EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT
BASIC INFORMATION
(Updated 14.02.2013)
EXPIRY DATE: Please note in order to keep the clearing-house up-to-date LifeWeb Expressions of
Interest will be profiled for a limited duration of one year. After one year you will be invited to update
and renew the Expression of Interest. However without confirmation it will be archived and removed
until further notice.
COUNTRY/COUNTRIES
Cambodia and Lao PDR
PROJECT TITLE
Safeguarding critical sites for threatened Mekong Megafauna
LEAD CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS LIFEWEB EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Name and contact information (to be consulted on content and revisions)
Name:
Email:
Phone:
Organisation:
Dr Thomas N.E. Gray, Regional Species Manager
Thomas.gray@wwfgreatermekong.org
Phone +855 23 218 034
WWF Greater Mekong
IMPLEMENTING INSTITUTION(S)
Please list the implementing institution(s) for this project
Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, Royal Government of
Cambodia
Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Lao PDR
WWF Greater Mekong Cambodia and Lao PDR Country Programmes
ABSTRACT
Please briefly describe the project in two to three sentences and explain why it is important to conserving
biodiversity, addressing climate change, securing livelihoods and contributing toward the achievement of areabased Aichi Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020
The Mekong river supports a unique assemblage of chronically threatened freshwater giant fish
(‘Mekong Megafauna’) of which four species are IUCN Critically Endangered (Giant Carp, Mekong
Giant Catfish, Dog-eating Catfish, Mekong Giant Salmon Carp). This project will develop effective
conservation strategies for these species through improving understanding of their distribution and
natural history based on novel survey techniques, developing community managed Fish
Conservation Zones at critical locations, and providing scientifically robust information to influence
sustainable hydro-power development. The project has strong links to the Aichi Targets of the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity through improving the conservation status, and thus reducing
extinction risk, of some of Asia’s most threatened freshwater biodiversity (Target 12) and through
supporting sustainably managed freshwater fisheries (Target 6).
GEOGRAPHIC SCALE
Please select one of the following.
X
Multinational
National
Sub-national
LINKS WITH THE WORLD DATABASE ON PROTECTED AREAS
If this project’s scope involves protected areas registered in the World Database on Protected Areas, please
include the URL links where the sites appear on http://www. protectedplanet.net of all the areas involved in this
project. If the area(s) are not registered in the WDPA, please indicate the complete name(s).
The project will work developing Fish Conservation Zones across critical locations in the Mekong
dependent on results of eDNA surveys. Some FCZs may, therefore, be within one protected area in
the World Database on Protected Areas, Stoeng Treng Ramsar Site, Wetland of International
Importance
http://protectedplanet.net/sites/Middle_Stretches_Of_The_Mekong_River_North_Of_Stoeng_Treng
_Ramsar_Site_Wetland_Of_International_Importance
MAPS
Please send high quality digital GIS files or scanned maps situating and describing the project area. These files
may be made available for download on the LifeWeb website and may be used in CBD and LifeWeb
communication materials
Name of attachment
Description
1.
2.
2
3.
Add additional rows as needed.
Alternatively, please indicate latitude and longitude coordinates for the center of the project. For help, see:
www.getlatlon.com.
Latitude
Longitude
The project will work on the Middle and Lower Mekong mainstream between central Lao PDR and Phnom
Penh. Locations for the establishment of community managed Fish Conservation Zones will be identified
through robust eDNA sampling at locations with historic records of Mekong Megafuna. Therefore exact
project locations can not yet be effectively mapped. The project will however fall into the following CEPF
freshwater key biodiversity areas (from north to south):

LA027, LA013, LA014, LA016, LA035

KMH17
Note: if the LifeWeb Expression of Interest includes protected areas that are not included in the World Database
on Protected Areas and are not visible on the http://www.protectedplanet.net, you will be directed, through the
process of submission, to the manager of the World Database on Protected Area to ensure the areas are
represented correctly on the global protected areas map as noted in CBD COP IX/18, para 11.
IMAGES
Please send high quality images and any additional media (videos, web pages, brochure, etc.) of the project.
Please note that images will be used to profile your Expression of Interest on the CBD LifeWeb Website and may
also be used for other CBD LifeWeb communication materials. Please note that at least one image is required.
Name of attachment
Description
1.
WEB_112651
Giant Carp (Catlocarpio siamensis). One of the ASAP eligible species
of Mekong Megafauna that this project will protect. This carp
weighed 102kg and measured 172cm in total length. Cambodia
December 2002. Copyright: © Zeb Hogan / WWF-Canon
2.
MGC_2
3.
