INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: ISDSC117 Public Disclosure Copy Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 02-Nov-2011 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: Jordan Project ID: P127861 Project Name: Badia Ecosystem and Livelihoods Project (P127861) Task Team Leader: Banu Setlur Estimated Appraisal Date: 15-Mar-2012 Estimated Board Date: 31-Jul-2012 Managing Unit: MNSSD Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan Focal Area: Multi-focal area Sector: General agriculture, fishing and forestry sector (50%), Public administration- Agriculture, fishing and forestry (50%) Theme: Biodiversity (45%), Rural non-farm income generation (45%), Climate change (10%) Financing (In USD Million) Financing Source Amount BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0.00 Global Environment Facility (GEF) 3.33 Total 3.33 Environmental Category: B - Partial Assessment Is this a Repeater project? No B. Global Environmental Objective(s) The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to sustain livelihoods by enhancing ecosystem services in three poverty pockets of the Jordan Badia. C. Project Description Public Disclosure Copy The Jordan Badia Ecosystem and Livelihoods Project (BELP) is one of four projects under the regional MENA Desert Ecosystems and Livelihoods Program (MENA-DELP), currently under development as a GEF and World Bank partnership. The goal of the program is to capture and harness the value of desert ecosystems in order to optimize the flow of goods and services for environmentally and socially sound development of deserts. A final Program Framework Document was submitted to the GEF on October 17, 2011, identifying country projects in Algeria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco, all focusing on investments to optimize the provision of desert goods and services for enhanced livelihoods. The Jordan-BELP is a response to the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Jafar Hassan's letter of interest to the World Bank from January 2011, expressing Jordan's interest in participating in the program. This interest was further confirmed by an endorsement letter from the GEF Operational Focal Point and Secretary General of MoPIC during September 2011. The Bedouins in Jordan are the main custodians of desert ecosystem services and also the main resource users. Therefore, restoration and preservation of degraded services need to go hand in hand with improvements in their livelihoods. Land degradation processes can be mitigated through rangeland management, with particular attention to animal carrying capacity and community ownership. Associated enhancement of rangeland productivity and biodiversity can be achieved through careful watershed management and re-vegetation practices, namely ecosystem- appropriate soil and water conservation works and planting of locally adapted drought resistant species, respectively. The promotion of attractive alternative income generating activities would diversify the Bedouins' income base. In this regard, the eco-tourism potential of the area is considered very high and the successful experiences gained in the Badia itself (Wadi Rum) and elsewhere in Jordan may be emulated. This integrated approach would allow Badia communities to improve their livelihoods and increase their resilience to a changing environment, while reinforcing their capacity to manage and sustainably use the ecosystem services that are available to them. The project will aim to restore the Badia services through a dual approach of sustainable rangeland rehabilitation on one hand, and the promotion of alternative income generating activities, such as eco-tourism, to selected communities in three poverty pockets in the Jordan Badia, namely Ar Ruwaished (Northern Badia), and Al Jafr and Al Husseinieh (Southern Badia) during the years 2012-2016. The following is a description of the three components: Component 1: Community-Centered Eco-Tourism in the Northern Badia The project proposes to expand eco-tourism into the northeast Badia by using the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN)-managed Al Azraq and Shaumari reserves and attached facilities as a starting point, from which a 250 km eco-tourism corridor will be developed reaching the Burqu' Reserve and soon to be declared Protected Area (PA) in the northeast as an end point. The corridor will be developed around a concept of "low volume, high value" community-centered eco-tourism looking to attract tourists interested in archeology, geology, and other environment-centered experiences while engaging local communities in the operation of the route, and by minimizing the impact of all activities on the environment according to internationally accepted eco-tourism standards. Itineraries along the corridor will be carefully designed to offer authentic Bedouin experiences with high level of service and co-management with local communities. This component will be implemented by the RSCN given its mandate to establish and manage protected areas in Jordan (through government by- laws), its record in eco-tourism development and management, and its capacity to engage effectively with local communities in preparing and implementing programs. RSCN's role in managing the Al Azraq, Shaumari and Burqu' sites will facilitate these sites' engagement in the planned project as important touristic attractions. The component is organized around two sub-components: 1.1 Establishment of an Al Azraq/Shaumari-Burqu' Eco-Tourism Corridor; and 1.2 community engagement. Public Disclosure Copy Sub-component 1.1: Establishment of an Al Azraq/Shaumari-Burqu Eco-Tourism Corridor. This sub-component will begin with the development of an Eco-tourism Management Plan (ETMP) laying out the vision of the corridor, exact siting, intervention points and products development. The ETMP is also expected to provide economically-feasible