RFI-687-16-002_Hay_Tao.pdf

Request for Information number: RFI-687-16-002 RFI Issuance Date: March 4, 2016 Closing Date and Time: March 18, 2016; 11:00 am Antananarivo local time

SUBJECT: Request for Information (RFI) No. RFI-687-16-002: Knowledge Management for biodiversity conservation under Conservation and Communities Project (CCP) in Madagascar.

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Madagascar, is seeking comments on the Statement of Objectives (SOO) for Knowledge

Management for biodiversity conservation activity under the Conservation and Communities Project as described in the attached request document. These comments will assist USAID in finalizing this SOO.

The Conservation and Communities Project will encompass two primary activities that will be mutually supportive. One is the Knowledge Management for biodiversity conservation named Hay Tao meaning “know how” in Malagasy which will assist a wide array of development partners, including the Ministry of Environment, Ecology, Sea and Forests (MEEMF), to enhance the enabling conditions and policy frameworks supporting improved management of biodiversity resources, enhanced security of land and natural resource use rights, and effective civil society engagement. Hay Tao will also assist in data collection and sharing as well as supporting the community of practice. Hay Tao’s efforts will target support for the other site-based conservation activity named Mikajy which means “taking good care of” in Malagasy that will work to reduce threats to targeted protected areas and High Biodiversity Value (HBV) ecosystems through improved management, increased economic opportunities, access to social services, and support for more secure land and natural resource property and use rights.

RFI questions for Hay Tao are as follows:

1. Given that data quality and effective data management are critical in determining management effectiveness in the conservation of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, i.e., demonstrating quantifiable measures of changes in biodiversity threats and in biophysical conditions, what should USAID’s role be in improving such systems in comparison to the Government of Madagascar, other donors, and other stakeholders?

2. Understanding that USAID’s history in Madagascar has been largely limited to terrestrial ecosystems, what role should USAID play through this program to advance the creation and management of Marine Protected Areas, Locally-Managed Marine Areas, and sustainable use zones for coastal/marine ecosystems?

3. Given the actors supporting biodiversity conservation at the national level what is USAID’s comparative advantage under the three intermediate results (management, livelihoods, and governance) for this program?

4. Understanding that there are different levels of capacity and experience to consider, what are the best ways for USAID to support basic competencies for management of areas of High Biodiversity Value through this program in such a way as to advance both protected area management and community-based natural resource management in Madagascar?

5. USAID appreciates any additional input in response to this RFI.

We would appreciate it that comments to this Request for Information be received by the Government electronically to verabemanantsoa@usaid.govo on or before 11:00 a.m.

Antananarivo local time on March 18, 2016. Submission of hard copies is not required.

The issuance of this announcement in no way obligates the U.S Agency for International Development to award a grant, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of an application in response hereto. Furthermore, USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted and to negotiate separately with an applicant if such an action is considered to be in the interest of the USG.

Sincerely, /s/

Adam Walsh Regional Agreement Officer USAID/Southern Africa mailto:verabemanantsoa@usaid.govo

RFI-687-16-002

DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES – HAY TAO

Introduction

The objective of USAID Madagascar’s Hay Tao activity is to promote the enabling conditions for biodiversity conservation under the Mission’s new five-year Conservation and Communities Project (CCP). CCP recognizes that improved protection and more sustainable use of Madagascar’s natural capital is a fundamental component of national development and critical in improving the lives of the country’s rural poor. For this reason CCP targets improved management of Madagascar’s unique biodiversity; promotion of resilient livelihoods to provide alternatives to unsustainable natural resource management practices; and concrete actions in support of polices to improve natural resource governance and secure local land and natural resource use rights.

Conservation and Development Context in Madagascar

Madagascar is a global priority for biodiversity conservation and home to 5 percent of the world’s plants and animals while comprising less than half a percent of the world’s landmass1.

Nearly 90 million years of geographic isolation have made Madagascar a natural laboratory for the evolution of terrestrial and freshwater aquatic species, generating and harboring a vast array of life forms, most of which are only native, or endemic, to this island. Madagascar is recognized as a world epicenter of primate diversity with over 100 species of lemurs, but many other taxonomic groups such as baobabs, chameleons, geckos, frogs, bats, palms, and orchids are also richly represented here with a surprising number of endemic species. For example, Madagascar harbors five endemic families of birds, which is exceptional in a country of this size. The marine ecosystems surrounding Madagascar also harbor some of the richest estuarine, mangrove, seagrass, coastal marsh, and coral ecosystems along with some of the most productive fisheries in the western Indian Ocean.

