Promotion of Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Land Degradation Neutrality in Highly Degraded Landscape

Objectives

Strengthen governmental and non-governmental capacities to achieve biodiversity conservation and land degradation neutrality in Middle Euphrates landscape through integrated landscape management.

Other

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

Target Groups

The global environmental benefits that this project will bring should result at the local level, in the medium term, in enhanced ecosystem services and improvement of availability of natural resources in the areas within and surrounding the 2 new established PAs and also in the areas surrounding the pilot SLM areas. Local communities will enjoy in these areas a healthier environment and improved conditions for livelihoods based on natural resources. Moreover, local communities, thanks to the project, will be less vulnerable and more adapted to climate extremes. Farmers in particular (an estimated 5000 of them) will enjoy an increase in quality, productivity and sustainability of crops production. The success of these case studies, as also of those from the sister projects (FAO and IFAD), will prompt a spread, through scaling up and replication, in ecologically similar areas of the country; and therefore, during the medium to long term hopefully there will be positive outcomes also at regional and national level.The proposed alternative scenario - with the GEF project - will support the design and initial steps for the integration of biodiversity conservation and land degradation neutrality at national level, contributing to the ongoing transition process by:· Support the GoI’s capacity to effectively integrate biodiversity conservation and land degradation neutrality into sectoral policies· Establish 2 new PAs significantly contributing to the extension of the national PA network coverage and the number of species of global importance that will be under effective conservation management in the country; support in engage and involve the local stakeholders; development of management plans and prompting their implementation; support in providing trained staff and equipment to the new PA· Piloting a testing ground for SLM methodologies, tools, and stakeholder involvement mechanisms, thus creating a model to improve agro-ecosystem services and demonstrate sustainable flow of agro-ecosystem services to sustain food production and livelihoods. · Supporting the MoE in managing and use knowledge and in raising public and authorities’ awareness on the value of biodiversity and the importance of maintaining ecosystems and their services for human well-being into national planning processes and achieving sustainable use of land and biodiversity resources in the country.