REQUEST FOR CEO ENDORSEMENT PROJECT TYPE: FULL-SIZED PROJECT TYPE OF TRUST FUND:GEF TRUST FUND For more information about GEF, visit TheGEF.org PART I: PROJECT INFORMATION Project Title: A Landscape Approach to Wildlife Conservation in Northeastern China Country(ies): People's Republic of China GEF Project ID:1 4651 GEF Agency(ies): WB (select) (select) GEF Agency Project ID: P122383 Other Executing Partner(s): State Forestry Administration of Submission Date: June 20,2015 PRC, Forestry Administration of Jilin Province, Forestry Administration of Heilongjiang Province, Heilongjiang Forest Industry General Corporation, WWF GEF Focal Area (s): Biodiversity Project Duration(Months) 47 Name of Parent Program (if Global Tiger Initiative Project Agency Fee ($): 300,000 applicable):  For SFM/REDD+  For SGP  For PPP

A. FOCAL AREA STRATEGY FRAMEWORK 2 Trust Grant Focal Area Cofinancing Expected FA Outcomes Expected FA Outputs Fund Amount Objectives ($) ($) (select) BD-1 Improved management 866 km2 of new protected GEF TF 1,650,000 7,830,000 effectiveness of existing areas and 2831km2 of and new protected areas existing protected area brought under enhanced protection for species like the Amur Tiger, the Amur Leopard and a number of endemic and threatened species. (select) BD-1 GEF TF (select) BD-2 Increase in sustainably 2,252 km2 of production GEF TF 588,000 8,669,500 managed landscapes that landscape under incorporate biodiversity biodiversity friendly management establishing corridors between protected areas (select) BD-2 Measures to use and a) a strengthened policy GEF TF 762,000 1,081,000 sustainably conserve framework for the biodiversity incorporated in implementation and policy and regulatory management of priority frameworks ecological landscapes to protect tiger and other wildlife habitat in Heilongjiang and Jilin

1 Project ID number will be assigned by GEFSEC. 2 Refer to the Focal Area Results Framework and LDCF/SCCF Framework when completing Table A. GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 1 Provinces, (b) establishment of a NE China Advisory Tiger Landscape Conservation Committee and (c) closer cross- provincial collaboration with Russian counterparts. (select) (select) (SELECT ) (select) (select) (SELECT ) (select) (select) (SELECT ) (select) (select) (SELECT ) Total project costs 3,000,000 17,580,500

B. PROJECT FRAMEWORK Project Objective: To help create the ecological conditions for recovery of threatened biodiversity in priority ecological landscapes in the far northeast of China, using the Amur Tiger as a flagship species. Trust Grant Confirmed Grant Fund Amount Cofinancin Project Component Type Expected Outcomes Expected Outputs ($) g ($) 1. Institutional TA Outcome 1.1. Output 1.1.1. Wildlife GEF TF 721,000 1,008,000 coordination to Incorporation of conservation strategies mainstream wildlife biodiversity and for Jilin (updated) and conservation across wildlife conservation Heilongjiang provinces sectors priorities into (prepared) and government policies submitted to the at provincial and provincial local levels Development Reform Committee leading to harmonized district level development plans, involving relevant stakeholders in economic planning and wildlife conservation.

Output 1.1.2. NE China advisory committee established.

Output 1.1.3. Increased cross-provincial collaboration with Russian counterparts supported through annual meetings.

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 2 2. Conservation and Inv Outcome 2.1. Forest Output 2.1.1. Increased GEF TF 1,569,000 7,606,500 restoration of priority ecosystem integrity management ecosystems and in Changbaishan and effectiveness achieved increased Wandashan in 4 existing NRs effectiveness of landscapes in (Hunchun NNR, habitat protection in Northeastern China Wangqing NNR, Mulin the Changbaishan enhanced through: (a) NNR, and Laoyoling landscapes. strengthening of NNR) totalling 2,831 existing protected km2. area system; and (b) creation of new Output 2.1.2. Nature protected areas. reserve staff trained (296 person times over LOP).

Output 2.1.3. Three new NRs (866 km2) created providing habitat to protect tiger and other wildlife.

Outcome 2.2. Output 2.2.1. Area Consolidation of outside of project- prime wildlife habitat supported nature (mixed deciduous reserves (2,252 km2) and evergreen forest) managed in a through biodiversity-friendly establishment of manner. ecological corridors and improvement of Output 2.2.2. Decrease existing habitat. in incidence of snares in defined sampling sites in project area (TBD in PY 1)

Outcome 2.3. Greater Output 2.3.1. Integrated carrying capacity of cross-provinical forest ecosystems for ecological monitoring threatened wildlife, program designed and using the Amur Tiger implemented. as a flagship species.

3. Reducing Human TA Outcome 3.1. Output 3.1.1. GEF TF 560,000 8,448,000 Wildlife Conflict in Reduced incidence of Construction and Priority Forest human/wildlife equipping of 2 new and Landscapes conflict in priority upgrading and landscscapes. equipping of 26 existing wildlife monitoring stations outside of project supported nature reserves.

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 3 Output 3.1.2. Forestry staff trained in SMART patrolling techniques (274 person-times). Outcome 3.2. Increased buy-in Output 3.2.1. 75,000 from local people participation in communities to public awareness conserve wildlife and events and other related protect ecosystems. activities over LOP

(select) (SELECT) (select) (SELECT) (select) (SELECT) (select) (SELECT) (select) (SELECT) Subtotal 2,850,000 17,063,000 Project management Cost (PMC)3 (SELECT) 150,000 518,000 Total project costs 3,000,000 17,580,500

C. SOURCES OF CONFIRMED COFINANCING FOR THE PROJECT BY SOURCE AND BY NAME ($)

Please include letters confirming cofinancing for the projeect with this form Cofinancing Sources of Co-financing Name of Co-financier (source) Type of Cofinancing Amount ($) National Government State Forestry Agency In-kind 749,000 Local Government Jilin Forestry Department In-kind 8,763,000 Local Government Heilongjiang Forestry Department In-kind 3,210,000 Local Government Heilongjiang Forest Industry General In-kind 2,858,500 Corporation CSO WWF In-kind 2,000,000 (select) (select) (select) (select) (select) (select) (select) (select) Total Co-financing 17,580,500

D. TRUST FUND RESOURCES REQUESTED BY AGENCY, FOCAL AREA AND COUNTRY1 (in $) Type of Country Name/ GEF Agency Focal Area Trust Fund Global Grant Agency Fee Total Amount (a) (b)2 c=a+b World Bank GEF TF Biodiversity China 3,000,000 300,000 3,300,000 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0

3 PMC should be charged proportionately to focal areas based on focal area project grant amount in Table D below.

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 4 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 (select) (SELECT) (select) 0 Total Grant Resources 3,000,000 300,000 3,300,000 1 In case of a single focal area, single country, single GEF Agency project, and single trust fund project, no need to provide information for this table. PMC amount from Table B should be included proportionately to the focal area amount in this table. 2 Indicate fees related to this project.

