoring, seizures, handling, and handover. Engagement with Bangladesh

Forest Department’s Wildlife Crime Control Unit will be explored to identify gaps and ensure strong coordination across all stakeholders.

IR 2.3 Wildlife conservation network with media and youth mobilized

This activity will include engaging and capacity building of journalists, influencers, indigenous communities and youth.

Coverage of the role of women and girls, disadvantaged and underrepresented groups in conservation will receive special attention.

Objective 3: Improved Coordination and Political Commitment: This objective will use science to inform the policymakers from research, community engagement, communication and outreach efforts and enforcement actions to improve overall wildlife protection. The Government of Bangladesh has a number of environment and wildlife regulations that mandate protection of both wildlife and its habitats. This Activity will create or support a centralized coordination system of law enforcement and non enforcement agencies to protect wildlife. It will build capacity of local stakeholders ranging from communities, civil society, police, coast and border guards, Bangladesh

Forest Department, Department of Environment, Department of Fisheries, transportations, roads and highways, and port authorities, private sector and other relevant stakeholders at the local, regional and transnational levels to conserve wildlife and combat its crimes. This Activity will aim to engage highest level government authorities including Prime Minister’s Office to disrupt wildlife crime and improve overall interagency government coordination to protect wildlife.

IR 3.1 Improved enabling policy environment through inclusive legislative measures

This Activity will work closely with relevant USAID and non-USAID environment activities to complement its conservation efforts. It will review existing wildlife policies, and identify efforts that can create an enabling environment for community volunteers, key line government departments, and an effective Wildlife Crime

Control Unit.

IR 3.2 Enhanced engagement of decision makers at the national and international level

(national, regional, This activity will enable high level dialogues and engagements to ensure improved willingness across all associated government agencies to protect wildlife and address its crimes. Global and regional networks for systemic cross-exchange of wildlife related information to reduce its crime will be explored such as the South and transcontinental)

Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network, Global Tiger Forum, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) etc

IR 3.3 Centralized coordination system of law enforcement and non enforcement agencies implemented

(police, coast and border guards, BFD, DoE, DoF, transportations, roads and highways, and ports)

This activity will support the Government of Bangladesh in increasing its wildlife law enforcement capacity by identifying, developing and strengthening appropriate interagency coordination structures within Bangladesh. It will identify existing multi-agency forums (particularly in law enforcement or trade) that could potentially support the Wildlife Crime Control Unit in providing long-term structure and catalyzing action to address wildlife crime.

Objective 4: Increased Ability to Safely and Effectively Combat Illegally Traded Natural

Resources and Wildlife: This objective focuses on tracing, tracking and identifying hotspots of illegal logging and wildlife crime with capacity building support to law enforcement and other technical agencies. Transparent and accountable digital technologies will be identified, implemented or scaled up that trace logging and wildlife crimes in targeted landscapes with a focus on sustainability. Traceability of illegal logging and wildlife trade can help identify its extent, supply chains, routes and hotspots. Trade of wildlife and its parts require collaboration and coordination across different regions and continents where Bangladesh could be serving as a source or transit country.

IR 4.1 Increased capacity for seizures and prosecution of illegal logging and wildlife

The Activity will build the local enforcement and prosecution capacity to track, seize, and handover illegal logs, wildlife and instill practices that ensure proper handling of the illegal seizures and wildlife products. It will build local capacity to coordinate with different regional countries and across continents. It will identify ongoing international coordination mechanisms, and develop local capacity through international exposures and coordination systems.

IR 4.2 Increased digital tracking and documentation of logging and trade of wildlife and its parts through systemic processes across key land, air, and

The Activity will work with police, customs, land, air and sea port authorities to track illegal logging, wildlife supply chains, routes, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing and commercial entities involved. It will develop a monitoring and evaluation system that is transparent and accountable and provides analytical and digital mechanisms to counter wildlife crime. It will assess low cost digital detection and analytical methods to sea ports and other identified landscapes document, track, assess and support government entities to counter wildlife and logging crimes.

