Strengthening institutions, information management and monitoring to reduce the rate of illegal wildlife trade in South Africa

Identification

9437

Project Title

Strengthening institutions, information management and monitoring to reduce the rate of illegal wildlife trade in South Africa

Managing Division

Ecosystems Division

Type/Location

National

Region

Africa

List Countries

South Africa

Project Description

This Project aims to strengthen institutions and targeted communities to improve decision-making and reduce the rate of illegal wildlife trade in South Africa. It will specifically carry out activities to improve monitoring and management of iconic CITES-listed species threatened by illegal and unsustainable levels of international trade, and develop appropriate community governance mechanisms and management tools that will ultimately lead to improved wildlife monitoring and a reduction in illegal wildlife trade from South Africa.

Project activities have been designed to address three inter-related Components:

Component 1: Strengthening capacity and information systems for effective management of wildlife trade monitoring.  The entity responsible for biodiversity monitoring in South Africa is the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Component 1 aims to develop a centralised system for improved wildlife trade monitoring through development of training modules and providing skills training to Scientific Authority of South Africa on effective wildlife trade monitoring and assessment, as well as through the creation of a national wildlife monitoring system.

Component 2: Development of a ready-to-use electronic permitting system for CITES-listed species. The centralised national system developed under Component 1 will integrate with the national e-permitting system to be developed under Component 2, which will provide an electronic system for CITES permitting that will ultimately communicate with other CITES e-permitting systems, including that already created by UNEP-WCMC. The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is the designated CITES Management Authority in South Africa. It is responsible for implementation of CITES in South Africa and adherence to its obligations under the Convention. In this regard, ensuring that international wildlife trade is legal, sustainable and verifiable is a fundamental consideration for the DEA.

Component 3: Strengthening community capacity to reduce the rate of illegal wildlife trade. This Component will bring communities living adjacent to the western boundary of Kruger National Park into the integrated process in South Africa to address illegal wildlife trade. Efforts under the Project will focus on community-level social development through implementation of novel community governance guidelines specifically targeting community-based natural resource management. A community-led Environmental Monitors Programme will be designed and put into action to increase security of rural communities and target species (rhino, elephant, big cats), thereby reducing the rate of illegal activities in the adjoining KNP.

Estimated duration of project:

60 months

Estimated cost of the project :

4,886,009 USD

Safeguard Standard Triggered by the Project

Impact of Risk (1-5)

Probability of Risk (1-5)

Significance of Risk (L, M, H)*

SS 1: Biodiversity, natural habitat and Sustainable Management of Living Resources

1

1

L

SS 2: Resource Efficiency, Pollution Prevention and Management of Chemicals and Wastes

1

1

L

SS 3: Safety of Dams

1

1

L

SS 4: Involuntary resettlement

1

1

L

SS 5: Indigenous peoples

1

1

L

SS 6: Labor and working conditions

1

1

L

SS 7: Cultural Heritage

1

1

L

SS 8: Gender equity

1

1

L

SS 9: Economic Sustainability

1

1

L

Additional Safeguard questions for projects seeking GCF-funding (Section IV)

NA

NA

NA