Objectives

To mainstream sustainable Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) for improving flows of ecosystems services of degraded Natural Forest Use Land (NFUL) in soil erosion-prone regions of China, based on a multi-level governance and landscape approach.

Other

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

Target Groups

The durability of the innovative forest landscape restoration interventions demonstrated in the project and upscaled will largely depend on sustained involvement and generation of livelihood benefits for local communities. The estimated project direct beneficiaries include 10,000 local people, of whom 50% are women. These people from the local communities in the project landscapes will benefit directly through strengthened and expanded sustainable livelihood initiatives. Additionally, 17,500 forest workers and ecological forest rangers are among the direct project beneficiaries. These people from the local communities in the project landscapes will benefit directly through strengthened and expanded sustainable livelihood initiatives. Engagement and generation of socioeconomic benefits for local communities is an important aspect of the integrated landscape approach in the project design. The viability of the FLR approaches demonstrated on the project over the long-term will largely depend on sustained involvement of local communities and flow of sustainable livelihood benefits. The project will provide opportunities for local people to be involved in capacity building activities aimed at strengthening their existing or introducing new close-to-nature livelihood models, including under-canopy agroforestry, ecotourism, participatory restoration (e.g., community nursery, planting, and maintenance), etc. Under the current conditions in China, one of the biggest barriers hindering economic prosperity in rural area is that farmers, especially women and ethnic minority farmers often have limited access to green supply chains, lack financial management skills, and are uninformed of real-time market information and of partnership opportunities. By facilitating linkages to local economic associations, cooperatives and women’s groups and ecologically conscious private enterprises who are closer to the marketplace, the prospects of their income generation capabilities and assets accumulation will be substantially improved.Apart from these monetary gains, i.e., increased financial capital, the local direct beneficiaries will gain non-monetary benefits. Adoption of improved NFUL management practices are expected to restore ecosystem functions and services, resulting in improved land productivity, water quality, climate regulation services, erosion control capabilities, etc. These improvements will generate contribute to increased nature capital of the local communities.Significant gains in human capital are also expected through the project interventions. For example, local communities will benefit from knowledge achieved through skills trainings, learning-by-doing, financial management training, etc. The institutional level direct beneficiaries, including 2,500 people at the national level and 17,500 forest workers and ecological forest rangers at the landscape level, will also increase knowledge and hands-on experience. Strengthened institutional capacities will help ensure sustainability of the results achieved during the project and upscaling of the demonstrated interventions in other parts of the landscape and in other regions in the country.In addition, the project strategy emphasizes the need to strengthen social capital in the target landscapes, through establishment of multi-stakeholder, multi-level landscape mechanisms, which will provide local people, including women and ethnic minorities an opportunity to actively participate in the decision-making processes regarding sustainable management of NFUL resources in their communities. The project will also facilitate enhanced social association, e.g., cooperatives, small enterprises, as well as fostering enabling partnerships with governmental entities, NGOs, and private sector enterprises, e.g., through insertion of local farmers into green value chains,.The cumulative monetary and non-monetary benefits will strengthen the resilience of local communities with respect to the expected impacts of climate change, e.g., restored and protected ecosystem functions and services, and also in regard to socioeconomic disruptions, e.g., diversified income opportunities will allow local households to cope with possible market fluctuations or supply chain interruptions, such as those that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local communities will also benefit from the enhanced resilience to natural disasters, such as flooding. Mitigation of risks associated with soil erosion will reduce potential losses of both property and life in the project landscapes. Further, improved soil restoration at scale can bring benefits to the agricultural sector and thus the economy generally. It is not only those in the upstream forest areas that will benefit, but downstream farmers across wide areas in China will also be important beneficiaries of soil restoration work. Livelihood diversification, as promoted by the project (both in the livelihood demonstrations and the rubber and tea monoculture upgrade to forest corridor demos), if replicated on a wide scale, will bring strong socioeconomic benefits beyond the project landscapes.The durability of the global environmental benefits achieved through the project strongly depends on sustained participation of local communities, civil society, private sector, and other stakeholders. The multi-level, multi-stakeholder governance approaches demonstrated on the project are instrumental in achieving the global environmental benefits. The project is relevant to a number of SDGs, most notably SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), as outlined below in Table 3 of the Project Document.

