Attachment_9,_Program_Description__Sustainable_Agriculture_Technology.pdf

Attachment B - Program Description

1. DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE

Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar illicit business that is decimating Africa’s iconic animal populations. Many iconic species such as the African elephants and rhinoceroses faces the risk of significant decline or even extinction. According to the IUCN African Elephant Status Report (2016)1, an African elephant population has declined by an estimated 111000 in the past decade primarily due to poaching and 5940 African rhinos have been killed since 2008 out of an estimated population of 25 000.2 South Africa currently conserves 79% of Africa’s rhinos and suffered 85% of the crime with 5048 rhinos killed between 2008 and 2015.3 Efforts are being made to reverse the trends through international platforms such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which is a relevant tool to addressing international wildlife crime through monitoring, regulations or banning of international trade in species under threat.

International momentum against wildlife crime has increased, with a number of actions and commitments from governments to combat wildlife trafficking. For instance, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2015 committing countries to step up their collective efforts to address wildlife crime and put an end to the global poaching crisis.

At the heart of this international momentum and efforts to combat wildlife crimes is the development threat that wildlife trafficking poses to realizing sustainable development across the globe. It is a serious crime that undermines the economic prosperity of many countries, threatening their natural capital and undermining sustainable economic development including development benefits derived from legal nature based enterprises like tourism. Wildlife crime erodes social stability and cohesion and impoverishes citizens as their cultural and natural heritage is robbed.

Natural resource dependent communities are exposed to security threats and destruction of their livelihoods.

Furthermore, between 40% and 85% of the SADC citizens live in rural areas where they depend on natural resources for survival.4 The region has a rich natural heritage of global significance, including some of the planets largest intact populations of rhinos and elephants. Natural resources are vitally important to the economy of the region and its growth. Approximately US$3.2 billion was generated from nature-based tourism by 10 of the 14 SADC countries in 2000/2001.5 In Namibia for instance, community conservation has contributed more than US$326 million to the net national income since 1991 while conservancies alone generated about $6 million, facilitated 6, 472 jobs and promoted 167 natural resource-based enterprises.6 Wildlife tourism for instance, is an increasingly important and growing industry that brings benefits to national economies of the region and local people alike. Decimating wildlife species and destroying natural ecosystems threatens such prosperous development sector and livelihood security. Organized criminal

1 Thouless CR, Dublin HT, Blanc JJ, Skinner DP. Daniel TE, Taylor RD, Maisels F, Frederick HL and Bouche P (2016) African Elephant Status Report:

An update from the African Elephant database. Occasional Paper Series of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, No. 60 IUCN/ SSC Africa Elephant Specialist Group. IUCN Gland, Switzerland 2 Department of Environmental Affairs (2016) Rhino poaching statistics update. Pretoria, South Africa.

https://www.environment.gov.za/projectsprogrammes/rhinodialogues/poaching_statistics 3 SADC (2015) SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy 2016 – 2021. Gaborone, Botswana 4 SADC (2015) SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy 2016 – 2021. Gaborone, Botswana 5 Vernon R. Booth (2010): The contribution of hunting tourism: How significant is this to national economies in contribution of wildlife to national economies. Joint publication of FAO and CIC. Budapest. 72 pp.

6 Riehl B, Zerriffi H and Naidoo R (2005) Effects of community-based natural resource management on household welfare I Namibia. PLoS ONE 10(5): e0125531.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0125531 https://www.environment.gov.za/projectsprogrammes/rhinodialogues/poaching_statistics networks also threaten the peace and security of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

In Zimbabwe, the Communal Areas Management Program For Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) is responsible for the conservation of some 50,000 km2 of natural habitat – equivalent in size to the National Parks Estate and providing important buffers to, and biological corridors between national and transboundary protected areas. In this latter regard, the various CAMPFIRE areas around Gonarezhou National Park provide vital buffers and geographical linkages between Gonarezhou, Kruger and Limpopo National Parks in the formation of the Greater Limpopo Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (GL-TFCA).

Despite its current shambolic state, compounded by the profoundly depressed economy and tourism in Zimbabwe, CAMPFIRE generates net revenues of about US$2 million per annum across 13 Community Districts7.

SAT / WILD is currently leading the ongoing National CAMPFIRE Stakeholders Review – which is process of review and upgrade of all national policy, institutional frameworks, governance and administration mechanisms for CBRNM and CAMPFIRE in Zimbabwe. The process is endorsed by the Government of Zimbabwe and overseen by an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee of which the WILD Coordinator is the Secretary and Coordinator.

By the year 2000, the contribution of nature-based tourism to the regional GDP across SADC was estimated to have reached a level close to the combined contributions of agriculture (including livestock), fisheries and forestry. Moreover, nature-based tourism has greater potential for expansion and its annual rate of expansion is some 3-5x that of traditional agriculture and forestry in the region8.