However, the grinding poverty of Madagascar’s burgeoning population coupled with poor governance of natural resources increasingly threatens what remains of its globally-recognized and economically-important biological heritage. The country ranked 154 out of 188 countries in the 2015 Human Development Index and 175 out of 188 countries in terms of GDP per capita.

Per capita income is only $440/year2. The proportion of people living below the international poverty line increased from 70.9% in 2001 to 87.7% in 20153, indicating that political instability had likely undermined economic progress for the majority of the population during much of the last ten years. One example of the price of political instability comes from the huge loses in the tourism sector, which is heavily focused on wildlife tourism, wherein revenues dropped by 50% in 20094 and have yet to recover.

1 World Bank, Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) Program, 2014.

2 World Bank, 2015.

3 World Bank, 2015.

4 World Fact Book, 2014.

The national poverty rate climbs even higher in rural areas, where more than two-thirds of the population resides5. The natural ecosystems found in these areas serve critical ecological functions and provide resources that are essential to the well-being of many people in these areas. More than 25% of GDP in the country is based on agriculture, fishing, and forestry, and these activities employ more than 80% of the population6. With such a large proportion of the population directly depending on natural resources the increase in unsustainable farming, forestry, and fishing practices has placed enormous pressures on the country’s natural habitats such that 40-50% of the original forest cover has been lost from 1950-20007 and coastal and marine ecosystems have been severely depleted. Maintaining Madagascar’s biodiversity is, therefore, both a critical conservation challenge and a development imperative.

Persistent political instability, including an illegitimate government that held power for five years until 2014, has undermined the rule of law, limited economic growth prospects, and severely curtailed the provision of infrastructure and social services needed to promote and ensure a healthy, educated, and productive society. In addition, due to these governance issues Madagascar has come to the attention of corrupt actors both within and outside of the country who are primarily interested in mining the country of its resources and who act in a self-serving manner that erodes the rule of law and impedes the broad-based economic growth that the country so desperately needs. These are the actors responsible for the illicit trade in wildlife that plagues the country leading to illegal and unsustainable harvesting of precious woods, reptiles, and marine species among others. More importantly, these illegal activities actually lead to the creation of parallel governance structures that undermine the long-term viability of the nation state itself.

Because the government has not been able to provide stability for its people Madagascar’s rural poor have had no viable alternatives to clearing their forests to plant crops and overharvesting remaining land and marine ecosystems. In the process they are destroying the rich biodiversity on which they depend with no other safety nets in place to sustain them. While there are no data covering the entire country during the coup period, a recent World Bank-funded assessment of the eastern humid forests showed that deforestation rates had basically doubled from 2010-2013 as a result of the breakdown of rule of law caused by the coup d’état in 20098. It is reasonable to expect that these rates are comparable in forests in other parts of the country as well.

At the same time, climate change is an emerging threat that will make biodiversity conservation in Madagascar more challenging to achieve and maintain. The international risk analysis firm, Maplecroft, recently ranked Madagascar third highest in its level of climate risk, behind only Bangladesh and India in its 2011 report. In other years Madagascar does not rank as high, but is still projected to be among the countries most impacted by climate change in the future. Storms including cyclones have caused severe flooding in each of the past 30 years. While the frequency of cyclones is projected to decrease in the coming decades, their severity is likely to increase and

5 World Bank Country Environment Assessment, 2013.

6 World Bank Country Environment Assessment, 2013.

7 Conservation and Environmental Management in Madagascar, edited by Ivan Scales. 2014.

8 World Bank. Project Eco-régional REDD + Forêts Humides de l’Est (PERR-FH), 2014.

http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415528771/ http://ivanscales.tumblr.com/ shift north, increasing risks to both human populations and ecosystems there. Drought conditions, particularly in the south of the country, are predicted to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change. In addition, wetland and mangrove ecosystems that line the western coasts are more vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change and coral formations and the ecosystems they support are more vulnerable to bleaching and changes in ocean chemistry that are also ultimately linked to climate change. Fisheries may bear the brunt of climate change impacts, as changes in seasonal current and weather patterns may dramatically affect primary productivity, reproduction, migratory patterns of whales and turtles, and overall reef health.

These changes will exacerbate the difficulties faced by the poor rural residents who comprise two-thirds of Madagascar’s population. For example, as crop production becomes more difficult due to changes in rainfall patterns, temperatures, and pest outbreaks, people are ill prepared to adopt alternative behaviors and practices in response to these pressures. As a result, they may increasingly turn to the unsustainable collection of forest products, including wild-caught protein sources and other foods, as well as the collection of rare plants and animals to sell on national and international markets. These methods usually do not enrich the people engaged in these activities, but rather enable them to meet their immediate subsistence needs. The Government of Madagascar is aware of the problem, but is not capable of addressing it and seeks donor assistance to help them put in place systems to respond to climate change and lessen its impact.