IR 4.3 Improved capacity, safeguards compliance, and certification processes across law enforcement agencies to counter wildlife crime

This Activity will draw information from USAID-DOJ Wildlife

Protection Activity, and scale up relevant interventions in identified geographic areas of interest where wildlife crime occurrence is high. It will build local capacity on CITES compliance, national wildlife crime database of offenders and trained staff and track status of seized wildlife or logs. Support to the government will be provided to help institutions identify incentives that safeguard and compensate staff countering wildlife and illegal logging in

Bangladesh, especially frontline members and community volunteers. The Activity will also create the conditions for better integration of women into forest protection and enforcement units.

Link to the CDCS and other relevant USAID Strategies and Initiatives: This Activity will address DO 2: Sustainable Economic Growth Fostered by USAID/Bangladesh’s CDCS (2020 - 2027). It will directly contribute to IR 2.3: Natural Ecosystem Management Improved and sub IRs 2.3.1:

Sustainable governance of ecosystems improved; 2.3.2: Conservation safeguards and security strengthened; and 2.3.3: Sustainable business practices, trade and investment of natural resources enhanced. Objective 1, 2 and 3 will directly contribute to Sub-IR 2.3.1, and 2.3.2 by improving wildlife and ecosystem conservation, reducing local demand of wildlife products and improving governance systems by engaging diverse stakeholders from grassroots, civil society, law enforcement units, other government agencies and private sector. Objective 4 will contribute to Sub IR 2.3.3 through compliance measures, safeguards and improving certification systems that are globally accepted. This Activity will support USG’s Indo-Pacific Vision.

There are past and ongoing nature and wildlife conservation efforts. This Activity will collaborate with USAID Ecosystems/Protibesh Activity, Enhanced Coastal Fisheries, Chittagong Hill Tracts Watershed Co-Management Activity II, COMPASS, and the Local Works Program work in key biodiverse landscapes. USAID has ongoing conservation interventions in the northeast, Sundarbans, lower Meghna estuary, Cox’s Bazaar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Bangladesh

Forest Department has some ongoing and upcoming projects in and around the Sundarbans.

The map below shows the areas where USAID has environmental projects.

This activity will collaborate with GIZ in Sundarbans and if relevant in the Bay of Bengal.

Potential donors in the same sector are: USAID/USFS, KFW, GIZ, JICA, ADB, WB and

UNESCO.

Figure 1: EG activities across Bangladesh

II. ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS

TABLE 1: ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS

Projects/Activities Categorical Exclusion Citation (if applicable)

Negative Determinatio n

Positive Determination

Objective 1: Strengthened Conservation of Wildlife

IR 1.1 Improved knowledge base of key wildlife and native flora

IR 1.2 Evidence-led informed and coordinated local conservation capacity to protect wildlife and ecosystem

IR 1.3 Reduced Human-Wildlife Conflict

IR 1.4 Public-private partnership and conservation financing to support wildlife conservation increased

Objective 2: Enhanced Positive Behavior Change to protect Wildlife

IR 2.1 Conservation actions practiced across diverse stakeholders in targeted landscapes

IR 2.2 Improved engagement of private sector, transportation, logistics, civil society, local community, and decision makers to protect wildlife

IR 2.3 Wildlife conservation network with media and youth mobilized

Objective 3: Improved Coordination and Political Commitment

IR 3.1 Improved enabling policy environment through inclusive legislative measures

IR 3.2 Enhanced engagement of decision makers at the national and international level (national, regional, and transcontinental)

IR 3.3 Centralized coordination system of law enforcement and non enforcement agencies implemented

Objective 4: Increased Ability to Safely and Effectively Combat Illegally Traded Natural Resources and Wildlife

IR 4.1 Increased capacity for seizures and prosecution of illegal logging and wildlife

IR 4.2 Increased digital tracking and documentation of logging and trade of wildlife and its parts through systemic processes across

1 Positive Determinations require preparation of a Scoping Statement and Environmental Assessment.

key land, air, and sea ports and other identified landscapes

IR 4.3 Improved capacity, safeguards compliance, and certification processes across law enforcement agencies to counter wildlife crime

IP Deliverables: The IP must draft an Environmental and Social Mitigation, Monitoring and Reporting Plan (ESMMRP) based on Climate Risk Management (CRM) and relevant social analysis for USAID review. The EMSMMRP shall address all approved IEE conditions. For any construction work as defined by ADS 201maw the designs by the IP shall be reviewed by the USAID Mission Engineer together with AOR or COR before the construction starts, as per ADS 303 maw. In case the IP’s research involves: non-native species, indigenous people, people with disabilities, women, special analysis shall be conducted reviewed and duly approved at the appropriate level by designated USAID staff, and appropriate measures must be reflected in their ESMMRP .

CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT

Section 4.2 summarizes the climate related risks based on the initial assessment. A detailed CRM shall be done as part of the Environmental and Social Mitigation, and Monitoring and Reporting Plan (ESMMRP) by the IP for USAID review. . See Annex 1 for the complete CRM table.

BEO SPECIFIED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

The USAID guidance on Safeguards for Activities Supporting Parks and Protected Areas shall be followed by this activity. All major field data collections with human subjects who are not operating in their professional capacity and research where data collection and evaluation recommendations are potentially sensitive or could have social impacts will require Sensitive Data Safeguards. The IP must integrate the four requirements for parks and protected area social safeguards and sensitive data safeguards (details later in this document) in their

ESMMRP .

IMPLEMENTATION

In accordance with 22 CFR 216 and Agency policy, the conditions and requirements of this document become mandatory upon approval. This includes the relevant limitations, conditions and requirements in this document as stated in Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the IEE and any BEO Specified Conditions of Approval.

USAID APPROVAL OF INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION

PROJECT/ACTIVITY NAME: USAID’s Multispecies Wildlife Conservation/Bonnoprani Shongrokkhon Activity

Bureau Tracking ID: ______________________

Approval:

Reed Aeschliman, Mission Director Date

Clearance: Cleared by email 02/05/2024 Sumaiya Firoze, COR Date

Clearance: Cleared 02/12/2024 M Khan, EG Office Director Date

Clearance:

Cleared

02/12/2024

Shahpar Selim, Mission Environmental Officer Date

Clearance: Cleared 03/26/2024 Andrei Barannik, Regional Environmental

Advisor, SCA, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Asia Bureau

Date

Clearance: Cleared 03/26/2024 Todd Johnson, Natural Resources

Officer, Regional Climate Integration Lead , Asia Bureau

Clearance: Cleared 04/01/2024 Kathy Atkisson, Regional Legal Officer Date

Clearance: Cleared 02/12/2024 Shahpar Selim, Climate Integration Lead Date

Concurrence:

Will Gibson, Asia Bureau Environmental

Officer

DISTRIBUTION: Program/project files, MEO/CIL Tracking, OAA, RLO, BEO

REED JAY

AESCHLIMAN (affiliate)

Digitally signed by REED JAY AESCHLIMAN (affiliate) Date: 2024.04.03 16:12:14 +06'00'

William L Gibson Digitally signed by William L Gibson Date: 2024.04.04 12:53:25 -04'00'

INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL

EXAMINATION

CONTENTS

THRESHOLD DETERMINATION AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 2

I. PROJECT/ACTIVITY SUMMARY 2

II. ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS 7

CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT 9

BEO SPECIFIED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL 9

IMPLEMENTATION 9

USAID APPROVAL OF INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION 10

1.0 PROJECT/ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION 12

1.1 PURPOSE OF the IEE 12

1.2 PROJECT/ACTIVITY OVERVIEW 12

1.3 PROJECT/ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION 13

2.0 BASELINE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION 19

2.1 LOCATIONS AFFECTED AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT (ENVIRONMENT,

PHYSICAL, CLIMATE, SOCIAL, Threatened and ENDANGERED species) 19

2.2 APPLICABLE AND APPROPRIATE PARTNER COUNTRY AND OTHER

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS (E.G. WHO), ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL LAWS,

POLICIES, AND REGULATIONS 25

2.3 COUNTRY ENVIRONMENTAL CAPACITY ANALYSIS 26

3.0 ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISK 28

4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS 33

4.1 RECOMMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS 33

4.2 CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT 34

5.0 CONDITIONS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 34

5.1 CONDITIONS 35

5.2 AGENCY CONDITIONS 36

5.3 MITIGATION MEASURES 37

6.0 LIMITATIONS OF THIS INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION 41

7.0 REVISIONS 41

ATTACHMENTS 42

1.0 PROJECT/ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

1.1 PURPOSE OF THE IEE

This activity is currently covered in the E3 IEE Asia 23-138 under Table 3: List of Proposed/New Activities on page 32. The purpose of this IEE is to amend the E3 IEE Asia 23- 138 to provide greater detail of the activity than in Asia 23-138, in accordance with Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 216 (22 CFR 216), i.e. to provide a preliminary review of the reasonably foreseeable environmental and social effects of the USAID intervention described herein and recommend determinations and fine-tune conditions, for these activities. There are four objectives in this activity - 1) Strengthened Conservation of Wildlife; 2) Enhanced Positive Behavior Change to Protect Wildlife; 3) Improved Coordination and Political Commitment; and 4) Increased Ability to Safely and Effectively Combat Illegally Traded Natural Resources and Wildlife. This IEE provides the environmental threshold determinations for the sub activities within each objective.

