Support green development poles to strengthen the resilience to climate change of communities, ecosystems and agro-silvopastoral Project/Programme title: production systems of municipalities in the Brakna Region in Mauritania Country(ies): Mauritania National Designated Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable Authority(ies) (NDA): Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development Accredited Entity(ies) (AE): International Union for Conservation of Nature

Date of first submission: 11/12/2020 V.1

Date of current submission: 12/11/2020 V.2

Version 2 A. Project / Programme Summary (max. 1 page)

☒ Project ☒ Public sector A.2. Public or A.1. Project or programme A.3 RFP Not applicable private sector ☐ Programme ☐ Private sector

Mitigation: Reduced emissions from: ☒ Energy access and power generation: 10% ☐ Low emission transport: 0% ☐ Buildings, cities and industries and appliances: 0% A.4. Indicate the result ☒ Forestry and land use: 20% areas for the project/programme Adaptation: Increased resilience of: ☒ Most vulnerable people and communities: 20% ☒ Health and well-being, and food and water security: 20% ☐ Infrastructure and built environment: 0% ☒ Ecosystem and ecosystem services: 30%

A.5.1. Estimated mitigation impact 1 tCO2eq (tCO2eq over project lifespan) A.5.2. Estimated adaptation impact 90,000 direct beneficiaries (number of direct beneficiaries) A.5. Impact potential A.5.3. Estimated adaptation impact 225,000 indirect beneficiaries (number of indirect beneficiaries) A.5.4. Estimated adaptation impact 6.66% of the country’s total population (% of total population)

A.6. Financing information

A.6.1. Indicative GCF funding requested (max Amount: 9,000,000 Currency: USD Financial Instrument: Grants 10M)

Amount: 1 Currency: USD Financial Instrument: in-kind A.6.2. Indicative co-financing Institution: NAFOR

A.6.3. Indicative total project Amount: 9,000,001 Currency: USD cost (GCF + co-finance)

disbursement A.7. Implementation period: 60 A.7.2. Total project/ Programme 60 period: repayment period, if lifespan applicable: A.8. Is funding from the A.9. Is the Environmental and ☒ Yes ☒ Yes Project Preparation Social Safeguards Category C or ☐ No No Facility needed? I-3? ☐ None of the risk factors (Annex 1, part A) have been triggered. The A.10. Provide rationale for project does not involve large infrastructure construction, unvolontary land the ESS categorization acquisition, displacement or damage to cultural heritage and is not located (100 words) near any protected areas or special conservation sites. In fact, irrigation systems to be supported, solar and biomass power installations, investment Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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expected from private sector are small - scale and household-level facilities and production within an already built-up area and with no or very less additional footprint. However, selected activities during the PPF will be carefully screnned to ensure that they have no potential E&S risks.

The project will not increase significant emissions to air, activity-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, noise and vibration and wastes; if processing of agro-pastoral products and NTFPs activities identified during PPF are likely to produce emission, noise and other risk, these will be assessed during the PPF and any minor impacts identified will be addressed in an Environmental and Social Management Planthat may be developed during the PPF phase. A.11. Has the CN been ☒ Yes ☐ Confidential A.12. Confidentiality shared with the NDA? ☐ No ☒ Not confidential A.13. Executing Entity Ministère de l'environnement et du développement durable; NAFORE information The Brakna region is facing severe climatic changes characterized by the decrease and poor distribution of rainfall and the increase in temperature over the years. The expected increase in temperature and rainfall variability will also have a negative impact on natural resources, including water resources and water-dependent sectors such as agriculture, livestock and forestry, and therefore negative impact on agro-pastoral production. This 5 A.14. Project/Programme years project will address this with the objective to strengthen the climate rationale, objectives and change resilience of populations, ecosystems and agro-production systems approach of within the Brakna region. The project will rely on an integrated approach programme/project (max (ecosystem based adaptation) thus ensuring interactions both within and 100 words) between the natural ecosystem and the socio-economic system, bringing in investment opportunities that incentivize climate resilience. Based on its experience, the Execution Agency will be Naforé Association, and it will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The project team will have a focal person responsible of the implementation of the ESMS measures with the support of IUCN team. B. Project / Programme information B.1. Context and Baseline (500 words) Mauritania is a “low human development country”, according to the 2016 Human Development Index, with the ranking of 157 out of the 188 countries assessed (UNDP, 2016). Historically, Mauritania's economy was based on farming and livestock rearing, making it highly vulnerable to climatic fluctuations. The primary sector (agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry) remains a pillar of Mauritania's economy. According to the National Office of Statistics (2018), the rural sector (agriculture, forestry, livestock and hunting) contribute 15.4% of the annual GDP. In rural areas, where the population is primarily composed of nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists and sedentary agro- pastoralists, the dependence on the primary sector is even more pronounced. With 74% of poor people residing in rural areas, poverty remains an acute rural phenomenon, specialy among the youth population (represent 40% of the population). Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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In Mauritania, the silvopastoral area covers an area of 1,380,000 ha, or approximately 1.3% of the total area of the country. The geographic distribution of sylvo-pastoral resources is closely linked to local ecological conditions (soil, slope, rainfall, sunshine, etc.). Sylvo-pastoral resources occupy an important place in the country's landscape and economy, notably the production of wood for various uses and the production of fodder. However, climate change has impacts on fodder and wood resources as well as the management of rangelands in view of their strong dependence on rainfall. It should be noted that the forest is a renewable natural resource in the absence of major disturbances likely to cause irreversible damage to its renewal capacity. In Sahelian countries like Mauritania, sylvo- pastoral resources are very vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of their high dependence on rainfall which has become very uncertain and very unevenly distributed in time and space.

The Brakna Region, located in the southern part of Mauritania, covers an area of 33,000 km². The population is estimated at 366,000 persons (9.3% of the Mauritanian population)[1]. This region has the highest potential for agricultural land, with 88,300 ha representing 17.58% of the country's agricultural land potential and production, with more than 44,000 ha of agricultural land located near the Senega river (Climate Integrated Plan/ Mauritanie, 2016). Despite this potential, the contribution of the agro-pastoral sector to poverty reduction and employment is very weak, due to the insufficient exploitation and valorisation of this sector and the effect of climate change.

Livestock contributes significantly (12%) to Mauritania's national GDP and is extensive production predominating the system (Mauritanie/Ministère de l'élevage, 2017). The Brakna region hosts 17.5% of national livestock (Climate Integrated Plan of Brakna / Mauritanie, 2016); at certain period of the year, the region can host, with the transhumants, more than 50% of the herds of Mauritania. In fact, the region's silvopastoral systems have important diversity of herbaceous and trees that support livestock production activities crucial for the country's economy.

The Brakna region is facing severe climatic change characterized by episodes of dry and humid cycles, more frequent extreme events, poor distribution of rainfall and increase in temperature over the years. Drier years have caused rural nomadic herding communities to settle near oases or migrate to urban areas leading to declines in meat production and income for livestock herders. This is due to the high vulnerability of the production system of the region; in fact, the vulnerability analysis in the region of Brakna shows that climate change affects the yield of the main crops (maize, sorghum, millet) and main fodder species (Acacia senegal, Acacia tortilis, Balanites aegyptica, and Panicum spp.), as reported by Kienberger et al. (2016).

In the same vain, the analysis of the current and future vulnerability of the agro-pastoral sector in the Brakna Integrated Territorial Climate Plan (Mauritania, 2016) shows hotspots of vulnerability in the west and the east of the region (Annex 5). The agricultural sub-sector is already characterized by a poor climatic aptitude for rain-fed crops (rice, maize, sorghum, millet, vegetables crops) in view of the current situation below the minimum rainfall threshold required (300 mm) for their development. This situation will deteriorate more and more especially in the south of the region due to the variability of the rains which will be even more accentuated, as well as the alternations between dry periods and extreme rains which will be even more marked. There will also be a probable consequence of the calendar modification of the rainy season. This ultimately increases the vulnerability of the communes in the region which currently depend on rain-fed agriculture. For the pastoral sub-sector, vulnerability hotspots are located mainly in the north and south-west of the region (Annex 5). In the future, the Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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situation will probably worsen throughout the region. The vulnerability hotspots, however, remain the same. In fact, climate change has caused the decrease in livestock performance; thus, animals stop growing and lose weight and the demand for meat and milk would not be met by the national supply[2]. If no adaptation measures are proposed, the climatic conditions at the end of the century could dramatically affect the situation of the pastoral sector, particularly in areas that have not previously presented a situation that is not too alarming. The baseline data and detailed / quantified expected impacts of climate change with and without the project in the region, as well as the detailed analysis of the vulnerability (including overall suitability for certain cultivars, impact on livestock, morbidity, mortality, productivity, choice of cultivars / varieties) will be done during the PPF.

The prevailing climatic conditions have resulted in droughts, flash floods and upsurge in violent winds increasing the magnitude of soil erosion. According to the 4th National Communication (June 2017), climatic scenarios predict average temperature increase from 3.5°C to 4°C between 2050-2100 and the decrease of rainfall from 10 to 30% in the same period in Mauritania. This situation will lead to an increase in potential evapotranspiration (PET), a reduction in soil moisture and therefore some areas including the Brakna will become unsuitable for farming. The trends in standardized precipitation index in some communes of Brakna can be found in annex 6. The variablity of this index illustrates the changes and variability of the PET, but also of the temperature and the precipitation. The expected increase in temperature and rainfall variability will also have a negative impact on natural resources, as well as on water resources and water-dependent agro-pastoral sectors such as agriculture, livestock and forestry. In these conditions (of climate change and environmental degradation), water demand will continue to increase and small producers (farmers and breeders) will be particularly vulnerable to this competitive water demand as they depend on rain fall for irrigated agriculture and pasture resources.

The Senegal River constitutes the only perennial watercourse of the Brakna region, however there are lakes, ponds and temporary wadis which play an important role in the socioeconomic activity of the populations. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (2017)[3], this river provides the renewable surface water resources in Mauritania (estimated to be about 11 km3/yr) and the regions covers by this river basin like Brakna in particular. At the beginning of the twenties, the extracted water volume was estimated at about 1.7 km3 (88% irrigation, 9% for domestic use and 3% for industrial activities). In 2013, the annual freshwater withdrawal in Mauritania was estimated at 1.350 km3 (90.6% use for agriculture specialy in the agro-pastoral regions like Brakna). An hydrological model will be provided for the Brakna region during the PPF in the framework of the feasibility study. This will help to identify the specific interventions to address unsustainable water demand.

Mauritania is very poorly wooded, with less than 1% of forest cover and about 4% of other wooded lands (FRA, 2010). Most of the remaining woody vegetation is found along its southern edge (including the Brakna region) mainly consisting of sub-sahelian savannah, with such species as Guiera senegalensis, Ziziphus spp. and Acacia spp. Over the past thirty years, an unprecedented progressive desertification phenomena has been observed in this region. This situation is due to climatic hazards but also to the pressures that humans exert on natural ecosystems for livelihoods needs of food, fodder, fuels and construction materials. This situation is characterized by: (i) a prolonged drought following the chronic rainfall deficit; (ii) yield gap due to destruction of the agricultural, plant and animal production resource base (soil organic carbon, land, woodlands, pastures...) iii) conflicts over fodder and water resources, (iv) loss of biodiversity and (iii) the modification of buffering ecosystems such as wetlands. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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According to the environmental profile of Brakna (2016), this region is a unique ecosystem due to the diversity of ecosystem services it provides. However, it has been negatively affected by past droughts such those experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. The area contains 8 gazetted forests covering an area of 8363 ha, or nearly 20% of the total area of gazetted forests in the country (these are classified forest through the government Decree). These gazetted forests play an important role in local economies by providing a variety of services to surrounding communities (fuelwood, timber, harvested fruits, non-timber forest products, pasture, natural habitat for a variety of wildlife, etc.). They are also biodiversity conservation hotspots, a reservoir for extremely rare phylogenetic resources in semi-desert environments and an important carbon storage sites (more than 217,438 tons of carbon)[4].

