Developing a Strategic Approach to Sustainable Land Management

The GEF-5 strategy in the Land Degradation Focal Area (LDFA) has the following high level goal: To contribute to arresting and reversing current global trends in land degradation, specifically desertification and deforestation. More focus and positive incentives are needed to enhance the LDFA portfolio with ideas that meet emerging challenges and opportunities in rural production landscapes. This specific Enabling Activity (EA) is aligned with LDFA Objective 4, which is to Increase capacity to apply adaptive management tools in Sustainable Land Management (SLM). This objective is intended to aid countries such as Antigua and Barbuda in national monitoring and reporting to UNCCD in the context of supporting the national and regional SLM agenda and the development of new tools and methods for better addressing the root causes and impacts of land degradation. Relevant actions that are the focus of this objective include (i) Results-monitoring of UNCCD action programs and (ii) alignment of national reporting with revised UNCCD action programs in the context of the UNCCD 10-year strategy.

This project is aimed at developing a strategic approach to Sustainable Land Management. This will be accomplished through the revision of the National Action Plan (NAP) for the UNCCD, aligning the NAP with the UNCCD 10-Year Strategy and creating provisions to facilitate the reporting and monitoring processes required by the Convention. The UNCCD 10-Year Strategy outlines five Operational Objectives (OO) that are all substantially addressed in this project. The first OO (advocacy, awareness-raising and education) is addressed in Phase 1; the second OO (policy framework) in Phase 3; the third OO (science, technology and knowledge) in Phase 2; the fourth OO (capacity building) also in Phase 2 and the fifth OO (financing and technology transfer) in Phase 4. These phases are explicitly detailed below. Also, it is noteworthy to mention that the Strategic Objectives of the UNCCD 10-Year Strategy will be addressed specifically when complementing the work already completed on the National Physical Development Plan (NPDP). This is explained more in detail in the descriptions of activities planned for each phase. The NPDP and, in greater extent, the NAP will outline how the living conditions of affected populations will be improved; how the conditions of affected ecosystems will be improved; how resources to support implementation of the plan will be mobilized and how all this will contribute to generating global benefits. In summary, aligning the NAP to the NPDP is in effect aligning the NAP to the UNCCD 10-Year Strategy.

The first phase of the project will be focused on reviewing the existing NAP and other relevant policy documents and bringing awareness to the major stakeholders in the process. This phase will be directly related to the 1st Component (Stocktaking, assessment and awareness-raising) outlined in Part I-II below. First of all, it will complement the work that has been done so far on the GEF-funded Sustainable Island Resource Management Mechanism (SIRMM) project which is being executed by the Implementing Agency (IA). That project had commissioned the review and update of the NPDP. This present project will ensure the completion of that activity and will work towards mainstreaming the NPDP into national priorities. During this phase there will also be a review of other relevant national plans, policies and reports. These will be accomplished through Technical and Public consultations to review such documents. The technical consultations will be among the technical staff from relevant sectoral agencies. The public consultations will be held in various communities in the country. At these consultations, the participation from Civil Society Organizations, Non-governmental Organizations and the public at large will be greatly encouraged. Their input into the process will be taken into consideration throughout this entire process and their voice will be heard. This review process will also be incorporated into the School Education Awareness Program (EAP) headed by the IA. The EAP comprises of a group of Environmental Cadets in each school in the country at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Another activity planned for this first component is to engage stakeholders and technical advisory panels to review the existing NAP and its priorities for alignment. These panels will be tasked with developing the existing NAP. A final activity would be to integrate all the previously mentioned activities into the overall national communication strategy for MEAs that has already been developed and managed by the IA. (see institutional arrangements strategy)