F. CONSULTANTS WORKING FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE COMPONENTS: Grant Amount Cofinancing Project Total Component ($) ($) ($) International Consultants 12,000 0 12,000 National/Local Consultants 592,500 454,450 976,950

G. DOES THE PROJECT INCLUDE A “NON-GRANT” INSTRUMENT? No (If non-grant instruments are used, provide in Annex D an indicative calendar of expected reflows to your Agency and to the GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF Trust Fund).

PART II: PROJECT JUSTIFICATION

A. DESCRIBE ANY CHANGES IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE PROJECT DESIGN OF THE ORIGINAL PIF4

A.1 National strategies and plans or reports and assessments under relevant conventions, if applicable, i.e. NAPAS, NAPs, NBSAPs, national communications, TNAs, NCSA, NIPs, PRSPs, NPFE, Biennial Update Reports, etc. China’s macro-economic policy as reflected in 12th National Five Year Plan covering the period 2011 - 2015 identifies “strengthening the supervision of protected areas construction to improve the management conservation capacity” as a priority (Chapter 25, Section 2). In this same section the Plan also calls for an “increase in efforts to protect biological species resources and improve the management levels.” These priorities are supported through the China Biodiversity Partnership and Framework for Action (CBPFA) that covers the period 2011 – 2030. The Project is in direct conformity with CBPFA) 2011- 2030. Under this Framework, the Project will directly support four of the five priority themes identified under the Framework. These are: (i) Improving Biodiversity Goverance (Theme 1); (ii) Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Socio-Economic Sectors and Plans and Investment Decision-Making (Theme 2); (iii) Investing Effectively in Reducing Biodiversity loss in Protected Areas (Theme 3); and (iv) Improving Biodiversity Management outside Protected Areas (Theme 4). More specifically, it will support the following results identified in the CBPFA: (i) the general public is supportive of conserving biodiversity (Result 5); (ii) biodiversity conservation and sustainable use is mainstreamed into relevant plan and laws of sectoral ministries and departments (Result 11) and local plans (Result 12); (iii) NRs and PNRs are effectively managed (Result 18); (iv) land-use planning and management systems contribute effectively to conserving biodiversity (Result 21); and (v) restoration of forest, agricultural, ocean, freshwater, grasslands, drylands and urban ecosystems demonstrate incorporation of biodiversity objectives (Result 22). A.2. GEF focal area and/or fund(s) strategies, eligibility criteria and priorities. A.3 The GEF Agency’s comparative advantage: A.4. The baseline project and the problem that it seeks to address: The baseline project and the problem that it seeks to address: China, with a geographic area extending more than 9.5 million km2, is characterized by a wide range of

4 For questions A.1 –A.7 in Part II, if there are no changes since PIF and if not specifically requested in the review sheet at PIF st age, then no need to respond, please enter “NA” after the respective question. GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 5 ecosystems ranging from tropical forests to pine forests and from wetlands to deserts. These ecosystems support a vast and diverse biodiversity including many species of global importance such as the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), the panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), and the Nujiang golden monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri).

China’s long history of human occupation has led to a high degree of fragmentation to its many natural habitats. The situation has been further exacerbated by the country’s recent rapid economic growth and diversification that, in the absence of sound planning and policy frameworks, has further, adversely affected the country’s natural resource base. Systematic poaching of wildlife and encroachment and degradation of habitat have led to severe losses in biodiversity, altering food webs and ecosystem functions.

With a population of over 1.3 billion people it is not feasible to set aside large tracks of land for habitat restoration or natural areas for protection. Rather to protect its biodiversity, China needs to adopt a landscape approach through the establishment of ecological corridors connecting nature reserves to provide habitat for the conservation of viable size population of key biodiversity while decreasing human-wildlife conflict.

China is transitioning from forest management practices that previously focused on wood biomass and productivity of fast growing species in plantations, to a more multi-dimensional approach that recognizes the role of natural forest ecosystems in providing a multitude of goods and services including timber, water, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. However, it has yet to mainstream a landscape approach into land use planning and biodiversity conservation at provincial and local levels.

This is an innovative approach in China where the work in biodiversity conservation has focused on creation of nature reserves and actions to curb poaching. The few efforts to date in landscape planning and management for biodiversity conservation objectives have focused primarily on non-migratory species with relatively small home ranges (e.g., the panda) and not at the top of the food chain, such as tigers, which have far larger home ranges and more potential for human-wildlife conflict.

One priority area for applying a landscape approach for biodiversity conservation are the forests of the Changbaishan Landscape found in northeastern China in proximity to the Russian border. This area is home to the largest remaining tracts of natural temperate forest in China, with a diverse flora and fauna and significant amount of endemism. This region is also home to the few remaining individuals of the iconic Amur Tigers in the wild in China. It is the largest of the six existing sub-species of tigers with males reaching 300 kg and 2.3 m. The total population in the wild (Russia and China) is estimated to be only 400 individuals. The tiger population in China is estimated to vary in number from 18-22 individuals, which wander back and forth across the boundary with Russia, in Primorskye Krai where the main population resides. Recovering the Tiger—and as a first step, doubling the number of individuals in the wild by 2022— is the goal of the People’s Republic of China under the National Tiger Recovery Program (NRTP), to which Premier Wen Jiabao committed in a special forum of Heads of State at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in November 2010.

At present, the habitat for Amur tiger, leopard and many other species of wildlife in the Changbaishan Landscape is fragmented into a series of national and provincial nature reserves with little to no shared connectivity. The results from a recent study supported by China’s Feline Research Center (FRC) identified habitat limiting factors affecting tiger populations (e.g., elevation, habitat integrity, human settlements, road density etc.). The findings of the study were used to identify priorities that if addressed could lead to the restoration of wildlife habitat in the Changbaishan Landscape. These were first to consolidate the existing corridor with Russia along a north-south axis followed by interventions designed to facilitate wildlife migration further “inland” into China along an east-west axis as habitat is made more “wildlife-friendly” and becomes increasingly suitable to support growing populations. If properly managed, the area of forests remaining in the Changbaishan Landscape, should be able to support an increasingly complex biota that ultimately could sustain viable populations of higher order predators, like the Amur Tiger and leopard, and their prey, as well as other species.