WEB_112652
Mekong Giant Catfish (Pangasianodon gigas). The freshwater
flagship for the Mekong and one of the species which the project
will target through establishing Fish Conservation Zones (FCZs) on
the Lower Mekong. © Zeb Hogan
Giant Freshwater Stingray (Himantura chaophraya). The disk of this
fish measured 202cm and 413cm from the tip of its nose to the end
of its tail. Himantura chaophraya may be the largest species of
freshwater fish in the world. Although globally endangered this
species is not ASAP eligible but is likely to be conserved through
FCZs in critical locations for other Megafauna species. © Zeb Hogan
/ WWF-Canon
Add additional rows as needed.
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
LOCAL CONTEXT AND PROBLEMS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE PROJECT
Please describe the context and challenges (including threats to biodiversity) in the area. You are welcome to
attach supporting documents.
The Mekong river has been ranked among the top three rivers globally in terms of fish species
richness supporting the highest number of species per unit area of any freshwater ecosystem. The
Mekong remains relatively pristine compared to other Asian mega-rivers e.g. the Yangtze River
which, in the 21st century, experienced the first human-induced extinction of a cetacean with the
disappearance of the Baiji Lipotes vexillifer. The Mekong supports a unique assemblage of
freshwater Megafauna (species >90-kg and >180-cm long) including four of the six largest
freshwater species on earth three of which (Giant Carp Catlocarpio siamensis, Mekong Giant
Catfish Pangasianodon gigas and Dog-eating Catfish Pangasius sanitwongsei) are ASAP eligible
species.
However there are significant threats to Mekong freshwater biodiversity, particularly the
charismatic and endemic Mekong MegaFauna, from unsustainable fishing and unsustainable and
poorly planned mega-infrastructure projects. These pressures are having profound impacts on
Mekong freshwater biodiversity, fisheries, and human livelihoods. The effective conservation of
these river giants is undermined by a lack of knowledge on basic natural history parameters and
critical sites for management interventions.
This project would focus on the four Mekong Megafauna fish species (the three ASAP species plus
the IUCN-Endangered Giant Freshwater Stingray Himantura chaophraya) plus another ASAP
species, the Mekong Giant Salmon Carp Aaptosyax grypus.
This project will use cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to identify important
spawning, migration, and nursery sites for these species in the Lower Mekong in order to:
1) develop community Fish Conservation Zones for their protection and
2) inform the scientific debate on sustainable mainstream hydropower developments.
Project implementing partner WWF Greater Mekong successfully tested the concept of eDNA
sampling for detecting Mekong Giant Catfish in freshwater during the 2013/14 dry-season. WWF
also have an extremely strong track record in supporting governments and communities in
developing sustainably managed Fish Conservation Zones (FCZs) that provide benefits to both local
livelihoods and biodiversity conservation through demonstrably increasing fish stocks. FCZs are
effective at protecting spawning habitat and, in the Lower Mekong, have been identified as a more
effective method for protecting depleted stocks of large fish that legal restrictions on methods or
gear type which are largely unenforceable.
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Please provide a brief description of each objective and, if possible, estimate of funding required for each, as well
as the overall expected results. Please add or delete rows for objectives, as needed.
MEASURABLE RESULTS
FUNDING
OBJECTIVES
NEEDED*
1. Critical spawning, nursery, and migration
sites for ASAP species of Mekong
Megafauna identified through novel,
non-invasive eDNA genetic sampling.
2. Community Fish Conservation Zones
(FCZs) established at critical locations for
ASAP species of Mekong Megafauna.
# of sites surveyed for eDNA of
target species
50,000 US$
# of eDNA detections of ASAP
species
# of FCZs established in Cambodia
and Lao PDR
120,000 US$
# of FCZs sustainably managed
Improved status of management
as measured through WWF Law
Enforcement Standards
Presence of ASAP species
monitored through eDNA
4. Robust scientific information on status
# of peer-reviewed scientific
and migration of ASAP species of Mekong publications
Megafauna informs debate on
# of publications for broad
sustainable hydro-power development
information dissemination (i.e.
on the Mekong mainstream.
IEC booklets, posters, etc.)
TOTAL FUNDING NEEDED
3. Community Fish Conservation Zones
sustainably managed with regulations
ensuring recovery of ASAP species of
Mekong Megafauna and which are
effectively enforced.
60,000 US$
20,000 US$
250,000 US$
*Please provide amounts in USD or Euros and specify the currency.
TIMEFRAME
Please indicate the estimated number of years required to implement the project, ranging from 1 to 5 years.