The next phase will address capacity building specifically for the implementation of one focal area NAP. This phase will be directly related to the 2nd Component (Strengthening human and scientific capacity for NAP alignment) outlined in Part I-II below. It is anticipated that for Antigua and Barbuda this would be the capacity building for the NPDP. The NPDP is anticipated to be the focal point of the national NAP strategy and the mechanism by which the country will implement the UNCCD 10 year strategy. One of the first activities that will be accomplished in this component will be the training of relevant technical staff and stakeholders in the sustainable management of land and other environmental resources in the country. The GEF-funded SIRMM project had commissioned the creation of a national GIS system (Environmental Information Management and Advisory System – EIMAS). The primary goal of the GIS EIMAS is to assist government agencies in the access of up-to-date data on specific environmental indicators. This project will allow for additional training in the usage and management of this GIS tool. Further training will be planned towards developing specific GIS applications which will allow for the accurate assessment and management of the land resources within the country. The technicians who participate in this training will take the skills back to their respective agencies where it is assumed that they will provide their own in-house trainings. One product which will be a result of these trainings will be the updating of the relevant existing layers within the EIMAS. Also, the collaboration of the participating agencies will be improved by creating an inter-office database network that will house information for all the indicators for all the MEAs. All the components of this activity will guarantee sustainable management of a national knowledge information system which will incorporate useful traditional knowledge. Another activity that will be included in this component will be the development and review of the indicators for NAP alignment. This will involve the cooperation of all the relevant technical staff and stakeholders. Included in this activity will be the review of other national indicators developed under other MEAs, for example the biodiversity and chemical indicators. A third activity will be the identification of methodologies and sites for data collection. This will be geared towards establishing national observatory sites and national monitoring and vulnerability assessment systems. Again, the input of the relevant staff and stakeholders will be needed for the successful execution of this activity.

The third phase will bring attention to the strengthening of policy and institutional framework. This phase will be directly related to the 3rd Component (Establishing and strengthening the policy and institutional framework for NAP alignment) outlined in Part I-II below. In this phase, synergies will be created with the national NAP focal area and priorities will be placed on mainstreaming activities within the relevant sectoral agencies. The first activity in this component will be to plan sectoral consultations to identify and establish priorities in the context of agency-specific goals. Once these priorities have been established then they can be mainstreamed in the relevant sectoral policies. This would lead to the second activity which would involve collaboration with Ministries and agencies in the development of their individual policies, for example; Ministry of Finance and their Financial Strategy, Development Control Agency and their NPDP, Ministry of Social Transformation and their National Poverty Reduction Strategy etc. The third activity will involve endeavoring to provide for Cabinet endorsement to ensure that the National Coordinating Mechanism becomes a permanent arrangement for the implementation of this and all MEAs. This will need to be taken to consultations to assure the necessary support. The fourth activity would be to establish a permanent cross-sectoral technical committee for the implementation of all MEA projects. Presently, there is one that is in effect to coordinate the activities of the GEF-funded SIRMM project. This or a similar one needs to be a permanent fixture to ensure continuity of all project related activities. The final activity within this component will be the development of a plan for NAP implementation. The same cross-sectoral technical committee that will be created in the previous activity would have the responsibility of developing a scheduled time-frame for the execution of the NAP.

The final phase will establish a financial and technological framework for the NAP implementation. This phase will be directly related to the 4th Component (Establishing the finance and technology framework for NAP implementation) outlined in Part I-II below. During this phase, a Sustainable financing mechanism will be identified and a review of the technological requirements for the NAP implementation will be conducted. The first activity that will be attempted during this phase will be to conduct a financial diagnosis to identify what resources are available for NAP implementation. The work-programs of all the relevant agencies will be reviewed and assessed to identify if any budgetary allocations exist for the execution of the NAP. Taking this into consideration and the already existing Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Biodiversity, the Integrated Financial Strategy and the Integrated Investment Framework will then be developed. The next activity will be to incorporate national priority targets from the Agriculture Policy into the NAP. This will be based on recommendations from the cross-sectoral technical committee. The final activity will be to review the technological requirements for the efficient implementation of the NAP and to develop a five year plan to acquire this.