In addition, the country’s ecosystems have vital roles to play in moderating the effects of climate change and these roles need to be increasingly recognized, defined, valued, and protected.

Integrated Country Strategy (ICS)

In the absence of a Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS)9, the Mission’s official strategic planning document at this time is the Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) with the US Government Mission to Madagascar. Under the ICS, environmental considerations figure prominently under Goal 3: “The Malagasy and Comorian people benefit from improved social, economic, and environmental wellbeing and build their resilience to climate change and natural disasters.”10 Specifically, biodiversity and natural resource management objectives are mentioned under Objective 3.1: “Conserve biodiversity and secure natural resources while promoting resilient livelihoods in Madagascar”.

The US Mission in Madagascar, with the USAID Mission taking a strong role, crafted the ICS with the above-mentioned challenges explicitly considered and discussed. Given the fact that the country is emerging from an extended period of civil unrest and will take some time to reestablish effective rule of law in the country, the US Mission will pursue a policy to promote transparency and accountability, reduce corruption, and encourage the development of policies to ensure greater inclusion and civil engagement. Important leverage points that the US Mission

9 USAID Madagascar was designated as an Office by the Africa Bureau on April 23, 2013. Because of that designation, USAID Madagascar is not eligible to develop a Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) at this time.

10 Note: The Union of the Comoros is only included in Goal 3 for the purposes of disaster response and for some limited State Department assistance in that country. No other USAID non-disaster response resources, including biodiversity resources, will be used in the Comoros.

will use to foster positive change include building on Madagascar’s renewed participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and coordination with international partners to encourage the type of business climate and transparency that is conducive to trade and investment. US investors have recently made contributions in the extractive industry, energy production, and fisheries sectors and the US Mission will work to encourage further the engagement of American companies operating in or wanting to establish a presence in Madagascar. In addition, support through US military cooperation and USAID’s development assistance programs are rapidly increasing and may provide an additional impetus for change.

Critical Assumptions

USAID has identified and examined a number of critical assumptions or conditions that are beyond the scope of the program to fully control, but are crucial for the program’s interventions in order to yield the expected results. These include the following:

• The Government of Madagascar (GOM) will be willing to allow community-based natural resource management and protected area management pilot efforts under Mikajy to proceed though the life of the program

• The GOM will continue to provide some tacit support to its decentralization commitments and greater land and natural resource use security for local communities, though this process may be quite slow and uneven

• Economic returns from some combination of sustainable livelihood activities promoted under Mikajy in partnership with private sector actors, including payments for ecosystems services where feasible, will provide greater economic and non-cash benefits than traditional unsustainable livelihood activities and provide greater incentives to better protect biodiversity

• While GOM support may be limited due to the factors mentioned in the prior section, alliances can be forged between non-government partners such as private sector entities, NGOs, CSOs, and local community groups as well as local government actors interested in increasing local autonomy in support of sustaining livelihoods, promoting wellbeing, leveraging investments, and developing value chains that can support biodiversity conservation and climate resilience

• In terms of law enforcement efforts to curb illegal activities such as illicit logging, overfishing, and wildlife trafficking, it is assumed that fear of retribution will not overly deter community participation in advocacy and judicial processes

• Increased reporting and advocacy may serve deter corruption by local and national officials who might otherwise be complicit in illicit activities

• Coalitions formed between interested groups such as communities, protected area managers, conservation organizations, other donors, and civil society increasingly serve as some counterweight to illegal actors

Project Objective and Results Framework

In response to the findings of a problem analysis and identification of the key threats facing biodiversity conservation in Madagascar, USAID developed a Results Framework for the new Conservation and Communities Project (CCP) with the following Project Purpose:

To conserve biodiversity and secure natural resources while promoting resilient livelihoods

From the problem analysis USAID developed a Theory of Change (TOC) to articulate assumptions about how CCP’s actions will achieve key results that will ultimately fulfill the Project Purpose.

