UNDP Project Document Government of Belarus (GOB) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environment Facility (GEF) Atlas Award ID: 00042261 Atlas Project ID: 00048429 Catalyzing sustainability of the wetland protected area system in Belarusian Polesie through increased management efficiency and realigned land use practices This project aims to enhance Belarus’ capacity to conserve wetland biodiversity harbored in its network of wetland reserves by enhancing the management efficiency of reserves, while at the same time integrating biodiversity conservation concerns in agricultural, forestry and flood protection activities that occur in and around wetland reserves, to ensure sustainability of conservation efforts. This will be achieved through the demonstration of this approach at four wetland reserves in the Polesie lowland, which is a unique biogeographical area spanning southern Belarus, Northern Ukraine and parts of Poland and Russia. These demonstrations will lead to the development of policies, tools, and methodologies, and these will be institutionalized within the ongoing planning and policy framework of key government bodies. In order to secure biodiversity values of wetland reserves and reduce threats emanating from unsustainable land use practices, the project approach will be twofold: (1) the project will build up management effectiveness and capacities of the reserves, and (2) it will also help realigning land use regulations and practices in and around wetland protected areas towards conservation-oriented and sustainable land use. In doing so, the project will work with national and regional decision-makers, land users and local communities, as well as counterparts in Ukraine. Finally, the project will develop and implement a viable replication strategy. By demonstrating the feasibility of integrating biodiversity considerations and economic activities in Polesie reserves, Government of Belarus will be able to strengthen the overall system, 60-75% of which consists of protected areas facing similar challenges. SIGNATURE PAGE Country: Belarus Country Programme Outcome: Biodiversity, ecosystem services, protected areas and other commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and other multilateral environmental agreements integrated into national governance and production systems (including social, economic and policy frameworks such as MDGs, NSDSs and key sectors such as agriculture, forestry, energy, and flood control) Implementing Partner: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus Programme Period: 2006-2010 Budget: US$ 11,285,500 Programme Component: Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity Allocated Resources: Project Title: Catalyzing sustainability of the • GEF US$ 2,191,500 wetland protected area system in Belarusian Co-financing: Polesie through increased management • Government US$ 8,767,000 including: efficiency and realigned land use practices • Ministry of Environment: US$ 396,000 Project ID: 2894 • Ministry of Forestry: US$ 403,000 Atlas Award ID: 00042261 • Land Resources Committee: US$ 171,000 • Atlas Project ID: 00048429 Belmeliovodkhoz: US$ 7,487,000 • Brest Exec. Committee: US$ 50,000 Project Duration: 5 years • Mizhlesse: US$ 240,000 (in-kind) Management Arrangement: NEX • Dniper-Bug Canal: US$ 20,000 • UNDP US$ 155,000 • UNESCO US$ 50,000 • RSPB US$ 122,000 (of which US $72,000 in-kind) Agreed by Name Title Signature Date Implementing Minister of Natural Resources and Partner: Mr. Leonty Khoruzhik Environmental Protection of Belarus UNDP Resident Representative in UNDP: Ms. Cihan Sultanoglu Belarus Table of Contents SECTION I: ELABORATION OF THE NARRATIVE........................................................................................ 5 PART I: Situation Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 5 Political, Socioeconomic and Environmental Context................................................................................... 5 Global significance of Polesie........................................................................................................................ 6 Problem definition.......................................................................................................................................... 7 Threats, root causes and barriers analysis ...................................................................................................... 7 Institutional, sectoral and policy context........................................................................................................ 9 Stakeholder analysis....................................................................................................................................... 9 Baseline analysis .......................................................................................................................................... 10 PART II: Strategy............................................................................................................................................. 14 Project Rationale and Policy Conformity..................................................................................................... 14 Project Goal, Objective, Outcomes and Outputs/ activities ......................................................................... 16 Project Indicators, Risks and Assumptions .................................................................................................. 22 Expected global, national and local benefits................................................................................................ 22 Country Ownership: Country Eligibility and Country Drivenness .............................................................. 22 Sustainability................................................................................................................................................ 25 Replicability ................................................................................................................................................. 26 PART III: Management Arrangements ............................................................................................................ 26 PART IV: Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Budget .................................................................................. 27 Monitoring and Reporting............................................................................................................................ 27 Independent Evaluation................................................................................................................................ 30 Learning and Knowledge Sharing................................................................................................................ 30 PART V: Legal Context ................................................................................................................................... 31 SECTION II: STRATEGIC RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND GEF INCREMENT .......................................... 32 PART I: Incremental Cost Assessment ............................................................................................................ 32 Development Objective................................................................................................................................ 32 Global Environmental Objective.................................................................................................................. 32 Baseline scenario.......................................................................................................................................... 32 Alternative.................................................................................................................................................... 33 Incremental Costs......................................................................................................................................... 34 PART II: Logical Framework Analysis............................................................................................................ 37 SECTION III: TOTAL BUDGET AND WORKPLAN ....................................................................................... 47 SECTION IV: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION................................................................................................. 49 PART I: Other Agreements .............................................................................................................................. 49 PART II: Terms of References for Key Project Staff and Main Sub-contracts................................................ 51 PART III: Stakeholder analysis and participation plan .................................................................................... 58 Part A: Stakeholder Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 58 Part B: Participation Plan ............................................................................................................................. 64 PART IV: Description of the Polesie Region................................................................................................... 68 PART V: Threats Analysis............................................................................................................................... 73 PART VI: Results of PDF-B on