Co-financing for the activities in this component will be provided by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in the form of cash and in-kind contributions. The cash contributions from the government will cover fuel and maintenance costs associated with local transportation. Specific contributions for individual phases include: Phase 1 – Initiating a grant program to provide funding to schools to develop activities directly related to the review process; Phase 2 – Establishing the inter-office database network to allow for proper management and updating of the EIMAS. Phase 3 and 4 – Cash contributions will be spent mostly on local transportation. In-kind contributions from the government will be in the form of work-hours that the technical officers in the various agencies dedicate to this component. All over-time work hours will also be included. This is a summary with respect to the individual phases: Phase 1 – hours dedicated to reviewing the existing NAP and the other relevant policy documents; Phase 2 –hours dedicated to reviewing and developing the indicators for the NAP alignment, identifying methodologies and sites to use for the data collection; Phase 3 – hours dedicated to the strengthening of policy and institutional framework. Technical officers involved in this phase will span a wide range of government agencies due to inter-office consultations that are required and Phase 4 – hours dedicated to the establishing of a financial and technical framework. The technical officers involved in these processes will come from The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment; The Ministry of Finance, The Economy and Public Administration; Ministry of Legal Affairs and Ministry of Health, Social Transformation & Consumer Affairs. The GEF funds will be used for communication, purchasing and rental of audio visual equipment, information technology equipment and refreshments for the consultations and meetings. Also, the funds will be used for travelling between Antigua and Barbuda which is a twin-island territory. With respect to the individual phases here is a summary: Phase 1 – hiring local and international consultants to prepare and deliver materials and documents for the workshops and meetings; Phase 2 – hiring international consultants (includes travel, consultation fees, accommodations and stipends) and the acquisition of data and software from local and international sources; Phase 3 – hiring local consultants for the workshops and meetings and Phase 4 – hiring local consultants to develop the integrated financial strategy and the integrated investment framework.
In addition to the revision of the NAP and its alignment to the UNCCD 10-Year Strategy, this project will also focus on the reporting and review process required by the Convention. Activities related to this outcome will be carried out throughout the life of the project. One of the first activities will include developing training guidelines for indicator-based reporting to ensure that the reporting process complies with the standard requirements of the Convention. Once this has been accomplished, the relevant stakeholder training in the reporting methodologies, procedures and tools will then proceed. The IA will guarantee the establishment of a data gathering and knowledge management system for the reporting and review process. This will be accomplished through the formation of an inter-agency network which will exchange information and provide support to each other. The IA will serve as the reference center for acquiring further knowledge and know-how on UNCCD reporting and will be responsible for the maintenance of this system. There will be constant monitoring to ensure that the quality of data that is submitted will be in accordance with the standards established by the Convention. The consultative processes will involve establishing a committee of technical officers from the relevant stakeholders. This committee will participate in workshops planned for the launch of the reporting process. After the data has been collected and compiled by the relevant stakeholders then the draft report will be prepared. This compilation of data will then be presented to the committee before being formally submitted through the PRAIS portal. Efforts will be spent in developing a plan to ensure that this entire reporting and review system is in place for the long-term monitoring of the UNCCD implementation. Also, a process will be developed to integrate and harmonize the UNCCD land degradation indicators with other relevant indicators developed for GEF, Rio Conventions and other existing databases.

In the second component, the co-financing for the activities for this component will also be provided by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in the form of cash and in-kind contributions. This component is dedicated to the reporting and review process. The majority of the government’s input will be in the form of in-kind contributions. Never the less, the fuel and maintenance of government vehicles used for transportation to and from various government agencies, meetings and workshops will also be bought and provided for by the government. In-kind contributions will be in the form of the work-hours spent by the various technical officers. These officers will form an inter-office technical committee which will be directly involved in the reporting process. Many hours will be spent participating in workshops and consultations. As explained previously, over-time work-hours will also be included in these contributions. The GEF funds will be used to hire local and international consultants to develop the training guidelines and materials to ensure that the reporting process complies with the reporting requirements of the Convention. These funds will also be utilized for communication, printing of training materials and providing all the refreshments for the consultations and meetings.

It is estimated that to properly and efficiently manage all these activities, 10% will be allocated for project management. This will also cover the preparation of financial reports to the national and international sectors (Ministry of Finance and GEF)