Theory of change

Threats to key ecosystems must be reduced in order to curb alarming rates of habitat and biodiversity loss. This requires investments in improved management of these ecosystems, both within and beyond the borders of formally declared protected areas in order to secure biodiversity and the vital environmental services that they provide. It also requires that CCP focus on the most significant threats to biodiversity, which include the unsustainable use of forests, fisheries, wildlife, and other natural resources. Multiple initiatives will be necessary to transform such unsustainable uses into more sustainable ones. Communities and other users of these natural resources currently do not have sufficient capacity, economic incentives, or secure natural resource and land use or tenure rights to transform their practices. If these constraints can be surmounted and appropriate value chains can be developed natural resources users will recognize additional economic values that can accrue to them from maintaining a healthy resource base; have a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities with regard to natural resource ownership, access, and use rights; and will be more likely commit to sustainable practices, thereby decreasing threats and mitigating pressures on the country’s biodiversity. This approach principally builds on the Nature, Wealth, and Power (NWP) conceptual framework11 that has been developed, employed, and adapted by USAID and its development partners over the past 15 years. The long-term conservation success of CCP also is contingent upon the three additional crosscutting factors of climate resilience, gender and youth engagement, and science and technology innovations.

Results Framework

The Theory of Change indicates that to achieve the Project Purpose, “To conserve biodiversity and secure natural resources while promoting resilient livelihoods” a Results Framework comprised of three intermediate result areas (IRs) must be achieved. Each IR includes two or three sub-IRs that the project will seek to achieve. A summary of the IRs and Sub-IRs in the Results Framework is provided below:

IR1: Targeted ecosystems sustainably managed through improved community-based natural resource management and better protected area management

1.1: Management of targeted protected areas enhanced through effective engagement of neighboring communities, government, and non-governmental partners 1.2: Community-based natural resource management improved in targeted ecosystems of high biodiversity value

11 Nature, Wealth, and Power 2.0: Leveraging Natural and Social Capital for Resilient Development, USAID, 2013.

1.3: Innovative financing activities leveraged for improved management of biodiversity in targeted areas

IR2: Human wellbeing improved near selected areas of high biodiversity value through economic development and social support programs that help protect biodiversity

2.1 Community-based, market-driven livelihood and conservation activities expanded

2.2 Leveraging of USAID or other development programs increased for food security and health benefits to targeted communities near areas of high biodiversity value

IR3: Decentralized natural resource governance enhanced through more effective environmental policy, increased security of land and natural resource use rights, and better civil society engagement

3.1 Policies supporting improved biodiversity conservation and secured land management and natural resource use rights strengthened

3.2 Civil society capacity improved in support of effective advocacy on decentralized natural resource governance and protection of land and natural resource use rights

Crosscutting activities

The long-term conservation and development success of CCP also is contingent upon three additional crosscutting factors that are included in the Results Framework and addressed under each of the three IRs for the program. These are as follows:

1. Climate resilience: conservation interventions must be informed by climate resilience considerations to sustainably protect biodiversity. These considerations also will be included under all three of the program’s IRs. In order to better evaluate the value and importance of these issues for long-term sustainability CCP will assure a rigorous analysis of biodiversity-specific climate resilience conditions and in-country response capabilities at the beginning of the program that will be tracked and documented throughout the life of the activity. This approach will be extremely helpful to the GOM and other partners as they attempt to incorporate climate resilience considerations in national planning exercises across many sectors. Lessons learned will be shared both within Madagascar and internationally in order to inform programs that seek to include mutually-reinforcing biodiversity and climate change objectives.

2. Gender and Youth: inclusion of gender and youth considerations in program planning and implementation will promote more effective and equitable stakeholder engagement and help greatly in achieving project goals. While prior USAID biodiversity investments did include some focus on gender and youth, there was no systemic effort to assess engagement needs in these areas across program intervention areas and so opportunities for their inclusion were not considered. CCP will assess gender-sensitive and youth-inclusive approaches in all aspects of the project. System-wide approaches in these two areas are not currently employed widely by other actors and so CCP will provide important lessons learned can be shared with other partners in country and internationally. In addition, linkages with health and food security under joint Population-Health-Environment activities will involve gender and youth elements and will further advance some of the important PHE interventions that are occurring in Madagascar.

3. Science and technology: new innovative approaches and technologies must be employed to augment efforts to improve management, reduce oversight costs, support new biodiversity-friendly climate-resilient economic opportunities, access financing, and enhance accountability. In addition, these tools can help accelerate CCP efforts in country and assist Madagascar in recovering faster from the setbacks of the coup regime from 2009-2014 during which time Madagascar was not able to sufficiently benefit from technological innovations occurring elsewhere. These innovations include real time, low-to-no cost mapping tools such as Global Forest Watch; new genetic testing approaches such as gene sequencing technology; use of remote cost-effective data collection through use of drones; and predictive analytic tools to better assess beneficiary interests and fine tune approaches to best engage them. CCP will seek out these kinds of innovations and work with partners to apply them in the Malagasy context.

