Mid-Term Performance Evaluation of the Hariyo Ban Project March 2015 This report was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by ECODIT LLC for the Mid-term Performance Evaluation of the Hariyo Ban Project - Task Order No. AID-367-TO-15-00001. AUTHORITY Prepared for USAID/Nepal under the Restoring the Environment through Prosperity, Livelihoods and Conserving Ecosystems (REPLACE) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract number OAA-I-14-00016, Task Order number AID-367-TO-15-00001, effective from January 5, 2015, through March 8, 2015, entitled “Mid-term Performance Evaluation of the Hariyo Ban Project.” This evaluation is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of ECODIT and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. PREPARED BY The Evaluation Team: Teri Allendorf, Evaluation Team Leader Madhav Karki, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Specialist Keshav Raj Kanel, Forestry and NRM Specialist Bijay Kumar Singh, Rural Development and Livelihoods and Payton Deeks, Home Office Project Manager Cover photo: Jum Dada Jhapri Community Forestry Group discussing the Hariyo Ban Program with Dr. Keshav Kanel. Cover photo credit: Teri Allendorf/ECODIT. ECODIT LLC 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1220 Arlington, VA 22209 USA Tel: +1 703 841 1883 Fax: +1 703 841 1885 Web: www.ecodit.com USAID/Nepal Mid-term Performance Evaluation of Hariyo Ban Project Page | ii ~This page intentionally left blank~ USAID/Nepal Mid-term Performance Evaluation of Hariyo Ban Project Page | iii CONTENTS ACRONYMS...................................................................................................................... V EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................. X 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 1.1 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 EVALUATION QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................ 1 2. PROJECT BACKGROUND ................................................................................ 3 2.1 INTERMEDIATE RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 3 2.2 PROJECT AREA ............................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS ....................................................................................................... 4 3. EVALUATION METHODS & LIMITATIONS ................................................. 6 3.1 EVALUATION METHODS ........................................................................................................... 6 3.2 EVALUATION LIMITATIONS...................................................................................................... 7 4. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, & RECOMMENDATIONS .............................. 9 4.1 FINDINGS ......................................................................................................................................... 9 4.2 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................34 4.3 RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................................................................................35 ANNEX A: STATEMENT OF WORK .......................................................................... 37 ANNEX B: FINAL EVALUATION PLAN .................................................................... 46 ANNEX C: DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS ................................................... 49 ANNEX D: SOURCES OF INFORMATION ................................................................ 63 ANNEX E: SUMMARY OF LISTENING SESSION FEEDBACK ............................... 72 ANNEX F: DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INFORMATION .......................... 103 USAID/Nepal Mid-term Performance Evaluation of Hariyo Ban Project Page | iv ACRONYMS ACAP Annapurna Conservation Area Project AEPC Appropriate Energy Promotion Centre BIA Biodiversity important areas BZMC Buffer Zone Management Council BZCF Buffer Zone Community Forest BZCFUG Buffer Zone Community Forestry User Group BZUC Buffer Zone User’s Committee CAC Community Awareness Centre CAMC Conservation Area Management Committee CAPA Community Adaptation Plan of Action CAPI Climate adaptation planning and implementation CARE A US-based NGO, whose name originally stood for “Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe,” later “Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere” and now the name is used in its own right rather than as an acronym. CBA Community-based adaptation CBAPU Community-Based Anti-Poaching Unit CBNRM Community-based natural resource management CBO Community-based organizations CC Climate change CCA Climate change adaptation CDCS Country Development Cooperation Strategy CFCC Community Forest Coordination Committee CFOP Community Forestry Operation Plan CFUG Community Forest User Groups CHAL Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape CLAC Community Learning and Action Center COR Contracting Officer Representative CSO Civil society organization DFID Department for International Development, the United Kingdom’s overseas development body DFO District Forest Officer DFRS Department of Forest Research and Survey DG Director General DNPWC Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation DoF Department of Forests DPR Department of Plant Resources DRR Disaster risk reduction DSCO District Soil Conservation Office DSCWM Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management DWIDP Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention EbA Ecosystem-based Adaptation (a project funded by GoN, UNDP, UNEP, and IUCN) EFLGP Environment friendly local government planning EMMP Environment Mitigation Monitoring Plan ERPD Emission Reductions Program Document ERPIN The Emissions Reduction Project Idea Note FECOFUN Federation of Community Forest User Groups Nepal FGD Focus group discussion USAID/Nepal Mid-term Performance Evaluation of Hariyo Ban Project Page | v GCC Global Climate Change GESI Gender equality and social inclusion GHG Greenhouse gas GLA Government of Nepal line agency GO Government organization GoN Government of Nepal GPS Global Positioning System HB Hariyo Ban HO Home Office IGA Income-generating activity IOF Institute of Forestry IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature Kamaiya Bonded laborers KII Key informant interview LAPA Local Adaptation Plan of Action LDO Local Development Officer LDRMP Local Disaster Risk Management Plan LFP Livelihood and Forestry Program LOE Level of effort LRP Local resource person MMHPP Madya-Marsyangdi Hydro-Power Project MoAC Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives MoE Ministry of Environment MoFALD Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development MoFSC Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation MoLD Ministry of Local Development MoSTE Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment MOU Memorandum of Understanding MSFP Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Programme NAPA National Adaptation Plan of Action NCCSP National Climate Change Support Project NGO Non-governmental organization NRM Natural resource management NTFP Non-timber forest products NTNC National Trust for Nature Conservation PA Protected area PAF Poverty Alleviation Fund PES Payments for Environmental (Ecosystem) Services PGA Participatory Governance Assessment PHPA Public Hearing and Public Auditing PMP Performance Management Plans PSC Program Steering Committee PWBR Participatory Well-Being Ranking RCDC Rural Community Development Centre RDWSF Rural Drinking Water Support Fund REDD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation REDD+ REDD plus conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks USAID/Nepal Mid-term Performance Evaluation of Hariyo Ban Project Page | vi REPLACE Restoring the Environment through Prosperity, Livelihoods, and Conserving Ecosystems SAGUN Strengthened Actions for Governance in Utilization of Natural Resources, a USAID-funded project implemented by CARE SMF Sustainable forest management SOW Statement of Work TAL Terai Arc Landscape UCPV Underlying causes of poverty and vulnerability UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNDP United Nations Development Programme USAID US Agency for International Development USG US Government VDC Village Development Committee VIA Vulnerability Impact Assessment WOO Window of Opportunity, a special provision of HB designed to fund innovative activities through the government or NGOs to complement the core programs of HB WWF World Wildlife Fund USAID/Nepal Mid-term Performance Evaluation of Hariyo Ban Project Page | vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A diverse range of natural resource and environmental actors and stakeholders, from local community groups to central and local government agencies, willingly made time to talk to the mid-term Evaluation Team of the Hariyo Ban (HB) program and freely shared their knowledge and opinions. During the field visits, the team met and worked with numerous community members and conservation practitioners and witnessed firsthand both their successes and the challenges