Addressing wildlife trafficking in the region is necessary and relevant for generating prosperity and expanding development efforts within the SADC region. There is a need to strengthen enforcement in the region to combat wildlife crime. In particular, efforts to support regional coordination among enforcement agencies and to prioritize wildlife trafficking across enforcement, regulatory and intelligence agencies are needed. The reduction of corruption and improvement of transparency and accountability through the wildlife enforcement chain is also necessary. In addition, there is a need to support appropriate institutional capacities to be able to detect, deter and apprehend would-be poachers and dismantle criminal networks. There is also a need to strengthen capacities to prosecute and adjudicate crimes relating to wildlife trafficking. It has also become evident that the success of wildlife crime prevention lies with effective local governance, management and engagement of communities. Expanded support is necessary to shift the incentives so that communities can legally and sustainably benefit from wildlife and to expand their role as effective conservation stewards.

2. BACKGROUND

The SADC region is facing an unprecedented increase in the poaching of elephants and rhinos and

7 Masterson C et al, 2016, Zimbabwe’s National Position Statement on the Role of Hunting in Biodiversity Conservation in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Ethics and Coordination Committee for Ethical and Sustainable Hunting in Zimbabwe.

8 Scholes, R.J. and R. Biggs (eds), 2004: Ecosystem Services in Southern Africa: A Regional Assessment. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.

other wildlife for illegal financial gains. The increased trend in poaching for elephants and rhinos is largely due to the high value of ivory and rhino horn on the international black market. For instance, the market value of rhino horn is estimated to fetch between $60 000 to $80 000 per kilo ($30,000 per pound), a commodity that is more lucrative than gold and platinum.9 Illegal harvesting of other important species such as pangolins, lions, marine mammals, cycads, and turtles is also a concern in the region. Illegally harvested wildlife is traded on the black market as skins, leather goods or souvenirs, as food or traditional medicines, as pets and in many other forms.

Southern Africa is endowed with exceptional natural landscapes and wildlife, containing a rich diversity of species. The region supports the largest number of African elephants and rhino population in the world, with the largest elephant population found in Botswana and South Africa boasting the highest number of rhinos. Other notable animals include lions, leopards, buffalo, and other antelopes occurring in large numbers. Wildlife is an important economic asset in the region contributing significantly to gross domestic product. The tragedy is that poverty remains one of the greatest challenges in the SADC region with approximately half of the population living on less than $1 a day.10 Of these poor people, between 40% and 85% live in rural areas where they depend on natural resources for survival.11 If wildlife crimes continue unabated, the region will not only lose critical species and experience associated ecological erosion, but the impacts will be the hardest for poor communities who are heavily reliant on nature-based economies.

Addressing the illegal wildlife trade to respond to this unprecedented poaching trend, the Southern African states recently adopted a region-wide SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy to tackle wildlife crime. Section 4: Regional Response detailed some of the key regional responses by the SADC community to address wildlife crime.

Approaches to address the illegal trade in wildlife span the enforcement continuum, from prevention and apprehension to prosecution and adjudication. Combating the illegal wildlife trade requires a holistic approach that combines stronger law enforcement, including crime prevention, with improved wildlife management. Furthermore, to achieve success, these efforts must include actors from across government, civil society, and the private sector and must be coordinated within countries and across geopolitical boundaries.

Improved enforcement alone, while necessary, will not slow the illegal wildlife trade in time to save many critically endangered species. Addressing the current crisis requires harmonized efforts incorporating on-the-ground cross-border cooperation and a high-level enabling environment that prioritizes conserving wildlife for economic development and local, national, and regional stability. In addition, communities living near protected areas and other biodiversity hotspots who bear the costs of living with wildlife have not always shared in the benefits or participated in decision-making around wildlife management.

Collaboration with communities is critical to preventing poaching. Crime prevention approaches are based on identifying and addressing the drivers of wildlife crime. Without addressing the socio-political drivers that are motivating wildlife crime, strengthening law enforcement alone will be less successful. Partnerships and building trust between communities, civil society, business, 9 CITES (2012) Annual Report. London 10 SADC (2016) Poverty Reduction and Policy Dialoque. http://www.sadc.int/themes/poverty-eradication-policy-dialogue/ 11 SADC (2015) SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy 2016 – 2021. Gaborone, Botswana http://www.sadc.int/themes/poverty-eradication-policy-dialogue/ and law enforcement is also critical to help develop community-oriented crime prevention approaches and support intelligence gathering, information sharing, and investigation of wildlife crimes. However, prevention approaches can only succeed when there is also effective and credible deterrence to continued illegal use of wildlife. This means capable, effective apprehension, prosecution, and adjudication combined with appropriate penalties for violators.

Hand-in-hand with strengthening incentives and opportunities to promote wildlife conservation is strengthening the disincentives to participate in wildlife crime.

3. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) aims to combat wildlife crime in the south-east Lowveld of Zimbabwe region and adjacent areas of Mozambique. This area of operation falls within the Great Limpopo Trans-Frontier Conservation Areas (GL-TFCA), an important landscape for conservation of key species.