This amendment also changes the time frame for implementation to June 15, 2024 – December 31, 2029 and the funding amount to $

Upon approval of the IEE Threshold Decisions and and conditions become mandatory obligations of implementation. This IEE also documents the results of the Climate Risk Management process in accordance with USAID policy (specifically, ADS 201mal). This IEE is a critical element of USAID’s mandatory environmental review and compliance process meant to achieve environmentally sound design and implementation. Potential environmental impacts should be addressed through formal environmental and social mitigation and monitoring plans (ESMMRP s) and/or Environmental Assessments (EAs), if needed.

1.2 PROJECT/ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

The purpose of this Activity is to improve the conservation and protection status of key wildlife species in Bangladesh through a comprehensive wildlife conservation approach that is informed by research. Targeted species will include - Bengal Tigers, Asian Elephants, illegally traded wildlife such as turtles and tortoises and pangolins. Conservation efforts will be identified in case of sharks and rays depending on feasibility. This Activity will aim to improve wildlife conservation and protection through social and scientific research, community-government led actions, citizen engagement including journalists and youth, private sector engagement and awareness, stronger political commitment and coordination across different government and non-government agencies and countering illegal logging and wildlife crime through improved enforcement actions. This Activity will support Bangladeshis (especially government entities) to improve coordination and collaboration at a local, regional, transnational, and transcontinental level to combat wildlife crime.

There are past and ongoing nature and wildlife conservation efforts. This Activity will collaborate with USAID Ecosystems/Protibesh Activity, Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh (ECOFISH), Chittagong Hill Tracts Watershed Co-Management Activity II, COMPASS, and the Local Works Program work in key biodiverse landscapes where relevant. USAID has ongoing conservation interventions in the northeast, Sundarbans, lower Meghna estuary, Cox’s Bazaar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Bangladesh Forest Department has some ongoing and upcoming projects in and around the Sundarbans. This activity will collaborate with GIZ in Sundarbans and if relevant in the Bay of Bengal. Potential donors in the same sector are:

USAID/USFS, KFW, GIZ, JICA, ADB and UNESCO.

Based on the wildlife threat analysis, this activity will co-locate with some of the ongoing USAID, donor and government funded activities. This Activity will coordinate and collaborate on disease surveillance and zoonotic analysis with USAID’s Systems Strengthening for One Health activity.

This activity has the ability to absorb other colors of funds that support communities with improved income sources.

The Activity will engage with the following entities as applicable and relevant to meet its objectives: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Department of Environment and Bangladesh Forest Department); Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (Department of Fisheries and Department of Livestock Services); Ministry of Home Affairs (Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defense Party); Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism; Port Authorities; Ministry of Finance (National Board of Revenue and Bangladesh Customs); Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Ministry of Land and Ministry of Religious Affairs. The Activity will strictly follow Leahy vetting procedures well in advance before engaging on any capacity building efforts with law enforcement entities.

1.3 PROJECT/ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

There are four objectives under this activity:

Objective 1: Strengthened Conservation of Wildlife focuses on research, community engagement and empowerment and public-private partnership. This Activity will use a scientific approach to assess predator, prey, and other targeted species (such as Asian Elephants, Bengal Tigers, and Sharks, and Rays) status and abundance along with human and ecological threats induced by human, environmental, climate variabilities and illegal wildlife trade.

Research will inform wildlife conservation actions that address climate risks, site specific threats and is inclusive of diverse stakeholders. Community engagement efforts will complement USAID’s co-management support to protect biodiverse landscapes with Government of Bangladesh entities and reduce human-wildlife conflict. Private sector engagement and partnership will increase conservation finance for wildlife protection.

