Tanintharyi Conservation Programme (TCP) DCI-ENV/2013/323-891 ‘SECURING LONG-TERM PROTECTION OF KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS IN THE SUNDAIC SUB-REGION OF MYANMAR” 01 February 2014 to 31 March 2017 FINAL PROJECT NARRATIVE REPORT M Grindley, R Howard, Nay Myo Shwe, U Myint Soe Oo, Saw Soe Aung and Zau Lunn Senior Management Team, FFI Tanintharyi Conservation Programme TCP Report No. 55 Yangon, November 2017 With funding from: FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme The program The Tanintharyi Conservation Programme is an initiative of Fauna & Flora International (FFI) Myanmar Programme, implemented in collaboration with the Myanmar Forest Department, Fisheries Department and a number of local, national and international collaborators and stakeholders. FFI Myanmar operates the programme under a MoU with the Forest Department and LOA with the Department of Fisheries specifically for marine and terrestrial conservation activities in Tanintharyi Region. Funding The Programme is supported by the financial assistance of the European Commission, Helmsley Charitable Trust, Segre Conservation Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Arcadia Foundation and several other donors. Suggested FFI (2017). Securing Long-Term Protection of Key Biodiversity Areas in The citation Sundaic Sub-Region of Myanmar: Final Narrative Report of EU Project DCI- ENV/2013/323-891. Report No. 55 of the Tanintharyi Conservation Programme, a joint initiative of Fauna & Flora International (FFI), the Myanmar Forest Department and The Myanmar Department of Fisheries. FFI, Yangon. Author details Mark E Grindley is the Tanintharyi Programme Manager for FFI Myanmar Robert Howard is the Marine Technical Advisor for FFI Myanmar Nay Myo Shwe is the Field Coordinator for FFI Tanintharyi Programme U Myint Soe Oo is Community Forestry Team Leader for FFI Myanmar Saw Soe Aung is the Senior Biologist for FFI Myanmar U Zau Lunn is Marine and Freshwater Programme Manager for FFI Myanmar Copyright Reproduction of this report in full or in part is granted for the purposes of education, research or awareness, with the sole provision that the authors and authoring organisations be properly credited. Cover images Front: A Project diver surveys coral reef in the Myeik Archipelago. Systematic marine surveys led to a spatial plan, proposed marine protected area network and the establishment of locally managed marine areas at key sites. © Michelangelo Pignani/FFI (2016). Rear: Mangroves in the Project site. Mangrove proved to be one of the most underestimated habitat types the Project looked at: © U Saw Htun/FFI (2016). Disclaimer The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Fauna & Flora International, and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union or other donors. Page 2 of 59 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme Figure 1. Map of the Project landscape in Tanintharyi Region, southern Myanmar Page 3 of 59 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme I. CONTENTS II. LIST OF TABLES 5 III. LIST OF FIGURES 5 IV. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 5 V. CONVENTIONS 6 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 8 1.2 Name of beneficiary 8 1.3 Contact person 8 1.4 Partners in the Action 8 1.5 Title of the Action 8 1.6 Contract number 8 1.7 Start and end dates 8 1.8 Target country 8 1.9 Final beneficiaries and target groups 8 2. ASSESSMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION 9 2.2 Executive summary of the Action 9 2.3 Activities and results 11 2.3 Activities that have not taken place 34 2.4 Assessment of results 35 2.5 Outcome on the final beneficiaries/target groups 37 2.6 Materials produced 38 2.7 Contracts above EUR 10,000 38 2.8 Continuation of the Action 39 2.9 Mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues 40 2.10 Monitoring and evaluation 40 2.11 Lessons learned 42 3. PARTNERS AND COOPERATION 43 3.1 Relationship between the partners 43 3.2 Continuation of the partnership 43 3.3 Relationship with the State 43 3.4 Other organisations involved in the Action 43 3.5 Links and synergies with other Actions 45 3.6 Relationship to previous EU grants 45 3.7 Cooperation with the Contracting Authority 45 4. VISIBILITY 46 5. REFERENCES 48 ANNEX 1. GIS DATA PRODUCED 49 ANNEX 2. TECHNICAL REPORTS PRODUCED 54 ANNEX 3. VISIBILITY OUTCOMES 56 Page 4 of 59 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme II. LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Summary of Overall Progress against original workplan 10 Table 2. Biodiversity and socio-economic surveys conducted during the Project 12 Table 3. Main actions towards participatory protected area gazettement and zonation 15 Table 4. Main actions towards establishment of PES and sustainable PA financing 16 Table 5. Village, type and status of Community Forestry applications supported by the Project 17 Table 6. Main steps