As shown in Figure 1 below, the GL-TFCA, linking protected areas in South Africa (Kruger National Park), Mozambique (Limpopo, Banhine & Zinave National Parks) and Zimbabwe (Gonarezhou National Park), covers an area of approximately 35,000 square kilometers. Figure 2 shows a zoomed in Google-Earth® Map of the landscape in which the consortium will focus under this Proposal.

Figure 1: Map of the Greater Limpopo TFCA linking Gonarezhou National Park in

Zimbabwe with Kruger National Park in South Africa and Limpopo, Banhine and Zinave National Parks in Mozambique. © Map courtesy Peace Parks Foundation.

Figure 2: Google-Earth® Map zooming in on the Gonarezhou National Park and surrounding areas in which this Action will be focused.

The contribution of tourism revenue from protected areas to national, regional, and local economies is significant however wildlife crime remains a threat to the development agenda of the region. Challenges in this landscape include pervasive poverty, worsening population-resource mismatch, community-conservation disconnect, low law enforcement capacity compounded by poor coordination, lack of accountability, corruption and the presence of crime syndicated trafficking wildlife products.

Description of key challenges pertaining to control of illegal wildlife trafficking in the Project Area

Consultative processes with local Communities around Gonarezhou have identified a number of threats and weaknesses to socio-economic security and ecological resilience in the area:

i. Climate and land use: very hot, extremely dry and drought prone; unsuited to traditional subsistence farming practices – translating into chronic food insecurity and severe, progressive rangeland degradation. Environmental degradation, compounded by climate change, severely undermines socio-economic stability. Diversified Community Based Natural Resource Management (D-CBNRM) presents a more resilient land-use option.

ii. Poor development, services and resilience in Communal Areas: severe and pervasive poverty; poor education and very low attendance beyond primary school; dilapidated community infrastructure transport and communications systems; poor access to health services and escalation in HIV infection rates; lingering gender inequality and absentee breadwinners are all major socio-economic challenges.

iii. Dramatic escalation of commercial poaching and international wildlife trafficking – particularly of ivory and rhino horn – with inadequate coverage by security agencies.

Concomitant escalation of cross-border banditry, livestock rustling and smuggling of other contraband (e.g. diamonds and cigarettes), emanating from Mozambique, is feeding into networks actively involved in elephant poaching in Gonarezhou and rhino poaching in Kruger National Park and the south-east Lowveld of Zimbabwe.

iv. Poor investigation and prosecution success rates for wildlife-related crime.

v. Drastically diminished CBNRM revenues from the Communal Areas Management

Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE): eroded awareness of community rights and poor governance in CAMPFIRE has resulted in inequitable distribution of social benefits and poor technical management undermining ecological and economic sustainability.

vi. Tourism traffic is generally very low and not through lack of potential.

vii. Failed donor interventions - of which there are numerous examples in the area – at best represent wasted resources sorely needed and at worst, drive and entrench corruption.

viii. Funding for security and conservation activities in Protected Areas and Community Conservancies is very difficult to secure.

4. REGIONAL RESPONSE

Zimbabwe is Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since 1982 and is bound by the provision of this Convention in its wildlife trade with other countries.

One of its iconic species, the African elephant is included in Appendix II of CITES since 1997 however live sale to appropriate and acceptable destinations is allowed.12 The current poaching trends are a great concern to the development of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe plays an important role in the regional efforts to curb poaching and protect wildlife.

The country adopted the SADC Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement in 1999 as part of its efforts towards regionally-agreed approaches to conservation, management and the enforcement of illegal uses of wildlife. The SADC Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement is a region-wide effort aimed at fostering regional cooperation, protecting wildlife, promoting national and regional capacity building and the facilitation of community-based wildlife management.13

Recognizing the trans-regional and transnational nature of wildlife populations, SADC also supports the establishment of Trans-Frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) as a positive contribution to wildlife conservation. The TFCAs are founded with the aim of collaboratively managing shared natural and cultural resources across international boundaries for improved biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development. In the SADC region, there are 18

12 SADC (2016) Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy 2016 - 2021. Gaborone, Botswana 13 SADC (1999) Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement. Gaborone, Botswana

TFCAs in both terrestrial and marine environment in various stage of development covering over 700 000 km2. The south-east Lowveld forms part of the GL-TFCA, which was established in 2002 through the signing of international treaty by the presidents of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Notable successes of the GL-TFCA include the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2014 on biodiversity conservation and management that led to strategic anti-poaching activities including improved cross-border collaboration and operations, joint training activities and the development of joint communication systems. The TFCAs are embedded under the Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement.14

Another regional response emanating from the Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement is the development of a 5-year regional SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy (2016 – 2021). The strategy provides a framework for country and regional cooperation, together with international engagement on natural resource management and wildlife-related law enforcement and anti-poaching issues. Zimbabwe adopted the strategy in 2015 and efforts on combatting wildlife crime in the southeast Lowveld will be guided by this strategy. In addition, activities from this project will contribute to the vision of the GL-TFCA and project partners are expected to participate in GL-TFCA networking forums for sharing knowledge and experiences and use the network as their primary communication platform in the region.