The project area within the Changbaishan region was initially defined through a series of consultations with national experts on tigers and other large cats. The boundaries of existing forested areas administered by the three partners were superimposed over the area defined by the aforementioned experts so boundaries between partners could be further

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 6 defined. In aggregate, the project area consists of: (a) 52 forestry farms and existing nature reserves (Hunchun and Wangqing NNRs) and proposed new nature reserves (Lanjia “mini-reserve” and Tianqiaoling PPR) in Jilin Province, (b) 16 forestry farms and existing nature reserves (Laoyoling and Mulin NNRs) under the administration of the HFC in Heilongjiang Province and (c) the forests of Dongning County under the administration of the Donging Forestry Bureau (HFD) and the proposed new Niaoqingshan PNR also in Heilongjiang Province. All areas are contiguous.

With the exception of the larger, established NNRs (e.g., Hunchun, Wangqing, Laoyoling and Mulin NNRs) many of the other existing and proposed new reserves, in particular at the county-level (including the forestry farms), are poorly developed with budgets that only cover routine operations with little to no investment in conservation activities characterized by an absence of management plans, co-management contracts with local communities and/or technical monitoring. Cooperation among the reserves even for the most basic of activities such as routine operations, data and information sharing, protection and law enforcement and species management and monitoring is poor to non-existent. Staff, in particular those employed from the forestry farm period, is in need of capacity building and training.

Despite the often significant efforts among the partners in support of conservation efforts, there is little to no coordination across provincial lines and even among agencies within the same province; a major a priori requirement to achieve a successful landscape approach.

Similarly, while each of the project partners have established, productive agreements with their Russian counterparts in support of cross-border conservation efforts there nevertheless is a need to facilitate enhanced joint activities in particular bringing together all the partners and their respective Russian counterpart institutions into a single, joint, collaborative effort to conserve trans-boundary tiger and other wildlife populations.

Moreover, there exists no integrated ecological-based monitoring program in the project area impeding the reserves collective ability to function as a network to increase effectiveness in the conservation and management of wildlife and habitat through a landscape approach; one that is applied beyond the boundaries of a single NR.

With respect to environmental education and communications, again with the exception of the larger NNRs, the main communication platforms and channels used for dissemination the conservation message are out of date exacerbated by a lack of capacity and knowledge in using modern media, networking and use of social media for effective communications and information dissemination. Mitigation efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflicts is ad hoc and not fully integrated into a broader, public awareness and communications strategy.

Finally, there is no single point of contact to promote increased cross-provincial and international efforts and provide technical advice to the project partners on on-going conservation activities and facilitate the exchange of information and promote greater coordination has been a major constraint in tiger conservation efforts in NE China.

In summary the main barriers and gaps to be targeted by the project are:

 the need to mainstream a landscape approach into land use planning and biodiversity conservation frameworks at provincial and local levels.

 with some exceptions, weak capacity in many of the existing and proposed new protected areas to be incorporated into the network of NRs that will provide the core of the conservation landscape;  the absence of close collaboration in conservation efforts across agencies, provinces and international boundaries needed to manage large, migratory predators with expansive home ranges;  a significant absence of scientific data needed to manage wildlife populations across a landscape and its constituent nature reserves;

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 7  a relatively low awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the role that nature reserves play in its conservation and low capacity among existing staff to promote increased awareness and need for a broader strategy to reduce human-wildlife conflicts; and  the absence of an advisory panel to provide technical advice to the project partners on on-going conservation activities and proposed project specific activities and facilitate the exchange of information and promote greater coordination has been a major constraint in tiger conservation efforts in NE China. A. 5. Incremental /Additional cost reasoning: describe the incremental (GEF Trust Fund/NPIF) or additional (LDCF/S CCF) activities requested for GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF financing and the associated global environmental benefits (GE F Trust Fund) or associated adaptation benefits (LDCF/SCCF) to be delivered by the project: The Project Development Objective (PDO) and its Global Environmental Objective (GEO) is to help create the ecological conditions for recovery of threatened biodiversity in priority landscapes in the far northeast of China, using the Amur Tiger as a flagship species. The PDO/GEO will be achieved through activities supported under the following components/sub-components:

Component 1: Institutional Coordination to Mainstream Wildlife Conservation Across Sectors. This component will support a series of activities designed to contribute to the establishment of an enabling policy, institutional and planning framework to facilitate and sustain increased cooperation and collaboration among provincial, national and international institutions in their respective efforts to conserve wildlife and habitat in Northeast China. This component consists of the following two sub-components:

Sub-Component 1a: Policy and Planning. Under this sub-component the Project will support the updating of Jilin’s existing tiger habitat and conservation and restoration management plan which has already been accepted by the provincial Development and Reform Committee (DRC) and the preparation of Heilongjiang’s first such plan to be submitted to the DRC.5 Other activities will support the development of new and updating of existing provincial policies and regulations to reduce human-tiger conflicts. Specifically this will consist of: (a) the formulation of local regulations to facilitate the management and conservation of wildlife in Dongning County (site for the proposed Niaoqingshan PPR to be created in Heilongjiang Province); (b) formulation of provincial-wide legislation in Heilongjiang Province to promote management measures that include paying compensation for wildlife-associated conflicts that will be submitted to the Provincial People’s Congress for approval before the end of the project (this legislation already exists in Jilin Province); (c) local compensation regulatory measures that cover HFD and HFC forestry farms included under the project; and (d) the formulation of regulations needed to implement existing wildlife conservation measures specified in the management plans for Mulin and Laolin NNRs and their accompanying buffer zones (Heilongjiang Province). Finally under this sub-component, the project will support the identification of and planning for priority habitat areas for tiger protection. Specifically this will include plans that cover existing forest farms managed by the HFD and HFC respectively that will identify suitable areas to be converted to nature reserves in the future for purposes of expanding the province’s existing NR area network.

