GEF Activities for GEF Activities for Assessment and Assessment and Monitoring for Monitoring for

Sustainable Land Sustainable Land ManagementManagement

Dr. Maryam Niamir-FullerPrincipal Technical Advisor

UNDP-GEF

Global Environment Facility (GEF)Global Environment Facility (GEF)

A multi-donor Trust FundA multi-donor Trust Fund 2003-2006 budget of US$ 3 billion2003-2006 budget of US$ 3 billion Available for projects that protect and enhance global Available for projects that protect and enhance global

environmental benefitsenvironmental benefits Implemented by UNDP, UNEP and WBImplemented by UNDP, UNEP and WB

With other executing agencies : FAO, IFAD, RDBsWith other executing agencies : FAO, IFAD, RDBs Scientific rigour assured by STAP (Scientific and Scientific rigour assured by STAP (Scientific and

Technical Advisory Panel)Technical Advisory Panel) GEF is a financing mechanism of the UNCCD under GEF is a financing mechanism of the UNCCD under

the Focal Area of Land Degradation (desertification the Focal Area of Land Degradation (desertification and deforestation)and deforestation)

Why should GEF Focus on Land Degradation ?

It is the underlying cause of the breakdown of ecosystems integrity affects ecosystem functions (cycles of carbon,

nitrogen, water, etc) and services for human welfare affects global processes

Wind erosion and dust storms Micro- and meso-level impacts on cloud formation and

rainfall patterns Carbon emissions (e.g. fires) , sequestration (e.g.

agroforestry) and sinks (e.g. grasslands) affects global carbon cycle

freshwater flow regimes Even ocean temperatures ?

Affects other global goods, such as biological diversity and international waters

is the leading cause of poverty and vulnerability of populations and livelihoods

is, together with its consequences, mostly preventable but also difficult to reverse once it happens

GEF and Land Degradation GEF focuses on sustainable land management in three production

landscapes : agricultural land, grazing lands, and production forests

Programmatic Objective: To protect, restore and enhance ecosystem integrity, stability, functions and services, while enhancing sustainable livelihoods, through :

Demonstration of dissemination of sustainable land management techniques, approaches and solutions

Removal of critical barriers to sustainable land management (legal and policy barriers; institutional and governance barriers; economic and financial barriers; social and behavioral barriers; technology and knowledge barriers)

Strategic Objectives of the LD focal area: I: Promoting systemic change towards SLM II: Facilitate replication and upscaling of successful SLM practices III: Generating and disseminating knowledge that addresses current and

emergent issues in SLM IV: Promoting cross focal area synergies and integrated approaches to natural

resources management

GEF initiatives of relevance to DeSurvey

• Global soil organic carbon (UNEP) – research on SOM cycles and trends

• LADA (FAO/UNEP) –

• Livestock and Wildlife interactions in dryland Africa (UNEP/ILRI)

• World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (UNDP) – research, advocacy

• Capacity building for Sustainable Land management (UNDP) – developing indicators for CB and mainstreaming (process issues)

• Knowledge from the Land (KM: Land) – UNDP coordinating inter-agency initiative

Knowledge from the Land - (KM:Land)

Building a Community of Practice for the GEF

Land Degradation Focal Area

KM:Land Overall Goals & Objectives Long term goal of KM:Land is to contribute to:

Enhancing ecosystem integrity, functions and services by encouraging the diffusion of best practices

Cross-fertilization of ideas, enhancing learning and capacity building

Increasing the opportunities for innovation in land degradation mitigation activities

Objectives of KM:Land are: to strengthen the capacity for adaptive management

leading to enhanced effectiveness and impact on ecosystem integrity, stability, functions and services

to evaluate the impact and performance of the LD focal area

Three specific objectives1. Portfolio and project-level indicators demonstrate global

environmental benefits derived from actions on combating land degradation (consensus on 2-4 global indicators)

2. An expanded and coherent GEF LD portfolio is supported by a Learning Network linking GEF project stakeholders

3. A process is defined to establish a harmonized monitoring and evaluation system that supports adaptive management to maximize impacts of the GEF LD Focal Area

Specific Objective Phase 1

2006-2007 Phase 2 2008-2010

Phase 3 2011-2013

1. Develop Indicators

Outputs : Develop indicators based on harmonized framework Disseminate indicators and train stakeholders