The engagement of communities in natural resource management is important in this landscape such that the GL-TFCA developed an Integrated Livelihood Diversification Strategy to provide guidance on how to identify the most prudent ways in which to sustainably intervene in local livelihoods.15 The strategy is very relevant for improvement of livelihood of communities living near the protected areas. The adoption of the strategy is an important regional response towards uplifting community empowerment and improving livelihood security to communities living in the GL-TFCA.

WILD-Programme Overview Recognizing communities as critically important stakeholders in the TFCA mosaic and, moreover, as the First Line of Defense (FLoD) in curbing commercial wildlife crime and international wildlife trafficking, the WILD Programme has sought to develop devolved and diversified CBNRM opportunities and win-win relationships between biodiversity conservation areas and neighboring communities.

WILD is currently developing 2 Community Wildlife Conservancies - JAMANDA and NAIVASHA – both adjacent to Gonarezhou National Park in the GL-TFCA. The basic premise of WILD Conservancies is to diversify communal livelihoods to include drought-tolerant Wildlife-Based Land-Use into the mainstream of local economies and so create win-win and mutually advantageous buffers between conservation areas and the communities living alongside them – all while improving ecological resilience and provision of essential eco-services underpinning all biologically-based land-use systems.

14 SADC (2016) SADC Trans frontier Conservation Area. Gaborone, Botswana.

www.tfcaportal.org 15 GLTFCA (2016) Great Limpopo Trans frontier Conservation Area: Integrated Livelihoods Diversification Strategy 2016 – 2030.

http://www.tfcaportal.org/

The WILD Mission: To develop sustainable Community Conservancies that empower local peoples; support development; promote community cohesion, security and peace; strengthen tradition and culture and deliver livelihood resilience underpinned by restoration and conservation of wildlife, wilderness and ecosystems.

WILD Pillars: WILD builds towards this vision through focus on the following key pillars:

i. Comprehensive stakeholder engagement & needs assessment

ii. Development of robust, devolved governance frameworks and operating procedures

iii. Establishment of community-owned conservation systems (including security) & biodiversity product with which to engage tourism investors

iv. Sustainable commercialization through facilitation of Private Public Community Partnerships (PPCPs)

v. Diversification of environmentally-sustainable revenue streams for Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFPs) – such as Carbon Credits and wild fruit value addition.

vi. Environmental Education and mitigation of Human-Wildlife-Conflict

vii. Promoting improved food security and resource management under traditional land-use activities.

WILD Governance structures Corruption and poor governance has long been acknowledged as being the downfall of the CAMPFIRE Programme in Zimbabwe and development of robust, accountable governance has been the most important focus of WILD to date.

WILD has sought to develop robust CBNRM governance and institutional frameworks that:

1) Provide accountable governance and devolved decision-making for CBNRM at Community Level

2) Ensure technical and administrative competence (through training and technical back-stopping)

3) Are representative of all stakeholder groups – including Local Government, Traditional Leadership, Ward Councilors, elected CAMPFIRE committees, women, technical partners (WILD) and private sector partners.

4) Safeguard against corruption and imbalance of power between different stakeholder groups through village level devolution, transparency, accountability and good governance procedures of Steering Committees and backstopping by technical partners.

5) Provide platforms for social advocacy and community representation extending beyond

CBNRM.

6) Are permissible within the legal framework of Zimbabwe. In this regard, WILD Community Conservancies have been established as legally acceptable entities for devolved CBNRM with Steering Committees formed as Environment Sub-Committees of Rural District Councils (RDCs) in terms of SI 38 of 2009; Section 61 part (6) of the RDC Act & Section 133 of the Environment Management Act – as set out in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3: Steering Committee structure of the Jamanda Community Conservancy as an example of the WILD Governance Model.

5. PROGRAM PURPOSE

Overall goal To reduce wildlife crime and international wildlife trafficking across the southeast Lowveld of Zimbabwe and the GL-TFCA.

Progress towards achievement of the goal will be measured by monitoring and reporting of trends in regionally accepted key performance indicators for wildlife-crime law enforcement and key species conservation.

The following results are anticipated:

1. Wildlife prosecutions monitoring, data-base and reporting systems functioning in Zimbabwe

2. Zimbabwe’s legislation and judicial process related to wildlife crime critically reviewed and enhanced

3. Two performance-based conservation community incentive mechanisms operating effectively within the Lowveld

4. Concise key performance indicators for wildlife crime prevention agreed, reviewed & published annually

5. Community-based scouting units functioning in two sites in southeast Lowveld

6. Cross-border agreements and operational coordination in place for addressing wildlife crime

The program will be implemented through a cooperative agreement and, potentially, a fixed amount award (FAA). This Project Description lays out the scope for both agreements, which must work hand in hand to achieve the stated objectives of the program. USAID anticipates entering into the agreements with a total estimated contribution of 5.5 million USD for a five-year performance period, contingent upon availability of funding. A 10% match is anticipated for the cooperative agreement but not for the Fixed Amount Award. The Fixed Amount Award will be for a three-year performance period and is included in the 5.5 million USD anticipated contribution.