This area also has an endorheic system of 194 wetlands containing high biodiversity. These wetlands offer great pastoral potentials because of the rich livestock fodder they contain and the function of a transit zone between two other ecosystems with the same ecological characteristics: El Athf in the region of Gorgol in the east and Lake Rkiz in the region of Trarza in the west. These wetlands play a critical role in water cycling as well as action as critical carbon sinks for the region. These wetland provide several ecosystem services and their management will need to be duly considered. This ecosystem also plays a crucial role in non-forest land management systems such as agriculture and the environment, which are now threatened due to the combined effects of climate variability and change, coupled with human and animal pressure.

Climate change undoubtedly influences the growth of these forests, pastures and wetlands since its provokes shrinking of wetlands, decrease in land productivity, loss of forest cover, loss of critical habitats for biodiversity that local populations are dependent on (Lima et al., 2017; Boone et al., 2017). Beside climate change, other threats to terrestrial ecosystems include overgrazing, overexploitation of forest products and non-timber forest products, habitat fragmentation, poaching, bush fires, urbanization, mining and oil exploitation. Maintaining the useful roles of this ecosystem is vital for the many households living in its surroundings but also for livestock.

These ecosystem lands host millions of cattle during the drought period. This area is under strong pressure due to its proximity to the Senegal river valley, which is an agricultural area (irrigated and receding crops). The presence of agricultural perimeters limits livestock access to the resources and fertile land of the river valley, particularly during the rainy seasons. This situation has created strong animal pressure on the wetlands that currently constitute the main grazing areas and are in continuous degradation due to the combined effects of drought and desertification, and the ambivalence of this area (floodplains for agriculture and lands for pastoral purposes) makes it a very attractive area for sedentary and nomadic pastoralists. The impacts of land degradation on food and nutrition security are further compounded by climate changes, which increases the vulnerability of farmers and pastoralists. Therefore, key ecosystem restoration efforts aimed at building ecological and social resilience, as well as to decrease the vulnerability of these communities, including to climate shocks in vital.

Wooded areas face overexploitation of wood and charring. This is due to largescale conversion of grassland and dryland forests to cropland, but also the cattle which feed on the leaves of the trees. In Mauritania, 49.3% of the population depend on wood energy (Mauriranie/SNEDD, 2016); this situation is even critical in rural area like where this project will be focused in Brakna region (only 6% of the target population has access to electric energy network)[5]. Use of wood as a source of energy has Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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impacts on GHG emissions and increases the destruction of forests. The development of renewable energies (solar in particular) will reduce the pressures on natural resources (soils, forests) and reduce GHG emissions. In addition, the agro-pastoral sector of Brakna region produce an average of 107,000 tonnes of biomasse[6] every year. Coupled with solar, this constitute an important potential for renewable energy.

There is about 3% forest loss in the Brakna region (6,523 ton of carbon released in the atmosphere every year) with main causes associated with: drought, fires, overgrazing and clearing for agriculture (Tian et al. 2015). In Mauritania the average forest and wooded land losses are estimated at 4,000 ha/year (Mauriranie/SNEDD, 2016). Wetlands can store carbon produced by upland agriculture, forestry and other land uses but they are also natural terrestrial source of the potent greenhouse gas methane (Tian et al. 2015). The processes that govern freshwater wetlands' soil carbon sink-source dynamics are strongly influenced by the soil environment, site history, and the composition and activity of the microbial community. Therefore, wetland restoration should pay attention to the changes in soil texture that influence microbial community structure and heterotrophic decomposition processes (Oertel et al. 2016).

The Wilaya of Brakna is located in a vast transhumance corridor for herds which move according to the seasons from north to south and from south to north in search of pasture. This position creates strong pressure on the region's pastoral and forest resources and increases its vulnerability to the effects of climate change. The main impacts of this pressure on the natural environment are, among other, soil degradation, reduced density of plant cover, silting up and desertification.

Transhumance activity, under the pressure of climate change, has becomea source of intense pressure on pasture, trees on farm lands and forest resources not only worsening vulnerability of the region to the effects of climate change but also remains a source of inter-communal conflicts. This is due to the fact that climate change, which is a source of desertification, has reduced the area within which pastorlists communities used to live in. This has involved the modification of transhumance routes and areas dedicated to pastorialisms. This has resulted in the destruction of pastoralists and transhumance routes, which need to be restored and rehabilitated.Traditional slash and burn practices involving bush-fires not only reduce biomass on farms and pastoral areas but are suspected to completely transform grass and tree regeneration structure when new regeneration are destroyed owing to cyclic drought phenomenon and changing rainfall patterns. The main impacts of this pressure on the natural environment are: soil degradation, reduction in the density and genetic diversity of local vegetation cover especially around wetlands, loss of pollinators, strong winds, silting and desertification. Considering the fact that multi-purpose trees are climate smart unlike annuals, due to their deep rooted systems that not only tap below ground resources but also store carbon, there is need to focus on environmental adaption within tree species to maximize benefits for various users. Development of portfolios including salt tolerant crops such as date palms, figs, olive, grapes, citrus, apricots and jojoba is much needed.

Considering the adverse climatic impacts on wetlands exacerbated by fire and overgrazing therefore raising competition for limited tree genetic resources providing sources of food, fuel, fodder, medicine and other products, there is need to define ‘seed zones' to support vegetation establishment materials for major keystone species types such as Acacia senegal, Balanites aegyptiaca, Guiera senegalensis, Ziziphus mauritiana and Adansonia digitata. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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The Wilaya of Brakna is one of the country's Wilayas most exposed to desertification and the negative effects of climate change. The vegetation cover has been severely degraded in recent decades. In fact, over the past thirty years, an unprecedented progressive advance in the phenomena of desertification has been observed in this Wilaya. This progress is worsening in its scope and its disastrous consequences due to climatic hazards but also the pressure exerted by humans on natural ecosystems in search of satisfaction of their daily needs. The drought faced by the region and which is due to climate change causes significant negative impact on wetlands, especially around water points such as lake basins, Tamourts and wadis, which generates a situation of imbalance in ecosystems. As a consequence, we are witnessing, among other things, an acceleration of the degradation of soils exposed to strong winds; the silting drying up and the of viable and critical sites such as water ponds, lakes and streams.

Brakna is therefore a region with real potential, but is too vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and also one of the regions most exposed to desertification. In this regard, an integrated vision on climate change likely to transform the development of the territory was developed in 2016 and needs to be implemented. Among the identified priority needs of this vision are : • sustainably strengthen the resilience of the natural systems and livelihoods of populations • Increase the resilience of vulnerable populations to the effects of climate change with a view to strengthen their food security • Ensure the sustainable management of natural ecosystems and the restoration of degraded landscapes and forests

The project is expected to address these needs, in a way that climate change risk is mitigated, and sustainable development is ensured.

Please indicate how the project fits in with the country's national priorities, action plans and programs and its full ownership of the concept. This project is in line with the priorities identified in the National Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (SCAPP) and the National Strategy for Environment and Sustainable Development (SNEDD) where climate change, desertification and deforestation are identfied as major problems heavily affecting the natural resources and living conditions of populations. Strategies that can help improve resilience of populations to effect of climate change are held as priorities. The project is in line with the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification and target 2 of the 7 priorities sector, the natural resources protection and rural production. In this context, it is in line with the broader context of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) as specified with the report on the LDN target. The project will contribute to the National Livestock Development Plan, notably to the strategic axis 2 on the Improvement of the productivity and competitiveness of the value chains;

This project is in line with the National Adaptation Plan of Mauritania (2004) which shows that all the vital sectors of the economy are affected by climate variability and change, and that the socio- economic consequences affect the living conditions of populations and the natural resources. There is emphasis for country priority interventions to focus on resilience of populations, food and feed production systems and supporting ecosystems. The project deliverables will help address the adaptation ambitions and needs identified in the National Determined Contribution of Mauritania. The table here below indicates the project contribution to the targetes priorities of the NDC. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Finally, the project is expected to contribute to the Brakna Integrated Territorial Climate Plan, which targets the following priority sector : agriculture, livestock, natural resources.

Describe the main root causes and barriers (social, gender, fiscal, regulatory, technological, financial, ecological, institutional, etc.) that need to be addressed. Where relevant, please describe the key characteristics and dynamics of the sector or market.

The main root causes and barriers to be addressed by the project are:

· Governance barriers: The legal framework for the environment is laid out in the Code of the Environment[7]. Rights and conditions for access to resources in Mauritania are mandated through multiple codes, including the Forest Code[8] and the Pastoral Code[9]. These laws regulating resource rights and use, do not differentiate users by gender or ethnic group. However, it is important to note that when it comes to the management of specific resources and land tenure, rural communities in most areas continue to observe customary law and traditional systems. According to the World Bank (2015)[10], the majority of Mauritanians are living in insecurity in terms of being unable to register for their individual and collectively owned land; and this is even more pronounced for women. In these systems, social differentiation plays a significant part in determining the roles of various groups in production systems and the sharing of benefits, as well as representation in governance systems. The legal framework Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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established through these codes and associated decrees aligns with the country's broader objectives for decentralization. For example, the Forest Code allows for the delegation and transfer of management of forest resources to local authorities (i.e. communes) for up to ten-year renewable periods. The commune then has the possibility of delegating the management to a dedicated local association. The transfer of this mandate for decentralized natural resource management is subject to the establishment of local conventions. Despite these strengths in policies framework, the following barriers are noticeable: (i) Insufficient application of legal regulations that have been developed to address threats, and prevent the over-exploitation and degradation of resources; (ii) Poor land use planning and the complexity of land use issues, including open access policies for resources, multi-use systems and conflicts or confusion caused by the superposition of state and customary law; (iii) Weak representation of some groups in governance systems, including decision-making and management bodies.

In addition, natural resource governance in the context of climate change is ineffective due to weak coordination and cooperation between different stakeholders, including space for local communities to voice their concerns and express their needs. There is also limited integration of climate change adaptation into development planning at local level. Also, human and financial resources at local level are insufficient and do not allow for proper implementation of sectoral policies for the sustainable management of natural resources affected by climate change.

· Lack of information and capacity on impact prediction: There is little data and information on the impacts of climate change at local level that takes into considerations the needs of various actors and the dynamic changes in these needs; and where they exist, they are not made available to small producers or breeders, who thus have no choice to continue to use empirical and less resilient techniques. In fact, such information is not in a format which is easily understandable for the local actors in such way they can made informed decision-making in planning their livelihood activities for better resilience. Beyond the availability of improved techniques, adapting to the effects of climate change will only be achieved if farmers are in a position to make both strategic (long-term) and tactical (short-term/within season) decisions in their choices of one or a bundle of practices and options which are climate smart and fit their contexts. Therefore the needs to capacitate all stakeholders going from scale relevant and precise climate information generation (meteorological service staff), to its presentation and dissemination through the most appropriate gender sensitive channels (climate advisory services) and the use of that information by the end users for data-based decision making for their livelihood activities both on-farm and off farm (Dorward et al. 2015; Dayamba et al. 2018).

· Lack / insufficient investment / financial resources: Due to the economic and financial situation of Mauritania, climate variability and uncertainty of the region, little investment is made in the livestock and agriculture sector by the government and private sector. The GCF project will enhance investments in the agriculture and livestock sector in the regions by mitigating the risks related to climate change that lead to uncertainty. In so doing, it will encourage the development of livelihoods and supply systems in the area which will have a direct impact on producers.