3 Years
ALIGNMENT WITH NATIONAL PLANNING1
Consistent with decision X/31, please indicate the relevance between this submission and the following national
planning processes. Please be specific and attach supporting documents in Section 5.
National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and action plans for implementing the CBD
Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA)
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National-scale submissions must be endorsed in writing by the Ministry of Environment’s authority responsible for
coordinating international cooperation. We also encourage all Expressions of Interest to be endorsed by national
authorities for coordinating international cooperation, as appropriate.
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The proposal is strongly aligned with the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans of
Cambodia and Laos which both highlight conservation of critically threatened freshwater
biodiversity and awareness and capacity building amongst communities for sustainable use of
biological resources.
Other national planning strategies (e.g. Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSPs), National Climate Change
Strategies, REDD+ strategies, National Adaptation Plans of Action (NAPAs), economic and sustainable
development plans, national resource mobilization strategy, infrastructure plans, land use plans, strategies for
achieving the Millennium Development Goals, etc.)
The proposal is also aligned with the Poverty Reduction Strategy of the government of Lao PDR and
the countries strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Through developing
sustainably managed Fish Conservation Zones fish-stocks (across all species) are likely to increase
thus improving food security in critical communities.
ECOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTION
Please indicate the extent to which the area(s) is/are ecological priority(s) for the national protected area system,
based on contribution to ecological representation, connectivity, viability and/or irreplaceability within the
protected area system. If available, please refer to the national ecological gap analysis or other geographic
prioritisation exercises.
The project will operate largely outside the current Protected Area network in Cambodia and Laos
though some FCZs may be created within the Stoeng Treng Ramsar Site and proposed Mekong
Flooded Forest Protected Forest. However critical areas of freshwater biodiversity are largely
outside of, and unrepresented in, Protected Area networks and, given the important livelihood
value of fisheries, traditional strict protected areas are unlikely to achieve the biodiversity and
poverty alleviation goals required. Instead a new network of community managed FCZs in critical
locations for Mekong Megafauna is likely to be an effective conservation strategy. That is the goal
that this project will pursue.
CONTRIBUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change mitigation
Please indicate information about carbon sequestration and/or storage benefits from this project. If specific
figures are currently available, please include them here.
Not Applicable
Climate change adaptation
Please indicate information about climate change adaptation benefits from this project, such as storm barriers,
flood control, protection against sea level rise, enabling specific mobility in the face of climate change, etc.
Establishing a network of sustainably managed Fish Conservation Zones in the Lower Mekong is
likely to have climate change adaptation benefits through both food security (see below) and,
potentially, facilitating the dispersal of threatened fish species in response to climate change.
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OTHER ECOSYSTEM GOODS, SERVICES AND LIVELIHOODS
Please provide a brief description of benefits of this project to providing the following ecosystem goods and
services applicable to this project.
Freshwater security (e.g. water provision for household consumption, industrial production, grazing and
agriculture, avoiding desertification, etc.)
Not applicable
Food security (e.g. mitigating spread of invasive alien species, increasing fish stocks, increasing variety of local
foods, conserving crop wild relatives etc.)
The critical role of Lower Mekong fisheries for food security is widely acknowledged. In Lao PDR
83% of households engage in capture fisheries with 20% of animal protein arising from fish. In
Cambodia, the widely quotes figures, are that 47-80% of animal protein intake across the
population is from freshwater fish. The role of community managed FCZs in ensuring sustainable
fish stocks is widely documented. Therefore the projects objectives of establishing a new network
of FCZs is likely to positively benefit food security.
Human health and wellbeing (e.g. regulating the emergence and spread of disease, increasing physical activity,
providing sources of traditional knowledge, medicines, biomedical research opportunities, etc.)
Not applicable
Income generation (e.g. tourism-related activities, harvesting of non-forest timber products, fishing, etc.)
The project is likely to provide some benefits for income generation, particularly amongst the
poorest sectors of society, through increased fish stocks close to FCZs as a result of improved
recruitment to fish populations.
Cultural and spiritual enrichment (e.g. protection of natural sacred sites, sanctuary for culturally important
species, preservation of pilgrimage routes, etc.)
Not applicable
Optional: Please indicate any additional information and attach supporting documents.
Not applicable
INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT
Please indicate the partners to be involved in this project and their roles.
PARTNER NAME
ROLE IN THIS PROJECT
Department of Livestock and
Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry, Lao PDR
2. Fisheries Administration of the
Ministry of Agriculture Forestry
and Fisheries, Royal Government
of Cambodia
3. FishBio (http://fishbio.com )
1.
Supporting survey work and designation of FCZs in Lao
Supporting survey work and designation of FCZs in
Cambodia
Supporting fieldwork associated with eDNA sampling in
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SpyGen
(http://www.spygen.fr/fr/index.p
hp )
5. WWF Greater Mekong
4.
Laos and Cambodia
Undertaking genetic analysis of eDNA samples
Providing technical support and overall project oversight,
delivery, budget management, and reporting
Add additional rows as needed.
COUNTERPART FUNDING
CATEGORIES
TOTAL PROJECT COST
COUNTERPART
FUNDING
SECURED
Domestic
funding
secured
GEF allocations
International
funding
secured
ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEEDED
INSTRUCTIONS
SOURCE(S)
AMOUNT
Please indicate the total budget and currency required for this
project.
Please indicate domestic funding committed,
including government budgets, private
foundations and NGOs, as well as in-country
financing mechanisms such as trust funds, park
entry fees, water funds, airport fees,
development fees, etc.
Please indicate your countries’ GEF allocation
that has been used towards these protected
area activities. Please see here for information
about national GEF allocations:
http://www.gefonline.org/Country/CountryProfi
le.cfm
WWF
Switzerland
to WWF
GMP.
Unsecured
funding –
Please indicate any funding that has been
committed from international sources, including please find
attached
multilateral and bilateral donors, international
project
foundations and international NGOs.
proposal
document.
950,000
US$
This amount should be equivalent to total project cost minus
counterpart funding secured.
250,000
US$
700,000
US$
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LINKS TO THE CBD PROGRAMME OF WORK ON PROTECTED AREAS
The following section is to be filled in only if the project is aligned with the CBD Programme of Work on Protected
Areas. Please attach supporting documents and list them in Section VI.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Please indicate institutional commitments and/or sustainable financing mechanisms that will contribute to the
project’s sustainability.
The approach of this project, through developing community managed Fish Conservation Zones in
locations critical for Mekong Megafauna population recovery, is inherently sustainable.
Enforcement and management of FCZs will be community led with motivation derived from the
clear benefits of increasing fish stock around the FCZs. Based on WWF Greater Mekong
experiences in Lao and Cambodia active support and management of FCZs from outsiders
(NGO/provincial and district government) is only required for the first 12-24 months. Subsequently
FCZs are largely self-sustaining and self-regulating.
PARTICIPATION AND EQUITY
Please indicate how this project will (ensure) the full and effective participation of indigenous and local
communities and the equitable sharing of costs and benefits with indigenous and/or local communities.
The project will work closely with local communities for the establishment of community managed
Fish Conservation Zones. WWF Greater Mekong has extensive experience of undertaking full and
effective participation with local communities for FCZ establishment and the project will follow
best-practice guidelines for participatory decision making.
GOVERNANCE TYPES
If applicable, please explain how this project will contribute to a greater diversity of governance types in the
national protected area system.
Leveraging a greater diversity of governance types across ‘protected areas’ will be an integral
outcome of this project. As mentioned above critical areas for freshwater biodiversity are largely
outside of, and unrepresented in, the existing Protected Area networks in Lao and Cambodia. By
establishing new community managed Fish Conservation Zones the project will diversify the type,
and governance structure, of protected areas contributing to the protection of critically threatened
species.
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LINK WITH THE 2011-2020 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR BIODIVERSITY
AND THE AICHI TARGETS
LifeWeb facilitates financing that contribute toward the achievement of the area-based Aichi Targets in the
2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Please indicate below how the proposed project contributes toward
these targets. Please be specific and attach supporting documentation as necessary in Section V.
AICHI TARGET 5
“By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought
close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.” (CBD Quick Guide to Aichi Target 5
EN, ES, FR)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 5 (if applicable)
Not applicable
AICHI TARGET 9
“By 2020, invasive alien species and pathways are identified and prioritized, priority species are controlled or
eradicated, and measures are in place to manage pathways to prevent their introduction and establishment.”
(CBD Quick Guide to Aichi Target 9 EN)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 9 (if applicable)
Not applicable
AICHI TARGET 10
“By 2015, the multiple anthropogenic pressures on coral reefs, and other vulnerable ecosystems impacted by
climate change or ocean acidification are minimized, so as to maintain their integrity and functioning.” (CBD
Quick Guide to Aichi Target 10 EN)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 10 (if applicable)
Not applicable
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AICHI TARGET 11
“By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas,
especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through
effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas
and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes.”