Objective 2: Enhanced Positive Behavior Change to Protect Wildlife has a focus on positive social behavior change that improves commitment to protect wildlife across diverse stakeholders. It will also improve engagement of the private sector, transportation, logistics, civil society, local community and decision makers to protect wildlife including youth and media to protect wildlife. Furthermore, the Activity will identify risks associated with engaging conservation volunteers and organizations in wildlife protection and ensure safeguards. It will work with targeted government entities and aid in developing protection and compensation mechanisms for frontline staff involved in addressing wildlife crime.

Objective 3: Improved Coordination and Political Commitment will use science to inform the policymakers from research, community engagement, communication and outreach efforts and enforcement actions to improve overall wildlife protection. The Government of Bangladesh has a number of environment and wildlife regulations that mandate protection of both wildlife and its habitats. This Activity will create or support a centralized coordination system of law enforcement and non enforcement agencies to protect wildlife. It will build capacity of local stakeholders ranging from communities, civil society, police, coast and border guards, Bangladesh Forest Department, Department of Environment, Department of Fisheries, https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PP410_INVEST_v2.1.pdf https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PP410_INVEST_v2.1.pdf transportations, roads and highways, and port authorities, private sector and other relevant stakeholders at the local, regional and transnational levels to conserve wildlife and combat its crimes. This Activity will aim to engage highest level government authorities including Prime Minister’s Office to disrupt wildlife crime and improve overall interagency government coordination to protect wildlife.

Objective 4: Increased Ability to Safely and Effectively Combat Illegally Traded Natural Resources and Wildlife focuses on tracing, tracking and identifying hotspots of illegal logging and wildlife crime with capacity building support to law enforcement and other technical agencies. Transparent and accountable digital technologies will be identified, implemented or scaled up that trace logging and wildlife crimes in targeted landscapes with a focus on sustainability. Traceability of illegal logging and wildlife trade can help identify its extent, supply chains, routes and hotspots. Wildlife crime and logging happen across borders. There needs to be research and tracing of logging supply chains and end users. Trade of wildlife and its parts require collaboration and coordination across different regions and continents where Bangladesh could be serving as a source or transit country.

The Activity will identify cost effective partnership and engagement mechanisms that improve coordination of law enforcement agencies across regions and continents. It will build the local enforcement and prosecution capacity to seize, and handover illegal logs, wildlife and instill practices that ensure proper handling of the illegal seizures and wildlife products. It will identify ongoing international coordination mechanisms, and develop local capacity through international exposures and coordination systems.

The Activity will improve CITES, Convention for Biological Diversity targets (as applicable and agreed with GoB counterparts) and other global wildlife protection compliance measures, and training of law enforcement agencies and local conservation organizations. It will assess risks and identify safeguard measures for wildlife and logging offender reporters (both conservation volunteers and government representatives). It will also support the creation of conditions for better integration of women into forest protection and enforcement units by promoting a safe environment for women rangers through anti-harassment policies and training, and review and reporting mechanisms for gender-sensitive accountability.

TABLE 2: DEFINED OR ILLUSTRATIVE PROJECTS/ACTIVITIES AND SUB-ACTIVITIES

Intermediary Results

Illustrative Examples

Objective 1: Strengthened Conservation of Wildlife

IR 1.1 Improved knowledge base of key wildlife and native flora

● Targeted species, predator, prey, and habitat condition analysis of Sundarbans, CHT or other landscape associated to targeted wildlife under this Activity, wildlife threat prioritization, viability analysis and conservation action setting

● Species related disease identification, monitoring, and surveillance (in coordination with USAID’s Systems Strengthening for One Health activity)

● Species abundance, range distribution, and climate risk analysis to understand shifts in the range of targeted wildlife species, their abundance, predator and prey behavior, and alterations to food chains.

● Habitat condition analysis to assess and project impact on predator species, food availability of prey species, population https://cites.org/eng https://www.cbd.int/countries/targets?country=bd dynamics of non timber forest products (NTFPs), and invertebrate condition, and potential range shifts of endangered birds such as the Masked Finfoot

● Certificate technical courses (local and international) for youth and professionals to build local capacity with local or international academia

● Local conservation grants for targeted stakeholders to build research and conservation capacity

● Gender and social inclusion analysis to map the roles of diverse community members, including roles of men and women, indigenous people, people with disabilities in biodiversity conservation, illegal logging and wildlife crime

● Revisit protected area zoning including Ecologically Critical Areas and buffer zones to assess wildlife habitat boundaries.