Objectives

To reduce forest and land degradation of the Luangwa Upper Sub-Catchment for enhanced protection of water resources, biodiversity and associated community livelihoods

Other

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

Target Groups

Beneficiaries of the project will consist of communities resident in the project target area in the Luangwa Upper-Sub-catchment area in Mafinga District, and downstream populations in the Luangwa Catchment. The communities in the Upper Sub-catchment will benefit directly through the project’s support for more sustainable and productive land uses including climate resilient conservation agriculture practices, community forestry management and other forms of sustainable livelihood together with improved marketing links. The establishment of community forest agreements under the Forestry Act (2015) confers benefits in the form of the rights to form Community Forest Management Groups, the right to issue community permits and collect revenue for forest products and uses; secure tenure through forest user rights; and economic rights for forest uses and products including rights to harvest and trade in forest products; and rights to control access through development and enforcement of local rules to facilitate effective management of the forest. Approximately 2,500 local people are estimated to be the direct beneficiaries of these activities, including at least 50% women. The improved sustainability of catchment management will also help to secure river headwater flows for local as well as downstream use, and the retention and restoration of forest cover will provide ecosystem-based adaptation benefits to local communities, enhancing their climate-resilience. A further 100 government staff at district, provincial and national levels will benefit from capacity development support. The Luangwa river is an essential source of water for adjacent populations, with c.1.8 million people residing in the Luangwa Catchment[1], providing water for irrigated agriculture[2],[3], household use and hydropower[4],[5],[6] in the downstream area of the catchment. Consequently, improved protection of the headwaters and sustainable land management in the Luangwa Upper Sub-Catchment will contribute towards water and food security for these downstream human populations. The river’s seasonal changes support vibrant communities that are spread across 25 chiefdoms, as well as a growing $27 million tourism industry that is based on some of Africa’s most valued wildlife populations including some of the highest concentrations of elephants and hippos in Africa, and globally important biodiversity assets that include the Luangwa Floodplains Ramsar site [7], [8], six National Parks, eight Game Management Areas, and National Forest Reserves covering some 68,812 km2 - around 50% of the total catchment area. A recent study of the benefits of forest ecosystems in Zambia[9] included consideration of soil erosion and transport modelling (using InVEST) through which it was estimated that current rates of sediment output nationally are in the order of 250 million tonnes (average 2.23 tonnes per ha), while forests retain a further 274 million tonnes, generating a cost saving in the order of US$247 million per annum. It also noted that the loss of forest cover over large areas could result in reduced precipitation in the region, impacting on flows, water yields and hydropower generation, and driving up the costs of electricity. The project approach will contribute towards such benefits, although related economic valuation details are not available specifically for the Luangwa catchment. [1] World Bank. 2010. The Zambezi River Basin: A multi-sector investment opportunities analysis. State of the Basin, 3. [2] Extraction for irrigation is currently low, ~120 km3 annually, but the potential for extraction is high. [3] World Bank. 2010. The Zambezi River Basin: A multi-sector investment opportunities analysis. State of the Basin, 3. [4] Three small hydropower stations are located on tributaries of the Luangwa river, Lusiwasi (12 MW) operated by ZESCO; Mita Hills (24 MW) and Mulungushi (32 MW) operated by Lunsemfwa Hydropower Company. Source: http://www.warma.org.zm/catchments-zambia/luangwa-catchment-2/ [5] Global CSS Institute. 2012. A risky climate for southern African hydro: assessing hydrological risks and consequences for Zambezi River basin dams. Available online at: https://hub.globalccsinstitute.com/publications/risky-climate-southern-african-hydro-assessing-hydrological-risks-and-consequences-zambezi-river-basin-dams/ [6] World Bank. 2010. The Zambezi River Basin: A multi-sector investment opportunities analysis. State of the Basin, 3. [7] The Luangwa Floodplains is Ramsar site no. 1660, WDPA ID 903030. [8] The Annotated Ramsar List: Zambia. Available online at: http://archive.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-documents-list-anno-zambia/main/ramsar/1-31-218%5E15789_4000_0_ [9] Turpie J, Warr B, Ingram JC 2015. Benefits of forest ecosystems in Zambia and the role of REDD+ in a Green Economy transition. UNEP, Nairobi.