· Lack of strong partnerships to foster development and dissemination of methods, frameworks, information systems for enhanced climate finance programming at subnational, national, and regional levels Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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· Weak institutional capacity and knowhow to implement climate appropriate portfolios of tree, foods and other climate and ecology appropriate herbaceous crop diversity to support the country's food and feed shortcomings

· Private sector barriers such asInadequate enabling policy and institutional environment.There is an inadequate policy and institutional environment that incentivizes investment to enable climate resilient sustainable land management. This includes a lack of policies that promote climate resilient practices and climate resilient commodity production situated within a broader sustainable land management and agroecology context, such as: (i) Market barriers, including high lending rates to smallholders and taxes that disincentivize production; Institutional barriers, inclunding lack of an enabling institutional environment that enables markets to operate and strengthens the confidence within the investment and financing community; (iii) Weak of strong collaborative partnerships between multiple stakeholders from public, non-governmental and private sectors in order to build the coalitions needed to de-risk investments and create clear value streams from restoration and climate change adaptation actions.

[1] Mauritanie, 2016. Plan Climat Territorial Intégré: Wilaya du Brakna. Elaboré dans le cadre du projet Alliance Mondiale contre le Changement Climatique en Mauritanie. 93 pages. [2] According to the National Adapation Plan for Climate change, the breeding of livestock since 1950 shows the greatest vulnerability to the effects of drought, especially among cattle, whose numbers were reduced by about a third between 1969 and 1975. Also, the lack of forage following the drought caused a decrease in performance in livestock. If there is no improvement, the demand for meat could not be met by the national supply in 2015. The deficit would then be in the order of 54,000 tonnes. In addition, the overall national milk supply in 2015 would be around 519,000 tonnes and could not then meet a constantly increasing demand. [3] IAEA, 2017. Integrated and sustainable management of shared aquifer systems and basins of the Sahel region. Report of the IAEA-supported regional technical cooperation project raf/7/011. Senegalo - Mauritanian Basin. 49 pages. [4] According to Woomer et al. (2004) the average carbon stock in the similar ecosystem is estimated at 26 t carbon / ha (this should be re-assessed during the PPF) [5] Présentation réalisée par le Ministère de l'Energie, du Pétrole et des Mines dans le cadre de l'atelier organisé par le Réseau Habitat et Francophonie à Nouakchott en 2019 [6] http://sigsahel.info/index.php/page/3/ [7] Law No. 2.000-045 of July 26, 2000 [8] Law No. 2007-055 of September 18, 2007, which replaced Ordonnance No. 97-007 of January 20, 1997 [9] Law No. 2000-044 of July 26, 2000. [10] World Bank, 2015. Women's Access to Land in Mauritania. A case study in preparation for the COP. 12 pages B.2. Project / Programme description (1000 words) Describe the expected set of components/outputs and subcomponents/activities to address the above barriers identified that will lead to the expected outcomes.

The project objective is to strengthen the climate change resilience of populations, ecosystems and agro-production systems within the five municipalities (Boghé, Djelliwar, El Voroe, Haéré Mbar and Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Dar El Avia) of the Brakna Wilkaya.

The project has 4 components :

Component 1 : climate-responsive planning of development

National policies in Mauritania are moving towards a great involvement and responsibility of decentralized entities and local players.It is in this context that the new forest code of 2007 allows the management of forest resources to be transferred to the communes and the latter can in turn delegate the management of these resources to the populations or inter-village entities through a local convention which ensures the sustainable management of natural resources. This legal framework gives prerogatives to municipalities and local communities, the management of lands and natural resources.

The communal level is the more local and decentralized level where decision making is made in terms of planning and management of natural resources. In this regards, the annual budget of each municipality is elaborated and approved every year during the municipal council composed of elected population representatives, and this budget reflects the priorities of the municipality for the year, based on Municipal Development Plan (MDP). This MDP is developed through a participatory approach and contains the followings : geographic presentation, baseline analysis, problem analysis, priority interventions, institutional arrangement for the implementation. Thus, the municipalities will be the entry point, and will help to build a climate responsive development at this level.

The outcome of the component is : Climate responsive plans developed for Brakna communes through the application of climate science and local knowledge, and stakeholder engagement

Under this component, the project will allow municipalities and community organizations to acquire adequate resilient governance systems and take into consideration the adaptation to climate change of communities and ecosystems, including water, pastoral, tree and forest genetic resource. It also aims to provide a response to the need to acquire new knowledge on climate change adaptation. This component emphasizes on the gradual strengthening of the capacities of local and beneficiary communities. A special effort will be made at the local level to build the capacities of direct beneficiaries with a view to filling the knowledge gap in the field of climate change.

Output 1.1. Climate risk is integrated into municipal development plans based on the lessons learnt from the participatory development of locally adapted climate smart management options of their production systems and landscape

The keys activities to be developed in this output are: · Raise awareness on the reality of climate change and the associated required and good practices for participatory management of resilient natural resources among stakeholders including school levels in collaboration with the local representatives of the MEDD · Analysis of the existing plans and gaps in terms of integration of climate change in development plans · Update of the plans through a participatory approach with the aim to integrate climate change issues on these plans Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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This output will ensure the involvement of the following government agencies, departments and planning bodies: Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Hydraulic and Sanitation, Ministry of Education, Ministry in charge decentralization and land planning, Ministry of Social Affairs, Childhood and Family. It will also involve local actors group representatives : pastoralist communities groups and representatives (APLVB - Association des producteurs du lait au Brakna ; GNAP - Groupement National des Associations Pastorales, etc), women associations and groups working on dairy production and agriculture.

In order to ensure that activities go beyond awareness raising and result in integration of climate risk in Municipalities Developent Plan (MDP), the project will advocate for the creation of a specialized commission on climate change amongst the institutional arrangement of the MDP, and for the consideration of climate change priorities in the annual budgets of the municipalities during the meetings of the Municipal councils.

Output 1.2: Integrated basket of options for sustainable grazing management systems adapted to the local conditions tested and validated using participatory action research approach

Within this output, the project will train pastoralists in the management of herds which take in consideration the vulnerability of pastoral resources to climate change with the aim also to reduce conflicts between the different users of natural resources and bring added value to pastoralists. The keys activities are: · Identify the options for sustainable grazing management systems adapted to the target sites conditions · Test and validate the options using participatory action research approach (promoted by ICRAF) · Support the implementation of these options

Output 1.3 : Capacity of local actors (municipalities, agro-pastoralists, etc.) are improved in understanding the features of their local climate to take actions for the sustainable management of land, pastoral and forest resources using Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach

The Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach aims to facilitate farmers to make informed decisions based on accurate, location specific, climate and weather information; locally relevant crop, livestock and livelihood options; and with the use of participatory tools to aid their decision making. That is why the the PISCA approach (Dorward et al., 2015) has been designed, and aims to support actors and farmer groups to understand their local climate and take appropriate actions for the sustainable management of land, pastoral and forest resources.

In this project, this will be done by: · Building the capacity of locals actors (municipalities, agro-pastoralists, etc.) to understand the climate of their locality and its change patterns with PICSA tool · Providing and considering climate and weather information with farmers, including historical records and forecast Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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· Ensuring the joint analysing of information on crop, livelihoods and livestock options and their risks, by field staff and farmers · Setting up participatory tools to enable farmers to use this information in planning and decision making for their circumstances

Under this output, the capacities of women and youth will be improved for better impact on land but also in terms of employment opportunities. The implementation of the activities on this output will rely on a gender transformative approach. It will identify awareness equity as an important entry point for development interventions, allowing more equitable access to climate resilient livelihoods for men and women and giving opportunities for sharing and learning about gender transformative approaches. According to McOmber (2020), key to gender transformation, is listening to and responding to the needs of the local context. Promoting equity in this case is dependent upon the recognition that women and men access information differently. Therefore, women's knowledge systems and preferences for communication needed will be considered when constructing the mechanism of information sharing that would be helpful and ultimately adopted by women farmers in the target sites.

Output 1.4. A climate information system is developed and operationalized for long-term monitoring of climate change, land use change impacts on ecosystems, wetlands, grazing areas

Under this output, national meteorological staff will be capacitated to generate at appropriate scale the climate information needed by local communities combining the use historical climate records (analysis) and ENACTS to merge ground weather station and satellite data. Also, the project will establish frameworks to deliver and monitor natural regeneration and develop systems for multiplication and delivery of climate appropriate tree diversity promoted by ICRAF.

Output 1.5. Smart practices for enhanced resilience of the natural resources are identified and prioritized in a participatory way by people skilled with better understanding of their climate

Within this output, the project will develop extension material which synthesises best practices obtained from suitability mapping (mapping of current and future natural resource base options based on e.g. climate, natural vegetation analyses, ecology, degradation, demographics, and value-chains).

Component 2: increasing resilience, productivity and sustainabilty of natural ecosystems

The impacts of land degradation on food and nutrition security are further compounded by climate changes, which increases the vulnerability of farmers and pastoralists. Therefore, key ecosystem restoration efforts aimed at building ecological and social resilience, aim to decrease the vulnerability of these communities, including to climate shocks. Restoration takes a systems approach, starting with building healthy soil and increasing water holding capacity to enhancing crop and aboveground biodiversity to increasing livelihood options.

Long-term and context-specific approaches to building climate resilient agroecosystems is needed. Therefore, sustained community engagement to ensure land management options that are tailored to the needs and context of the farmers and pastoralists will ensure long-term sustainability Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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and scaling of the approaches.

The outcome of this component is : Strengthened resilient livelihoods and ecosystems as a result of the use of the best fit climate smart and inclusive restoration and production options

In Brakna region, the vegetation cover shrinks from year to year under the combined effect of climate variability and change, and increases the vulnerability of the natural environment to the effects of climate change (more than 500 ha of forest and wooded land are lost every in Brakna)[1]. Indeed, the trees are threatened with disappearance, endangered, decimated and their renewal is not guaranteed. This makes people and their livestock more vulnerable to climate change. The national authorities have tried with little success to curb this scourge. To deal with this scourge, the main solutions implemented are village reforestation, the regeneration of natural stands, the planting of trees in schools and the fight against excessive cutting of trees to meet domestic energy needs, fixing sand dunes, securing and protecting pastoral areas, etc. The aim is to contribute to the State's efforts to stop deforestation and regenerate the natural environment but also to demonstrate to the project's target groups that forests are a source of life and provide them with multiple resources, but also guarantee their food security. It is also to demonstrate that trees also play a key role in carbon sequestration to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The activities under this component are grouped in 3 ouputs:

Output 2.1: Silting and land degradation has been reversed

This ouput includes the following activities: · Design of extension resources e.g knowledge portal on what to plant where in current and future climates and landscapes · Promoting assisted regeneration in degraded forests · Restore forest-based lands through proven technics (water and land conseration technics, etc.) · Supporting sand dunes fixation The aim of the sand dunes fixation is to combat sand encroachment consisting of halting or slowing the movement of sand by erecting fences 1 to 1.5 m high to cause a build-up of sand, leading to the formation of an artificial dune. This project will use the most common way of preventing sand from advancing, i.e. by setting up fences directly across the path of the prevailing wind; the fences are made of branches and twigs from mature forest stands of suitable species, such as natural stands of Prosopis juliflora, Balanites aegyptiaca and various acacias, but also of palm fronds or Leptadenia pyrotechnica or euphorbia stalks

The land for these activities (nurseries, seedlings, etc) will be land owned by the state or by the private populations. For the private land, the decision to make available the land for the project is voluntary (without any coercion or pressure from the project). This is driven by the benefits the land owner expects and that this voluntary agreement with each land owner will be duly documented Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Output 2.2: The restoration of transhumance routes is strengthened

The rate at which pastoral resources are shrinking, owing to successive droughts and non-rational grazing practices in the region, have had adverse effects on the pastoral system, forcing herders to move in search of fodder and water. In the other hand, as a result of rapid human population growth, and the subsequent need to produce more food crops to meet the demand, pressure on land and other natural resources, has increased. Virgin lands, including traditional pastoral areas and transhumance routes utilized by pastoralists, are increasingly used for crop production. Traditional grazing resources often used during the wet season are fast disappearing. The same is true for dry season grazing resources provided by wetlands, which are being increasingly utilized for dry season farming of vegetables for urban and peri-urban markets. This is creating anxiety among pastoralists who are often denied access to grazing and watering points, or even forced to pay bribes and fines to access grazing on state ranches, thus limiting transhumance. Consequently, competition on land and other natural resource use, resulting in serious conflicts between crop and livestock producers have taken place within the region. The limitation of transhumance affects the adaptation capacity of local populations to climate variability and the resilience of livestock keepers (Shively, 2017 cited by Molina- Flores et al., 2020). The restoration of transhumance routes is therefore essential.