Sub-Component 1b: Institutional Arrangements. Under this sub-component the Project will contribute to the creation of a NE China Advisory Tiger Landscape Committee composed of recognized national experts to provide technical advice to project stakeholders for consideration in the preparation of their annual work plans. This will serve as a source of technical inputs reflecting the latest scientific data on tigers and other wildlife and their habitat and provide a basis to determine how best the Project can adapt to reflect the latest thinking in a cost-effective manner while achieving the GEO. The Committee would also be available for consultation on an ad hoc basis when necessary. A second set of critical activities supported under this sub-component will lead to increased cooperation between the project’s three main stakeholders and their respective Russian counterparts under an existing Protocol for Conservation of Tigers and their Habitats signed in 1997 and more recent agreements signed in 2010. Participants will include scientists, managers

5 Integrated planning and “mainstreaming environment including biodiversity” in China falls in the remit of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) situated directly under the Chinese State Council with broad administrative and planning control over the Chinese economy. Provincial level DRC’s are part of provincial government and receive policy and technical guidance from upper level DRCs (i.e., national and city levels). The submission and approval of provincial tiger habitat conservation plans to the DRC represents a critical step in the “mainstreaming” of these environmental considerations in sector plans.

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 8 from the three partners’ respective nature reserves, representatives from FRC, SFA WWF and other relevant institutions and their Russian counterparts. It is expected that the thematic issues to be discussed in these meetings and which would lead to on-the-ground actions would include but not be limited to promoting joint anti-pouching activities, staff training, developing a standard monitoring protocol and the consolidation of statistics into a unified data base. These “regional” meetings are expected to be complemented by bi-lateral meetings between the individual partners and their Russian counterparts.

Component 2: Conservation of Priority Ecosystems and Increased Effectiveness of Habitat Protection in the Changbaishan Landscape. This component will support the consolidation and strengthening of the Sino - Russian corridor through the strengthening of existing and creation of new Chinese nature reserves, improvement of wildlife habitat in the project’s core zone and provision of support for an integrated wildlife-monitoring program. This will be achieved through the following four sub-components:

Sub-component 2a: Increased Management Effectiveness in 4 Existing NRs. The existing nature reserves proposed for project support occurs in a cluster along a north-south corridor paralleling the Sino-Russian border are Hunchun and Wangqing NNRs (Jilin Province) and Laoyoling NNR (Heilongjiang Province). Two of these reserves (Hunchun and Laoyoling NNR) share a boundary with the Land of the Leopard NP in Russia. A fourth reserve to be supported under the Project, Mulin NNR (Heilongjiang Province), will serve to expand this cluster of reserves further to the west. Under this sub-component the Project will provide support primarily for training, equipment, updating of existing management plans and development of NR-specific implementation regulations required to facilitate the legal application of existing management plans.

Sub-component 2b: Creation of 3 New NRs. To strengthen the cluster described under Sub-component 2b and support a more contiguous corridor following a north-south axis parallel to the Sino-Russian border the Project will support the creation of two new reserves, Lanjia “mini-reserve” and Niaoqingshan PNR in Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces, respectively. A third reserve, Tianqiaoling (Jilin) to be created under the Project will support an expansion along an East-West corridor extending further into China. The creation of three new NRs will result in 866 km 2 of new protected area for tiger and other wildlife. Under this sub-component the Project will provide support primarily for the necessary field studies, consultations, follow-up preparation and application materials leading to reserve creation followed by limited investment.

Sub-component 2c: Habitat Restoration. Under this sub-component the Project will support a series of activities on forest lands in proximity to project-supported nature reserves for the purpose of the creation of tiger (and other wildlife)-friendly habitat to promote the expansion of the range of existing populations and gradual increase in carrying capacity. The total estimated area included under this activity covers 2,252km2. Support will be provided for increasing the population of local prey species, habitat improvement primarily through reforestation of diverse range of local broad leaf and conifer species, thinning, reduction of understory (shrub cover) and thinning of existing forest stands in areas external to the NRs and the removal of snares; actions that together will contribute to the creation of corridors connecting existing and the newly proposed NRs and the removal of snares. Government financing will include support for increasing existing populations of prey species (mostly ungulates), provision of feed and feeding stations, in particular for the winter periods and habitat improvement activities.

Sub-component 2d: Technical Monitoring. A cross-provincial, integrated technical monitoring program under the responsibility of the Feline Research Center (FRC) will be supported under this sub-component that will monitor tiger and other key wildlife populations and their prey, associated habitat and other key environmental indicators including the potential effects of climate change. This program will also include the monitoring of nature-reserve specific species as indicators of biodiversity “richness” to be identified in project year 1. Under this sub-component the project will provide support primarily for the purchase of monitoring equipment, training, field studies, data processing and publication and dissemination. The field dimension of the monitoring program will collect data on Amur tiger and associated prey species and habitat both in the reserves and adjacent areas where project will be supporting activities directed at habitat improvement.

Component 3: Reducing Human Wildlife Conflict in Priority Forest Landscapes. This component will support a series of activities designed to reduce human-tiger conflicts in a buffer zone in proximity to the assemblage of existing

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 9 and new nature reserves to be supported under component 2. This component consists of the following three sub- components:

Sub-Component 3a: Improved Patrolling and Enforcement. Under this sub-component the Project will support the restoration of 26 existing and construction of two new forestry protection stations, purchase of equipment, training of forestry staff on forest lands outside of, but in proximity to project-supported NRs with emphasis improving capacity in the implementation of SMART patrolling techniques for wildlife conservation and promoting increased adoption of tiger friendly land use practices among local communities in priority areas.

Sub-Component 3b: Pilot Mitigation Measures. This sub-component will support measures that would lead to the development and adoption of tiger - friendly land use practices in local communities living in proximity to project- supported nature reserves. Pilot activities that would be supported under this sub-component include provision of technical assistance, evaluation of past and testing of new approaches to provision of compensation to mitigate human- wildlife conflicts, identification and implementation of alternative livelihoods (e.g., black fungus, medicinal plants, bee- keeping etc.).

Sub-Component 3c: Increased Public Awareness. This sub-component will support a series of activities to increase public awareness of the global importance of tigers and other wildlife in NE China and the efforts designed for their conservation including the reduction of human – wildlife conflicts. The Project would provide support primarily for the production of film, printing and distribution of informative material and the construction and placement of boundary markers and informative signs in critical areas in selected areas in proximity to project supported nature reserves.