● Assess current practices and process to rescue, relocate and safeguard stray wildlife and develop standard operating procedures

● Assess risks and safeguard measures for local community volunteers and organizations and develop standard operating procedures

IR 1.2 Evidence-led informed and coordinated local conservation capacity to protect wildlife and ecosystem

● As applicable, develop urban plans and zoning to prevent industrial expansion and other forms of settlement near wildlife habitats and protected areas.

● Assess Wildlife Act 2012 and other policies to understand enabling conditions to engage local community organizations and volunteers with safeguards.

● Capacity building of government agencies, relevant civil society, community organizations and youth on leadership values systems, conservation ethic, coordinated efforts, conservation planning and management of targeted wildlife species

● Inform coordination and segregation of roles of co-management organization, conservation volunteers, community patrollers and wildlife response teams/volunteers and establish safe information sharing modalities for targeted conservation action and enforcement (if applicable)

● Ensure safeguard measures for frontline and conservation volunteers

● Exposure visits for knowledge sharing and engagement of targeted stakeholders (local and international)

● Review and support government to improve or address wildlife conservation gaps in existing laws/policies and assist local communities to benefit from co-management or volunteerism

● Develop or scale up low cost, effective wildlife monitoring tools

● Form, connect and develop a national wildlife conservation platform

IR 1.3 Reduced Human-Wildlife Conflict

● Human-Wildlife conflict reduction relevant training for men, women and youth

● Wildlife rescue and release training for men, women and youth including minorities and disadvantaged groups

● Emergency medical aid and safety training for all targeted response teams (communities, local organizations, volunteers and government)

● Develop low-cost safeguards and measures for wildlife to improve connectivity across fragmented landscapes

IR 1.4 Public-private partnership and conservation financing to support wildlife conservation increased Illustrative Interventions

● Explore and access conservation finance (local/global) from the private sector in coordination with USAID Ecosystems/Protibesh Activity and other relevant ones. This can range, and is not limited to, local and international private institutions, banks, universities, safari parks, environment and wildlife organizations.

● Sustainable non-timber forest extraction, fishing and resilient livelihoods skill building, input and market systems development led by private sector with sustainability measures

● Technical capacity development assistance for emergency medical aid to treat injured Asian Elephants and other wildlife (including transboundary) to Bangladesh Forest Department with sustainability measures

Objective 2: Enhanced Positive Behavior Change to protect Wildlife

IR 2.1

Conservation actions practiced across diverse stakeholders in targeted landscapes

● Engage and ensure coordination to community-based wildlife conservation volunteers and co-management groups

● Positive social behavior change campaign of targeted wildlife species (site specific and nationally) across diverse stakeholders including minority groups

● Outreach efforts engaging the private sector and policymakers

● Understand extent of pet trade and consumption and take measurable conservation actions

● Engage influencers (local, national and international) as wildlife ambassadors to promote conservation actions and attract funding to support wildlife by including diverse stakeholders.

● Track social behavior change pattern and conservation practices over time for adaptive measures resulting into improved commitment to protect wildlife

IR 2.2 Improved engagement of private sector, transportation, logistics, civil society, local community, and decision makers to protect wildlife

● Institutional analysis including laws, global compliance measures and current knowledge, practices, and commitment to conserve wildlife across targeted agencies. Analysis will include evaluation of monitoring capabilities of relevant organizations.

● Review existing private sector interests and explore potential partnerships to safeguard wildlife (national/international).

● Assess wildlife awareness, and monitoring practices of transport, roads, and highways, customs, ports, land, and any other non traditional authorities.

● Develop low cost techniques to monitor, safeguard, seize, report, and handover wildlife in close coordination with relevant government agencies, including, Bangladesh Forest Department.