Under this output, the project will restore at least 200km transhumance routes. The mains activities to be executed within this are: · Delimitation, securing and protection of pastoral areas o Identification and sensitization of the transhumant leaders in the different communities o support, consultations, negotiations that lead to social agreements on the management of transhumance routes o ensure environmental precautions, by carrying out analysis of pasture dynamics, identifying areas that may be too fragile and dimensioning the structures so as to limit too high concentrations of herds o rehabilitation of existing infrastructure (pastoral wells) o negotiation for delimitation of grazing areas threatened by other users, delimitation of access to ponds o facilitation of negotiation and signing of management agreements for transshumant routes and infrastructure · Enriching the transhumance routes through fodder cultivation

The transhumance routes and pasture lands are owned by the state who authorizes intervention on these lands. These was established through a long negciation and consultation process with all the stakeholders and which resulted in local agreements voluntarily signed and adopted. The project will focus are these existing transhumance routes and pasture lands. The selection of sites will be made in collaboration with the local administrative and municipal authorities, beneficiaries, decentralized technical services and the organization responsible for project implementation. No private land will be owned by the project for these activities. In case the state lands selected for the project have been occupied by other user, the project will engage a consutation process with them in a way that the decision of leaving these areasis taken by themselves and in a voluntary manner.

Output 2.3: Degraded lands, forests and wetlands landscape are restored through proven Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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techniques (water and land conservation/restoration techniques) to restore vegetation cover and establish green poles

The purpose of this output is the development of “green poles”, currently assessed as degraded land / forest, which are restored through reforestation, natural or assisted regeneration, protection - securisation. It is a mosaic of lands / forests where the productive capacities have been recovered and are sustainably managed for the well-being of populations, livestock, ecosystems and for its carbon sequestration and storage potential.

This output will also design and implement concrete agro-pastoral adaptation measures identified through community planning to diversify and strengthen the livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations, in other to make them more resilient to the effects of climate change. Under this output, the project will restore and pomote SLM of at least 12,000 ha of degraded forest (in and around gazetted forest and around the critical and and vital sites like water ponds, Tamourts and wadis), 2000 ha of pastoral grassland, 5000 ha of croplands and indirectly influence the management of 10,000 ha of natural forest.

Activities under this ouput are: · Raise awareness of the role and usefulness of trees among the population and school children is integrated into all events · Create the reforestation perimeters (establishment of seedling production nurseries, distribute forest and fruit plants during National Tree Week and other cultural and sporting events; support village reforestation, support reforestation in schools, multiply the installation of windbreaks around agricultural perimeters, multiply the creation of village arboretums, etc.) · Support reforestation and natural regeneration techniques · Support sand dunes, land and water conservation and tree planting practices[2] through o Preparation of climate appropriate portfolios of diversity of tree and other foods and feed (CAPD) for landscape ecologies in Brakna region o Design of climate proof planting material production units (sources of climate appropriate germplasm, and nurseries for production for food and feed resources) o Inventory wetland plant species diversity to support stakeholders in agriculture and water conservation sectors o Promotion of improved and short-cycle seeds and climate resilient crop varieties; o Promotion of agroforestry; o Support of small irrigation systems o Support of sustainable pastoral production

The irrigation systems to be supported are small-scale and manual irrigation systems owned mainly by women. These are generally small farms of 2 ha to 3 ha maximum and mainly for vegetable gardens (see the examples here below). The irrigation system is manual, there will be no irrigation canals. The water will be pumped from a borehole to one or more basins where the women collect water with watering cans to spread water in their agricultural plot. The project will not intervene in the irrigated arable crop area where there are generally large hydro-agricultural developments. The support of the project will be focused on the digging of the borehole, construction of the water pond or basin for the water storage, and the installation of solar water pumping systems.

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The risks that this leads to negative impact on the water flows (by altering existing stream flow and/or reducing infiltration rates, increasing sedimentation, etc.) is very low since it is a manual system to secure water in other to address scarcity and variability of rainfall and particularly during periods of drought.

As stated here above (output 2.1), the land for the above activities will be land owned by the state or by the private populations. For the private land, the decision to make available the land for the project is voluntary (without any coercion or pressure from the project). This is driven by the benefits the land owner expects and that this voluntary agreement with each land owner will be duly documented.

This output will be implemented in collaborate with the AFDB GCF project. IUCN will not work on the gazetted forest already targeted by AFDB project (in the south-west of Brakna region), but only surrounding areas of these sites. The collaboration scheme will be discussed during the PPF in a way to ensure complementarity and maximize impacts.

Component 3: resilient business environment

The economy of Mauritania in general and of the Brakna region in particular depends heavily on agriculture and livestock, which supports a substantial level of the population. However, these activities are affected by the effects of climate change, which leads to lower productivity and livelihoods for populations, lower income for the economy and threats to food security[3]. According to its NDC (Mauritania / CDN, 2015), Mauritania is characterized by a worrying nutritional situation, worsened by a hostile environment (because of the climate change effects), which among other leads to an increase in the prevalence of nutritional pathologies, especially in children. Increasing the resilience of populations to the effects of climate change with a view to strengthening their food security and their means of subsistence is a necessity. Among the resilience measures recommended in particular in Brakna (Mauritania / PCTI, 2016), is the diversification of the economy, the valorization of natural resources and agro-pastoral production with the aim to strengthening livelihoods and household income of population. In this context, the strengthening and structuring of agro-pastoral and NTFPs value chain will make it possible to bring added value in terms of income and jobs, but also to reduce the vulnerability and dependence of the populations on natural resources (and therefore its degradation). Creating enabling environment to private sector investment will help strengthen agro- pastoral production, job creation, etc. Finally, promoting renewable energy sources will not only reduce dependence on firewood (and therefore reduce the related GHG emissions), but also provide energy for SMEs which will invest in the transformation of agro-pastoral products and NTFPs.

The outcome of the component is: Strengthened capacity for a resilient business environment

Within this component, the project will set up a model and favorable environment where Brakna region meets its own energy needs, creates jobs, and gets more value from agriculture, livestock ad forest. In fact, communities in Bakna have a high vulnerability to climate change. The basic premise underlying this component is that for Mauritania to ‘transform', it will have to transition from its current “extract and import” model to one where it meets its own energy needs, creates jobs, and gets more value from agriculture and in the context of this project, that would be necessary to ensure it builds in Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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communities' resilience to the impacts of climate change. This would create the necessary paradigm shift from the current extract and import context, using this challenge as an opportunity to create incentives for climate resilience by enabling communities reduce vulnerabilities to climate change on farm by enabling them to diversify their income.

The region ha a poor energy / electricity supply. It is dependent on energy from outside the region, yet, the region has good solar and biomass potential.

Communities will be organized through cooperatives, venture into partnerships with the private sector, to help assemble, maintain and protect solar or biomass related cogeneration of power installations on farm, in the landscapes in which these are established. This will ensure communities benefit from local energy production. Some of this solar potential will be used in these landscapes (some transmitted for use elsewhere) to process commodities produced, assuming that climate resilient varieties of crops are produced so there is stability in supply. Processing and energy production would require skills and create jobs, important also in a COVID situation that is further exacerbating vulnerabilities of communities to climate change and where access to new opportunities and jobs is of utmost importance.

Solar and biomass power installations will be small - scale renewable energy sources (e.g. solar energy for heating, cooling, drying and pumping, small wind turbines and biogas digesters; solar lighting, solar charging). The project seeks to promote the adoption of solar energy systems for solar pumping of water for small irrigations systems to address scarcity and variability of rainfall and particularly during periods of drought, and for multiservice processing, storage, packaging and marketing opportunities of agro-pastoral production.

This component has 2 outputs :

Output 3.1. Agro-pastoral and NTFPs value chains and associated markets are mainstreamed and supported

The project area has significant potential in terms of high-value agro-pastoral commodities and products. However, these leave only very low incomes for agro-pastoralists. That is why structuring supply chains for these products and commodities is important to boost its market / income value and this will ultimately end improve significantly the living conditions of the local population.

The activities include:

· strengthening existing platforms or investment mechanisms to support the development of new business within the agro-pastoral sector ; · organizing and strengthen priority agro-pastoral value chains products to ensure sustainable production; · developing partnerships with private stakeholders, lobbying to unlock the barriers for their engagement and investment in the sector · supportting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), etc. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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The project will also finance income-generating activities for the benefits of local population, civil society organization and communities' groups. In this regards, it will contribute to improving the living conditions of village communities through the access to credit and financial services through micro- finance. The project will award small or micro-grants (non-refundbable). This will include providing a grant to a local institution who would then use this funding to inject capital into a revolving fund. The long-term objectives are to (I) contribute to the financial autonomy; (ii) enable the beneficiaries' livelihoods to be strengthened in the long term; (iii) create jobs and foster economic dynamism in the area; (iv) enhance entrepreneurship capacities of the beneficiaries.

The targeted supply chains commodities are: • For agriculture: millet, sorghum, maize • For livestock : meat, milk, cattle skin/leather, • For NTFPs: Arabic gum

Within this component, the project will seek to increase sustainable investment along food, agro- pastoral and NTFPs supply chains products. It will identify private investors, build their capacities in a way to increase private investment in sustainable and more productive agriculture, livestock and NTFPs.

Output 3.2. The enabling conditions for diversifying income and economy (including processing and energy production) is created

Within this output, the project will seeks to swift towards a model where the selected sites meets at least a part of its own energy needs, creates jobs, and gets more value from agriculture. In fact, for communities in Bakna and other regions where vulnerability to climate change is high, their vulnerability can be reduced by enabling them to diversify their income and energy sources. The project will support communities to be organized through cooperatives, to negociate and build partnerships with the private sector, to set-up and maintain solar or biomass related cogeneration of power installations on farms or in the landscapes in which they farm.

Within this output, the investment to be put in place through private sector are small-scale systems for animal production and watering (solar pumps, solar refrigerators for vaccine conservation) and for multiservice processing, storage, packaging and marketing opportunities (milk, leather, etc.).

NB: during the PPF, selected activities will be screening meticulously to ensure that what is being proposed/advocated by the project are small scale and don't have any suspected high Environmental and Social Risks. Furthermore, the activities with the residual risk will be subject to risk mitigation plan.

In addition the project will build in a partnership with UNDP (already present with the EU funds) explore the opportunities with other development partners (for example IFAD through IFAD's ABC fund, or buid IUCN AfDB agreement for mobilizinh addidional fund for the scaling up). The players to be targeted include the commercial banks (i.e Attijariwafa Bank which accredited to GCF) and Grand Moulin de Mauritanie[4]. During the PPF, the detail on the mechanism to involve the private sector and improving the conditions for its investment will be provided. During this phase, the project will explore Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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the possibility to engage with these private sector in a way to jointly approach GCF on some debt or equity financing with a partner with the necessary GCF accreditation.

Component 4 : Project management, communication, monitoring and knowledge management

This component will facilitate effective implementation of the activities of the projects to achieve the objectives of the project. It will also create and maintain innovative and strategic partnerships to facilitate implementation, upscaling and transformation of results after the project ends. It will also ensure that the project is monitored, evaluated and audited.

The outcome of the component is: Project implemented and lessons learned/best practices documented and disseminated.

