2015, First 6 Months Zagros Newsletter Conservation of Biodiversity in Central Zagros Landscape Conservation Zone Newsletter The Concept of Zagros Green Grants The concept behind the proposed ‘Green Grants’ Scheme is to provide a pro- gram of regular funding and technical assistance to enable local communities and community organisations, CBOs and NGOs, in the Central Zagros Moun- tains Conservation Zone, to plan and implement projects useful for nature conservation and sustainable development within the Conservation Area/ Zone. Green Village development includes a series of activities and initiatives that en- hance the facilities and services available in the village and simultaneously the natural resources using system will be adjusted and reformed by the participa- tion of the local communities GOs, and NGOs and will result in a developed vil- lage that is green (eco-friendly). The Mechanisms of Developing Green Grants includes: Capacity building Persuading the local communities and the governmental planners in planning, implementing, and integrated and sus- tainable management of the villages in a way that it guarantees improvement of environmental, and socio-economic indicators at the level of village, Having the capability of being scaled-up to other villages in Central Zagros Mountains (based on the legal framework and executive capacity of the country.) Some of these Green Initiatives are: Green Village Initiative (sustainable energy, water, waste management, infrastructure) Sustainable Nomadic Life Initiative Sustainable Rangeland Initiative Sustainable Forest & Wood Initiative Green Agriculture Initiative Zagros Landscape Protection Initiative Green Rivers, Wetlands and Water Initiative Green Fish-Farming Initiative Green Infrastructure Initiative Zagros Green Tourism Initiative Green Livelihoods Initiative Newsletter Green Village The Conservation of Biodiversity in Central Zagros Landscape Conser- vation Zone Project has shared this important issue with all the key stakeholders in order to exchange views and by doing so the meth- ods of developing the target villages in CMAs to the Green Villages would be identified and the trends would be commonly used for other villages. Green Villages in CZM rely on sustainable manage- ment of energy, water, waste and infrastructure. These measures, when combined with other components of green initiatives can change the present reality of rural areas and form a model for an interconnected and inter-sectoral management. Of course, succeed- ing depends highly on participatory planning and management. In this regard, the workshops were held to introduce the concept of Zagros Green Village, in the four provinces of the Central Zagros, using indicators such as: stable population, biological resources and rich landscape, etc. , a number of rural areas in the catchment manage- ment areas were selected to be changed in to the green. Dopolan Vil- lage in Chaharmahal o Bakhtiari was selected as the first pilot area of the green village along with holding consultative meetings with the key stakeholders such as With bilateral meetings with key stakeholders (Governorate, Housing Foundation, Water and Wastewater Organiza- tion of the village, Agricultural Jihad Office, Natural Resources Office, Department of Environment, ...), the responsibilities of each agencies and stakeholders in Dopolan were defined therefore the first step was Green Tourism The Conservation of Biodiversity in Central Za- gros Landscape Conservation Zone Project in order to provide and develop the concept of green initiatives has introduced the concept of green tourism. In the spring of this year, the concept note of green tourism was developed and presented in the meetings at the offices of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of the four provinces: Isfahan, Chaharmahal o Bakhtiari, Kohgiloye va Boyerahamad and Fars to the Key stakeholders at management level. The next steps for the tourism projects under development, operation, or performance, are introduced by the departments of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism and these will be turned in to the green projects by the participatory actions implemented by the relevant agencies. These will be financed via provincial Planning and Development Council follow-ups then the projects will be implemented and the final step is to evaluate and scale up the outcomes. It was also decided that in the upcoming meetings, tourism master plan for each of the provinces with respect to the components of green tourism will be examined. Page 2 Newsletter Green Rangelands and Landscape To develop the concept of green initiatives range management and biodiversity conservation plan to protect the vision of joint meetings of the central Zagros in cooperation with the Office of Natural Resources and Watershed of Isfahan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Kohgiluyeh va Boyer Ahmad, in May and June 1394 (2015) held the meetings at the offices in the natural resources organization. The key participants were in this meeting as the technical office of Research Center of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Asso- ciation of pastoralists, environmental NGos, tribal affairs and environmental expert. Finally, it was proposed that each province proposed one or two projects in these two areas, to include the principles of green initiatives announced at the next meeting. It should be noted that green initiatives in participatory management of rangeland management and conservation of the landscape, the aim is to achieve administrative projects catchment areas introduced and presented by the Management Committee after review and approval of the project in the province and headquarters are applicable. Green Forest & Wood Initiative To develop the concept of green initiatives forestry, joint meetings of the Zagros project in collaboration with the departments of Natural Re- sources and Watershed of Isfahan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Fars and Kohgiluyeh va Boyerahamad were held in May and June 1394(2015) in the conference hall of Natural Resources offices provinces was held. Finally, it was proposed that each province one or two projects in the field of forestry, to include the principles of green initiatives announced at the next meeting. In Chaharmahal o Bakhtiari, the first one was proposed by the local people, with regard to the request of the local community, The "creation of gar- dens in the village area Gelsefid, Mashayekh", was suggested that in exchange for the cultivation of fruit trees and medicinal plants on 200 hectares of degraded forest lands, residents pledge, 88 hectares of degraded forest lands, do the enrichment, by planting native oak trees and peanuts. The plan is currently under review. Other examples include studies of the central Zagros in the area of forest conservation plan as "the study of the impact of environ- mental factors on the contaminated Iranian oak forest in the West- ern Dena" at Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad. This study is planned in three phases so far, the first two are done. Page 3 Zagros Newsletter Green Agriculture For this purpose, there were meetings held at 4 Agricul- ture Organization of Fars province, Kohgiloyeh va Boyerahamad, Chaharmahal o Bakhtiari, Isfahan in May 1394 and Green initiatives and sustainable agriculture program was presented to all relevant government stakeholders in the management and planning organiza- tion of the four provinces, and discussed about the na- ture of the program, course of action, the organization of labor, credit and operational requirements of the es- tablishment of the program in the form of participatory workshops were conducted. The expert panel also formed four agricultural coopera- tive groups to develop a plan of action to establish sus- tainable agriculture of the four provinces in central Za- gros mountain catmint management areas were ap- proved. In the subsequent meetings, action plans prepared by the Committees of provincial Jihad, will be investigated and implemented. Kor CMA in the province since 1391, sustainable agriculture program and the second phase of the development pro- grams focus on six villages in Kor is coming to an end. In May 1394 a meeting was in Agricultural Jihad were held to continue the third phase of sustainable agriculture program in the CMA of Fars Agriculture in drafting proposals for urgent action to executive pay to witness the final phase of implementing sustainable agriculture programs at Kor CMA. At the same time in Dopolan, Chaharmahal o Bakhtiari two meetings were held with villagers in the spring, there the National Consultant introduced the objectives of biodiversity of conservation titled as Green Village, by identifying the leading reference group of farmers in the growing season, sustainable agriculture cultivates rice paddies village approach is being implemented on the ground. Page 4 Newsletter The Implementation of the Pilot Phase of the BEGs Biodiversity Enterprise Grant Scheme, in line with the annual work plan of Zagros project as a protection strategy to empower individuals, communities and organizations were defined, to support the implementation of activities in line with the conservation of biodiversity, while launching gainful employment, reducing the pressure from un- sustainable use of biological resources, and takeeffective action for the economic prosperity of the region. The steps of the project in the short term include: the implementation of piloting BEGs was completed on Biologi- cal Diversity, the results of which can be extracted. Two proposals