Project Document Through National and Local Level Consultative Meetings
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CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations 4 1 SITUATION ANALYSIS 6 1.1 Introduction 6 1.2 The Lebanese environment 6 1.2.1 The physical environment 6 1.2.2 Ecosystems and biodiversity 8 1.2.3 The socio-political environment 9 1.2.4 The Qaraoun Catchment 10 1.2.5 Ecosystem functions and services in the Qaraoun Catchment 11 1.3 Threats and root causes 12 1.3.1 The risks and impacts of land degradation 12 1.3.2 Proximate causes of land degradation 12 1.3.3 Root causes of land degradation 15 1.4 The Government’s response – the Baseline Project 16 1.4.1 The policy and regulatory response 16 1.4.2 The institutional response 18 1.4.3 Land use planning and management 22 1.4.4 Value of measures committed 24 1.5 Remaining challenges and outstanding gaps 28 2 STRATEGY 30 2.1 Project Rationale and policy conformity 30 2.1.1 Rationale and summary of the GEF Alternative 30 2.1.2 Project localities 34 2.1.3 Stakeholder analysis 36 2.1.4 Fit with GEF Focal Area Strategy and Objectives 39 2.1.5 Conformity with UNDP and UNDAF strategies 40 2.1.6 Project strategic approach 41 2.2 Project Objective, Outcomes and Outputs/Activities 41 2.2.1 Project Objective 41 2.2.2 Project Outcomes 41 2.2.3 Indicators 43 2.2.4 Project Outputs and Activities 46 2.3 Assumptions and Risks 52 2.4 Cost effectiveness 54 2.5 Expected Global, National and Local Benefits 55 2.6 Gender strategy 58 2.7 Project consistency with National Priorities/Strategies 59 2.8 Assessment of environmental and social impacts 62 2.9 Sustainability and Replicability 63 3 PROJECT RESULTS FRAMEWORK 65 4 TOTAL BUDGET AND WORKPLAN 69 5 IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS 73 6 MONITORING FRAMEWORK AND EVALUATION 76 7 LEGAL CONTEXT 80 2 ANNEXES 1 The Qaraoun Catchment 2 Letters of pledge 3 Environmental and Social Screening (ESSP) 4 Land Degradation Portfolio Monitoring and Assessment Tool (LD-PMAT) 5 Project localities 6 Capacity assessment scorecard 7 Terms of Reference for key project personnel 8 Draft Letter of Agreement and Description of UNDP Country Office Support Services 3 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AFDC Association for Forests, Development and Conservation APAC Appointed Protected Area Committees APIPNM Asia-Pacific network on Integrated Plant Nutrient Management APR/PIR Annual Performance Report / Project Implementation Review ARDP Agriculture and Rural Development Project BWE Bekaa Water Establishment CAS Central Administration for Statistics CBO Community Based Organization CC Climate Change CDR Council for Development and Reconstruction DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane DGUP Directorate General of Urban Planning DRNDR Directorate of Rural Development and Natural Resources EA/IP Executing Agency/Implementing Partner EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization (of the UN) GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environment Fund GHG Green House Gases GIS Geographic Information System GIZ Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit ha Hectare HCUP Higher Council of Urban Planning IA Implementing Agency (of the GEF) IBA Important Bird Area IDAL Investment Development Authority of Lebanon ILUMP Integrated Land Use Management Plan INRM Integrated Natural Resource Management ISF Internal Security Forces IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature LARI Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute LD Land Degradation LEPAP Lebanon Pollution Abatement Project LRA Litani River Authority LRI Lebanon Reforestation Initiative LTL Local Team Leader LUIMS Land Use Information Management System LUP Land Use Plan MAP Medicinal and Aromatic Plants M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoE Ministry of Environment MOEW Ministry of Energy and Water MOIM Ministries of Interior and Municipalities MOPWT Ministry of Public Works and Transport NAP National Action Programme (to Combat Desertification) NFP National Focal Point NGO Non-Governmental Organization NLUMP National Land Use Master Plan NRP National Reforestation Plan OWL Other Wooded Lands PEB Project Executive Board 4 PIF Project Identification Form PM Project Manager PMU Project Management Unit RSCN Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature SEA Strategic Environment Assessment SLM Sustainable Land Management SMART Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound (of Indicators) SPNL Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon TAG Technical Advisory Group UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlement Programme UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees USAID United States Agency for International Development USD United State Dollar 5 1 