Objectives

To safeguard globally significant biodiversity and core ecosystem services through mainstreaming environmental issues in key development sectors, facilitating more inclusive natural resource governance, and improving the management effectiveness of conservation areas.

Other

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

Target Groups

The project will generate a range of socio-economic benefits as it invests in mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and ecosystem safeguards across key development sectors in partnership with landowners, traditional leaders and local communities, and further improve management of the protected area system and priority catchments. Increased inclusion of landowners and local communities in biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management. Landowners and local communities will be proactively engaged in the governance and management of protected and managed areas and priority catchments, protecting and respecting traditional practices and knowledge. Engagement of Cook Island Maori communities will be ensured through obtaining free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). Gender mainstreaming and increased inclusion of youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. The project will facilitate advances in gender equality and women’s empowerment, through inclusion in decision-making processes on natural resource management, delivery of capacity building on improving financial management skills, and disseminating information on available financing options for local community organizations, helping to enhance small-scale entrepreneurship, with a particular emphasis on engaging women-led community-based organizations and local enterprises. Project activities will emphasise priority inclusion of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Strengthening wellbeing and income-generating measures. Livelihood benefits will be generated for local households through increased soil productivity, soil and water conservation, access to low-value grant assistance for interventions on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, and through access to capacity building on sustainable agricultural practices, best practices in ecotourism, biodiversity conservation, and alternative livelihoods. Strengthened resilience (adaptation benefits).Protection of scarce freshwater resources in Rarotonga is one of the main priorities with respect to climate change adaptation in the Cook Islands. The target catchments in the project cover a cumulative area of 2,513 ha, representing more than 35% of the total terrestrial area of the island. The catchment audits and management plans under Outputs 2.1 and 2.2 will provide scale-able frameworks for the other catchments in the country. Implementation of sustainable land management practices and reduction in the use of agrochemicals will generate substantive adaptation benefits. Moreover, improved and intersectoral management of priority catchments will contribute to the low carbon development priorities of the country, safeguarding important ecosystem services, increasing awareness, and increasing resilience and coping capacities of local communities. Relevance to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: The project is relevant to a number of SDGs, most notably SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), as outlined below in Table 3 of the Project Document.Relevance to United Nations Pacific Strategy 2018-2022 and UNDP Strategy Plan 2022-2025:The project is aligned to the United Nations Pacific Strategy 2018-2022, specifically Outcome 1: “Climate change, disaster resilience, and environmental protection”; Output 1.5: “Number of PICTs coverage of terrestrial and marine areas that are protected.” The GEF-7 project aims to facilitate improved management effectiveness of four protected and managed areas and establishment of a new, community conserved area in the cloud forest in Rarotonga. The expected project results will also contribute towards achievement of the UNDP Strategic Plan (2022-2025), namely Output Signature Solution #4 (Environment); contributing to UNDP SP Result 4.1: “Natural resources protected and managed to enhance sustainable productivity and livelihoods”; and Result 4.2: “Public and private investment mechanismsmobilizedfor biodiversity, water, oceans, and climate solutions”. Under the Integrated results and resources framework (IRRF) of the UNDP Strategic Plan, the project will contribute towards Indicator IRRF 4.1.1 (“Number of people directly benefitting from initiatives to protect nature and promote sustainable use of resources”), and Indicator 4.2.1 (“Number of people directly benefitting from mechanisms for biodiversity, water, oceans, and climate solutions funded by public and/or private sector resources”): 9,588 estimated direct beneficiaries, of whom 4,892 are women; and Indicator IRRF 4.1.2: 15,831 ha of “area of terrestrial (1,378 ha) and marine protected areas (14,453 ha) created or under improved management practices”, and 3,130 ha of “areas of landscapes under improved practices, excluding protected areas”.

General

This project is developed jointly by Federal Administration for Geodetic and Real Property Affairs (FGA) of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), Republic Authority for Geodetic and Property Legal Affairs (RGA) of the Republika Srpska (RS) and Lantmäteriet, The Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authority in cooperation with the Swedish Tax Agency. The expected outcomes of the project are: Overall Capacity Development: GA are modern, transparent and efficient organiza-tions contributing to economic and social development in close cooperation with stake-holders involved in land administration in BiH. Mass Valuation: GA contribute to a transparent property market by managing a real estate mass valuation system to benefit all citizens and the business community. Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI): GA and other spatial data providers enable service-based sharing of up-to-date and accurate spatial data used by stakeholders to face and resolve sustainable development challenges. Geodetic Infrastructure: The accurate, reliable, and easily accessible geodetic infra-structure is globally integrated and used by all stakeholders.

Objectives

Impact objective: All citizens and organizations in BiH access and benefit from transparent, fair, and democratic services based on accurate land, real estate and geospatial information provided by the Geodetic Authorities in cooperation with key stakeholders. Outcome objectives per component: Overall Capacity Development: Geodetic Agencies (GAs) are modern, transparent and efficient organizations contributing to economic and social development in close cooperation with stakeholders involved in land administration in BiH. Mass Valuation: GAs contribute to a transparent property market by managing a real estate mass valuation system to benefit all citizens and the business community. Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI): GAs and other spatial data providers enable service-based sharing of up-to-date and accurate spatial data used by stakeholders to face and resolve sustainable development challenges. Geodetic Infrastructure: The accurate, reliable, and easily accessible geodetic infratructure is globally integrated and used by all stakeholders.

General

Central Africa is home to the world’s second largest rainforest. Its stock absorb carbon and is home to more than 50 % of terrestrial biodiversity, while only covering 6 % of the Earth’s surface. Rainforests are under threat and the loss of rainforests lead to loss of biodiversity and increasing emissions of greenhouse gases. The Central African Forest Initiative theory of change is to contribute to low emission development in partner countries through interventions in the land use and forestry sector because of the immense value forests represent for humans and the planet. CAFIs two main impacts are 1) Emission reductions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhanced removals and 2) Sustainable development co-benefits: biodiversity conservation, increased food security, increased tenure security, women´s empowerment, better business climate, increased revenues, increased fiscal revenues.

Objectives

Objectives of the intervention CAFI´s (Central African Forest Initiative) theory of change is to contribute to low emission development in partner countries through interventions in the land use and forestry sector because of the immense value forests represent for humans and the planet. To implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, to fight poverty and to fulfill the post 2020 biodiversity framework. This will be done through reduced deforestation and forest degradation. CAFI´s climate and development objectives are attained through the implementation of ambitious national investment frameworks that decouple development from deforestation. Such socioeconomic transformation will come from measures that properly address both direct drivers of deforestation (such as agriculture, wood energy, forestry and infrastructure/mining) and underlying drivers (such as lack of land use planning and insecure land tenure, poor governance and rapid population growth). Targets are reduction of annual rates of deforestation and degradation compared to reference scenario, e.g. Gabon: reductions of emissions from the LULUCF of 50% by 2025 (compared to 2005), DRC: provincial integrated programmes aim at a 10% reduction in emissions, RDC: objective to stabilize forest cover at 63.5%. The CAFI M&E framework is built on its Theory of Change, which seeks to achieve two main impacts: 1) emission reductions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhanced removals 2) sustainable development co-benefits: biodiversity conservation, increased food security, increased tenure security, women´s empowerment, better business climate, increased revenues, increased fiscal revenues. through the following seven outcomes: 1. sustainable agricultural investments 2. sustainable wood energy investments 3. sustainable forest governance and investments, and enhanced permitting, monitoring and enforcement capacity 4. sustainable siting and development of infrastructure and mining investment 5. optimal land use planning and land tenure 6. reduced demographic pressure on forests 7. Improved governance, inter-ministerial coordination and transparency (including permitting and fiscal policies) CAFI Terms of Reference and national investment frameworks are to provide full details on expected outputs as well as country specific theories of change. At the outcome level, these outputs will ensure that: Sustainable agricultural practices lead to less land conversion and increased food security Sustainable alternatives to current wood energy practices are adopted Forestry sector and protected areas institutions and stakeholders have the capacity and the legal framework to promote, monitor and enforce sustainable management of forests Future infrastructure and mining projects minimize their overall footprint on forests Land use planning decisions ensure a balanced representation of sectoral interests and keep forests standing, and better tenure security does not incentivize forest loss by individuals, communities or companies Population growth and migration to forests and forest fronts are slowed down Better inter ministerial coordination and governance resulting in a permitting, enforcement and fiscal regime of economic activities that do not push economic actors to forest conversion and illegal activities and a business climate favorable to forest friendly investments.