The agreements will support the specific objectives described below and will support regional efforts to combat the illegal trade in wildlife. The project objectives will contribute to the implementation of the United States National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking and complement current regional and bilateral programs managed by USAID and other USG agencies in Southern Africa and ongoing responses by donors, governments, private sector and other organizations.

The project primary partner is expected to work in this landscape with other partners and must provide a strong justification for how meaningful results will be achieved in the targeted geographies given the level of resources anticipated. In addition, given the complexities of the challenges of combatting wildlife crime, working with communities and cross-border cooperation, the primary partner is encouraged strongly to develop significant partnerships with a relevant set of public, civil society and relevant conservation authorities in the region and other international organizations if appropriate. A consortium approach, with significant allocation of resources to sub-awardees and consortium partners will be supported. Investments under this cooperative agreement will primarily focus on developing community incentives, local and cross-border partnerships and coordination to reduce wildlife crime, capacity building and promotion of learning at the regional transboundary level. The consortium is expected to work with the SADC Secretariat, the regional organizations, the GL-TFCA and national governments to implement strategies to combat wildlife crime and illegal wildlife trade. USAID anticipates that creative and participatory project management frameworks will be used to ensure that project decision-making, collaborative work-planning and monitoring are coordinated across the GL-TFCA landscape. In addition, the partner is expected to participate and share learning with other landscape programs being supported by USAID in the region, and specifically with work planned in adjacent areas of South Africa and Mozambique. The partner is expected to budget accordingly to actively participate in such learning, coordination and collaborative activities.

6. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The project will support the SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching objectives to significantly reduce the level of poaching, illegal trade in wildlife and enhance law enforcement capacity and promote sustainable utilization in the next five years. SCALE-AP project will also be implemented under the guiding framework of the Protocol for Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement by facilitating the exchange of information concerning wildlife management, utilization and the enforcement of wildlife laws through the GL-TFCA, assist in the building of capacity for wildlife management, conservation and enforcement of wildlife laws and community-based natural resources management practices and incentives models.

The program will be funded with resources earmarked by the U.S. Congress for Biodiversity Conservation. As such, the program and all activities must meet the necessary Biodiversity earmark requirements as defined by USAID (see Attachment 2). The program will explicitly address key rhino and elephant populations.

The goal of the Supporting Communities and Law Enforcement Against Poaching Project (SCALE-AP) is to ensure wildlife crime and illegal trade are reduced across the southeast Lowveld of Zimbabwe and the GL-TFCA as reflected by positive trends in regionally accepted key performance indicators for law enforcement and key species conservation.

The program goal will be achieved using an approach that is consistent with the overall SCALE-AP project objectives below. Applicants should ensure that all activities are tailored directly towards promoting within country and cross-border cooperation, capacity building, enhancing policy frameworks for law enforcement and prosecution, improving accountability and developing community incentives to support combating wildlife crime. Specific objectives include:

Objective 1: Enhance partnerships and coordination to reduce wildlife crime in the Lowveld and GL-TFCA Objective 2: Improve law enforcement and conservation accountability Objective 3: Improve capacity and policy framework for law enforcement and prosecution Objective 4: Communities are effectively engaged as the first line of defense against commercial wildlife crime of the southeast Lowveld and GL-TFCA.

Objective 5: Develop performance-based community rhino incentives under a separate FAA award to Lowveld Rhino Trust (LRT).

These main objectives are expanded with inclusion of main outputs and indicative activities below. Further detail regarding milestones, outputs, indicative activities and indicators are provided in the Draft Log-Frame (ANNEX 2) which will form the basis of the final Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) Plan to be finalized during the inception phase of the project.

Objective 1: Enhance partnerships and coordination to reduce wildlife crime in the SEL and

GL-TFCA

Recognizing the critical need for connectivity between the three countries within the GL-TFCA, activities in Zimbabwe / Mozambique will be coordinated with the South Africa / Mozambique landscape initiative.

Outputs and illustrative activities include:

Output 1.1: MOU defining roles and inter-relationships of consortium partners ratified and

Monthly Management & Review Committee established for the Project.

• This output will involve all partners and will establish the management model for the

Project.

Output 1.2: Establish a multi-stakeholder steering committee and align the Action with other relevant local, national, trans-boundary and regional initiatives.