SITUATION ANALYSIS 1.1 Introduction The Government of Lebanon is requesting GEF funds to address the problem of land degradation in the Bekaa Valley, more specifically in the Qaraoun Catchment. The catchment is a critical source of water for urban use and food production, an important source of ecosystem services and a habitat for threatened biodiversity. But notwithstanding this significance, the catchment suffers from accelerating land degradation, which is undermining ecosystem functions and derivative services. Land degradation is attributable to historic deforestation, excessive firewood collection, overgrazing, expansion of urban settlements, and inappropriate infrastructure placement. As noted by the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification1, development and productivity are essential but should not be at the expense of the environment and the project is designed to engineer a paradigm shift from unsustainable to sustainable land management in the Qaraoun Catchment. The project will promote an integrated approach towards fostering sustainable land management – seeking to balance environmental management with development needs. Amongst other things, it will set-up a multi-sector planning platform to balance competing environmental, social and economic objectives in district development plans and associated investments. In doing so, it will reduce conflicting land-uses and improve the sustainability of land management so as to maintain the flow of vital ecosystem services and sustain the livelihoods of local and downstream communities. Land use plans will be underpinned by a robust decision support system, including a Strategic Environmental Assessment, and a monitoring framework which will inform the planning process, development investments and enforcement. This will help determine where development should be avoided (in the most ecologically sensitive areas), where and how impacts should be reduced, and where and how land should be rehabilitated. The project will also adapt land use practices in different economic sectors – testing new land management measures to reduce environmental stress. The project advances the strategic objectives of the UNCCD 10-year strategic plan namely: 1) To improve the living conditions of affected populations; 2) To improve the condition of affected ecosystems; 3) To generate global benefits through effective implementation of the UNCCD. 1.2 The Lebanese environment 1.2.1 The physical environment Lebanon has a total land area of 10,452 km2, and lies entirely within the Mediterranean Basin Ecoregion. It is situated east of the Mediterranean Sea and has a coastline of 210 km and stretches 50 km inland (Figure 1). Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary Karstic limestone, Cretaceous and Quaternary sandstone, and Conglomerate make up most of Lebanon’s geology. Carbonated rock formations make up more than two-thirds of the territory. These make up most of the mountain ranges making them exposed to groundwater contamination. The agricultural plains of the Bekaa Valley contain Terra-Rossa and Rendzinas soils as the most prevalent. Soils in Lebanon are young and shallow and have a poor consistency. Soil degradation and soil erosion may result from natural and anthropogenic factors that hamper soil fertility2. 1 Ministry of Agriculture, Lebanon (2003) National Action Programme to Combat Desertification. 2 UNDP / MOE / ECODIT (2011) State and Trends of the Lebanese Environment 6 Figure 1 Map of Lebanon 7 The lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea in southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia constitute the Mediterranean Basin Eco-region and share a climate characterized by generally mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate influenced by the Asian monsoon, with rainy winters and long hot dry summers. In the western areas of Lebanon, the climate is typical maritime coastal whereas the eastern side exhibits continental characteristics3. Precipitation averages 840 mm/year, an amount that may appear relatively large in comparison to neighbouring countries but which masks high temporal and spatial disparities. Temporally, precipitation occurs during a short period (about 80 rainy days between September and May). Spatially, it is not evenly distributed – varying from 200 mm/year in the northern inland region to more than 1,500 mm/year on the peaks of Mount Lebanon. 40% of Lebanon is arid and semi-arid, 20% is dry-sub-humid and 40% is sub-humid and humid. 1.2.2 Ecosystems and biodiversity The Mediterranean Basin is considered as one of 25 biodiversity global hotspots by Conservation International4. The mosaic of Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub are home to 25,000 vascular plant species of which 13,000 are endemic. In Lebanon, 9,119 species