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EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATIVE FINANCING TO ENHANCE CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND FOOD SECURITY IN BHUTAN EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATIVE FINANCING TO ENHANCE CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND FOOD SECURITY IN BHUTAN BHUTAN TRUST FUND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION THIMPHU 1 Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Evaluation Of Sustainable Land Management And Innovative Financing To Enhance Climate Resilience And Food Security In Bhutan Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation PO Box # 520 Genyen Lam Thimphu Bhutan www.bhutantrustfund.bt Editorial Team Dr Pema Choephyel, Director Rabi C Dahal, Communications Officer Kuenzang Tshering, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer Published Year: 2019 Layout & Design Yoebar Prints Photos: BTFEC and its Grantees Printed at Yoebar Prints with financial support of Climate Investment Fund (CIF) 2 Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Acknowledgement Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation (BTFEC) in collaboration with National Soil Service Centre (NSSC), and Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) has undertaken the Evaluation and Learning (E&L) activity with financial support from Climate Investment Funds (CIF) for the project ‘Evaluation of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) and innovative financing to enhance climate resilience and food security in Bhutan’. The overall objectives of the project were to study the effectiveness of SLM projects by mapping and establishing the baseline data from existing sites; stocktake best practices of SLM projects and streamline them into national plans, policies and programs for scaling up of SLM; document and share experiences from SLM projects outside Bhutan; and undertake feasibility study for establishing innovating financing mechanisms for climate change and SLM. BTFEC would like to thank CIF for providing funding support for the project and for its overall guidance to complete the project successfully. The Project management also thank the high-level government participants, officials from the districts, Gewogs and farmers, SLM implementers, for their enthusiastic and active participation at the stakeholders’ workshop. A special gratitude to the Government of Tajikistan for facilitating Bhutanese delegates on study visit to learn the best practices of the PPCR/ SPCR implementation and its benefits. Further, we would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of the KEHAT- Indonesia Biodiversity Foundation for assisting Bhutanese delegates on study visit in Evaluation & Learning on the Sustainable Development by empowering communities for Creating Climate Resilience and Adaptation. The support of GNHC, and NSCC who provided timely support and collaboration in implementation of this project is highly acknowledged. I also offer our appreciation and thanks to two independent consultants who carried out the field study. Finally, I would like to thank my staff, and all those, who helped in successfully implementing the project and to complete this report. Dr Pema Choephyel Director/CEO Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation 3 iii Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Evaluation Of Sustainable Land Management And Innovative Financing To Enhance Climate Resilience And Food Security In Bhutan Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank ALD Agriculture and Land Development ARDC Agriculture Research and Development Centres BTFEC Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation CBD UN Convention on Biological Diversity CIF Climate Investment Funds CSO Civil society organization E&L Evaluation & Learning ELESC Evaluation and Learning Exercise Steering Committee FYP Five-Year Plan GCF Green Climate Fund GEF Global Environment Facility GEO Global Environment Objectives GEI Google Earth Image GIS Geographic Information System GNHC Gross National Happiness Commission GCCA Global Climate Change Alliance GLOF Glacial Lake Outburst Floods ICIMOD The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development IOD Intensive Orchard Development LD Land Degradation LG Local Government LDN Land Degradation Neutrality NAP National Action Program NAPA National Adaptation Programme of Action NEC National Environment Commission NEPA National Environment Protection Act (2007) NSSC National Soil Services Centre PDA Pasture Development Association PHCB Population and Housing Census of Bhutan PU Pasture Union PPCR Pilot Program for Climate Resilience PDO Project Development Objectives RGoB Royal Government of Bhutan RNR Renewable Natural Resources RNR-RC Renewable Natural Resources Research Centre ToR Terms of Reference SALT Slopping Agriculture Land Technology