Relationship of CCP to USG and USAID Policies, Strategies, Initiatives, and Directives

The Conservation and Communities Project (CCP) is aligned with a number of USAID and broader US Government environmental priorities. First and foremost, this program aligns with USAID’s Biodiversity Policy of 201412 to conserve biodiversity for sustainable, resilient development. CCP will address its goals to both conserve biodiversity in priority places and integrate biodiversity as an essential component of human development, while also meeting the criteria embodied in the Agency’s Biodiversity Code. In addition, CCP is aligned with USAID’s 2012 Climate Change and Development Strategy in terms of protecting biodiversity in the face of predicted climate change impacts. Importantly, the CCP will be the pilot program for USAID Madagascar in implementing Executive Order 13677 on Climate-Resilient International Development by demonstrating that development programming can contribute to increasing climate change resilience in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management programming through improved monitoring and evaluation systems, data and information sharing, and modeling of viable approaches to build resilience. Two other important US whole-of-government initiatives to which CCP will contribute include the 2014 US National Strategy for Combatting Wildlife Trafficking and the 2014 Presidential Task Force on Combatting Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and Seafood Fraud through the program’s work on reducing illegal trade in wildlife and improving protection and governance of marine fisheries.

In addition, CCP will also support other important Agency development priorities. These include reducing extreme poverty; supporting human rights; ensuring greater citizen participation and inclusion; promoting greater gender equity and female empowerment; increasing youth engagement; and targeting catalytic economic growth opportunities. CCP will also build on a

12 http://www.usaid.gov/biodiversity/policy http://www.usaid.gov/biodiversity/policy strong history of integrated Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) initiatives that help address threats of population growth on biodiversity and endangered species. In support of USAID Forward objectives CCP will build the advocacy capacity of local civil society and community-based natural resource management organizations and support science and technology innovations to better protect biodiversity.

Implementing Mechanisms and Planned Results

For the achievement of these results the Conservation and Communities Project (CCP) will encompass two primary activities that will be mutually supportive. The first will be a site-based conservation activity named Mikajy, which means “taking good care of” in Malagasy, that will work to reduce threats to targeted protected areas and HBV ecosystems through improved management, increased economic opportunities, access to social services, and support for more secure land and natural resource property and use rights. Results from this activity will be shared with other partners working across Madagascar and will inform a community of practice around biodiversity conservation and threat reduction. The second activity, Hay Tao, meaning “know how” in Malagasy, will assist a wide array of development partners, including the Ministry of Environment, Ecology, Sea and Forests (MEEMF), to enhance the enabling conditions and policy frameworks supporting improved management of biodiversity resources, enhanced security of land and natural resource use rights, and effective civil society engagement. Hay Tao’s efforts will target support for Mikajy that can be applied more broadly across Madagascar.

Hay Tao will also assist in data collection and sharing as well as supporting the community of practice mentioned above.

In addition, CCP will buy into an inter-agency agreement between USAID and Peace Corps to provide small grant funding to support the work of Peace Corps Agriculture Volunteers who are now being strategically placed near protected areas. These volunteers will collaborate closely with the Mikajy program on activities under IR 2 and also may benefit from training opportunities offered through the program that are in alignment with their work objectives.

USAID and Peace Corps will identify appropriate roles for Peace Corps Volunteers that can advance the goals of CCP, particularly for the Mikajy activity.

Integration of Hay Tao with other USAID Madagascar programs

Unlike the site-based activity Mikajy, which will be strategically co-located with USAID Madagascar’s health and food security activities in the potential priority zones, Hay Tao will be more nationally focused in terms of improving the enabling conditions to support the site-based program Mikajy. However, Hay Tao will assure coordination with other USAID Mission offices in ensuring that CCP’s objectives are being met and that sectoral integration experiences and challenges are being discussed and programs are adapting as needed. This may take the form of an Advisory Committee that meets regularly to discuss strategic and programmatic issues, particularly collaboration in the field between USAID programs. Hay Tao will also monitor and evaluate the Mission’s results in integration.

Preserving Madagascar’s Natural Resources (SCAPES) Activity: Hay Tao will build on the success of the Preserving Madagascar’s Natural Resources activity, which began in 2013 and will end in September 2016. This $2.25M grant was awarded to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through the USAID Washington-based Sustainable Conservation Approaches in Priority Ecosystems (SCAPES) Leader with Associates (LWA) mechanism. This activity enhances the capabilities of the Malagasy people and civil society organizations (CSOs) to combat the illegal exploitation of Madagascar’s natural resources through improved understanding of illegal practices; standardized community-based monitoring systems, CSO-led advocacy efforts, and increased exposure of abusive practices. Hay Tao can assist in continuing some of the important work with civil society and journalists begun under this program to ensure that these issues wildlife law enforcement concerns remain in the public eye. Hay Tao can also use the results of the SCAPES activity in the design of more effective law enforcement tools for improved natural resource governance in protected areas and other areas of high biodiversity value.