• Establish a Project Steering Committee incorporating consortium partners including LRT, community leaders, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, civil society representatives - to draft and validate workplans and policy reforms, provide mandate for institutional linkages and operations and to periodically review law enforcement and conservation performance and KPIs. The law enforcement will be represented in the committee by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

• Align the partnerships and coordination efforts with other relevant initiatives such as the GL-TFCA Integrated Livelihood Diversification strategy, GL-TFCA objectives, SADC Anti-Poaching and Law Enforcement strategy, relevant existing initiatives in the area, align with conservation efforts of the Gonarezhou National Park, Stop Rhino Poaching network, existing technology initiatives in the GL-TFCA such as the Wildlife Crime App and C-MORE at Kruger National Park and interface and exchange lessons with other USAID projects on combatting wildlife crime in the region.

• Promote increased dialogue and cooperation between Gonarezhou National Park and surrounding communities with integration of community scouts under WILD Conservancy Governance structures into the broader security effort

Output 1.3: Law-enforcement monitoring and planning framework established for the SEL &

GL-TFCA.

• Procure consultancy to assist in-house MEAL, Communications and Information Management Officer to derive concise set of KPIs and integrate these into the project MEAL Plan.

• Harmonise M&E indicators and methodology with the IUCN interventions in other landscapes to better inform ongoing monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management and provide useful information to IUCN and contribute to their dataset.

• Co-developing common approaches and cooperation in field level activities (for example, community awareness, community scouting and law enforcement)

Output 1.4: Mozambique conservancy constituted and Gonarezhou / Mozambique working group established for decentralized, neighborly trans-boundary collaboration on law enforcement.

• Coordinating trans-boundary dialogue and activities with the Mozambique government, law enforcement and conservation agencies through WWF as well as through the GL-TFCA coordinator and TFCA Joint Management Board.

• Procuring consultancy to form unified “Maunge” Conservancy in Mozambique with common management and security plans aligned to General Management and Security Plans for Gonarezhou and GL-TFCA.

• Establishment of cross-border working group.

• Clarification of the role of and support to the initial conservator of the Maunge Conservancy in Mozambique

• Mr. Anthony Marks will be the overall conservator of the new Maunge Conservancy in Mozambique. He is not a direct employee of any of the consortium partners but will nonetheless play a key role in the initial consolidation and set-up of the Conservancy.

• At present, Mr. Marks is a private employee of a single land owner of one of the properties in the Conservancy. As his role expands to encompass the broader Conservancy this Project will provide limited support in the form of:

o 50% of monthly salary for years 1-4, thereafter funded 100% by the Maunge Conservancy.

o Project Vehicle and running costs to facilitate the establishment of the conservancy and its cross-border coordination with Gonarezhou National Park.

o Costs of cross-border coordination meetings with FZS / Gonarezhou National Park.

o A small allocation for the procurement of office and communications equipment.

Output 1.5: Cross-border protocols agreed and implemented for coordinated cross-border law enforcement.

• Create effective and officially sanctioned cross-border cooperation between Gonarezhou National Park and their immediate neighbors and wildlife law enforcement agencies in Mozambique and incorporating them more fully into the institutional landscape of the

GL-TFCA. (FZS)

• Cross border security and community-related needs between wildlife law enforcement and communities in Mozambique will be championed by another USAID-funded consortium led by WWF – South Africa.

Objective 2: Improve law enforcement and conservation accountability

Law enforcement efforts need to be measured and reported in an objective way to highlight weaknesses and introduce accountability within corrupt or otherwise inefficient law enforcement, prosecution and conservation agencies.

Main outputs and illustrative activities include:

Output 2.1: Concise KPI's for monitoring of wildlife crime drafted and baselines established by the steering committee -based on relevant national, trans-boundary and regional conservation agreements and law enforcement strategies

• Synthesizing of a concise set of key performance indicators that reveal trends in wildlife crime and wildlife population performance of key species and which are based on SADC and species management strategies to which governments have previously subscribed.

Output 2.2: Monitoring systems for commercially exploited species established and maintained in Gonarezhou National Park and surrounding areas

• Wildlife population “auditing” forms the basis to assess conservation success or failure as well as provide objective criteria for prioritization of resources and allocation of performance-based incentives.

• Support elephant monitoring in the GNP through ongoing scouting and day to day aerial patrolling as well as an intensive aerial census conducted biennially.

• Since FZS is involved in a 20-year co-management agreement with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA), wildlife monitoring and recording systems for Gonarezhou will be run and maintained co-jointly between these two partner agencies under the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust. FZS aerial census results are published in open-source publications.

• Under Objective 5 (separately funded FAA), Lowveld Rhino Trust (LRT) will be operating similar wildlife monitoring systems for rhino populations on Private Conservancies (Save and Bubye Valley) and these systems will accordingly be run and maintained co-jointly between LRT and the relevant conservancy management. The information generated is nonetheless availed to the National Rhino Coordinator in ZPWMA and presented to all rhino stakeholders at the Annual National Rhino Management Meeting.

Output 2.3: Wildlife case watchdog, tracking and data-basing mechanism implemented across the

SEL

• This output is linked to output 1.3. Activities would include support and tracking of court case progress by civil society - watchdog function at Lowveld level with backup from a national support structure. Case support by civil society would include professional case monitoring as well as facilitation of witness communication (e.g. airtime) and logistics / transport but would NOT include payment of incentives or rewards of any nature or support to government agencies outside of the park rangers.