The expected Outcomes are: (a) an update and new provincial-wide tiger conservation management plans submitted to the DRC for Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces, respectively; (b) establishment of a NE China Advisory Tiger Landscape Conservation Committee; and (c) closer cross-provincial collaboration with Russian counterparts. The expected Outputs are: (a) increased management effectiveness among project supported NRs measured by NR specific METT scorecards, (b) 3 new NRs established creating 866 km2 of new protected area for tiger and other wildlife, (c) 296 NR staff trained, (d) decreased incidence of snares in project area, (e) an integrated cross-provincial ecological monitoring program established, (f) the restoration of 26 existing and construction of two new forestry protection stations, and purchase of equipment in areas outside of but adjacent to project supported nature reserves, (g) 274 forestry staff trained and (h) 75,000 people participation in public awareness events and other related activities over LOP.

The global environmental benefits (GEB) to be achieved through the proposed project include: (i) protection of globally important biodiversity, including the last remaining tracts of old growth temperate forests in northeastern China, which is home to a range of wildlife, including the highly endangered species like the Amur Tiger and the Amur Leopard in China through: (a) integrating wildlife conservation considerations into economic development planning and sectoral policies and planning frameworks in targeted landscapes, (b) creation of three new nature reserves for the protection of tiger and other wildlife habitat (866 km2), (c) promoting the management of areas outside of project-supported nature reserves in a biodiversity friendly manner (2,252 km2),6 (d) enhancing the effectiveness of protected area/network management in existing and new nature reserves at the end of the 4 year project (3,697 km 2), (e) promoting more effective law enforcement and monitoring in both protected areas and the greater landscape to reduce mortality of flagship species and (f) reducing human/wildlife conflict by increasing benefits to and buy-in from local communities for wildlife conservation; (ii) increasing wildlife carrying capacity through restoration, expansion and connectivity of critical habitats, including the expansion of biodiversity-friendly landscapes adjacent to protected areas; (iii) demonstration of the ecological corridor approach to landscape management and wildlife recovery by connecting isolated areas of critical habitat available to top predators with large territories and their prey; (iv) creation of a database documenting ecosystem interventions and recovery at the landscape scale which can be shared globally, and feed into the Global Tiger Recovery Program; and (v) improved functioning of forest ecosystems and processes which will result in increased carbon sequestration and ultimately positive contributions to the mitigation of global warming.

6 “Biodiversity friendly” in the context of the present project consists of landscapes that meet the following criteria: (i) tree diversity ranging betwe en 50-60%:50%-40% broadleaf: conifers; (ii) crown cover 40 % or greater, (iii) understory (i.e., shrub cover) not greater than 10 – 20 % and (iv) cl eared of snares. GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 10 A.6 Risks, including climate change, potential social and environmental risks that might prevent the project objectives from being achieved, and measures that address these risks: The main risks identified are that project supported interventions may be insufficient to result in significant positive change over the life of the project due to the time needed for a measurable ecological response. This could be the result of any one or more of the following: (a) lack of strong leadership by SFA needed to ensure efficient coordination and collaboration among the three PPMUs as well as with their cross-border counterpart institutions, (b) lack of knowledge and experience in working with the Bank and the requirements of GEF projects, among the provincial partners, (c) insufficient technical support given the range of challenges at hand, (d) insufficient targeting of efforts to guarantee results at a pilot scale and/or (e) reluctance by local populations to make the changes suggested by the new landscape approach. However, by leveraging change in forestry practices and resettlement plans, and by developing coordinated land use priorities in targeted landscapes, demonstrations of successful wildlife and forest ecosystem conservation are possible. With the employment of best practices in forest restoration, diversification and thinning in support of creating a wildlife-friendly habitat, better ecological monitoring and surveillance of human activities, and strategic establishment of ecological corridors, wildlife is expected to recover over time. There is a lack of cross-provincial collaboration between the respective line bureaus responsible for forest management in the two participating provinces. Arguably, there is better collaboration between the provinces and their respective Russian counterparts than with each other. For the project to be successful SFA will have to play a leadership role and facilitate provincial bureau collaboration; an a priori requirement before project- supported reserves located in different provinces will work closely together. Similarly, SFA will be needed to facilitate the two provinces working together in a collaborative approach in cross-border activities with Russia rather than maintain the existing, separate sets of parallel bi-lateral activities. The project may contribute to some negative social impacts, mainly from restriction of access and possible impact on ethnic minorities in the project areas. A Process Framework was established to further identify the affected villagers/individuals, as well as potential impacts and possible measures in the project implementation stage. Further the PF recommended to prepare Protected Area Co- management Plans together by village and forest authority, as well as Village Development Plan in four pilot villages defined in the implementation stage, to achieve the win-win between the communities and authorities. No land acquisition and resettlement was identified, but potential land acquisition could not be excluded during the implementation stage, so a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) was prepared. During preparation i three ethnic minority villages were identified, two are Korean villages and one is Korean and Manchu village. All the 3 villages are in the surrounding areas of Hunchun NR and part of their livelihood rely on cattle grazing and NTFP collection. In order to guarantee the free, prior and informed consultations with ethnic minorities, a series of consultation campaigns were carried out and concluded that the three villages supported the project. Many of the project activities will require some time (beyond the project period) to demonstrate a measurable ecological response on wildlife. The amount of funding is also limited relative to the scope of the problem—the rapid loss of wildlife species, epitomized by the threat of extinction of the wild Amur Tiger in China. In this sense, it is unlikely that significant gains in numbers of Wild Amur Tigers in Northeastern will be achieved by end of the project; however, the decline should be reversed with numbers of prey species showing measurable improvements at that time. The design of the project has taken this into consideration and has incorporated some key leading/surrogate indicators to establish if the project interventions are indeed producing some intermediate results. The State Forest Administration will be responsible for overall coordination of the activities executed by the Forest Departments in the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang. Actual project implementation will rest with the three PPMUs at Jilin and Heilongjiang. All represent new clients for the Bank and pose some procurement risk. However, discussions with provincial officials during a number identification and preparation missions demonstrated a high degree of commitment to wildlife and particularly tiger conservation through better management and consolidation of forest and wildlife habitat, upgrading surveillance and enforcement capacity to control poaching, monitoring populations of indicator species such as the Amur Tiger and reducing human/wildlife conflicts. The contribution of confirmed co- financing to the GEF project of almost 6:1 is an indication of the commitment of the implementing agencies at Central and Provincial levels. As the project implementing agencies are new to Bank operations and uptake by rural population in the long run may depend on continued government support, the overall risk of the project is rated as Moderate at the appraisal stage. Mitigation measures to address these challenges have been incorporated into project design. These risks will be closely monitored during project implementation. If needed, their ratings will be adjusted accordingly and corresponding mitigation measures will be implemented.

