Environmental, Social and Economic Review Note (ESERN)

I. Project Overview

Identification


Project Title

Increasing Ecosystem and Agricultural Resilience to Climate Change through Ecosystem-based Adaptation & Agroforestry

Managing Division

Ecosystems Division

Type/Location

Regional

Region

Africa

List Countries

Burundi, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Project Description

Healthy ecosystems are the foundation for food security, economic growth and development, but ecosystem function is increasingly under threat from climate change. In Southern and East Africa, terrestrial ecosystem services and land productivity are increasingly under threat of the impacts of climate change as well as unsustainable agricultural methods, pastoral practices, and deforestation, which in turn further exacerbate climate change vulnerabilities.


Achieving sustainable development practices through ecosystem-based adaptation is essential to meet growing demands for food, feed and fuel, sustain livelihoods, ensuring social cohesion and creating resilience to the impacts of climate change for communities across sub-Saharan Africa. Evergreen agriculture is an Ecosystem Based Adaptation Agroforestry approach which provides harvestable tree products, including fruits, fuelwood, timber and fodder; contribute substantively to the resilience of farming systems and the reduction of gender-based inequity; sequester carbon, preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, and create sustainable landscapes that enhance the resilience of communities. It focuses heavily on low-cost, rapid and proven effective technologies, such as Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and the integration of leguminous 'fertilizer' trees, to maintain vegetative soil cover, bolster nutrient supply through nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling, generate greater quantities of organic matter in soil surface residues, improve soil structure and water infiltration, increase greater direct production of food, fuel, fiber and income from products produced by the intercropped trees, enhance carbon storage both above-ground and below-ground, and induce more effective conservation of above- and below-ground biodiversity.


The project aims to enhance resilience to climate change, improve food security, diversify livelihoods, and restore ecosystem services.

Estimated duration of project:

60 months

Estimated cost of the project :

50,000,000 USD

Funding Source:GCF

II. Environmental Social and Economic Screening Determination

Summary of the Safeguard Risks Triggered

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

3

2

M

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

1

1

L

SS 3: Safety of Dams

NA

NA

NA

SS 4: Involuntary resettlement

3

1

L

SS 5: Indigenous peoples

1

1

L

SS 6: Labor and working conditions

1

1

L

SS 7: Cultural Heritage

2

1

L

SS 8: Gender equity

2

1

L

SS 9: Economic Sustainability

2

3

M

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

2

2

L

*Refer to the UNEP ESES Framework (Chapter 2) and the UNEP’s ESES Guidelines


ESE Screening Decision

  • Low risk
  • Moderate risk
  • High risk
  • Additional information required


Development of ESE Review Note and Screening Decision


 ESERN Prepared by:Name: Jesica AndrewsDate: 02 February 2017
Conforms to ESES FrameworkName: Yunae Yi
Date: 27 February 2017
Accepted by Project Manager: Name: Jesica AndrewsDate: 07 July 2017


 Recommended further action from the Safeguard Advisor

During implementation project should consider hiring a Safeguards consultant. The activities are low risk but due to the large area covered, and multiple entities involved, it would be important to ensure that all entities have a sound understanding of the safeguards which could potentially be triggered and suitable mitigation measures. Notably the project should take care to ensure that the intended participatory action planning includes vulnerable and marginalized groups as well as women and youth, and that the creation of any community bylaws does not adversely affect particular sub-sets of resource users, additionally given the diverse biodiversity and resources involved the project should pay particular attention to the species selected for regeneration, although native, for their climate adaptation properties.

These comments have been discussed with the project proponent and full commitment to undertake the above recommendations has been communicated. Project proponents have also considered including an ESS validation and training session the project inception workshop for each country.