• Prosecutions accountability will be enhanced by building a wildlife crime database – based on watchdogging and tracking all court cases and KPI’s for key species and law enforcement. The data-base will be developed and maintained by THT and the SAT Meal and Information Officer

Output 2.4: Annual review, reporting and publishing of KPIs: cross-referenced to relevant national, trans-boundary and regional strategies

• Collating and publicizing all information from the wildlife crime database is a critical component of introducing accountability. Information compiled will be coupled to ongoing internationally mandated work by TRAFFIC in documenting and analyzing wildlife crime and supply chains as part of their technical input to SADC, CITES, CBD and other relevant platforms.

• KPI’s will be compiled and reviewed annually by the project steering committee and thereafter reported through relevant national and regional fora and communications platforms – including reports in local and regional media, reports to SADC and IUCN species & LE specialist groups, CITES and TRAFFIC.

Objective 3: Improve capacity and policy framework for law enforcement and prosecution

It is important to build capacity to fight wildlife trafficking at all stages of enforcement by crafting strong laws, stopping poachers, protecting borders, investigating traffickers, fighting trafficking-related corruption, improving professionalism, strengthening judicial and prosecutorial effectiveness, building and bringing strong cases, and obtaining penalties adequate to deter others.

Such actions will require the review of the laws governing the wildlife conservation and the judicial processes to strengthen the ability of the law enforcement, the prosecution authorities and the judiciary to efficiently and effectively handle wildlife crimes. All proposed activities related to government officials beyond the park authorities will be cleared by the USAID/Zimbabwe Activity Manager and the Mission Director through the USAID/Southern Africa office prior to any commencement.

Outputs and illustrative activities under Objective 3 may include:

Output 3.1: Zimbabwean policy and judicial process governing wildlife conservation and wildlife crime critically reviewed (THT / LRT)

• Civil society review DLA Piper review as starting point to review legislation relating to wildlife crime, including malicious poisoning and other forms of poaching

• At least 3 laws, policies or regulations that address biodiversity conservation and/or other environmental themes officially proposed, adopted or implemented as a result of USG assistance.

• Review and recommend improved penalties for poaching and trafficking of key species in Zimbabwe

• Partner may consider civil society sensitization support of judiciary upon clearance from Zimbabwe Mission.

Output 3.2: Capacity built across law enforcement continuum: community, scouts, and other key stakeholders.

• Review systems to identify shortfalls in the existing investigation and judicial process through stakeholder engagement. The participatory engagement to identify shortfalls will be confined to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife, community scouts, local authorities, the traditional leaders and potentially the judiciary (upon approval), This is important to identify and meet basic capacity-building and coordination needs along the law enforcement chain. Addressing wildlife crime requires holistic interventions across the enforcement chain, from prevention and apprehension to prosecution and adjudication.

However, the USAID investments will not be utilized to support the police operations nor identify shortfalls in the police force to improve their operation.

• Support improved prosecution capacity through provision of training and ongoing liaison with first responders, investigators, prosecutors and magistrates may be considered upon approval by USAID Zimbabwe. The intervention is important to strengthen capacities to prosecute and adjudicate crimes relating to wildlife crime. However such action to work beyond Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife to include prosecutors will be implemented by obtaining clearance from the USAID Zimbabwe Activity Manager and the USAID Zimbabwe Mission Director. It is important for the project to adopt a holistic approach and build the capacity of officials tasked with protecting wildlife and prosecuting offenders. The capacity building interventions will be limited to information sharing, raising awareness, and coordination among relevant actors. Zimbabwean police will not receive any form of training from the USAID investment.

• Updating and publication of investigations & prosecutions handbooks.

• Training, equipping and management of Community Scouts. The interventions will be limited to capacity building, information sharing and coordination with the park rangers and supplies of non-lethal equipment to perform wildlife and wildlife product monitoring.

• Building and validation of pesticide & wildlife forensic analysis plan for in-country pesticide analysis and wildlife forensics which is admissible in court (presently none available)

• Explore the use of new technology for LE, e.g. detecting fence breaches and ops coordination (in partnership with CSIR)

A note on building pesticide analysis and wildlife forensic capacity.

At present, there is no pesticide analysis or tissue species identification capability for forensic purposes in Zimbabwe and samples have to be exported either to South Africa or the USA for analysis. In the face of ever escalating use of pesticides in commercial wildlife crime and IWT, this is enormously problematic for the following main reasons (1) obtaining export – import permits, especially for samples from CITES-listed species is difficult and incurs serious delays, (2) cost (3) political sensitivity of LE and conservation authorities having samples analyzed in foreign laboratories and, most critically, (4) inadmissibility of laboratory findings in prosecutions due to a break in the chain of custody of exported samples.

