Objectives

To strengthen national, regional and municipal capacity and actions to implement an integrated ecosystem management approach in the Dallol Bosso landscape in Niger

Other

Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency.

Target Groups

1. Around 100,000 households directly depend on the landscape resources and ecosystems of the Dallol Bosso for their livelihoods, jobs and incomes. The project target 150 000 people (of whom 50% will constitute women) as direct beneficiaries of project interventions. The project will directly affect the socio-economic lives of these 150 000 agricultural producers, pastoral communities, fishermen, micro-entrepreneurs in the transformation and marketing of agropastoral products, consumers of agricultural products, as well as those who use/harvest woody products (firewood). Planned interventions in eco-tourism will deliberately seek to consider the involvement of marginalized community members - women, young people, elderly and handicapped, as beneficiaries. With improved eco-tourism accompanied by required infrastructure and business undertakings such as providing accommodation to eco-tourists, establishment of restaurants and trainng programs in art and craft, the potential for job creation is unquestionably huge, indirectly impacting as many as about 5 000 households around the Giraffe Zone. In addition, these mentioned entrepreneurial activities are potential alternative income generating activities that will lead to reduced pressure on land through cutting down of the tiger bush for sale and land clearing for agricultural activities. The brunt of increased degradation which results in food insecurity, reduction of agricultural productivity and water, as well as the loss of biodiversity is borne by these marginalized members of the Giraffe Zone. 2. In addition to establishing and or improving value chains for rice, beef and NTFPs as well as enhancing capacities to reduce post-harvest losses, eco-labeling and improved access to market for these products will be an enormous opportunity for job creation among community members in the Giraffe Zone and surrounding areas. community reliance, exploitation and further degradation of natural resources due to created jobs, the engagement in agricultural production systems underpinned by agroforestry systems will increase yields, limit expansion of farming frontiers and increase the carbon sequestration capacity of the Giraffe Zone and avoidance of additional carbon emissions. The promotion of ecotourism in the Giraffe Zone will improve the local economy, but also inform the allocation of often meagre financial resources at national level to other development sectors and regions of the country. In this way, what happens in the Giraffee Zone will benefit national level economy. The increased influx of ecotourists is an additional and obvious benefit to the national level economy. Likewise, improved agricultural production will have positive socio-economic spill-overs to areas beyond the project catchment area for the benefit of the whole country. 3. Reduced post-harvest losses and improved eco-labeling will increase the producers’ ability to fetch better prices. There is also huge rice markets from business entities from Benin and Nigeria buying at farm gate prices. However, with improved packaging and strengthened marketing platforms, producers are more likely not only to break even, but make more decent profits to lift themselves up from abject poverty, reduce rural-urban migration and incetivise the youth into agriculture which they see more and more less lucrative. 