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 11 A.7. Coordination with other relevant GEF financed initiatives China is one of the 13 Tiger Range Countries members of the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) which have pledged their support for tiger recovery under the GTI. The Global Tiger Initiative is a global alliance of governments, international organizations (including GEF and the World Bank, civil society, the scientific community, and the private sector committed to working together to save wild tigers from extinction. Recovering the Tiger—and as a first step, doubling the number of individuals in the wild by 2022—is the goal of the People’s Republic of China under the National Tiger Recovery Program (NRTP), to which Premier Wen Jiabao committed in a special forum of Heads of State at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in November 2010.The Team has encouraged Forestry Officials in China to attend the core learning program (CLP) prepared by GTI secretariat in partnership with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to support the implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program training and will continue to facilitate their participation. B. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT ADDRESSED AT PIF STAGE: B.1 Describe how the stakeholders will be engaged in project implementation. The key stakeholders identified in the Project and the respective mechanism(s) to facilitate their engagement in project implementation are the following: (a) the NR staff in the existing 4 Reserves and the additional 3 reserves to be created under the project receiving direct support through training and other institutional strengthening activities and will be represented through their respective Project Entities; (b) forestry staff working in 26 existing and 2 new wildlife monitoring stations situated in areas adjacent to the project-supported NRs receiving support for equipping, construction and training; (c) 8,903 persons in 39 communities (consisting of 4,559 persons in 14 villages and 4,344 persons in 25 forest worker communities) that will be affected mainly through resource acquisition and decreases in income due to strengthening restriction of access to the NRs d). Gender balance is approximately equal with women representing 45% and 48 % of the total population of forest farms and village populations, respectively. The main impacts result from prohibiting grazing, collection, cutting and other extractive activities in the NRs. With the designed measures, the income of the affected populations could be fully restored. Communities will be engaged through their participation in the development and implementation on NR co-management plans together with the relevant village and forest authorities, as well as Village Development Plan to be prepared in the first year of project implementation; (d) the EMDP also identified three ethnic minority villages, two Korean and one mixed Korean - Manchu, in the project area. They will be engaged through similar measures as identified in (c) above; (e) participating local government agencies that will collaborate to mainstream biodiversity conservation objectives in their decision-making processes (through their participation in the DRC process of adopting the province-wide tiger conservation management plans in the two participating provinces; (f) the State Forestry Administration (SFA) through the creation of the PMO; (g) the Forestry Departments of Jilin and Heilongjiang Province and the Heilongjiang Forestry Corporation through their respective PPMUs; (h) the World Wide Fund for Nature as co-financier and represented in the two provincial forestry department PPMUs; and (i) the broader community benefiting from many of the public awareness activities and media events supported under the Project. B.2 Describe the socioeconomic benefits to be delivered by the Project at the national and local levels, including consid eration of gender dimensions, and how these will support the achievement of global environment benefits (GEF Trust F und/NPIF) or adaptation benefits (LDCF/SCCF): The project will generate ecological benefits in the region but could a lso cause adverse impacts on local communities, including three ethnic minority communities, mainly through project-s upported constraints on existing farmland and forestry practices that will likely result in decreases in income. The Social Assessment (SA) proposed relevant measures to address these potential impacts, which will be integrated into detailed p roject design and implementation. The main measures to minimize and compensate the impacts consist of: income-gene rated training, greenhouse, ecotourism and study tours. The total cost to support these measures is an estimated USD395 000. Where successful, it is expected that these production technologies supported under the project will be promoted f or adoption and replication elsewhere by relevant agencies. The EMDP identified three ethnic minority villages, two Ko rean villages and one mixed Korean and Manchu. A series of consultation campaigns found that the three villages broad ly supported the project. With participatory planning, the potential impacts and their measures were separately identifie d and explored. The critical impacts relate to the strengthening of restriction of access through prohibiting grazing, colle ction, cutting, etc. in the NRs. The main mitigation measures will be similar to those previously described above and ar e estimated to cost USD313,000. The project will support the preparation of Protected Area Co-management Plans toget her by village and forest authority, as well as Village Development Plan in four pilot villages defined in the implementat ion stage. Over the longer term it is expected that considerable economic benefits will be generated by the growth and d iversification of eco-based tourism in areas in proximity to the nature reserves generating employment opportunities

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 12 B.3. Explain how cost-effectiveness is reflected in the project design: Efficiencies will be achieved primarily through: (a) promoting a landscape approach to the management of the Amur tiger and other wildlife with extensive home ranges instead of working through individual, isolated nature reserves which only cover fragments of the contiguous home ranges of these species; (b) promoting a collaborative, coordinated approach between the critical institutional actors responsible for managing these species and their habitat across two provinces and an international border; (c) supporting the creation of an enabling political and institutional framework, primarily through the DRC process in two participating provinces, tiger conservation principles will be mainstreamed in a number of economic sectors leading to reductions in ambiguity and inter-institutional disputes over land use; (d) improving management effectiveness among individual NRs; and (e) despite the public allocation of resources in support of nature reserves in China, due to capacity limitations many of these resources are poorly used and often do not achieve their intended purpose. Building capacity in the country’s nature reserves, particularly in the preparation of a “bottoms-up” and participatory approach to planning and management of the reserves will result in more efficient targeting and utilization of national budgetary resources. It is expected that the successful piloting and recognition of the innovative activities in NR management such as the landscape approach supported under the Project will serve as the basis for scaling up to other NRs in the two participating provinces and with the assistance of SFA beyond resulting in similar savings at reduced costs.