Illustrative Interventions and Expected Outcomes under Hay Tao

IR 1: Targeted ecosystems sustainably managed through improved community-based natural resource management and better protected area management

Sub-intermediate results:

1.1: Management of targeted protected areas enhanced through effective engagement of neighboring communities, government, and non-governmental partners 1.2: Community-based natural resource management improved in targeted ecosystems of high biodiversity value 1.3: Innovative financing activities leveraged for improved management of biodiversity in targeted areas

Interventions under IR 1 will focus on sustainable management of key ecosystems in Madagascar with a focus on protected areas, given that they are the foundation for biodiversity conservation in the country and offer the greatest chances for success in the near term. CCP will work to reduce threats to targeted ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine, by improving protected area management, including grounding management protocols in robust science and best management practices. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) offers an effective framework for changing the behavior of people who live near protected areas and other areas of high biodiversity value so that they will be able to increasingly use resources more sustainably and reduce damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services. When coupled with effective local law enforcement and sustainable alternatives, CBNRM can be a powerful driving force for curbing unsustainable practices and providing long-term protection for habitats and species. Under this IR, there will be capacity building programs to improve the effectiveness of management systems for areas of high biodiversity and key species of concern as well as support for knowledge management systems to improve oversight of biodiversity activities and strengthen the exchange of emerging best practices in the country.

Hay Tao will pay a strong role in assuring the enabling environment and conditions to support activities under Mikajy are developed for use in targeted priority zones, but also more broadly in

Madagascar as applicable. Hay Tao will establish critical linkages to the principal development partners of concern under IR 1 in order to build a community of practice for improved management of biodiversity in Madagascar. Hay Tao will also inform partners about the successes and lessons learned of USAID’s activities under Mikajy while also sharing important lessons learned from other partners with Mikajy’s activity managers to help increase the success of biodiversity conservation in Madagascar as a whole.

In addition, under this IR Hay Tao will provide support to improve capacity building for long-term biodiversity conservation through supporting knowledge management systems and centralized databases to track management in the target zones of Mikajy, but also across the country; training programs and training opportunities to enhance management capabilities at all levels for protected area staff, community-based natural resource managers, and other partners and support innovative initiatives to improve the management of biodiversity. These initiatives could include (1) developing approaches to improve management technologies and systems, (2) introducing climate-resilient biodiversity conservation management actions; (3) promoting effective engagement strategies to ensure that women and youth are more engaged in and benefit from management in areas of high biodiversity value; (4) strengthening civil society’s national role in support of CBNRM and effective protected area management for local communities around the country.

Hay Tao’s activities will enhance understanding of how to incorporate climate resilience into the effective management of protected areas and other areas of high biodiversity value. In addition to performing a climate vulnerability and resilience assessment as an early deliverable, Hay Tao will support applied research activities and development of policy briefs about and informational materials on emerging international best practices on this topic as well as creating a learning approach with other donors to share with the Mikajy activity and more broadly in Madagascar.

Information collected, analyzed, and shared by Hay Tao will inform the development of specific interventions in the target zones of Mikajy.

Hay Tao will pay particular attention to the constraints faced by women and youth in management of forest and seascape environments and within the cultural and economic structures of these areas. Give these considerations, policy support approaches, training curricula design principles and components, database management tracking systems, and civil society support priorities under Hay Tao will have to be designed to constructively and effectively address these considerations. Information collected, analyzed, and shared by Hay Tao will inform the development of specific interventions in Mikajy’s target zones.

Illustrative Activities and Expected Outcomes for Hay Tao under IR 1 are included below.

Illustrative Activities for Hay Tao under IR 1:

• Provide technical assistance for needs assessments, design support, and staff training to assist partners in developing a national biodiversity database to improve data collection, analysis and use of data products to better inform decision makers and investors on the biodiversity status and progress on threat reduction for any given protected area with emphasis on an initial focus on areas supported by Mikajy

• Provide technical assistance in how to use data from the national biodiversity database to present information in useful ways for a wide variety of users and for multiple purposes

• Support the development of training materials for Mikajy target zones and wider distribution to (1) create or strengthen community-based management of terrestrial and marine protected areas to conserve critical biodiversity, and (2) build capacity to manage those areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services, while realizing economic benefits from good management (Link to IR 2)