4. The success of ecotourism in the Giraffe Zone of Niger partly depends on transformational change in agricultural production systems, pastoral communities but also on the establishment of enforceable land use planning regulations and legal and institutional infrastructure. All these points of transformational change require the involvement of local communities, partnerships with other stakeholders including NGOs, private operators and the government of Niger itself. In light of the fore-going, the following are additional direct and indirect socio-economic benefits of the proposed project with spillover effects at national level: Construction of infrastructure to enhance post-harvest handling: This will generally improve the physical infrastructure in the area, and create jobs in the construction as well as in the post-harvest handling, eco-labeling and improved access to markets. Job-creation is critical in Niger particularly given the wave of extremism and radicalisation among the youth linked to lack of employment; Promotion of ecotourism small businesses such as art and crafts to provide additional but also diversified income for local people. At least 1 500 will be trained in art and craft and other tourism-boosting activities such as food services and accommodation – leading to provision of jobs that lessen the pressure exerted on resources. The involvement of the private sector will be an opportunity for jobs for local community members in the ecotourism operations; Besides diversifying and improving alternative income generating activities, training communities to respond to the demands of both local and international tourists is an opportunity for communities to have their capacities built and knowledge transferred. Therefore, this project will benefit communities through capacity development and knowledge transfer; The boost in eco-tourism will also improve the level of financial benefits that are attributed to communities as primary stakeholders in the management of giraffes in the giraffe zone and hippos in the surrounding areas. Currently, communities receive 50% of revenues from eco-tourism, while the state receives 20% and 30% is allocated to operations. However, the revenues are symbolic due to poorly developed tourism opportunities; Therefore, boosting eco-tourism, even with the current benefit sharing quotas, communities and the nation at large are more likely to benefit, in addition to jobs and conservation of giraffes, hippos and tiger bushes. A study by Leroy et al. (2009)[1] in the Dallol Bosso region shows that currently, most tourists come mainly from Niamey, and that improved accrual of eco-tourism benefits to communities that are more equitably distributed can spur local people’s positive perception of giraffes and their active participation in the conservation efforts; Preserved biodiversity at the farm level through production systems involving agroforestry systems, intercropping, and preservation of locally adapted seed landraces. Through this project about 1 500 households will adopt the use of biodiversity-friendly agricultural production systems, limiting the expansion of cropland by about 269,975 ha in Giraffe Zone. In addition, the proposed agricultural production systems have potential to improve nutrient cycling in the soil, increased primary production, and carbon sequestration in cropland areas; Improved production systems will lead to alleviate threats of food insecurity, but also human-animal conflicts that are usually due to loss of habitat for wildlife as humans expand frontiers of cropland and grazing land for the domesticated animals; Conservation of cultural and natural landscapes and protection of cultural heritage. This benefit of this project points to the cultural value that this project will make not only to Dallol Bosso and surrounding areas, but also to the national level as a whole. Therefore, the project will make both economic and cultural contribution to the Republic of Niger; and The project will employ a participatory approach that will create opportunities for joint community biodiversity, land and water management activities, including sensitisation programs that will facilitate knowledge transfer. This will empower communities in the Giraffe Zone and surrounding areas with knowledge for improved management of resources and improved livelihoods. [1] Romain Leroy, Marie-Noe¨l de Visscher, Oudou Halidou & Amadou Boureima (2009). The last African white giraffes live in farmers’ fields. Biodivers Conserv. 18:2663–2677

