Environment_Biodiversity_Concept.docx

Environment and Biodiversity Project Concept Summary USAID/Madagascar is currently designing a new Environment and Biodiversity project. This project is set to run for a period of five years, from 2016 – 2020. The total amount of resources expected to be made available over that time for biodiversity conservation is still undetermined but may be modest compared to historical USAID investments, necessitating a strategic and phased approach. To inform this process, USAID recently undertook an Environmental Threats and Opportunities Assessment which will be made available publicly soon, and held consultations with a number of actors including the Government of Madagascar, implementing partners, donors, and civil society representatives. As a result, USAID/Madagascar identified a number of criteria to determine priority geographic focal areas. These include:

· Areas under highest pressure, areas where new biodiversity efforts can complement current USAID activities in other sectors and those of other donors/key actors,

· Areas where there are coverage gaps, and

· Areas where USAID can build on previous Agency investments.

After significant consultations and analysis, USAID has prioritized the following geographic focal areas:

Tier 1 Eastern rainforest corridor:

· Priority around the Forest Corridor Ambositra-Vondrozo (COFAV) region (humid forest); the forest corridor Ambositra Vondrozo is the last vestige of rainforests that once covered much of the Southeast of Madagascar. This corridor is vital to maintaining the connections between Ranomafana and Andringitra National Parks and Pic d’Ivohibe Special Rerseve, and is characterized by its rich biodiversity which attracts researchers and tourists. The forests are a refuge for 800 species of plants, 17 species of lemurs, 110 species of amphibians and 94 species of birds. It provides important ecological functions including water provision and carbon sequestration in addition to a critical socio-economic role for the local population. Major proximate threats to biodiversity include hillside rice production (tavy), charcoal production, and illegal timber extraction. The COFAV region was the focus of previous USAID biodiversity investments which focused on biodiversity conservation.

Southwest region:

· Priority around Mikea Landscape; the Mikea landscape consists of dry forests, wetlands, marine and coastal areas including important mangrove forests; and includes the Beza Mahafaly Special reserve in addition to several new protected areas. This diversity of habitats is home to different species of birds, terrestrial tortoises that are in critical danger of extinction and sea turtles, etc. This landscape offers important ecosystem services: the mangroves provide supplying and protection services against cyclones that are key element for the resilience of local communities; the marine area for fish and sea food production; the wetlands for regulating water supply; and, the forests for natural resources and carbon sequestration. Proximate threats include land clearing for charcoal and agriculture poaching of threatened species including radiated tortoises and lemurs.

Tier 2 If additional funding becomes available and program expansion is possible, then Tier 2 areas of focus may be:

· Menabe Landscape (terrestrial; dry forest on the west coast)

· Mamabaie (reef to ridge; Northeast - Increase in illegal timer extraction (along with eastern corridor; USAID is currently there under SCAPES with a budget of $1.6 million through Sept 2015 and can scale up)

· Anosy Landscape (in the Southeast region)

The specific landscapes identified above are located within two larger, globally significant ecological regions, the eastern rainforest corridor The eastern rainforest corridor makes up a critical linkage between ecosystems of Madagascar ranging from the north of the country to the south, and as the corridor forest cover continues to diminish the linkage that facilitates necessary interconnectivity is at risk of being permanently destroyed. Should this occur, it will result in an increased extinction rate of endemic flora and fauna species which are still otherwise able to survive in remaining linked forested areas.

The Southwest of Madagascar is composed of a fragile ecosystem which thrives in arid conditions when left undisturbed. However this region is subject to the same challenges as others in the country such as slash and burn and economic decline, while compounded by other challenges unique to the region such as drought. These conditions combined have already led to significant deforestation, water resources reduction and increased desertification. In arid regions reforestation efforts have a much slower rate of success than in moist forests, thus it is critical to sustain and build off of current forest cover. Finally the southwest has significant mangrove zones in the coastal areas, lending ideal conditions for a ridge-to-reef approach and accelerated carbon emission reduction. Given the substantially higher carbon emission reduction from mangrove forested areas compared to highland forests, the new biodiversity activity will give priority to inclusion of mangrove sustainability in activity design.

Not all strategies will be implemented in all areas, and there may be additional interventions determined to be critical given the local context and evolving circumstances. It is understood that many of the proximate threats faced by Madagascar’s ecosystems are underpinned by uneven governance and law enforcement; insufficient resources (funding trained personnel) for good and effective management, and broader issues including poverty and food security. While USAID/Madagascar’s new biodiversity work will be unable to address all threats and drivers, it seeks to identify key entry and leverage points which could lead to broader systemic change while acknowledging that action is needed to confront some of the most urgent threats which if left unaddressed could lead to irreversible biodiversity loss. In this context USAID/Madagascar has prioritized four broad technical areas for initial efforts:

1. Support Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) and Protected Area (PA) management to reduce open access Activities under this focus area will ultimately disincentivize illegal activities, reduce open access to resources and manage resource exploitation at sustainable levels. Desired results: Improved livelihood for local communities, reduced overharvesting of natural resources, reduced encroachment, reduced biodiversity loss, improved conservation of species, improved livelihoods for local communities, and reduced threats within PAs.

2. Support improved law enforcement around timber and wildlife trafficking Activities under this focus area will ultimately lead to penalties serving as effective deterrents for illegal hunting and collecting of endangered species and precious woods, and lead to the following result: reduced illegal logging and reduced illegal hunting and collecting wildlife. There are two critical assumptions: 1) Corrupting forces will be mitigated to extent of allowing penalties to be fully carried out, and 2) fear of retribution will not be a pervasive issue

3. Empower Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to advocate for improved environmental governance Activities under this focus area will establish and contribute to functional community and national level CSOs, empowering them to serve as effective watchdogs and emerge as advocates for the Environment sector in Madagascar. The assumption made here is that if this activity is properly implemented, this will lead to increased political will and support followed by less corruption in the Environment sector and will lead to the following result: improved environmental governance. The CSO base will also serve as a support mechanism for the other priority areas.

4. Provide Opportunities for Alternative and Sustainable Livelihoods Activities under this focus area will lead to reduced demand for agricultural land and reduced unsustainable fishing practices, which will produce the following results: reduced forest conversion to agriculture, reduced charcoal production[footnoteRef:1], reduced overfishing, reduced biodiversity loss, improved species conservation, and improved resilience of local communities. [1: Reduced charcoal production is a long term outcome and perhaps one of the most difficult, however the PAD team is confident this can be attained to some degree in the targeted Tier 1 landscapes and tracked through indicators discussed later in the paper; activities leading to this may include: production/harvesting of non-essential and easy-grown woods such as Eucalyptus; increased income for use an alternative fuel sources paired with awareness raising for benefits of doing so (alternative fuels may include propane or improved cookstoves).]