• Provide technical assistance in the development and operationalization of the legal and policy framework for coastal and marine protected areas, including marine sanctuaries and locally-managed marine areas (LMMAs)

• Support the development of training materials on how to incorporate appropriate climate resilience measures in management of protected areas and community-based natural resource management areas of high biodiversity value

• Provide technical assistance to improve national guidelines for monitoring, resource protection, and law enforcement capabilities for national parks and other protected areas, including the scaled-up use of law enforcement monitoring (LEM) systems as a critical component of sound management

• Undertake a number of targeted assessments to inform programmatic development including a climate vulnerability assessment; a needs assessment for the development of the national database for biodiversity tracking; a needs assessment for a civil society engagement strategy; and a needs assessment for biodiversity conservation training needs

• Translate learning from Mikajy’s target zones to national and international audiences in how to develop, update, and implement approved management plans for protected areas including community managed or co-managed areas that are based on sound scientific evidence for the sustainable management and use of forest and marine resources, including a focus on climate resilience and gender and youth considerations

• Science and technology solutions researched and deployment assured under Mikajy sites to improve protected area management/CBNRM approaches and prioritize conservation actions, including support to (1) enhance the effectiveness of conservation approaches;

(2) better understand the socio-economic drivers of biodiversity loss; (3) identify and deploy viable climate resilience responses; (4) increase opportunities to effectively engage women and youth in biodiversity conservation

Expected Outcomes for Hay Tao under IR 1:

• Utilization of a data portal established with support from USAID that improves policy/decision-making and implementation of more effective law enforcement initiatives in support of the National System of Protected Areas (SAPM)

• Improved management oversight of the Madagascar Protected Area Network (e.g., development and/or improvement of management database, training program for database management staff, etc., with an focus on sites supported under Mikajy)

• Enhanced technical capacity of decision makers to track the status of biodiversity resources, and how climate resilience and women/youth engagement considerations can impact the status of biodiversity with a focus on Mikajy sites as pilot zones

• Successful training programs have been developed and are being implemented to enable community-based natural resource managers and protected area technicians to effectively conduct ecological monitoring to support monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems needed to access financing for improved natural resource management and biodiversity conservation

• Successful campaigns launched to raise awareness nationally about conservation issues and the benefits of CBNRM with a focus on USAID’s experience in the Mikajy target sites

• Through Hay Tao’s efforts USAID plays a more active role national efforts to obtain conservation financing and make the protected area network more financially viable

• Increased capacity of the Madagascar Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity (FAPBM) and Tany Meva Foundation to provide leadership in protected area management and conservation financing for the protected area network

• New knowledge management systems developed and provide broad-based access to existing and new data in order to better inform biodiversity monitoring and reporting at multiple levels

• Institutional capacity to analyze, interpret, and report on biodiversity data is improved at national level

• Science and technology solutions employed to improve protected area management/CBNRM approaches and prioritize conservation actions

IR 2: Human wellbeing improved near selected areas of high biodiversity value through economic development and social support programs that help protect biodiversity

Sub-intermediate results expected include:

2.1 Community-based, market-driven livelihood and conservation activities expanded

2.2 Leveraging of USAID or other development programs increased for food security and health benefits to targeted communities near areas of high biodiversity value

This IR is more squarely focused on the Mikajy activity, but there are important aspects of IR 2 for which Hay Tao will be able to provide some assistance given its more national perspective and its support to the enabling environment more broadly. As mentioned above under the Mikajy activity’s support under IR 2, Madagascar must look beyond the boundaries of protected areas to effectively combat degradation of biodiversity, which is a direct result of high poverty rates and population growth pressures. As communities are supported to shift into more biodiversity-friendly, climate-resilient approaches they must increasingly be engaged in ways of earning a living that do not harm biodiversity (i.e., sustainable or alternative livelihoods). In support of this objective Hay Tao will promote efforts to improve the policy and legal framework for sustainable uses of biodiversity. This will include the economic valuation of biodiversity resources and related ecosystem services that are crucial in identifying the actual benefits that stem from these resources and the ecological processes that they support. With this information, Hay Tao can then help partners to increase economic returns from their non-destructive use and leverage additional financing to further protect them. In addition, the monitoring, reporting, and valuation (MRV) systems that will be promoted in Hay Tao and (and utilized and refined in Mikajy) will be important aspects of assessing the value of biodiversity resources and ecological services over time. The data portal supported under Hay Tao will enable better tracking of biodiversity resources and could help regroup sites of high biodiversity value into areas of a size large enough to attract consequential amounts of conservation investment funding. Also, Hay Tao’s work on improved natural resource and land tenure security through support to policy development and civil society engagement can help clarify rights and responsibilities, which would in turn serve to promote biodiversity-friendly enterprises and green investing opportunities.