options for the local population and the private sector for developing ecotourism services and products. This sub-component will provide necessary visitor management infrastructure and human resources in identified locations along the corridor and enable the proper management of the increase in the number of visitors in these areas. Investments will begin in itineraries close to the Azraq/Shaumari starting point gradually extending toward the Burqu' end point. This approach is expected to allow the testing of established sites and the build-up of interest amongst Jordanian and international visitors. A strong marketing initiative for the corridor will be carried out applying the business and marketing approaches developed under RSCN's Wild Jordan division, using a variety of vehicles with the aim of reaching local and international markets, by engaging the Tourism Board, tourism operators, websites, social media and RSCN's tourism networks. Sub-component 1.2: Community engagement. Sub-component 1.2 will work to ensure that communities living in Ar Ruwaished and other smaller villages close to Burqu' as well some along the corridor are fully engaged in, and directly benefit from, the ecotourism activities. This will involve consulting with, and engaging, these communities early in the planning and development of the proposed ecotourism activities. Attention will be paid to raising the awareness of the population about the fragility of the local environmental resources, the need to support and finance protective measures, and the benefits (financial and other) that can accrue to the community from well-formulated and implemented ecotourism activities. The roles communities could play in the supply chain for ecotourists will be stressed, including new job creation opportunities such as reserve rangers, guides, service provision, camp and ecolodge operation, etc. The significant opportunities that could be provided for women and youth will be highlighted. The provision of training opportunities and the possibility for new IGAs (leather goods production, camel tours, local herb and medicinal plant sales, basket weaving, indigenous performances, etc.) associated with ecotourism will also be stressed. Experience from the Dana reserve will help validate the potential opportunities for the communities. The project will continue through its lifespan to actively engage the communities in the eco-tourism activities and ensure that they directly benefit from it. This component will be implemented by RSCN given its mandate to establish and manage protected areas in Jordan (through government by- laws), its record in ecotourism development and management, and its capacity to engage effectively with local communities in preparing and implementing programs. Main Beneficiaries: Ar Ruwayshid, Al Azraq and Burqu' communities (Mafraq governorate). Component 2: Sustainable rangeland management and livelihoods support in the southern Badia The purpose of the component is to support the development of a more sustainable natural resource base for local communities. Livestock rearing (principally sheep, but also goats) is the core livelihood and an important source of income for a majority of the Bedouin population which lives in the southern Badia. The degradation of the southern Badia, which has been exacerbated by continued drought, has constrained further the availability of already scarce water resources and rangeland for livestock. For the same reasons but also due to disrupted traditional rangeland management practices with consequential overgrazing, plant re-growth and the overall length of the grazing seasons have also dramatically Public Disclosure Copy decreased. As a result, water is being fetched and truck-transported to the herds from far distances at a very high cost; and the feeding contribution from grazing has reduced to a mere ten percent (while it used to be 25-30 percent), obliging the livestock owners to provide for their sheep and goats almost exclusively with purchased feed. The component is organized around three sub-components: 2.1 Water harvesting; 2.2 Rangeland rehabilitation; and 2.3 Livelihoods maintenance and support. Sub-component 2.1: Water harvesting. Water harvesting for animal drinking purposes through hafirs (traditional name of reservoirs for animal watering) would be pursued in both poverty pocket areas: Al Husseinieh and Al-Jafr. A large number of animals are kept in the rangeland areas at significant distances from the main towns and villages (where deep boreholes are overused, deepening further the water table). A number of hafirs have been constructed in the past by the Ministry of Agriculture, including in Al Husseinieh. However, due to design, construction features and high evaporation rates, water in these hafirs generally lasts only for two to three months. Small cisterns and manufactured tank structures (25 in number) for human drinking water will also be provided. The cisterns would be built following construction criteria that ensure water quality maintenance (Rainwater Cisterns: Traditional technologies for dry areas; ICARDA, 2009). Sub-component 2.2: Rangeland rehabilitation. This sub-component supports the establishment and operation of two pilot sites where community engagement in the identification, management and maintenance of rangeland reserves will be strengthened (see subcomponent 2.3). The emphasis will be on transferring not only responsibility for site management to the pilot communities, but also the authority for its rehabilitation and maintenance. The rangeland reserve areas to be identified by the communities will be on state-owned land, but the government will, under this pilot initiative, formally grant the pilot communities increased authority over the reserve areas. Under this component the project will also expand on NCARE's experiences in the Marrabs (as is being tested by the Benchmark Study