C. DESCRIBE THE BUDGETED M &E PLAN: Under project management the Project will support the establishment of a discrete M&E system under the responsibility of SFA. The Project’s Results Framework (Annex A) includes expected PDO and intermediate results indicators and will be the main tool for assessing project implementation progress and whether project results are being achieved. The means of verification and the responsibility for obtaining the information to track the indicators is specified in Annex 1. In addition to overall project monitoring, the Project will also support: (a) an integrated, field-based technical monitoring program under sub- component 2d; (b) monitoring of management effectiveness measured through the application of Management Effectiveness Tracking Tools (METTs) designed for GEF’s Biodiversity Focal Area; and (c) monitoring of the agreed on mitigation measures associated with the project’s Environmental Management (EMP) and social management Plans (Rp/PF/EMDP). The PPMUs will be responsible for day-to-day monitoring and regular evaluation of the Project including the work of project staff, consultants, partners and other service providers. In addition, the PPMUs together with other project partners will be responsible for the collection of the needed information to track the indicators provided in the Results Framework. The technical field-based monitoring program will be the responsibility of SFA’s Feline Research Center (FRC). The responsibility for applying the METTs at mid-term and final project evaluation will be of each of the project-supported nature reserves with support from the respective PPMUs. Monitoring of the project’s EMP and SMP will be the responsibility of the respective PPMUs coordinated by SFA.

During the project’s launch workshop, M&E tasks will be reviewed and will include: (a) presentation and clarification (if needed) of the project’s Results Framework with all project stakeholders; (b) review of the M&E indicators and their baseline; (c) drafting the required clauses to include in consultants’ contracts to ensure they complete their M&E reporting functions (if relevant); and (d) clarification of the respective M&E tasks among the Project’s different stakeholders.

Internal and external monitoring on implementing the RP/PF/EMDP were designed and agreed in the relevant documents, including institutional and financial measures to ensure the proper implementation of the documents. An experienced external monitor will be contractually engaged to conduct semi-annual monitoring in the project areas and the report will be submitted to the Bank periodically.

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 13 PART III: APPROVAL/ENDORSEMENT BY GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT(S) AND GEF AGENCY (IES)

A. RECORD OF ENDORSEMENT OF GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT(S) ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT(S): ): (Please attach the Operational Focal Point endorsement letter(s) with this form. For SGP, use this OFP endorsement letter).

NAME POSITION MINISTRY DATE (MM/dd/yyyy)

B. GEF AGENCY(IES) CERTIFICATION This request has been prepared in accordance with GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF policies and procedures and meets the GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF criteria for CEO endorsement/approval of project.

Agency Date Project Email Coordinator, Signature (Month, day, Contact Telephone Address Agency Name year) Person Karin Shepardson, 9/25/2015 World Bank

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 14 ANNEX A: PROJECT RESULTS FRAMEWORK.

CHINA: Landscape Approach to Wildlife Conservation in Northeast China (P122383)

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 15 Global Environment Objective (GEO): The project’s global environment objective is to help create the ecological conditions for recovery of threatened biodiversity in priority ecological landscapes in the far northeast of China (Heilongjiang and Jilin), using the Amur Tiger as a flagship species.

Annual Target Values Responsibility Co Unit of Frequen Data Source/ Indicator Name Baseline End for Data re Measure YR1 YR2 YR3 cy Methodology Target Collection

Area brought under enhanced Progress reports; biodiversity Semi- x km2 0 2,830 3,521 3,697 3,697 output verification NPMO/PPMUs protection in annually reports existing and new nature reserves

Area outside of nature reserves Progress reports; Semi- managed in a x km2 0 720 1,408 2,000 2,252 output verification NPMO/PPMUs annually biodiversity friendly reports manner.

Intermediate Results Indicators

Annual Target Values Co Unit of Data Source/ Indicator Name Baseline Frequency Responsibility re Measure Methodology End for Data YR1 YR2 YR3 Target Collection

Component 1 Institutional coordination to mainstream wildlife conservation across sectors

Updated Jilin ☐ % 0 50% 100% 100% 100% Semi- Progress reports; NPMO/PPMU Conservation and annually output verification Restoration Plan reports; draft plan presented to - hire - JFD internal Provincial consultants review and Development and comment Reform Committee (DRC) - external - public review and Provincial-wide consultation comment tiger conservation and GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 16 management plan consultation - incorporate submitted for with key changes approval by stakeholders Provincial DRC in - submit to Heilongjiang - preparation DRC ANNEX B: RESPONSES TO PROJECT REVIEWS (from GEF Secretariat and GEF Agencies, and Responses to Comments from Council at work program inclusion and the Convention Secretariat and STAP at PIF).

GEF Secretariat (associated responses by the project preparation team follow in italics):

Question 11. Provide further details on the baseline project including the problems intended to be addressed.

Response by the project team: This issue has been addressed under Section A.4 above.

Question 16. Need for additional information on the socio-economic benefits (including gender dimensions) to be delivered by the project and how the benefits support the achievement of incremental benefits.

Response by the project team: This issue has been addressed under Section B.1 above.

Question 18. Further details on the project's major risks and their respective mitigation measures.

Response by the project team: See Section A.6 above.

GEF Agencies:

There were no specific comments to address at the time of CEO endorsement.

Convention Secretariat:

There were no specific comments to address at the time of CEO endorsement.

STAP scientific and technical screening of the Project Identification Form (PIF): Date of screening: 19 January, 2012 Screener: Thomas Hammond Panel member validation by: Thomas Lovejoy Consultant(s): Douglas Taylor

STAP’s advisory response to GEFSEC and WB was “Minor revision required.” STAP requested that the following issues be addressed in the full project document (responses from the team are provided below each issue in italics):

1. STAP expects that overall target setting for actions to sustain priority landscapes in favorable conservation status would remain closely associated with the recovery of the chosen indicator species (Amur Tiger).

Response by the project team: The PDO is extremely clear that it is not about protecting tigers but about starting to re- establish the field conditions for eventually apex species (big cat) and flagship species (big cats) eventual recovery. This suitably sets the stage for realistic ambition of the project goal.

2. STAP asks the proponents to state clearly how monitoring wildlife poaching reduction, and balancing conservation with local economies can be assessed and sustained for the long term beyond the life of the project.

Response by the project team: This issue has been addressed under Section B.1 above.

3. STAP recommends that the project identifies criteria for use of PES after review of the GEF/STAP guidance published in 2010.

Response by the project team: During project preparation the team and the partners concluded that the use of PES in this project was would not be effective.

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 17 4. The project brief should indicate how its methodologies and actions can be coordinated with the CBPF.

Response by the project team: See Section A.1 above. 5. In light of the importance of tiger poaching in related projects in Russia, STAP believes that the economic drivers of tiger poaching are sufficiently powerful to justify a sub-component of Component 3 to address poaching at a strategic level.