SDG Sustainable Development Goals SLM Sustainable Land Management SNC Second National Communication SLMP Sustainable Land Management Project SPCR Strategic Plan of Climate Resilience SWA Sweet Water Association UNCCD United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change US$/USD United States of America (n) Dollar WUA Water User Associations WB World Bank 4 iv Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Contents Acknowledgement iii Abbreviations iv Chapter 1 Evaluation of Sustainable Land Management and innovative Financing Executive Summary 3 Introduction and Context 7 Methodology 15 Implementation 17 Results and Findings 27 Conclusion 35 Chapter 2 Documentation and Mapping of SLM activities under Trashigang, Chukha, and Zhemgang Dzongkhags Executive Summary 39 Introduction 40 Aims & Objectives 42 Expected Outputs 42 Materials & Methods 43 Findings 45 Lesson Learnt 64 Recommendations 65 Conclusion 66 Chapter 3 Evaluation Of Sustainable Land Management To Enhance Climate Resilience And Food Security In Bhutan Executive summary 80 Introduction 86 SLMP Evaluation Objectives 97 Methodology and Scope 98 Key Findings 98 Conclusion and Recommendations 122 Chapter 4 Feasibility Study on innovative and sustainable financing mechanism for financing climate change projects including SLM to enhance climate resilience and food security in Bhutan Executive Summary 131 Introduction 133 Background 133 Why The Endowment Fund/The Case for Endowment Fund 141 Feasibility Criteria 143 Recommendations 150 Chapter 5 Sustainable Land Management Program Learning Experience visit to Tajikistan Summary 157 Background 157 Climate Resilience Programs in Tajikistan 158 Brief Tajikistan SPCR 163 5 v Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Evaluation Of Sustainable Land Management And Innovative Financing To Enhance Climate Resilience And Food Security In Bhutan The High Level International Conference 164 Conclusion 165 Reflection 165 Chapter 6 Report on Study visit to KEHATI- Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation, Indonesia Executive Summary and Introduction 169 Purpose 173 Expected Outcomes 173 Innovative Financing in Indonesia: KEHATI case 174 Lesson Learnt 188 Chapter 7 Report on National Stakeholder Workshop on Sensitization and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Workshop Background 197 Workshop Objective 197 Expected outcome 198 Challenges for Effective SLM Implementation 198 Recommendations 199 Conclusion 201 Chapter 8 Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on SLM Executive Summary and background 209 Sustainable Land Management in Bhutan 212 Documentation and Mapping of SLM Sites 213 Agriculture and Land Development (ALD) Guideline 213 Tentative Plan for SLM Activities in 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) 214 Innovative financing strategies to support climate change 214 Impacts of Past SLM Project 215 Lessons learnt from past SLM: Challenges 217 Lessons learnt from past SLM: Best Practices 222 Lessons learnt from past SLM: Recommendations 223 Opportunities through SLM 229 Conclusion 229 Chapter 9 Regional Training Workshop on Sustainable Land Management Technologies Background 241 Rationale, Objectives, and Outcome 242 Introduction to BTFEC and its funding windows 243 Why is SLM important to Bhutan? 245 SLM Technologies 246 Practical demonstration on SLM technologies 250 Introduction to ALD guidelines 250 Scaling up SLM: Issues and Challenges 253 Lesson learnt and way forward 254 References 259 6 Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Executive Summary CHAPTER 1 Evaluation of Sustainable Land Management and innovative Financing 1 Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Evaluation Of Sustainable Land Management And Innovative Financing To Enhance Climate Resilience And Food Security In Bhutan 2 Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation Executive Summary Executive Summary Land degradation and desertification, climate change and biodiversity loss are interconnected and hence effective solutions to address these issues demand coordination and synergistic activities through the action programmes of concerned agencies. Bhutan is undergoing rapid natural resource-based social and economic changes. These changes have important implications for land resources and consequently on long-term societal welfare. Due to the fragile mountainous landscape, land degradation is emerging as a key environmental issue, in Bhutan, despite environmental conservation occupying a pivotal place in the national development policies and programmes. Various forms of soil degradation are manifesting themselves all over the country largely owing to natural calamities and anthropogenic factors. In Bhutan, more than 70 percent of the population depends on subsistence and mixed farming performed largely on steep to very steep slopes.
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