supported by IFAD in the Amman governorate) in green fodder production. Fodder schemes (e.g., barley-atriplex rotation) would be implemented with supplementary irrigation by gravity conveyance over a total area of 5,000 dunums in the command area of the hafirs (subcomponent 2.1), and elsewhere through water spreading techniques. Sub-component 2.3: Livelihoods maintenance and support. Rangeland restoration should reduce expenditures on feed by extending the period for open grazing. However, a two year period is required for rangeland regeneration, after which continued careful management is required. To slow poverty during this rangeland regeneration period, improve livestock health and resilience, and support community members, particularly women, in pursing new or alternative income generating activities, the project will provide a range of livelihood support. Specifically, this will include: (i) Training and other inputs for livestock owners to improve the health and quality of their animals. Access to targeted veterinary services, provision of mineral supplementation blocks, regular livestock vaccination and parasite control programs, training in the use of by-products and other relevant training will be supported. (ii) Provision of training and assistance for the establishment of community managed irrigated fodder areas (one in each pilot area) will be supported. The areas to be assigned for this purpose will be identified and agreed upon by the community, but will be on state-land. Basic infrastructure for the irrigation and training in sustainable farming metho ds will be supported. The community, through a community co-operative, will establish guidelines for operation, maintenance and distribution of benefits. (iii) Capacity building will be provided to existing women's cooperatives having broad-based membership in each of the communities. The capacity building will aim to strengthen the cooperatives' management, outreach and ability to effectively manage and distribute small grants. The project will provide a small once-off fund to each of the participating women's cooperatives so they can arrange for training to be provided members in micro-business skills (e.g. cheese production, sewing, herb production, etc.) and management. The cooperatives will provide members who have completed training with small seed funds to support the launch of their micro-business. Public Disclosure Copy (iv) Training and short-term employment for interested youth in target communities on rangeland restoration and management and good animal husbandry. Youth who have received such training will qualify for possible employment in rangeland restoration and replanting activities supported by the project. (v) Awareness/training on quality maintenance of drinking water in cisterns will also be provided; (vi) Capacity building will come also through Hashemite Fund for the Development of the Jordan Badia (HFDJB) provided small grants (JD 10,000 each) to engaged cooperatives (10 in total) as a start-up financing of IGAs that will decided and designed together with the concerned communities. This would also entail training and support to marketing. Main Implementing Agency: NCARE responsible for subcomponents 2.1 and 2.2 and HFDJB for subcomponent 2.3. Main Beneficiaries: Communities of Al Jafr & Al Husseinieh (sub-districts in Ma'an governorate). Component 3: Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation The objective of this component is to develop an effective Project Management Unit (PMU) capable of directing and supporting project implementation, liaising with stakeholders and carrying out monitoring and evaluation according to agreed indicators. NCARE will establish a PMU consisting of a project manager, fiduciary staff and an M&E specialist, reflecting previously successful GEF and non-GEF projects in Jordan. In terms of the involvement of other key stakeholders and partners in project implementation, a Steering Committee will be formed to guide and monitor overall progress. The implementing entity for component 1, RSCN, will appoint a component manager who will ensure the effective and efficient implementation of agreed work plans, and reporting to NCARE. The proposed entity for community engagement and capacity building in the Southern poverty pockets, HFDJB, will also appoint a focal point responsible for managing the agreed activities and coordinating with the PMU. A Technical Committee, chaired by the project manager and comprising an experienced technical expert from each implementing partner (NCARE, RSCN and HFDJB), will discuss technical issues and enable information exchange between project activities as needed. An M&E system will be developed from the outset of the project, with the involvement of all key partners. The system will be supervised by the PMU, but some individual partners will have responsibility for providing data. It will be designed to track progress and performance at three main levels (i) basic progress over time in relation to the achievement of scheduled activities and outputs; (ii) income and expenditure against budget allocations; and (iii) project impact in relation to the approved outcome indicators. Reporting formats will be developed and quarterly reports will be prepared according to World Bank guidelines. The PMU will also be responsible for providing relevant project data to the Database and Information Unit (DBIU), funded by the Badia Restoration Program (BRP) and hosted by HFDJB. D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The Jordan-BELP will focus on three poverty pockets in the southern and northern Badia. In the south, an area comprising the poverty pockets of Al Jafr and Al Husseinieh (sub-districts within the Ma'an Governorate) will be targeted; while in the north, ecotourism activities will be implemented along a route which begins in Al Azraq (south east of Amman) and ends in the Burqu' Protected