Response by the project team: The target population of this campaign will be rural population in the area of the project. Demand is indeed a serious issue, but consumers live in rich or high-middle class people living in urban areas. The team considers that the amount of work, funds and partners needed to adequately implement this important task could not be covered by this relatively modest project. SFA is the leading partner in this project and is also responsible for representing China in the GTI and CITES. This the team considers that action taken in the project will contribute to the overall work being done by SFA in China.

Council Members:

Canada:

C 1. While the PIF does outline the connection to past WWF and WCS work, the PIF does not make it clear how it relates to other GEF-supported projects in the area and in other protected areas in China.

Response by the project team: See Part II, A7 above. One of the project partners is the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). WWF has been active in China the 1960’s and was the first international NGO to work on nature conservation in the country. WWF has more than 120 staff working in China in support of a broad range of conservation programs which includes such project relevant experience as its support in the establishment of 62 giant panda nature reserves. As one of the project’s co-financiers the WWF will provide a means to coordinate with other relevant GEF-supported projects in China and Russia in which it participates in particular with respect to overseas study tours and attendance to international conferences. The Technical Expert Panel, composed of recognized national and provincial experts to provide the technical support to the project implementation, is also expected to provide a bridge and point of contact with other relevant GEF-supported activities in China and Russia.

C 2. The project proposes a relatively innovative mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation within development planning processes, including use of the SMART green infrastructure guidelines. Will the project invest in any evidence-based learning around this innovation, helping to determine whether or not it is something that should / could be replicated?

Response by the project team: WWF will provide support for: (a) updating Jilin’s Conservation and Restoration Plan; (b) overseas study tours to observe examples of how to reduce adverse environmental impact on tiger habitat associated with development activities through visiting SMART infrastructure demonstration projects; (c) an international conference in support of greater collaboration in international tiger conservation activities under the existing Sino- Russian Agreement; and (d) equipment and TA in support of specific nature reserves.

C 3. The PIF mentions that no indigenous communities will be involved in the project. However, there are important ethnic groups located in this region of China, such as the Oroqen peoples. Why will these and other local ethnic groups not be involved in the project?

Response by the project team: The EMDP identified three ethnic minority villages, two are Korean villages and one is Korean and Manchu village. All the 3 villages are in the surrounding areas of Hunchun NR and part of their livelihood rely on cattle grazing and NTFP collection. With project implementation, wildlife consumption of domestic agricultural assets could affect grazing and NTFP collection. In order to guarantee the free, prior and informed consultations with ethnic minorities, a series of consultation campaigns were carried out. The campaigns included six consultations with JFD and its branches at city and county levels, four key informant interviews and three focus group interviews at county level. In addition two key informant interviews and 82 household questionnaires were carried out in the 3 villages. The potential impacts and their measures were separately identified and explored with participatory planning. A series of GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 18 consultation campaigns found that the three villages broadly supported the project. The critical impacts related to the strengthening of access restriction which results to prohibiting grazing, collection, cutting, etc. in the protected areas, and their proposed mitigation measures to address these restrictions mainly rely on: alternative income-generation training, such as greenhouse production or ecotourism training. This could include study tours to learn from other successful models.

C 4. While the PIF does talk of strengthening the protected areas in Northeastern China, it is not clear how this strengthening will lead to enhanced sustainability, particularly the financial sustainability of these protected areas.

Response by the project team: Under component 1 sustainability of project outcomes will be achieved primarily through: (a) leaving in place an enabling policy framework that will facilitate the continuation and expansion of the approach promoted by the Project in particular the incorporation of biodiversity considerations into the provincial planning process and the development of specific policy instruments (e.g., wildlife-human conflict compensation); (b) promoting a more collaborative approach among the three main stakeholders and two provinces to adopt a landscape approach to conservation of wildlife in NE China; (c) creation of a NE Advisory tiger landscape conservation committee to guide future conservation actions; and (d) strengthening and expanding the cross-border conservation activities governed by the existing Sino-Russian cooperation agreement to conserve the Amur Tiger.

Under Component 2, sustainability of project outcomes will be based largely on: (a) leaving in place a cadre of trained nature reserve staff on the importance of and means to conserve wildlife and associated habitat in the Changbaishan Landscape; (b) demonstration of the value of participating in collaborative activities and data sharing among project supported nature reserves including the value of integrated monitoring, training and public awareness programs; (c) strengthening of management in the reserves contributing to an improved ability to use financial resources in a more effective manner for conservation objectives; and (d) increased public support from both decision-makers and the public at large of the global significance of the Changbaishan Landscape based on increased awareness through activities supported under Component 3.

Under Component 3 the sustainability of the outcomes will be supported through: (a) actions from the PPMUs leading to establishing linkages between key institutional stakeholders and local communities to support wildlife-friendly conservation activities; (b) increased government support to provide incentives to facilitate local participation in conservation activities (e.g., snare removal programs); and (c) public support to expand project-supported efforts elsewhere in Changbaishan Landscape as awareness is increased of the significance of the biodiversity endowment in the participating provinces.

C 5. All of the biodiversity projects being proposed should provide information on how they relate to the country’s obligations to the CBD, particularly the Aichi Targets. As presented, the PIFs is not clear on how it will help the country meet the Aichi targets. The project proponents should provide this information in the final project proposal.

Response by the project team: The project will directly support the following Aichi Biodiversity Targets: by 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced (5); by 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascapes (11); and by 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained (12).

The project will indirectly support the following Aichi Biodiversity Targets: by 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably (1); by 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute to health, livelihoods and well- being, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable (14); and by 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 19 enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combating desertification (15).

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 20 ANNEX C: STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT PREPARATION ACTIVITIES AND THE USE OF FUNDS7

A. PROVIDE DETAILED FUNDING AMOUNT OF THE PPG ACTIVITIES FINANCING STATUS IN THE TABLE BELOW:

PPG Grant Approved at PIF: NA Project Preparation Activities Implemented GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF Amount ($) Budgeted Amount Spent Amount Amount Todate Committed

Total 0 0 0

7 If at CEO Endorsement, the PPG activities have not been completed and there is a balance of unspent fund, Agencies can continue undertake t he activities up to one year of project start. No later than one year from start of project implementation, Agencies should report this table to the GEF Secretariat on the completion of PPG activities and the amount spent for the activities. GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 21 ANNEX D: CALENDAR OF EXPECTED REFLOWS (if non-grant instrument is used)

Provide a calendar of expected reflows to the GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF Trust Fund or to your Agency (and/or revolving fund that will be set up)

NA

GEF5 CEO Endorsement Template-February 2013.doc 22