undertaken for LMMA establishment and support 19 Table 7. Main actions taken for SGS beneficiary group establishment and support 21 Table 8. Summary of SGS village/group beneficiaries and subjects (2015-2017) 22 Table 9. Activities conducted for mainstreaming of HCV into regional spatial planning 25 Table 10. Activities conducted for consultations on an environmentally friendly spatial plan 27 Table 11. Main palm oil sector activities and results 29 Table 12. Main interventions in support of monitoring forest crime and illegal fisheries practices 30 Table 13. Activities that did not take place, and reason 34 Table 14. Outputs, outcomes and results against Objectives 36 Table 15. List of contracts above EUR 10,000 awarded under the Action 39 Table 16. List of informal partners and donors engaged in the continuation of some Activities 40 Table 17. Project feedback from partners and beneficiaries 41 Table 18. List of other organisations involved in the Action 44 Table 19. List of other visibility materials produced by the Project 46 III. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of the Project landscape in Tanintharyi Region, southern Myanmar 3 Figure 2. Logos of co-funding donors, Project partners and collaborators 7 Figure 3. Cover of the Tanintharyi Atlas CD 26 IV. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS BANCA Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (Partner) CF community forestry CFUG Community forest user group C&I criteria and indicators (used in forest management) CSO civil society organisation DoF Department of Fisheries (of MoALI) DRA Dawei Research Association (Partner) Page 5 of 59 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme EIA environmental impact assessment EU European Union EUR Euro (currency of the EU) FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FD Forest Department FFI Fauna & Flora International FUG forest user group GIS Geographical Information System HCV High Conservation Value HCVRN High Conservation Value Resource Network IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources KBA Key Biodiversity Area KFD Karen Forest Department KfW German government-owned development bank MFF Myanmar Fisheries Federation LMMA locally managed marine area MIMU Myanmar Information Management Unit (an initiative of UNDP) MM Myanmar or Myanmar (used for the country, or the national language) MMK Myanmar kyat (currency of Myanmar) MoALI Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation MPA marine protected area OMM One Map Myanmar (a national mapping progamme) OP oil palm PA Protected Area PES payment(s) for ecosystem services PPS participatory protection system (a forest management model) REDD Reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation RF Reserved Forest SGS small grants scheme SME small and medium enterprise(s) USD United States dollar VCG village conservation group WCS Wildlife Conservation Society V. CONVENTIONS We use hectares (ha) in favour of acres (ac), though the latter is more commonly used in Myanmar. During the project, the Myanmar kyat (MMK) traded at between 1,000-1,300 MMK to the USD and 1,300-1,500 to the EUR. Page 6 of 59 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme Integrated Tiger habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) Figure 2. Logos of co-funding donors, Project partners and collaborators Page 7 of 59 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme 1 . PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1 . 2 Name of beneficiary Fauna and Flora International 1 . 3 Contact person Mr Frank Momberg, Country Manager, FFI Myanmar 1 . 4 Partners in the Action Dawei Research Association (DRA) Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) 1 . 5 Title of the Action Securing long-term protection of Key Biodiversity Areas in the Sundaic Sub-region of Myanmar. 1 . 6 Contract number DCI-ENV/2013/323-891 1 . 7 Start and end dates 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2017 (39 months) 1 . 8 Target country Myanmar (Tanintharyi Region); for exact location see map (Figure 1) 1 . 9 Final beneficiaries and target groups Target Groups: i) Local forest and marine resource dependent communities in marine and terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas, particularly members of community groups such as Forest User Groups or Locally Managed Marine Areas, ii) The Forest Department (FD) of the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF), iii) FD line agencies and other local government institutions responsible for land and resource management, iv) private sector, particularly plantation owners interested to improve their environmental and social performance, v) Local civil society organisations in Tanintharyi, especially the Dawei Research Association, and vi) The Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA). An additional beneficiary is the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries