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 GREEN CLIMATE FUND | PAGE 2 OF 43 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 GREEN CLIMATE FUND | PAGE 3 OF 43 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