Output 4.1: Project Management Team identified, recruited and functional Activities include: · Recruit Project Staff in the Project Management Unit; · Purchase Office Equipment for the Project Management Unit

Output 4.2. Project is Monitored, Evaluated and Audited

Activities include, · Set up of Project Steering Committee; · Develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation plan of the project; · Facilitate audit of the activities of the projects.

Output 4.3. Project results, knowledge, lessons learned and best practices are consolidated, communicated and disseminated at the national and sub-regional level

Activities include, · Elaborate communication and knowledge management plans, tools and strategies; · Consolidate and disseminate lessons learned, best practices and experiences to facilitate replication and capitalization of results; · Elaborate and disseminate statutory annual, semester and quarterly technical reports as well as policy briefs and seek feedbacks from stakeholders of the project.policy briefs

All the communes of Brakna region are concerned by the project. However, the main focus communes are: Boghé, Djelliwar, El Voroe, Haéré Mbar et Dar El Avia. These communes cover an area that is under strong pressure due to its proximity to the river valley which is an agricultural area (irrigated and receding crops). The presence of agricultural perimeters limits the access of cattle to resources and fertile land in the river valley, especially during the growing seasons. This situation has created strong animal pressure on the wetlands which currently constitute the main grazing areas and which are in the process of continuous degradation under the combined effect of drought and desertification. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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The ambivalence of this area (flood plains for agricultural use and flooded land for pastoral use) makes it a very attractive area for sedentary and nomadic pastoralists. The strong presence of livestock is due, amongst other, to the possibilities for animals to exploit agricultural by-products after harvesting from irrigated areas and flood plains) but also the meadows located around wetlands during the season rains. This situation is very marked during the dry years during which agricultural by- products constitute the main source of pasture.

Also, this area constitute a transition zone between two ecological areas which are complementary. On the one hand, is a pastoral area which faces a strong pressure from both local livestock and transhumant livestock, and on the other side, an agricultural area which is subject to animal pressure, especially in times of drought.

The table in Annex 10 shows how the project outputs contribute to the impact and outcome results of the GCF results management framework.

In terms of rationale, please describe the theory of change and provide information on how it serves to shift the development pathway toward a more low-emissions and/or climate resilient direction, in line with the Fund's goals and objectives.

Through Component 1, the project will nehance the capacity of local municipalities to participate in defining/identifying the locally relevant governance tools for equitable engagement in the activities for the adaptation of communities and ecosystems to climate change. It also aims to address the needs for capacity development in climate information, dissemination, advisory services for its better understanding and use for decision-making for the planning of livelihood activities for both individuals and communities in a concerted and coordinated way. The change expected within this component is on progressive capacity building of local communities and beneficiary communities. A particular effort will be made at the local level to strengthen the capacities of direct beneficiaries to fill the knowledge gap on climate climate information and climate smart options to address climate change issues of their locality ,and better access divers plant genetic resources as a public good.

Within component 2 of the project, the change expected is on restoring the functionality of the different land use units thus increasing tree species diversity, vegetation cover and productivity of ecosystems in the target areas by supporting frames to avail diverse tree genetic resources, tools, information to local communities and extension advisory services.

In Component 3, the project will be enhancing private sectors' role in a way to ensure the project achieves the transformative changes required to secure a mosaic of healthy, restored and productive landscapes in Brakna. The project will catalyse investments to the landscape-level by establishing de- risking partnerships with public financiers and centralised facilities that enable investments on resilient agro-pastoralism. With the support of the private sector, it will design and implement concrete adaptation measures identified with the communities to diversify and strengthen the livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations. It will support concrete adaptation activities that reduce vulnerability and increase adaptive capacity to address the impacts of climate change, but also invest on targeted supply chains production in order to increase market development and supply chain transformation in the region. Fodder, wild fruits, gum, medicinal plants and tannins are among the non-wood forest products traded locally in Mauritania. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Since the region is of great importance to the national economy (20% of the agro-pastoral production of the country) and is the most affected by climate change, the project is expected to lead to climate-resilient and sustainable development in the region and in the country but also to contribute to the low-emission development in the region.

The transformational changes expected are as follow: • Within the Brakna's communes, stakeholders and municipalities are engaged in climate- responsive planning of development activities. The climate change issue become a prioriy of their annual plan and budget. • Within the agro-pastoral sector, o the vulnerability is reduced, leading to increased production of the main commodities o increase on investment through joint ventures with private sector in the value chain, processing, conservation of products, leading to the sustainability of climate resilient and adaptative practices in the area. • Forest and land-use o Reduction of ecosystems vulnerability o At least 1,000 ha of degraded areas restored each year (through reforestation with Acacia sp amongst other) o More than 8,363 ha under SFM (representing at least 217,438 tons of carbon stock secured) o More investment in NTFPs value chain (Arabic gum) • National and local economy o Increased contribution of agro-pastoral activities in the country's GDP (from 15% to 25%) o More jobs created (agribusiness, NTFPs value chain, processing of some agro-pastoral commodities, etc.) o More job created through energy production (solar, biomass) and used for processing o Unemployed young people engaged in resilient agriculture, processing and energy supply o More small and medium entreprises created as result of the more enabling environment

The transformational change of the project is represent in the graph here below. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Transformational model of he project

The theory of change of the project can be found in Annex 7. This ToC shows how the barriers and root causes, outputs, objectives and paradigm shift are connected together.

Describe in what way the Accredited Entity(ies) is well placed to undertake the planned activities and what will be the implementation arrangements with the executing entity(ies) and implementing partners.

IUCN's comparative advantage

IUCN has been active in Mauritania since the 1980s, where it has been actively involved in projects related to sustainable management of natural resources, policy engagement and community support. This gives IUCN a significant comparative advantage in addressing issues related to climate change and rural livelihoods. IUCN therefore has sufficient expertise and a strong partnership network to address the issues raised by the project. The project contributes to IUCN's priority area of "Deploying Natural Solutions to Global Climate, Food and Development Challenges".

Implementing arrangement Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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IUCN is the Accredited Entity for the project. IUCN is an International organization of governmental and non-governmental members, organized and existing under the laws of Switzerland pursuant to the Statutes of IUCN, dated 5 October 1948, as amended (last amended on 13 October 2015) and having its world headquarters and registered office at Rue Mauverney 28, 1196, Gland Switzerland. It brings together 87 States, 127 government agencies, 1102 NGOs, 19 indigenous people organizations and 44 affiliates, and some 15,000 voluntary scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. IUCN has been operating in Mauritania since 2000. Through its West and Central African Office (PACO) in Dakar, IUCN has been working with numerous stakeholders to influence policies related to NRM. It also has a Governance, Gender and Rights Programme with a lot of experience in climate change and other relevant projects in the field NRM. In Mauritania, IUCN has been deploying field projects that cover a wide range of activities, including protection forest and land restoration, protected area management and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

As accredited Implementing Entity of the project, IUCN will be responsible for overall technical supervision and management of the project and will ensure project execution is consistent with project design and GCF procedures. The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Division of Nature Protection) will be the Executing Agency in collaboration with the Naforé Association for the Protection of the Environment. A Project Management Unit (PMU) will be put in place by this execution agency. The PMU will oversee effective and efficient execution of approved work plans of the project and all the other Executing Partners. The executing partners will implement project activities in accordance with their expertise and approved budgets. The PMU will develop and sign MOUs with executing partners to facilitate synergies and coordination. ICRAF (World Agroforestery Centre) and WASCAL (West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use). The other potential executing partners and their specific roles will be identified during the PPF phase.

The Naforé Association for the Protection of the Environment was created on June 25, 2009. The purpose of this association is to support the State in its policies aiming to meet different challenges through actions of environmental protection and the fight against poverty in a participatory approach involving all the actors. The main areas of intervention are: Environmental protection (fight against desertification, sanitation, promotion of sustainable development, etc.), fight against climate change and fight against poverty. Since its creation, Naforé has carry out numerous initiatives funded by the main state structures of the country, communes and international organisations: Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Ministry of 'Agriculture, the Ministry of Livestock, the African Development Bank, World Food Program, The United Nations Development Program, German Cooperation, French Cooperation, Japanese Cooperation, IUCN, UNICEF, FIBA / MAVA, the Communes of Boghé, Melgué, Toufoundé-Civet, etc. It has varied expertise and adequate structures capable of being mobilized at any time for the implementation of projects in its areas of intervention.

Oversight arrangements · An executing agreement will be signed between IUCN and Naforé, and this will include: the terms and conditions, tasks and deliverables, payments terms and conditions, procurement modalities, etc. · A procedure manual for the project will also be developed, based on IUCN procedures and policies and Naforé will have the obligation to respect the dispositions of this Manual. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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· In the executing agreement, the disbursement periods will at the quarterly base; the maximal amount to be disbursed will be defined and will not exceed the management capacities of Naforé. IUCN will set up a close technical and financial follow up, oversight and support mechanism to ensure good administration of funds and production of project deliverables

Please provide a brief overview of the key financial and operational risks and any mitigation measures identified at this stage.

A preliminary assessment of the potential risks is provided in the table below; however, a more detailed risk analysis will be carried out at the full proposal stage.

Please explain how the M&E will be conducted as part of the project or programme (routine and concurrent monitoring, interim and final evaluations, and annual reports)

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the project will be conducted in accordance with established IUCN and GCF procedures/guidelines. The standard M&E reports and procedures required for all IUCN/GCF projects will apply to the M&E plan for the proposed project, including the following: · Inception Workshop and Report. The Inception Workshop gathering the stakeholders Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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involved in the project, and resulting Inception Report are the venue and means to finalize preparations for the implementation of the proposed project, involving the formulation of the first annual work plan, detailing of stakeholder roles and responsibilities, and of reporting and monitoring requirements; · Strategic Result Framework. Monitoring and evaluation begins with preparation of the Project Document, including a logical framework matrix based on indicators of implementation progress and means of verification. This Log Frame will underpin a results-based M&E system for the proposed project. · Quarterly Progress Report. Each quarter, the PMU will prepare a summary of the project's substantive and technical progress towards achieving its objectives. The summaries will be reviewed and cleared by IUCN before being sent to GCF. · The Annual Project Report is designed to integrate the views of the main stakeholders of a project on its relevance, performance and the likelihood of its success. The annual report covers performance assessments on project outputs and outcomes, major achievements, evidence of success, constraints, lessons learned and recommendations as well as an overall rating of the project. · The Steering committee is a policy-level meeting of the parties directly involved in the implementation of a project. It will assess the progress of the project and make decisions on recommendations to improve the design and implementation of the project in order to achieve the expected results. On these occasions, the Project Coordinator will submit an updated workplan and the latest Annual Project Report, and formulate recommendations for eventual. · Independent External Evaluation at mid-term and termination of the project. A mid-term project evaluation will be conducted during the third implementation year, focusing on relevance; performance (effectiveness, efficiency and timeliness); issues requiring decisions and actions; and initial lessons learned about project design, implementation and management. A final evaluation, which occurs three months prior to the end of the project, focuses on the same issues as the mid-term evaluation but also covers impact, sustainability, and follow-through recommendations, including the contribution to capacity development and the achievement of global environmental goals.

The project management team will have a M&E officer responsible of the coordination and implementation on the overall monitoring and evaluation plan which will be developed during the PPF.

[1] Estimation based on the average forest and wooded land rate; this will be verified during the PPF. [2] The populations of the target sites will be the beneficiairies of these investment which will done on communal land as well as private / households lands [3] The detail impact of climate change on Brakna economy will be estimated during the PPF [4] Branch of Grand Moulin Group involved in production, commercialization and processing of agro-pastoral commodities

B.3.Expected performance against the GCF investment criteria Please describe and provide an estimate of the expected impacts aligned with the GCF investment criteria: impact potential, paradigm shift, sustainable development, needs of recipients, country ownership, and efficiency and effectiveness. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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IMPACT POTENTIAL The project will increase resilience and improve the livelihoods of more than 90,000 people who are mainly smallholders/farmers and pastoralists directly affected by the climate change; indirect beneficiairies are estimated at more than 200,000 persons.They would benefit from the project through better climate-resilient farming practices and livelihood protection.

Within the expected engagement of the private sector in solar / biomass energy, processing of agro-pastoral and NTFPs products, as well as value chain of some targets products, the project will create at least 2,000 permanent and temporary jobs (at least 1,000 jobs for youth).

On the other hand, the project will reduce emissions from deforestation, forest degradation, and secure carbon stock through sustainable management of the forest cover; the project will reduce/ avoid the estimated emission value of 0.68; 1.45; 2.22; 3 Mt eq CO2 respectively after 5 year (end of the project) 10 years, 15 years and 20 years from the beginning of the project.

Within the Brakna's communes, stakeholders and municipalities are engaged in climate- responsive planning of development activities. The climate change issue become a prioriy of their annual plan and budget.

PARADIGM SHIFT Innovation The proposed project will contribute to transition from a development path highly vulnerable to climate change to a more resilient path in the target region, in line with the GCF goals and objectives, by helping Mauritania move forward to an appropriate and sustainable pathway. The project thus achieves the paradigm shift by addressing the main barriers or obstacles to the implementation of the locally relevant and best fit solutions.

The project brings together agro-pastoral production and processing with solar / biomass energy; It permit to shift from the current “extract and import” model to one where the region meets its own energy needs, creates jobs, and gets more value from agriculture

The project builds on a partnership with UNDP (already present with EU funds) and explore the opportunity of partnering with other development like IFAD (through IFAD's ABC fund) or to make public-private coalitions involving community cooperatives and the private sector; This will reduce the sole dependence on agriculture and livestock and seeks to bring on some debt or equity financing from GCF.

Scaling up and replication potential The project was designed to ensure sustainability of its benefits through a number of mechanisms, namely (i) the participation of beneficiaries at all levels, from design to implementation, and the subsequent organization of awareness and information workshops for stakeholders among a diversity of groups involved; this will provide a very solid basis for the sustainability of the project; (ii) the emphasis on the need to strengthen the capacities of beneficiaries at local level, so that at the end of the project, all stakeholders have acquired sufficient knowledge and skills to support and make use of the outputs of the project; (iii) at community level, work with and through existing community Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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leadership structures, at regional and national level, build on existing state structures and the project's basic structures; (v) the project will contribute to the development planning process of the target municipalities. By contributing to capacity building in climate change adaptation at local level, the project will help to integrate these issues into the local development planning process. Under the component 4,project results, knowledge, lessons learned and best practices will be consolidated and disseminated at the national and sub-regional level in other to stimulate scaling up.

Potential for sharing knowledge and lessons learned:

The project is experimenting with new integrated approaches to adapting to climate change, based on an interactive approach involving flexible work planning and execution. This requires a lot of monitoring, identifying lessons learned, and improving programs through the application of these lessons. This plan is based on extensive monitoring and lessons learned from the project; to this end, M&E activities go beyond the normal M&E of projects, and include impact assessment and approaches to be used for replication in other communities. The project will also provide the knowledge that will be used by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development as part of its climate change adaptation activities such as the implementation of the ecosystem based adaptation approach (EbA) and the creation of green and development poles.

Contribution to the creation of an enabling environment The main benefits of the project will be environmental and social. The project is expected to generate significant environmental and socio-economic benefits through its investments in model communities, aimed at developing climate change adaptation measures that are consistent with the lifestyle of the selected communities, building their capacity and raising their awareness. These benefits include increasing land productivity in terms of crop yields, and subsequent improvements in income and food security for smallholder farmers and ecosystem restoration. This positive development will result in the implementation of adaptation measures, in particular the development of income-generating activities (IGAs) such as enhancing non-timber forest products, the introduction of resilient silvopastoral techniques with high added value and the development of other sources of income (market gardening, crafts, trade, etc.). Within the component 3, the project will create the enable environment for the private sector investment on agro-pastoral & NTFPs production and processing.

POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Economic co-benefits

The Brakna Region has the highest potential for agriculture in the country. The region has a significant role in the rural economy. To strengthen the resilience of communities to climate change, the project will implement activities to diversify beneficiaries' sources of income through (i) support for agro-pastoral production systems; (ii) development of non-timber forest products; (iii) development of income-generating activities compatible with the sustainable management of natural resources; and (iv) support for the establishment of marketing channels for the various local products.

The project will create joint ventures and partnership will private sector institutions, and with the enable environment created, they will invest more on agro-pastoral / NTFPs production and value Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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chains; this will increase contribution of the agro-pastoral sector on GDP.

Employee co-benefits The social impact of this project should be positive: more than 2,000 permanents and temporary jobs (1,000 for youth) will be created by the project.

Participating communities will significantly increase climatic resilience of their agro-silvopastoral practices as well as their natural resources that support their production systems and living conditions. As a result, agro-silvopastoral production and beneficiary incomes are expected to increase substantially over time through the introduction of more appropriate practices. The project will provide income and better living conditions for a wide range of stakeholders, including the poor, women, youth, the elderly and those living with disease, as well as other vulnerable groups in the target communities. While the impacts of climate change may force individuals or communities to relocate to less affected areas, the project will reduce these negative impacts, and thus the social pressures that could encourage resettlement.

Environmental co-benefits The project aims to improve resilience to current climate variability and climate change by implementing adaptation measures that will improve agro-silvo-pastoral production and the living conditions of the beneficiaries. Therefore, the project will focus on actions that reduce or even stop the degradation of the environment and natural resources; it will introduce better adapted agro- silvopastoral practices and reduce poverty through the improvement of living conditions.

The project will support selected measures to empower communities to adapt to climate change and address environmental degradation. These measures will include community awareness raising, capacity building, development and implementation of community action plans against climate change, dissemination of best practices, development and distribution of climate change guidelines (manuals), as well as training of beneficiary staff for sustainable implementation of project activities.

Gender-sensitive development impact Mauritania has made progress in reducing gender inequalities through various political and institutional mechanisms, including the National Gender Institutionalization Strategy (NGIS). In addition, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Children and Family Affairs (MASEF) have set up regional representations. The project will rely on these regional representatives to ensure the full participation of women in all project activities. In addition, the training materials and manuals will have specific content related to women's issues in climate change adaptation. The project provides for the recruitment of a gender consultant. This provision is in line with the country's strategic orientations which emphasize gender mainstreaming and which specifically target female-headed households to improve their living conditions through members of peasant organizations.

During the PPF, a gender analysis will realized. This analysis will gather gender in the region where the project will be implemented, with a special attention to differences between relevant social groups distinguishing in particular needs, concerns and vulnerabilities of indigenous peoples and vulnerable groups and relevant differences between men and women. This analysis help to develop a gender action plan to guide and advise gender mainstreaming in the project. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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NEEDS OF RECIPIENTS Mauritania is classified as a developing country. In 2015, the country's Human Development Index (HDI) stood at 0.51, ranking it 157th out of 187 countries. While poverty has decreased considerably since 2008, in 2014, 31% of the population lived below the national poverty line and 5.6 per cent of the population lived below the extreme poverty line. The country ranks 154th out of 181 countries in the ND-GAIN Climate Change Vulnerability Index. This project focuses on one of the most affected region by climate change. Section B1 provides an in-depth presentation of climate change trends and projections, as well as a vulnerability assessment, detailing the obstacles to climate-friendly development in the project area. As explained in detail in sections B2 above, by incorporating climate change into local and regional development and strategic planning and implementing priority adaptation strategies on the ground on land rehabilitation, water and livelihoods, the project will address the need to address poverty and vulnerability in these particular centers. Importantly, the project will contribute to the country's objective of slowing down desertification in the south. Section C.2 below presents the country's financial difficulties in financing urgent adaptation interventions and the rationale for requesting GCF support.

Agriculture and livestock are particularly vulnerable sectors. In Brakna, the impacts of climate change will disproportionately affect the part of the low-income population that depends on agriculture and livestock for its livelihood. Adaptive measures such as the improvement of agro-pastoral production systems are needed to compensate for the expected decline in agricultural and pastoral production.

In Brakna, agriculture is highly dependent on rainfall either directly (rain fed cultivation) or indirectly (irrigated) through the necessary water resources. It is also dependent on air temperatures, heat waves and winds: parameters that are expected to change significantly in the coming years/decades. It is therefore a sector that is particularly vulnerable to climate change. It has been shown that the climatic deviations observed in recent decades have affected not only rain-fed agriculture; through the temporal irregularities of rainfall; but also the cultivation behind dams. In fact, the late start of the rainy season has led to late water inflows into dams with a water deficit for flooding of the arable plains behind the dams.

COUNTRY OWNERSHIP It has been shown in section B2 that the project is in line with the country priorities identified in : the National Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (SCAPP) and the National Strategy for Environment and Sustainable Development (SNEDD); National Adaptation Plan of Mauritania; the National Determined Contribution of Mauritania ; the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification and the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) target. This is key for the country ownership.

IUCN comparative advantage as well a the implementation arrangement have been developed on section B.2. IUCN have numerous experience on management climate change projects. In Mauritania and Central & West Africa region, IUCN has specialized expertise in the development and implementation of projects on climate change in collaboration with states and development partners; it relies not only on expertise at the level of country programs and regional thematic programs, but also on the expertise of specialized commissions. As in other projects in Mauritania and in the region, this expertise will be mobilized to support et guide this project. Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Naforé association is suited as the execution agency in view of its experience in the target region, but also the existing collaboration with the Ministry of Environment (Annex 11). Its also an IUCN member. Working with this organization is also to make concrete the decentralization policy promoted by Mauritania and there fore to strenghten the country ownership. The structural, financial and institutional assessment of Naforé is attached to this concenpt note (see Annex 12). However, IUCN will set up a close monitoring and follow up mechanism of the technical and financial management of the project during the implementation.

EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS The interventions will have high effectiveness and efficiency (with high benefit to cost ratios for adaptation measures, and high cost-effectiveness for CO2 reductions for mitigation measures). The project will reach at least 90,000 highly vulnerable beneficiaries, as well as providing wider benefits to more than 200,000 people through mainstreaming interventions. The project will also have co-benefits on mitigation in Component 2. The sustainable forest covert management / restoration will reduce / increase carbon stock. Based on the total project budget and the carbon emission reduced and avoided, the carbon ton is estimated at US$ 13 at the end of the project and at 3 US$, 20 years from the beguining of the project. The detailed analysis on carbon stock impact and cost effectiveness will be provided during the development of the proposal. The project will support the creation and strengthening of partnerships with and involvement of the private sector in order to ensure there is sustainability in the actions supported at the region and the national level beyond the project lifetime. B.4 Stakeholders consultation and engagement (300 words ) A consultation of stakeholders at field level was realized to question them on their ownership of the proposed activities. Stakeholders unanimously welcomed the initiative and gave their support. They also stated that they will be committed to participate in the feasibility of the project. The support letters signed by the population representatives (Mayors) are attached to this concept note (Annex 8).

This project is being developed by IUCN (the Accredited Entity) in close collaboration with the execution entities namely: the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (through the Division of Nature Protection and the Coordination Unit of the National Climate Change Program) and the Naforé Association (IUCN member). During the development of the project preparation phase, more consultations will be held with administrative and municipal authorities of the intervention sites and other ministerial departments. The project development process will be conducted with the designated national authority. The project document team will work closely with all actors involved in the execution of the project to identify measures that will meet the expectations of beneficiaries and the orientations of the Green Climate Fund. C. Indicative financing information (max. 2 pages) C.1. Financing by components Please provide an estimate of the total cost per component and disaggregate by source of financing. Indicative cost GCF financing Co-financing (USD) Component Output Amount Financial Type Amount Financial Name of (USD) Instrument (USD) Instrument Institutions Governm Component ent, 1,656,928 1,500,000 Grant Public 156,928 Grant 1 Naforé, Commun Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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es and other developm ent, private sector Governm ent, Naforé, Commun COmponent 4,510,68 es and 4,853,000 Grant Public 342,319 Grant 2 1 other developm ent, private sector Governm ent, Naforé, Commun Component 2,000,00 es and 2,180,000 Grant Public 180,000 Grant 3 0 other developm ent, private sector Governm ent, Naforé, Commun Component es and 434,496 400,534 Grant Public 33,962 Grant 3 other developm ent, private sector

Indicative total cost (USD) 9,124,424 8,411,215 713,209

For private sector proposal, provide an overview (diagram) of the proposed financing structure. C.2. Justification of GCF Funding Request (300 words) Explain why the Project/ Programme requires GCF funding, i.e. explaining why this is not financed by the public and/ or private sector(s) of the country.

In the adaptation process, care strategies are called short-term activities (NAPAs); while adaptation strategies are medium- and long-term activities. First, communities try to change their current practices to better cope with the impacts of climate change, and then seek alternative livelihoods. Thus, community adaptation to climate change applies to situations in which actions taken to address climate change issues are based on communities' needs, experiences and knowledge. These may include the need to protect against floods, the provision of water for irrigation to mitigate climatic hazards such as drought, or the diversification of agriculture to adopt crops that are more resistant to drought. The Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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identification of possible options is the responsibility of the target communities. The final strategy is to develop the capacity of communities to cope with and adapt to the impacts of climate change by strengthening and diversifying their livelihoods, preserving resources and reducing the risks associated with climate change. In addition, climate change adaptation strategies require integrated approaches, both within and between the natural ecosystem and the socio-economic system.

Like several regions in Mauritania, Brakna is increasingly facing climate change, which is resulting in a decline in agricultural production, or even in crop failure due to drought and floods. The country's weak economy puts strong pressure on the international community to urgently fund intervention programs to help communities overcome challenges and adapt. Since rural communities are the most vulnerable and severely affected, these climate change adaptation programs should be implemented at the community level.

In this context, Mauritania has benefited from several projects funded by the GEF (REVUWI, DIMS, etc.) for natural resource resilience, the Adaptation Fund (PARSACC) for food security resilience and the European Union (GCCA1 and GCCA2, etc.) for both natural resources and food security. These various projects have increased the level of knowledge of local communities on adaptation to climate change and strengthened the capacities of beneficiaries. All these projects are aimed at economic development and this GCF project will address this economic development even more resilient at the CC. Indeed, the project aims to contribute, among other things, to the implementation of the national strategy for food security (SNSA). The SNSA aims to increase the productivity and agricultural income of smallholders in order to contribute to poverty reduction and food security in Mauritania. The CTF funding for the DCF project will support additional investments in: (i) community resilience to the effects of climate change; and (ii) local capacity building for livelihood adaptation to climate change in rural areas. These investments were identified during the preparation of the NAHS as a measure to ensure agricultural production and livelihoods in a sustainable manner.

The project will complement the past and existing initiatives.

Great Green Wall initiative: The Great Green Wall also passes through the Brakna region, notably the following communes: Aghchourguitt, Aleg, Chegar, Makta Lahjar, Ouad Amour and Sangrava. The main activities planned by the National Agency for the Great Green Wall for the next 5 years are: the protection and development of natural resources, the supply of drinking water, support for agro-sylvo- pastoral; the development of value chain activities, access to credit and working capital, the fight against food insecurity and malnutrition; support for access to basic social services (education, health, etc.). The budget for these activities is $ 4,500,000, of which 3,000,000 euros are already mobilized by NAGGW and the 1,500,000 gap remains to be mobilized for these communes.

Communal initiatives : At the communal level, the average annual budget is estimated at 200,000$; and this budget is used to implement actions planned in the Communes Development Plans (mainly intended for development actions). In general, actions related to the climate and the management of natural resources are poorly represented in communal budgets. Association Naforé initiatives: From 2016-2018, Association Naforé has been implementing a climate change adaptation project in the municipality of Djelliwar with funding from the UNDP for a period of 24 months and for an amount of 180,000 euro. This project was focused on the following actions: natural resource management, adaptation of communities through income-generating Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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activities (agriculture, enhancement of NTFPS), capacity building. Other past and ongoing initiatives : The other projects carried out or in progress in the region are: • Phase 1 of the World Alliance on Climate Change program; the main actions of which focused on the assessment of the vulnerability of the Brakna and the development of an integrated territorial climate plan for Brakna region. It is a project which was carried out from 2014-2018, for an amount of 2.520.000 EURO. This project also made it possible to finance pilot adaptation actions in two communes, Djelliwar and Maal, carried out by national NGOs selected by the UNDP / SGP. • Phase 2 (2019 - 2023) of this project is ongoing and is focus on food security and climate change resilience. The budget of this 4 years is 7,500,000 EUR, for 3 regions (Brakna, Gogol and Guidimakha). For the Brakna region, the estimated budged is 2,500,000 Euros and the following communes are targeted: Boghé, de Bababé and Mbagne. • There is a GEF project (implemented by World Bank) on sustainable land management ongoing with the focus on the regions of Trarza, Brakna and Gorgol, targeting 39 communes. There is another GEF project on climate change adaptation is implemented in rural communities in three regions adjacent to Brakna (Adrar, Inchiri and Trarza) with the aim to increase resilience of local communities and ecosystems and include development of community level action plans.

Other GCF projects under development: Two GCF concept notes have been recently approved by GCF • FAO project “Enhancing the resilience to climate change of livelihoods and food security of agro-sylvo-pastoral communities in southwestern Mauritania”. The project objective is to increase climate resilience of most vulnerable livelihoods in Mauritania's Sahelian zone through ecosystem- based adaptation of agro-sylvo-pastoral systems. 4 regions are concerned by this project : Guidimakha, Gorgol, Brakna, and Trarza. In Brakna region, the project will focus in the Wetlands of Boghe communes located near the Senegal river (Annex 4b) • ADFD project “Project to Support the Transition to a Resilient, Low-carbon Agriculture in Mauritania”. This project aims is to (i) increase the adaptive capacity and build resilience to CC in the agricultural sector in the border area of the Senegal River; (ii) reduce exposure to climate change risks in order to reduce vulnerability and sustainably use agro-sylvo-pastoral ressources, water and land. At the same time, the project will contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is targeting the the classified forest located in the southern part of the Boghe communes near the Senegal river.

These 2 projects are located in the southern part of the Boghe commune and specially in the wetlands ecological units. The IUCN project is located after this area, precisely in the transition area between the wetlands (in the southern part of the region) and the desert (in the northern part of the region). See the map in annex 4a). Since the two projects are in the full proposal development phase, IUCN will seek during the PPF synergy and complementarity with FAO and AFDB projects. The presence of these projects will be the opportunity of lessons learnt between the 3 GCF accredited agencies (IUCN, FAO, AfDB). IUCN will ensure coordination and synergy with GGW initiative during the steering committee and during the project implementation (the National Agency of the GGW will be the member of the project Steering Committee and and excutiong partner).

Additionality of the project. The past and ongoing initiatives have permitted to (i) analysis of the vulnerability, (ii) develop an integrated territorial climate plan (PCTI) for Brakna region, (iii) implement some pilot actions in few communes (pilot adaptation actions). Existing funding sources does not Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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cover all the communes nor the entire activities identified in the territorial climate plan. For example, not target restoration, sustainable management of natural ecosystem, as well private sector mobilization and engagement. The energy sector also is not cover by existing project, yet it is one of the priority sectors of the region. To achieve the resilient development as indicate in the PCTI, it is important to cover all the communes and all the priority sectors identified in this strategic document. This the raison d'être of this project which address: (i) resilient governance systems; (ii) resilience and sustainability of agro-pastoral / natural ecosystems and (iii) resilient business environment (including renewable energy supply coupled with agro-pastoral production and processing).

Without the project, the implementation of the Brakna integrated plan for climate change will be implemented at a very little rate; the impacts of the past and ongoing initiatives will be very limited and unsustainable; the vulnerability of agro-pastoral activities and the populations who depend on these activities will worsen, and this will increase the degradation of natural resources, poverty, and precarious condition of the population.

During the PPF, IUCN will elaborate a dtetailed mapping of the past and oingoing initiatives including the target sites of each project, the expected / achieved outputs and outcomes. This will help to assure strong coordination with other sources/initiatives and prevent any risks of double financing, but also to build on lessons learnt of these initiative. C.3. Exit Strategy and Sustainability (300 words) Please explain how the project/programme sustainability will be ensured in the long run and how this will be monitored, after the project/programme is implemented with support from the GCF and other sources.

For non-grant instruments, explain how the capital invested will be repaid and over what duration of time.

SUSTAINABILITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF THE PROJECT The project was designed to ensure the sustainability of its benefits through a number of mechanisms, namely (i) participation of a large number of beneficiaries at all levels, from design to implementation, and the subsequent organization of awareness and information workshops for stakeholders among a diversity of groups involved, which will provide a very solid basis for the sustainability of the project; (ii) emphasis on the need to build the capacity of beneficiaries so that at the end of the project, all stakeholders have acquired sufficient knowledge and skills to support and exploit the project results; (iii) at the local level, work with and through existing community associations, at the regional level and at the central/national level, building on existing state structures and the project's core structures; (iv) the Project Coordination Unit will work closely with community associations at the community level, under the supervision and in collaboration with the Regional Environmental Delegates to ensure the continuity of activities after the initial project has been completed; (v) the project will contribute to the planning process of the Target Communities in the field of climate change.

The project is designed as a learning project as climate change adaptation is in its initial phase of development. Adaptation measures being tested in this project will allow the communities concerned to gain experience learn lessons and adopt best practices to be shared with other communities. The project knowledge provided by the project will be used by the Ministry of Environment and its central Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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services as part of its climate change adaptation activities, and the staff of the Brakna Environment Delegation will acquire knowledge that it will implement in similar projects. These lessons will also be disseminated throughout the government institutions, civil society organizations, municipalities, etc. using various channels at regional and national levels, with the aim to ensure sustainability and replicability in other regions and communes of Mauritania. In fact, this project has been designed to ensure that the results and impact will be capitalised and upscaled after the project ends. For example, during the PPF Phase, we will make sure that we carry out a comprehensive stakeholder analysis to identify key government, private sector and civil society organisations that will capitalise, up-scale and replicate the results, lessons learned and experiences of the project after the lifespan of the project.

By contributing to capacity building in climate change adaptation at local level, supporting the integration of these issues into the local development planning process, and advocating for the creation of a specialized commission on climate change amongst the institutional arrangement, the annual budget of the municipalities will adopt and sustain these activities every year, even after the project.

We will also make sure that we create the necessary economic and social conditions and incentives within the lifespan of the project to facilitate sustainability after the project, notably by a) linking private sector with national, regional and international banks and markets, b) working closely with GCF Accredited partners that are qualified for equity finance, etc, c) promoting innovative small and medium size enterprises, including communes to catalyse local economy and jobs creation, d) promote capacity-building activities for key government, private and local stakeholders to facilitate ownership of results after the end of the projects, etc. D. Annexes

☒ ESS screening check list (Annex 1) ☒ Map indicating the location of the project/programme (as applicable) ☐ Evaluation Report of previous project (as applicable) Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Annex 1: Environmental and Social Screening Checklist

Part A: Risk Factors

Please indicate your answers to the questions below and provide an explanation on the response selected. In cases when the TBD response has been selected please explain briefly why you are not able to determine now and when in the project cycle the question will be addressed.

If the criteria is not applicable to the project you may write N/A in the justification box.

