1 UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Country: India PROJECT DOCUMENT Project Title: India High Range Landscape Project - Developing an effective multiple-use management framework for conserving biodiversity in the mountain landscape of the High Ranges, the Western Ghats, India. UNDAF Outcome(s)/ Indicator(s): Inclusive and equitable growth policies and poverty reduction strategies of the Government are strengthened to ensure that most vulnerable and marginalized people in rural and urban areas have greater access to productive assets, decent employment, skill development, social protection and sustainable livelihoods. UNDP Strategic Plan Primary Outcome: Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into production landscapes. Expected CPAP Outcome(s) /Output/Indicator(s): Sustainable management of biodiversity and land resource is enhanced. Executing Entity/ Implementing Partner: UNDP India Country Office Implementing Entity/ Responsible Partner: Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala Brief description: The project will put in place a cross-sectoral land use management framework, and compliance monitoring and enforcement system to ensure that development in production sectors such as tea, cardamom and tourism is congruent with biodiversity conservation needs – to achieve the long term goal of conserving globally significant biological diversity in the High Ranges of the Western Ghats. It will seek to establish a conservation compatible mosaic of land uses, anchored in a cluster of protected areas, by engineering a shift in governance approach towards a cross-sectoral, coordinated planning, implementation and compliance monitoring so that cumulative direct and indirect impacts of different production activities across economic sectors on biodiversity is managed, reduced and mitigated. The project will deliver three outcomes: Outcome 1: Effective governance framework for multiple-use mountain landscape management in place; Outcome 2: Multiple use mountain landscape management is applied securing the ecological integrity of HRML; Outcome 3. Strengthened capacities for community based sustainable use and management of wild resources. In addition to national and local benefits, the project will result in significant global benefits such as: (i) no net loss of major habitat blocks totalling 164,700 ha in the High Ranges of Western Ghats; (ii) improved management effectiveness of 8 existing PAs (37,100) and new PA covering unprotected areas (11,650) and at least 84,600 ha of high value biodiversity areas accorded higher protection status (iii) direct reduction in pressures from production sectors on biodiversity conservation; (iv) and maintaining stable populations of globally threatened species such as the Nilgiri tahr and Grizzled giant squirrel. Programme Period: 2013-2018 Total budget: US$ 36,275,000 Atlas Award ID: 00075746 Atlas Project ID: 00087493 Total allocated resources (cash): US$ 6,275,000 PIMS: 4651 Partner-managed Start date: October 2013 o Government US$ 29,000,000 End Date: September 2018 o UNDP-managed US$ 1,000,000 Management Arrangements: DIM Agreed by Implementing Partner (Government of India): NAME SIGNATURE Date/Month/Year Agreed by Responsible Partner (Government of Kerala): NAME SIGNATURE Date/Month/Year Agreed by (UNDP): NAME SIGNATURE Date/Month/Year 2 Table of Contents I. Situation Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 6 A: Context...................................................................................................................................................... 6 B: Threats, Root Causes and Impacts .......................................................................................................... 23 C. Baseline Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 38 D. Long-term Solution and Barriers to Achieving the Solution .................................................................. 41 E. Stakeholder Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 45 II: Strategy ......................................................................................................................................................... 47 A. Project Rationale, Policy Conformity and design principles ................................................................. 47 B. Project Goal, Objective, Outcomes and Outputs/activities .................................................................... 50 C. Risks and Assumptions .......................................................................................................................... 64 D. Incremental Reasoning and Expected Global, National and Local Benefits .......................................... 65 E. Cost-effectiveness .................................................................................................................................. 68 F. Country Ownership: Country Eligibility and Country Driven-ness ....................................................... 69 G. Sustainability and Replicability ............................................................................................................. 70 III: Strategic Results Framework .................................................................................................................... 73 IV: Total budget and Work plan ..................................................................................................................... 78 V: Management Arrangements ........................................................................................................................ 82 Project Implementation Arrangements ........................................................................................................ 82 Coordination with related initiatives ........................................................................................................... 85 VI. MONITORING FRAMEWORK AND EVALUATION ......................................................................................... 86 project start.................................................................................................................................................. 86 Quarterly monitoring ................................................................................................................................... 87 Annual monitoring ....................................................................................................................................... 87 Periodic monitoring through site visits ....................................................................................................... 87 Mid-term of project cycle............................................................................................................................. 87 End of project .............................................................................................................................................. 88 Learning and knowledge sharing ................................................................................................................ 88 Communications and Visibility Requirements ............................................................................................ 90 Audit Clause ................................................................................................................................................ 90 VIII: Co-Financing letters ................................................................................................................................ 91 IX: Annexures .................................................................................................................................................... 95 3 ACRONYMS APR Annual Project Review ATLAS UNDP’s Enterprise Resources Platform AWP Annual Work Plan BCPs Biodiversity Conservation Plans BDA Biological Diversity Act BSAP Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan CB Conservation Biologist CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBOs Community Based Organisations CEC Centre for Education and Communication CER Corporate Environment Responsibility CESS Centre for Earth Science Studies CDR Combined Delivery Report CHR Cardamom Hill Reserve CO Country Office COP Conference of Parties COS Communication and Outreach Specialist CP (UNDP) Country Programme CPAP (UNDP) Country Programme Action Plan CRC Cardamom for Rainforest Conservation CRS Cardamom Research Station CSO Civil Society Organisation CSR Corporate Social Responsibility CTCT Community to Community Training EB Executive Body EBA Endemic Bird Area EDC Eco-Development Committee EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPA Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 FA Financial Assistant FAA Financial and Administrative Assistant FD Forest Department FDA Forest Development Agency FRA Forest Right Act GB Governing Body GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environment Facility GHG Green House Gas GoI Government of India GP Grama Panchayat HNL Hindustan Newsprint Limited HRML High Range Mountain Landscape HVBA High Value Biodiversity Area HRSDS High Range Sustainable Development Society HRWEPA High Range Wildlife and Environment Preservation Association IBA Important Bird Area IC Incremental Cost ICAR Indian Council for Agricultural Research IMG Institute of Management