It is therefore critical to build local forensic analysis capability pesticides and other toxins (such as cyanide as has been used in well-publicized mass-poisonings of hundreds of elephants in Hwange National Park), identification of animal species from tissue / hair samples and linking trafficked horns, ivory, pelts and other tissues to indicated carcasses at the scene of crime.

We therefor propose to partner with a local, wildlife clinical pathology laboratory – Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust - based in Victoria Falls (and servicing the KAZA TFCA) and assist them in building technical capacity and obtaining accreditation to undertake forensic analysis of samples admissible in court.

The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust laboratory is headed by Dr Chris Foggin – the former Chief Wildlife Government Veterinary Officer for Zimbabwe and a world-renowned wildlife veterinarian, pathologist and conservationist.

Given the location of the laboratory within KAZA, this provides an opportunity for cross-linking with the other USAID-funded initiative led by WWF-Namibia operating in that TFCA.

The development of such capacity would involve the following main components:

i. Development of technical capacity – through purchase of equipment and reagents to run the tests.

ii. Obtaining technical accreditation for the tests and protocols from laboratory standards authorities.

iii. Developing and implementing an accredited analysis protocol that enables admissibility of analysis results in prosecutions. This would involve obtaining and maintaining accredited human resources to run the tests and to ensure that samples, results and chain of evidence remain within authorized LE channels in order to be admissible evidence in court.

Addressing Corruption and Inefficiency in combatting wildlife crime

• Corruption, inefficiency, lack or capacity and lack of accountability are a few sides of the same prism. Although differing in root cause, in effect they produce very similar results -which in this case translates to generally low prosecution success.

• It is important to address lack of knowledge and capacity through training, capacity building and ongoing liaison and refocusing (Objective 3). As well as improving awareness among law enforcement agencies and the judiciary - training and ongoing liaison introduces insight, oversight and removes any excuse of ignorance for prosecutions failure.

• Introduction of accountability and transparency are the only means for an external agent to curb corruption. Introducing accountability starts with sensitization of the relevant and affected stakeholders to the hidden costs and dangers of syndicated wildlife crime (which is often erroneously perceived as a “victimless crime”) and encouraging their active

WILDLIFE POPULATION &

CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE

MONITORING (OUTPUT 2 2)

WILDLIFE CASE WATCHDOGGING,

MONITORING & DATA-BASING

(OUTPUT 2 3)

OBJECTIVE

MEASUREMENT

AGAINST KPI’s

(OUTPUT 2.1)

REPORTING TO SADC, IUCN,

CITES, TRAFFIC (OUTPUT 2.4)

PUBLICATION (OUTPUT 2.4)

OBJECTIVE 2: IMPROVED PERFORMANCE ASSESMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY

OF CONSERVATION & LE AGENCIES

Figure 4: Diagram showing inter-relationship of Outputs to accomplish Objectives 2 & 3 and how these relate to improving LE performance and to the overall objective of

IMPROVED LE PERFORMANCE

IN PREVENTING &

MAIN GOAL:

REDUCED CWC & IWT IN THE

OBJECTIVE 3: IMPROVED CAPACITY & POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR LAW

ENFORCMENT & PROSECUTION

IMPROVED POLICY FRAMEWORK

(OUTPUT 3.1)

IMPROVED LE & PROSECUTIONS

TRAINING & CAPACITY (OUTPUT 3.2)

interest in and real-time communication with investigators, prosecutors and magistrates in ongoing prosecutions as well as their participation in review of performance indicators relating to historic cases.

• The second side to accountability is transparent performance evaluation against objective KPIs – derived from existing treaties, protocols and conventions to which Zimbabwe is already a signatory (Objective 2).

• Prosecutions accountability will be enhanced by building a wildlife crime database – based on watchdogging and tracking all court cases for key species and thereafter collating and publicizing all information (already in the public domain but currently difficult to access and easily obfuscated). Information so compiled will be coupled to ongoing internationally mandated work by TRAFFIC in documenting and analyzing wildlife crime and supply chains as part of their technical input to SADC, CITES, CBD, etc.

• It is also important that the broader regional USAID process is sufficiently meshed with SADC initiatives to provide top-down regional leverage, high-level coordination and international peer pressure in support of local efforts of the implementing partners in dealing with day to day constraints on the ground.

Objective 4: Communities are engaged as an effective first line of defense against commercial wildlife crime in the SEL & GL-TFCA. At 5,000km2 the Gonarezhou NP provides critical mass and source populations driving tourism and conservation potential in community areas on its periphery. It is a vital ecological link between Kruger and Limpopo National Parks with the rest of the GL-TFCA. With a large and growing elephant population, an impending rhino reintroduction and a very long and porous boundary with Mozambique, GNP is also a prime target for illegal wildlife trade syndicates.

Reinforcing security in community areas surrounding the Park will be supported through increased security capacity, strengthening engagement and cooperation with community neighbors and law enforcement agencies.

Outputs and indicative activities:

Output 4.1: Strengthened awareness, stewardship and capacity for communities to combat wildlife crime – including…