In addition, Hay Tao will serve to help support the integration of field-based activities under Mikajy with other USAID health and food security programs or programs of other partners to provide water and sanitation, family planning, health, nutrition, and food security. As USAID’s principal support mechanism for donor coordination and GOM engagement, USAID will utilize Hay Tao’s resources to ensure that lessons learned about integrated programming approaches and their impact on both biodiversity and development outcomes are shared in donor and other multi-stakeholder meetings and also provided to national-level civil society and media partners supported through Hay Tao for diffusion to broader audiences. Hay Tao can also support policies, operational frameworks, and learning events for integrated programming at the national level, including the existing Madagascar Population-Health-Environment Network.

Concerning CCP’s cross-cutting issues, Hay Tao can provide support to influence policy and institutional practices related to the sustainable economic use of biodiversity resources by sharing and publicizing results through various formats. Hay Tao will analyze the work of Mikajy and other partners to help craft policies that better value biodiversity services and reduce climate threats to them, including the role that biodiversity plays in mitigating effects of climate change and its role in helping the country adapt to predicted climate change effects. In terms of supporting women and youth under IR 2, Hay Tao can work through its networks of policy makers, donors, private sector organizations, and civil society partners on the national stage to identify how women and youth can best be supported to protect biodiversity and gain economically from doing so. Hay Tao will take lessons learned from Mikajy and other partners and translate them into appropriate analyses and informational products for decision makers and the general public. Hay Tao also can foster the wider diffusion of science and technology innovations and solutions employed to support biodiversity-friendly climate-resilient livelihood and economic growth activities in Mikajy sites and sites of other partners by recommending them to government and non-government partners involved in biodiversity and by providing discussion platforms at the national level and publicizing them to wider audiences, including private sector actors and impact investors.

Illustrative Activities and Expected Outcomes for Hay Tao under IR 2 are included below.

Illustrative Activities for Hay Tao under IR 2:

• Climate vulnerability assessment performed that analyzes options and proposes promotion of viable biodiversity-friendly, climate-resilient livelihood activities

• Technical support to partners to improve how information derived from the database can be used to better inform private sector actors and investment decisions that favor biodiversity-friendly climate-resilient enterprises and investment structures

• Technical assistance to partners improve GOM policies concerning natural capital valuation and the implementation of these policies for more accurate development planning and private sector engagement

• Creation and diffusion of outreach materials for civil society and media based on experiences from the Mikajy activity and other partners in enterprise development that is biodiversity-friendly, climate-resilient, and inclusive of women and youth

• Technical assistance to support efforts of the GOM and other partners in accurate valuation of natural capital such as biodiversity and related ecosystem services and the costs of maintaining their value vis-à-vis other competing uses

• Provide technical assistance and training for various partners the development and operation of MRV systems that can inform market information on natural capital stocks over time

• Support policy actions that clarify land and natural resource use and/or tenure rights and responsibilities and help to stimulate private sector investments that reduce threats to biodiversity and assure long-term sustainability to climate change shocks

Expected Outcomes for Hay Tao under IR 2:

• Experiences from conservation-focused alternative and sustainable livelihoods for individuals/households/communities, including for women and youth, are successfully diffused to a wide audience of decision makers and private sector actors that could develop similar activities

• Policy and legal framework for sustainable uses of biodiversity is improved due to the work supported by USAID and other partners

• Economic valuation of natural capital, including biodiversity resources and ecosystem services, has improved and provides clearer market signals that can inform investments in biodiversity-friendly climate-resilient enterprises and investment funds

• Given better understanding of the economic value of biodiversity resources and ecosystem services corresponding climate resilience measures to protect them are economically valued as well

• Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems provide increasingly valuable and important market information on the status of natural capital stocks over time

• Clearer rights and responsibilities about natural resource and land tenure enable less risky investments to parties interested in biodiversity-friendly climate-resilient economic development

• Value of integrated Population-Health-Environment (PHE) interventions in terms of improved human wellbeing is proven and the approach is spreading in Madagascar

• Improved policy framework for PHE is developed at the national level with clearly articulated objectives for reducing threats to biodiversity resources that also improve human wellbeing

• Wider diffusion of science and technology innovations in biodiversity-friendly climate-resilient livelihood and wellbeing activities that are also reducing threats to biodiversity resources

IR3: Decentralized natural resource governance enhanced through more effective environmental policy, increased security of land and natural resource use rights, and…