IR 2.3 Wildlife conservation network with media and youth

● Engage with existing social media, particularly Facebook and other popular platforms in Bangladesh

● Support development of national level school curricula focused on environment and wildlife mobilized ● Build local monitoring and reporting capacity through investigative journalism

● Identify safeguards for journalists and volunteers who report on wildlife crimes

● Exposure visits to engage, empower, and educate targeted stakeholders

● Local competitive grants to engage youth and young professionals engaged in wildlife conservation including organizational capacity building support

Objective 3: Improved Coordination and Political Commitment

IR 3.1 Improved enabling policy environment through inclusive legislative measures

● Review and identify relevant policy gaps to support targeted wildlife conservation and counter its crime (Example: Review “Pet Bird rearing rules, 2020” enacted under the provision of the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation & Security) Act, 2012)

● Assess political economy, drivers and socio-economic context to promote wildlife conservation as priority

IR 3.2 Enhanced engagement of decision makers at the national and international level (national, regional, and transcontinental)

● Policy dialogues and exposure visits (local and international) to understand best practices and innovative techniques

● Support decision makers to coordinate with different countries through international workshops

● Share research findings with Bangladesh decisionmakers to improve conservation actions and coordination across countries by assessing illegal wildlife trade routes and transboundary wildlife movement (to the extent realistically possible). For example: Wildlife Justice Commission identified eight criminal networks operating across India-Pakistan-Bangladesh-Sri Lanka-Malaysia-Thailand.

● Explore transcontinental options (example: between Asia, Africa, USA) to counter wildlife source and transit issues from Bangladesh and improve local knowledge, coordination and capacity

● Engage policymakers to share best practices on wildlife conservation and protection.

● Leverage support from international wildlife conservation platforms by sharing Bangladesh’s wildlife conservation and countering its crime progress.

IR 3.3 Centralized coordination system of law enforcement and non-enforcement agencies implemented (police, coast and border guards, BFD, DoE, DoF, transportations, roads and highways, and ports)

● Enable effective coordination across different law enforcement and other relevant agencies

● Build local capacity on wildlife seizures, prosecution and apprehension

● Develop tools, monitoring systems and practices that evaluate wildlife crime control training transformation into practices

● Develop a central coordination platform aligned with any other wildlife or conservation networks and regulations (as applicable) to ensure broad conservation actions to protect wildlife across different stakeholders

Objective 4: Increased Ability to Safely and Effectively Combat Illegally Traded Natural Resources and Wildlife

IR 4.1 Increased capacity for seizures and prosecution of illegal logging and wildlife

● Develop or capacitate a broad legal and monitoring framework across relevant law enforcement and technical agencies for all vulnerable, threatened and critically endangered wildlife

● Build local capacity to manage seizures and offenders up to prosecution level including judiciary and monitor/evaluate results

● Increase enforcement capacity and standard operating procedures to handle seized wildlife and its parts

● Strengthen capacity for emergency medical aid of frontline staff involved in monitoring and seizures

● Track trained personnel and wildlife relation enforcement actions to assess capacity transforming into actions and sustainability measures at the institutional level with safeguard measures

● Assess and acquire (if needed) appropriate investigation, detection equipment (allowed by US policy), forensics to trace and address illegal logging and wildlife crimes

● Research global tracking systems, local application in Bangladesh and build local capacity of law enforcement agencies to coordinate across regions and continents to counter transnational logging and wildlife crime

IR 4.2 Increased digital tracking and documentation of logging and trade of wildlife and its parts through systemic processes across key land, air, and seaports and other identified landscapes

● Ensure compliance per global standards such as Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

● Digitize supply chains of logs, fish, and any pets from source to end user

● Identify landing ports, record fish and its bycatch, and develop electronic species database and tracking system

● Consider collaboration between the Department of Livestock Services and Bangladesh Forest Department on using Department of Livestock Services’ animal quarantine law and facilities if that does not conflict with any existing nature conservation and wildlife law

● Establish, preferably an electronic system, resources permitting, to facilitate the issuance of permits and certificates and the verification of the legal acquisition of specimens in trade

● Maintain up-to-date records of traders and establishments, which should facilitate controls, communications, and collaboration

● Improve digital recording and evaluation systems of investigation, evidence collection and handling methods of illegal log and wildlife seizures

● Identify private sector entities, small, medium, and large enterprises involved in legal timber and wildlife trade

IR 4.3 Improved capacity, safeguards compliance, and

● Improve CITES and other global wildlife compliance measures, and training of law enforcement agencies and local conservation organizations certification processes across law enforcement agencies to counter wildlife crime

● Assess skill level and train law enforcement officers to counter logging and wildlife crime with safeguards

● Develop national database of wildlife offenders

● Develop/Identify national centralized digital monitoring, reporting, and evaluation processes - Provide technical support in development of an integrated and science-based combating wildlife crime database system and knowledge center for conservation, such as the National Wildlife Crime Database

● Develop/promote local safeguards for offender reporters. Check if there are any existing and effective practices for anonymous reporting locally or internationally

● Identify incentive mechanisms for frontline and management staff - Assess and recommend actions to address the hazardous nature of combating wildlife crime work such as reviewing compensation provided to frontline staff of other Bangladesh law enforcement agencies, i.e., National Police, Coast Guard, Bangladesh Forest Department, etc.