Exclusion criteria YES NO Will the activities involve associated facilities and require further ☐ ☒ due diligence of such associated facilities? N/A Will the activities involve trans-boundary impacts including those that would require further due diligence and notification to affected ☐ ☒ states? The activities promoted by the poject are small-scale and not expected to have impacts beyond the project area. Will the activities adversely affect working conditions and health and safety of workers or potentially employ vulnerable categories of ☐ ☒ workers including women and children? The project will not employ large bodies of workers aside of project manager and a few technical and administrative staff. It further does not include activities that are likely to be associated with risks related to inappropriate labour and working conditions. The project's execution agencies will adhere to national labour laws and IUCN will monitor the strict respect of labour and working conditions. Minor works such as the installation of the renewable energy system will be carried out by contractors. The project will only hire certified and licened companies that are compliant with the national Labour law; contractual agreements with the contractors will include explicit provisions for ensuring occupational health and safety. The working conditions on the agricultural fields and the pastoral acticivies are not strictly part of the project, however the project uses its leverage to ensure appropriate labour conditions. As such it will set selection criteria for the farmers groups and the cooperatives to be involved and benefit from the project; one of this criteria is a formal declaration that the associated farms follow the national labour conditions and no harmul child labour is used. The working conditions will be regularily monitored also at the level of these beneficiaries. Will the activities potentially generate hazardous waste and pollutants including pesticides and contaminate lands that would require further studies on management, minimization and control ☐ ☒ and compliance to the country and applicable international environmental quality standards? The project will introduce climate resilient crop varieties, but will not fund the application of fertilizer or pesticides. In order to further reduce risk related with the application of agrochemicals the project will provide guidance on organic fertilizer and plant protection, and encourage the reduction of chemical inputs. Within the component 3, activities related to processing of agro-pastoral production will probably generate waste; due to the small-scale nature of these production activities it is not expected that waste generation will have significant negative environmental impacts (it will not include hazardous waste); minimal impacts might be possible but these can be easily identified, minimized and mitigated by readily available measures and techniques. A management plan will be developed during the PPF phase. Will the activities involve the construction, maintenance, and ☐ ☒ Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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rehabilitation of critical infrastructure (like dams, water impoundments, coastal and river bank infrastructure) that would require further technical assessment and safety studies? N/a - no infrastructure willbe constructed by this project. The irrigated systems for farms and agricultural lands, if identified by the communities as priority during the PPF, are expected to be small scale. Any minor mitigation measures will be included in a management plan developed during project preparation (PPG phase). Will the activities potentially involve resettlement and dispossession, land acquisition, and economic displacement of ☐ ☒ persons and communities? N/a as the project will not include any form of economic or physical displacement. It will also not require land acquisition. Any infrastructure developed by the project would either be on communal land or, if on private or household land, preceded by an agreement of the land owner (who will actually benefit from such infrastructure). Will the activities be located in or in the vicinity of protected areas and areas of ecological significance including critical habitats, key ☐ ☒ biodiversity areas and internationally recognized conservation sites? Only restoration activities are locate near the classified forest (buffer zone); no productive activities are planned in these areas. Hence, there are no major risk factors in relation with classified forest ecosystem Will the activities affect indigenous peoples that would require further due diligence, free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and ☐ ☒ documentation of development plans? N/a as there are no indigenous peoples in the Brakna Region Will the activities be located in areas that are considered to have archaeological (prehistoric), paleontological, historical, cultural, ☐ ☒ artistic, and religious values or contains features considered as critical cultural heritage? N/a there is no critical cultural heritage

Part B: Specific environmental and social risks and impacts

Assessment and Management of Environmental YES NO TBD and Social Risks and Impacts Has the E&S risk category of the project been ☒ ☐ provided in the concept note? Has the rationale for the categorization of the project been provided in the relevant sections of the concept ☒ ☐ note? Are there any additional environmental, health and safety requirements under the national laws and ☐ ☐ ☒ regulations and relevant international treaties and agreements? Under component 3, the project will promote the development of SMEs and their investments in resilient, climate-friendly processes and technologies. These activities will be defined during the project preparation in detail, and the need for compliance with any environmental, health and safety requirements under the national laws and regulations and relevant international treaties and agreements will then be assessed agains E&S risks prior to finalizing the project document. It is, however, not very likely that there are special requiremetns given the small-scale nature of the Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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activities and the intention is to promote environmentally sustainable businesses. Are the identification of risks and impacts based on ☒ ☐ ☐ recent or up-to-date information? The identification of risks and impacts is based on consultation with the relevant governmental departments of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of environment and Ministry of Energy, with the partner organization Naforé association and with communes. While these stakeholders provided information according to their current knowledge, there is still a need to confirm further deepen the analysis during the project preparation phase. Labour and Working Conditions YES NO TBD Will the activities potentially have impacts on the working conditions, particularly the terms of employment, worker’s organization, non- ☐ ☒ ☐ discrimination, equal opportunity, child labour, and forced labour of direct, contracted and third-party workers? The project will not employ large bodies of workers aside of project manager and a few technical and administrative staff and will not involve child labour or forced labour direct, contracted and third- party workers. It further does not include activities that are likely to be associated with risks related to inappropriate labour and working conditions. As a member State of the ILO, Mauritania is committed to respects and protects fundamental rights of workers, consistent with the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, including universal right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, and freedom from forced labour, child labour and discrimination in employment. However, as precautionary measure, IUCN will monitor the strict respect of labour and working conditions by the executing agency during project implementation. The working conditions on the agricultural fields and in the pastoral sites are not strictly part of the project, however the project uses its leverage to ensure appropriate conditions. As such it will set selection criteria for the farmers groups and the cooperatives to be involved and benefit from the project; one of this criteria is a formal declaration that the associated farms follow the national labour conditions and no harmul child labour is used. The working conditions will be regularily monitored also at the level of these beneficiaries. Will the activities pose occupational health and safety ☐ ☒ ☐ risks to workers including supply chain workers? Works such as the installation of the biomass or solar energy facilities will be carried out by contractors. The project will only hire certified and licened companies that are compliant with the national Labour law; contractual agreements with the contractors will include explicit provisions for ensuring occupational health and safety. Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention YES NO TBD Will the activities generate (1) emissions to air; (2) discharges to water; (3) activity-related greenhouse ☐ ☐ ☒ gas (GHG) emissions, (4) noise and vibration; and (5) wastes? The project will not contribute to a significant increase of emissions to air or activity-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it will not cause significant noise and vibration. On the contrary, it will lead to climate mitigation emissions through the resoration of degraded forest, sustainable management of forest, the installation of renewable energy systems. However, the processing of agro-pastoral products under component 3 may generate minor streams of waste, discharge to water and noise. Due to the small-scale nature of the promoted value chain activities the impacts are considered minimal and expected to be mitigated through known and readily available measures. This will be assessed during the PPF phase and the identified mitigation measures, if applicable, will be established in form of a management plan. Will the activities utilize significant amount of natural ☐ ☒ ☐ Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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resources including water and energy? Overall, the project is expected to contribute to reduced fossile energy consumption through the use of renewable energy sources. The promotion of climate resilient crop species is generally expected to decrease the need for water for irrigation. Any new irrigation systems installed by the project will apply water-efficient technologies (e.g. drop irrigation). The impact of the value chain acivities promoted under component 3 on water and energy will be assessed in detail during the PPG phase once these activities are known. However, in general such activities are not expected to lead to major water and energy consumption due to the small scale nature. If certain activities are identified as high water or energy consumers, they would be excluded from being funded. Mitigation measures, where applicable, will be included in the Management plan to be developed during the PPF phase. Will there be a need to develop detailed measures to reduce pollution and promote sustainable use of ☐ ☒ ☐ resources? N/a - the project is not expected to generate pollution and project design is already geared towards the promotion of sustainable use of natural resources. Community Health, Safety, and Security YES NO TBD Will the activities potentially generate risks and impacts to the health and safety of the affected ☐ ☐ ☒ communities? None of the project activities known at this stage are expected to incur any health and safety risks for communities. The SME activities will be assessed once these are known, but due to their small- scale nature no significant adverse impacts are expected. Otherwise mitigation measures will be included in the management plans Will there be a need for an emergency preparedness and response plan that also outlines how the affected ☐ ☒ ☐ communities will be assisted in times of emergency? The project does not employ hazardous materials or substances, nor does it implement activities that are associated with likely accidents or hazards that would normally require detailed emergency preparedness procedures. Will there be risks posed by the security arrangements and potential conflicts at the project ☐ ☒ ☐ site to the workers and affected community? The project does not employ any security personnel. The sites may present security risks but these are not caused by the project. In any project IUCN monitors security risks in order to protect the project employees/workers. Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement YES NO TBD Will the activities likely involve land acquisition and/or ☐ ☒ ☐ physical or economic displacement? N/a as the project will not include any form of economic or physical displacement. It will also not require land acquisition. Any infrastructure developed by the project would either be on communal land or, if on private / household land, preceded by an agreement of the land owner (who will actually benefit from such infrastructure). Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable YES NO TBD Management of Living Natural Resources Will the activities potentially introduce invasive alien species of flora and fauna affecting the biodiversity of ☐ ☒ ☐ the area? The project will promote climate resilient agricultural practices including climate resilient crop varieties. No crop varieties will be used that would entail the risk of developing invasive Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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characteristics and as such pose risks of affecting surrounding non-agricultural land. Will the activities have potential impacts on or be dependent on ecosystem services including ☐ ☒ ☐ production of living natural resources (eg.agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry)? The impact of the project on agricultural producton in the plots around the treatment plants is expected to be highly positive. Indigenous Peoples YES NO TBD Will the activities potentially have any indirect impacts on indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, or ☐ ☒ ☐ vulnerable and marginalized groups? Dispite the fact that this standard is triggered, there will be no social risks or negative impacts for the pastoralist communities but important benefits for the vulnerables groups (pastoralists, women). For example, the project specifically targets these vulnerable groups. It will enable these groups to strengthen their resilience and that of the ecosystems on which they depend, to the effects of climate change. The investments that the project will support on their localities will allow them to secure their land. In fact, for the government the unoccupied and unexploited lands belong to the State; but as soon as they are used, they became the property of the person or group of people exploiting these lands. The project will therefore regulate both a social exclusion and poverty, but also land tenure security by giving vulnerable groups the means to exploit their land. The PPF phase will include a socio-economic assessment to ensure that potential gender and socio- economic divisions that might exist among the communities are well understood, and that the project will ascertain that such division will not be aggravated by the project but instead that project activities should aim at bridging gender gaps and other possible divisions, where feasible. The PPF will therefore engage indigenous people strongly in other to provide opportunities to enhance their participation: (i) consultation with Government and other relevant stakeholder (including representative organizations of the pastoralist groups); socio-economic assessment that will address the gender, socio-economic divisions and intergenerational issues that exist among indigenous peoples; (iii) consultation meetings and other forms of engagement with indigenous peoples and their representatives, but also different members of the groups - the objective of these meetings is to involve them more explicitly in the planning of the project Because there will be no negative impacts, an indigenous peoples plan is not needed. Cultural Heritage YES NO TBD Will the activities restrict access to the cultural ☐ ☒ ☐ heritage sites and properties? N/a (see Part A) Will there be a need to prepare a chance-find procedure in case of the discovery of cultural heritage ☐ ☒ ☐ assets? The project will work on the existing land and will not involve any form of land excavation or movement of earth. Hence, it is not expected that the project would discover and damage any buried cultural resources. Stakeholder engagement and grievance redress YES NO TBD Will the activities include a continuing stakeholder engagement procress and a grievance redress ☒ ☐ ☐ mechanism and integrated into the management/implementation plans? Will the activities include a continuing stakeholder engagement procress and a grievance redress mechanism and integrated into the management/implementation plans? Simplified Approval Process CONCEPT NOTE Template V.1.1

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Part C: Sign Off

Sign-off: Specify the name and designation of the person responsible for the environmental and social screening and any other approvals as may be required in the accredited entity’s own management system.

Linda Klare, Environment and Social Management System Coordinator