(CBD Quick Guide to Aichi Target 11 EN, ES)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 11 (if applicable)
The areas under consideration for this project are key to freshwater biodiversity in the Mekong
river itself but also in the larger context of the Lower Mekong basin. By providing safe haven to fish
during their migration – either horizontal or vertical – FCZ are in effect an intricate network of
small-scale protected areas spread out all over the river basins, very much integrated in the wider
landscapes, as the spillover effect of fish in conservation zones participates in the replenishing of
the whole river system. In addition, the information generated through this project can be used to
design better freshwater biodiversity conservation initiatives in wider existing protected areas.
AICHI TARGET 12
“By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status,
particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.” (CBD Quick Guide to Aichi Target 12
EN, ES, FR)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 12 (if applicable)
This project focuses on contributing to the achievement of Aichi Target 12 through improving the
conservation status of threatened Mekong Megafauna. These species are chronically threatened
largely through unsustainable fishing practices resulting in over-fishing. Through using robust and
novel science to identify critical locations for these species and protecting these sites, through
employing a method successfully implemented for fish recovery in numerous sites in the Lower
Mekong, the project will significantly contribute to improving conservation status, and thus
reduced extinction risk, for four Critically Endangered ASAP eligible species. In addition
unsustainable hydropower developments are major threats to these species. By providing sciencebased evidence of key locations and migratory routes for Mekong Megafuna to governments,
developers, and the public we believe can successful promote the development of sustainable
hydropower projects.
AICHI TARGET 13
“By 2020, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and of wild relatives,
including other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species, is maintained, and strategies have been
developed and implemented for minimizing genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity.” (CBD Quick
Guide to Aichi Target 13 EN)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 13 (if applicable)
Not applicable
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AICHI TARGET 14
“By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute to
health, livelihoods and well-being, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of women,
indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable.” (CBD Quick Guide to Aichi Target 14 EN)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 14 (if applicable)
The benefits of setting up fisheries co-management structures, and in particular fish conservation
zones, are significant for local people’s wellbeing, health and quality of nutrition. Fish conservation
zones indeed contribute to the overall improvement of people’s livelihoods by increasing fish
stocks and hence the rivers’ productivity. This is of particular importance for the poor and
vulnerable, who mostly rely only on natural resources for their subsistence.
AICHI TARGET 15
“By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced, through
conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby
contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combating desertification.” (CBD Quick Guide
to Aichi Target 15 EN, ES, FR)
Please indicate how this project contributes toward achieving Aichi Target 15 (if applicable)
Not applicable
Contribution to any other Aichi Targets
Please describe contributions to any other Aichi Target (if applicable)
Through establishing Fish Conservation Zones, thus improving fish recruitment in areas adjacent to
the FCZs, this project will also contribute to Aichi Biodiversity Target 6 in which harvested
freshwater biodiversity is managed sustainably and fisheries have no significant impact on
threatened species.
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ADDITIONAL PROJECT INFORMATION
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Please indicate any additional information not captured elsewhere in this Expression of Interest
The project will directly implement activities supporting three of the objectives of the ASAP call
related to Life Web’s Zero Extinction Campaign. The project will identify critical sites for threatened
Mekong MegaFauna through innovative research methodologies (eDNA sampling) that will then
lead to site-based action and protection of unprotected sites through creating new Fish
Conservation Zones in areas identified as important for these species.
KEYWORDS
Please check the following keywords that apply to this project.
Threats addressed:
Habitat Types:
Encroachment and development
Arctic
Global climate change
Coastal
X Inappropriate resource management policies
Coral reefs
X Infrastructure for energy and transportation
Deep seas
Invasive alien species
Dry and sub-humid lands
X Over-harvesting
Forests
Unregulated tourism and recreation
Grasslands
Other threat addressed
X Inland waters (lakes and rivers inland of oceans)
Islands
Mangroves
Mountains
Other habitat type
Other keywords:
REDD-plus
Climate change adaptation and/or mitigation
Conflict prevention and resolution
Trade
Business
Renewable energy
Restoration
X Wildlife protection
X Endangered species
Reduce deforestation
Traditional knowledge
X Capacity building
X Transboundary conservation
Cross-cutting issues:
Access and benefit sharing
Children and youth
Communication and awareness building
Indigenous peoples
X Local community management
X Monitoring, indicators and assessments
X Sustainable use
Other cross-cutting issue
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ATTACHMENTS
Please indicate the file names of any supporting documents/annexes attached to this Expression of Interest.
Name of attachment
Description
1. Project description
Proposal document for counterpart matching funding (currently
Lao_Thai fisheries_4.3
unsecured) from WWF Switzerland to project implementing
partners WWF Greater Mekong.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Add additional rows as needed.
SIGNATURE: _THOMAS GRAY___________________________
DATE: _13 JUNE 2014___________________________
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