Objectives

To enhance the resilience and sustainability of landscapes and livelihoods in the Aral basin, and progress toward Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), through integrated management of land, lake, wetland, and riparian ecosystems, with engagement of private sector and local communities.

Other

Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency.

Target Groups

The envisaged benefits to local and national stakeholders will be interconnected with the aggregated environmental benefits enabled by the project’s features: (i) embedded integrated benefits and synergies across focal areas, (ii) mechanisms for integrated decision making and (iii) landscape-scale designed interventions. The project incentivizes local actors away from destructive behaviour through engaging them in alternative economic activities, as well as biodiversity friendly livelihoods around protected areas. Adequate awareness, technical knowledge and access to funding are key to ensuring that stakeholders will be able to adopt innovative, environmental-friendly practices. The project therefore aims at increasing capacity of 300 public sector employees and PAs staff who will be trained in integrated water-land management and biodiversity management. Approximately 50 local farmers and pastoralists will benefit from the project’s Micro-scheme support for livelihoods ( under Output 3.2.3) and it is estimated that their income will register at least 50% increase as a result of the implemented SLM measures. This is a conservative percentage, as income generation from recommended SLM measures (captured under GEF/UNDP Project Annex 24) will likely provide more benefits: e.g. according to past donor-supported projects[1], application of rotational grazing alone can provide an estimated net profit of up to $16 per sheep ( after subtracting the costs per sheep of about $8) ; similarly, planting drought resistant crops to enhance forage production and prevent erosion leads to a significant generation of profit estimated at $243-$341/ha from the third year onwards, made from selling of seeds and use of hay; whereas the income generation resulted from agroforestry measures as a land reclamation practice, varies e.g. maximal profit may be obtained from cultivation of Russian olive Eleagnus angustifolia due to annual selling of fruits (approx.. 3500 euro/ha within 7 years period); the firewood harvested from Populus euphratica can give a profit of 2300 euro/ha[2] A conservatively estimated number of up to approximately 9700 local households (benefiting 48,500 people, considering 5 family members/household) are envisaged to take up SLM measures promoted and demonstrated by the project and have their livelihoods improved. This number represents 10% of the people employed in agricultural sector in the targeted districts, that are expected to benefit from the project’s activities and the promoted SLM measures: rotational grazing, planting forest shelterbelts, innovative land restorations measures, sustainable irrigation and crop rotations to increase soil productivity. The project will further mobilize governmental funds in the form of subsidies for farmers applying SLM measures on degraded land (through amendments to the Concept “ On measures for the efficient use of land and water resources in agriculture”-June 2019) . Other forms of project support will be extended for alternative local income generating enterprises such as medicinal herb production, handicrafts workshops, green house agriculture, fodder crop agriculture- to provide some form of compensation to farmers/pastoralists who may lose an existing source of income from extensive livestock farming, due to the implementation of sustainable pasture management plans. These measures will yield socio economic benefits and will contribute to the achievement of environmental benefits. Implementing pasture rotational grazing, letting land rest from grazing for a specific period, leads to increase in carbon sequestration in soil and vegetation; increase of pasture botanical composition which is expected to increase livestock welfare and milk production. Promoted use of manure as fertiliser to improve soil structure will reduce chemical use and agricultural expenses. These practices are also inferred to reduce hazards to soil, wildlife and human health. The benefits produced by the SLM interventions have the potential to reduce vulnerability to climate change, supporting multiple sources of food, energy and income thereby reducing community dependence on any single resource that might be affected by climate change. For example, various and innovative measures of restoring degraded land in targeted districts and supporting local communities’ alternative income from vegetable gardens, fruit tree cultivation, rustic poultry, basketry etc contribute to both food security and income diversity. Rehabilitation of water pumps and wells will ensure crop productivity which is especially important considering the past decade’s increase incidence of drought. Furthermore, tree planting and ecosystem protection activities in forests and pastures contribute to increase soil productivity and decreased soil salinity, thus providing ecosystems goods and services that further mitigate the negative effects of climate change. Replication and scaling up embedded in project design will ensure multiple benefits occurring during and soon after the project will end, through the formed partnerships that leveraged the resources of multiple sectors such as private companies, research institutes, NGOs, other donors. The mechanisms for integrated decision making that the project will promote under GEF/UNDP Projects Outputs 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 and 2.2 and community outreach/collaborative approaches in support of PAs management under 3.2.2 will provide opportunities to reduce conflicts among resource users and/or overlaps in institutional mandates. General agreements on potential trade-offs promoted through an integrated and participatory manner, provide the platform for improved environmental and socio-economic benefits. In addition to agricultural activities, as it has been demonstrated by many other projects, during participatory mechanisms, farmers use these opportunities to talk about water, climate, sanitation and social issues and by so doing they are able to engage local authorities as partners in different other proposals for rural development. Finally, the project’s focus at landscape-level in Lower Amudarya and Aral Sea Basin (LADAB) landscape and on the implementation of multiple interventions within a spatial unit, allows for generating more synergistic benefits. Healthy ecosystems will ensure resilience of the region to climate and human threats, and the maintenance of ecosystem services for local communities. [1] Examples recorded in UNCCD/WOCAT database [2] http://www.fao.org/3/i7318en/I7318en.pdf

General

The goals of this project are to implement several of the highest priority..actions identified in the Prairie to Pampas Grassland Bird Conservation Business Plan...We propose to 1) to engage local land owners and managers with life-cycle data of individual..Bobolinks breeding on their property; this interaction will result in changes in land management..that rebalance farming and grassland bird needs; 2) to assess the annual life-cycle of individual..Bobolinks by collecting data both while on the breeding grounds and through tracking devices..for the entire annual cycle; and 3) to use a community-based approach integrating the..Audubon volunteers and undergraduate students in collecting and disseminating these data; 4)..establish a network of partners in South America with which to share information gained from..this work.