● Support local enforcement agencies including Bangladesh Forest Department to engage female officers at the field level and provide relevant capacity building opportunities on wildlife conservation and counter its crime.

● Create the conditions for better integration of women into forest protection and enforcement units by promoting a safe environment for women rangers through anti-harassment policies and trainings, and review and reporting mechanisms for gender-sensitive accountability

Will this project/activity involve construction2 as defined by ADS 201 and 303? Yes ☒ No ☐

2.0 BASELINE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

2.1 LOCATIONS AFFECTED AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT (ENVIRONMENT, PHYSICAL,

CLIMATE, SOCIAL, THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES)

This activity will engage diverse stakeholders ranging from marginalized groups, women, youth, minority and disadvantaged groups, indigenous people and LGBTQI communities. This activity will conserve and protect keystone species such as Asian Elephants, Bengal Tigers, Sharks, 2 Construction, as defined by ADS 201 and 303, includes: construction, alteration, or repair (including dredging and excavation) of buildings, structures, or other real property and includes, without limitation, improvements, renovation, alteration and refurbishment. The term includes, without limitation, roads, power plants, buildings, bridges, water treatment facilities, and vertical structures. In the box below, describe any construction planned for this project/activity. Refer to ADS 201maw for required Construction Risk Management procedures.

Some low-cost, non-intrusive fencing maybe installed for demarcation of forested/non-forested land or to keep wildlife away.

and Rays. For marine species, according to the USAID’s Request for Information, there are twenty-four sharks and 51 rays that are threatened. This needs further verification. The IUCN Sharks Specialist Group informs that 23 sharks and rays from eight genera have been updated in the Bangladesh Wildlife Act 2012 in 2021. It may not be possible for USAID to cover all species through this activity, but the Activity is encouraged to identify feasible activities targeting some of these priority species that can inform future conservation interventions.

Key targeted areas will include key wildlife landscapes, and not limited to: 1) Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar; 2) Sundarbans; 3) Inland wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems (if possible). Final selection of the targeted areas will be done through prioritized and targeted wildlife species and their associated habitats. Further refining complementary efforts will be done post award in areas where USAID environmental activities exist. Wildlife species that are illegally poached, traded or consumed will receive special attention.

Overall Environment, Social, Physical and Social Context of Bangladesh

The natural ecosystems of Bangladesh include forests, freshwater wetlands, and coastal and marine environments, all harboring remaining fragments of important animal and plant biodiversity. These natural terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems offer goods and services that people need to secure their livelihoods3. Sustaining these provisioning services will assist countries such as Bangladesh in poverty alleviation. The Environmental Performance

Index (EPI) ranks Bangladesh at 169 among 178 countries, which is at the bottom 5%. This puts Bangladesh at a serious risk and conflict with sustainable development4. The Bangladesh

Forest Department has declared 53 terrestrial and marine protected areas which comprises

81,7971 hectares. Protected areas of Bangladesh include globally recognized areas such as the

UNESCO World Heritage site in the Sundarbans, critical wetland habitats including the Ramsar site Tanguar Haor and tropical evergreen forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

In 2019, according to the updated (but unpublished) FAA 118/119 required Tropical Forests and Biodiversity Assessment Report, USAID identified direct threats to biodiversity including 1) encroachment in protected areas; 2) degradation of forests and wetlands; 3) infrastructure development; 4) unsustainable and/or illegal exploitation of terrestrial resources; 5) unsustainable and/or illegal fishing practices; 6) change in hydrological regime; 7) pollution; and

8) invasive species. The priority of these threats vary in Bangladesh with location and time5.

Indirect biodiversity threats include 1) poor institutional capacity; 2) lack of coordination among different agencies; 3) policy and information gaps; 4) lack of…