Area in the east, targeting the communities in the Public Disclosure Copy Ar Ruwaished poverty pocket. In order to enhance return to investment, the route will link to Al Azraq and Shaumari (with important and already established Protected Areas (PAs), wetland reserves, and eco-lodging facilities) so to offer an ideal itinerary. These areas are either part of the Badia Restoration Plan (BRP) workplan (Ar Ruwaished) or are included in on-going programs of RSCN. E. Borrowers Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies The Borrower has considerable experience in implementing ecosystem projects in areas to be covered under this proposed operation including, most recently, two phases of IFAD-supported activities which specifically support the inclusion of local communities (and specifically women) in new ecotourism enterprises. It is noted that these ongoing programs have reportedly been implemented with strong community participation. A number of different line ministries, institutions and NGOs have been involved in these programs. Additionally, the Borrower has considerable experience with the implementation of GEF projects, including the Integrated Ecosystem Management in the Jordan Rift Valley project, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Regional Organization for Conservation of Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERGSA) program for the Red Sea, and the Conservation of Medicinal and Herbal Plants. Given this prior experience, and given that these diverse programs have impacted to various extents on environmental and social safeguard issues, the Borrower is deemed to have sufficient institutional capacity on Bank safeguard policies. The capacity of the main implementing agency, NCARE (and RSCN), for safeguard policies will be more specifically assessed during the course of project preparation and appropriate strengthening measures will be put in place in case gaps or weaknesses are identified. Relevant Bank safeguard policy OPs have been made available to the client and preparation mission gave the clients a briefing on the safeguard policies, requirements, procedures and timelines. F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Carolyn Winter (MNSSO) Viviane Wei Chen Clement (MNSEN) II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered Yes No TBD Explanation Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 ✖ The project will finance different types of small scale physical investments including related to: (i) rangeland rehabilitation activities, such as construction of hafirs for water harvesting for Public Disclosure Copy irrigation with gravity conveyance systems and simple drinking water supply cisterns; and (ii) ecotourism activities, including the potential small-scale construction (e.g. reception areas, low-impact campsites/eco-lodges) , and the establishment of ecotourism circuits (including signs, tracks, vista points, etc.). The client will prepare and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the project, complemented by an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP). Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 ✖ The preparation mission confirmed that the Natural Habitats Policy (OP 4.04) will not be triggered as a result of project interventions. However, this policy will be taken into account within the scope of the ESMP and relevant mitigation measures will be included in the ESMP. Forests OP/BP 4.36 ✖ Pest Management OP 4.09 ✖ Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 ✖ The preparation mission confirmed that the Physical and Cultural Resources Policy (OP 4.11) will not be triggered as a result of project interventions. However, this policy will be taken into account within the scope of the ESMP and relevant mitigation measures will be included in the ESMP, including procedures for "chance-find" that will comply with the national processes and OP 4.11. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 ✖ Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 ✖ Following considerable discussion with a wide variety of informed government, NGO, independent and stakeholder groups, the mission has determined that the safeguard policy OP 4.12 on involuntary resettlement will be triggered, and a Policy Framework (PF) will be required in response to the policy. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 ✖ Projects on International Waters OP/BP 7.50 ✖ Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 ✖ Public Disclosure Copy III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN A. Tentative target date for preparing the PAD Stage ISDS: 16-Jan-2012 B. Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing1 should be specified in the PAD-stage ISDS: The first draft of the ESIA and PF should be completed, reviewed by the implementing agencies and then submitted to the Bank for review by February 5, 2012. The final draft ESIA and PF should be completed and disclosed prior to project appraisal. The ESIA and PF will be made available to the public in NCARE and RSCN offices, and on both organization websites, in branch offices, as well as any other relevant governmental websites. The ESIA and PF (at least the executive summary) will be translated into English and provided to the Bank. Both documents will be published at the Bank Infoshop prior to project appraisal. IV. APPROVALS Signed and submitted by: Task Team Leader: Name: Viviane Wei Chen Clement Date: 19-Oct-2011 Approved By: Regional Safeguards Coordinator: Name: Hocine Chalal (RSA) Date: 25-Oct-2011 Comments: Sector Manager: Name: Hoonae Kim (SM) Date: 03-Nov-2011 Comments: ISDS is approved. Thank you. 1 Reminder: The Bank's Disclosure Policy requires that safeguard-related documents be disclosed before appraisal (i) at the InfoShop and (ii) in country, at publicly accessible locations and in a form and language that are accessible to potentially affected persons.