Outputs: Apply to new SLM projects and programs Retrofit old SLM projects Collect baseline data

Outputs: Modify indicators where relevant Continue application of indicators

SO level of focus 2. Establish Learning Network

Outputs: Establish SLM network Develop training framework and 2-3 pilot modules

Outputs: Train stakeholders Generate and disseminate best practices Support sub-communities

Outputs: Train new stakeholders Generate and disseminate best practices Support sub-communities

SO level of focus 3. Measure Results at project and program-levels

Outputs: Consensus on scope of harmonization

Outputs: Harmonize project and program-level M&E approach across agencies

Outputs: Measure impacts at country and/or regional levels using harmonized approach

SO level of focus

Knowledge from the Land KM:Land is a multi-UN agency initiative,

coordinated by UNDP, and executed by UNU, and engaging: GEF, UNEP, FAO, IFAD, World Bank,

Other partners are : UNCCD Secretariat, Global Mechanism, CIDA, Iceland, ….

FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK

DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT

Existing Frameworks - DPSIR

State

ImpactPressure

Driving Force Response

GLOBAL

REGIONAL

LOCAL

Human well-being and Human well-being and poverty reductionpoverty reduction

• Basic Materials• Health• Good social relations• Security• Freedom of choice/action

Direct drivers of changeDirect drivers of change• Changes in local land use• Species changes• Technology• External input• Resource consumption• Climate change• Natural drivers

Indirect drivers of changeIndirect drivers of change • Demographic• Economic• Sociopolitical• Science & technology• Cultural and religious

Ecosystem ServicesEcosystem Services • Provisioning• Regulating• Cultural• Supporting

Long-termShort-term

GEF LD Framework

Human well-being & Poverty reduction(basic materials, health, social relations, security, freedom)

Pressure(Direct drivers)

Response

State

Driving Force (Indirect drivers)

Impact on Ecosystem Services(provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting)

Using the Framework for Assessment

Indicator Selection CriteriaCriterion Description

Credible Scientifically credible, at both global and local levels

Robust Be relatively insensitive to expected source of interference

Space-bound Sensitive to changes in space

Time-bound Sensitive to changes within policy time frames

Measurable Measurable in qualitative or quantitative terms

Portable & Universal Be repeatable and reproducible in different contexts

Cost-effective Benefits should outweigh cost of usage, resource allocation

Compatible Compatible with indicators developed and used elsewhere

Linked to management Linked to specific management practice or interventions

Scale of applicability Provide information at the right spatial and temporal scales

Support from STAP : three studies State of the knowledge on global impacts of

Land Degradation (Stocking et.al.)

Operationalizing the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment Approach (Niemeijer et.al.)

Trade-offs : global vs. global, and global vs local (CSIR)

LINKAGESLINKAGES

& NEXT STEPS& NEXT STEPS

Key Linkages

Collaboration within GEF family Indicator development and KM in other focal areas, particularly

Biodiversity and International Waters LADA

responds to the need to strengthen support to land degradation assessment at international and national levels.

identifies socio-economic and environmental benefits in terms of conservation of biodiversity and international waters, and sequestration of carbon.

relevant to the process of development of indicators of project-level impacts and, to a lesser extent portfolio-level impacts.

However, LADA only covers dryland ecosystems, and will not address the issues of global benefit from SLM per se, nor tackle the issue of attribution

LADA and KM:Land are very complementary, and will share governance structures

Key Linkages KM:Land will actively seek broad linkages at

regional, international and thematic levels to help create the community of practices

Linkage with UN CCD processes Facilitation of national reporting

CST’s program of work Benchmark & indicators (work of GOE) Best practices Assessments

Key Linkages Linkage with international networks

CGIAR-system wide networks

World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism

Collaborative Forest Partnership of the UNFF

EcoAGriculture

Interagency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators

CBD’s work on drylands, forests and agrobiodiversity

UN FCCC’s work on Adaptation to Climate change, and CDM

Exploring linkages between KM:Land and DeSurvey : Expert consultations (phase 1) Testing models and indicators in pilot sites and

pilot projects (all phases) Scenario development (phase 3) Community of practice; sharing experiences

(phase 2 and 3) Presentations at CCD related events (all phases)

Thank youThank youwww.undp.org/gef

www.inweh.unu.edu