PROJECT IDENTIFICATION FORM (PIF)
PROJECT TYPE: Full-sized Project
THE GEF TRUST FUND
Submission Date: April 22, 2009
PART I: PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
GEF PROJECT ID1:
PROJECT DURATION:63 months
GEF AGENCY PROJECT ID: 4153
COUNTRY(IES): Algeria
PROJECT TITLE: Conservation of globally significant biodiversity
and sustainable use of ecosystem services in Algeria’s Cultural Parks
GEF AGENCY(IES): UNDP
OTHER EXECUTING PARTNER(S): Ministry of Culture
GEF FOCAL AREA (S)2: Multi-focal areas
GEF-4 STRATEGIC PROGRAM(s): BD – SP3; LD – SP1
NAME OF PARENT PROGRAM/UMBRELLA PROJECT (if
applicable):MENARID
INDICATIVE CALENDAR*
Milestones
Expected Dates
mm/dd/yyyy
Work Program (for FSP)
CEO Endorsement/Approval
Agency Approval Date
Implementation Start
Mid-term Evaluation (if
June 2009
Dec 2010
Feb 2011
Feb 2011
Dec 2013
planned)
Project Closing Date
May 2016
* See guidelines for definition of milestones.
A. PROJECT FRAMEWORK
Project Objective: The national system of cultural parks in Algeria is managed to secure the conservation of globally significant
biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services.
1. Systems and structures
Comp Inv
onent TA
STA
s
TA
1
2
Expected Outcomes
The expanding national
system of cultural parks
manages ecosystems and
biodiversity assets in a
systematized, inclusive
and efficient way over
850.670 km2
Public support for cultural
parks expands the
stakeholder base
contributing to their
conservation and
management.
Indicators: Changes in
national capacity
assessment scorecard;
METT for the 3 newly
established cultural parks.
Expected Outputs
- National system plan for cultural
parks embedded within the
framework of the National Master
Plan for Archaeological and
Historical Sites (an instrument of
the National Land Use Plan until
year 2025).
- Strengthened programming,
monitoring and oversight functions
of the central services of the
Ministry of Culture responsible for
the adaptive management of
cultural parks.
- Formal procedures are adopted
and implemented for the
development of Management Plans
for cultural parks in Algeria,
integrating biodiversity concerns
and ecosystem services.
- A certified training program
integrating biodiversity
conservation is formally adopted
for the staff of Algerian cultural
parks.
Project ID number will be assigned by GEFSEC .
Select only those focal areas from which GEF financing is requested .
PIF-December 08
Indicative GEF
Financinga
($) a
%
1,000,000
50
Indicative CoFinancinga
($) b
%
1,000,000
50
Total ($)
c =a + b
2,000,000
1
03/09/2016 3:22:57 AM
Project Objective: The national system of cultural parks in Algeria is managed to secure the conservation of globally significant
biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services.
Comp Inv
onent TA
STA
s
2. Site level operational capacity
TA
Expected Outcomes
Management
effectiveness at the Tassili
and Ahaggar cultural
parks is enhanced
Threats and degradation
of priority biodiversity
conservation and Ramsar
sites of the Tassili and
Ahaggar are reduced
(measured by routine
assessments)
Conservation of flagship
species at the Tassili and
Ahaggar is enhanced
Indicators: METT scores
at the Tassili and Ahaggar
sites; Cheetah population
maintained (est 250);
decrease in poaching
rates; decrease in illegal
felling of Acacias.
Expected Outputs
- Stakeholder fora and
communication campaigns at
national and international scale are
designed and implemented
- Biodiversity Action Plans for the
3 newly established cultural parks
are developed.
- Development and formal
adoption of management plans for
the Tassili and Ahaggar Cultural
Parks.
- 80% of the staff of the Tassili and
Ahaggar Cultural Parks (and 40%
of the staff of the newly created
parks) are trained and formally
qualified according to the certified
training program adopted by the
Ministry of Culture.
- Biodiversity and ecosystems
monitoring and GIS support
decisions at park level (the
“Offices”) by generating regular
consolidated reports.
- An integrated conservation
programme is implemented in the
Ramsar sites of the Tassili and
Ahaggar.
- A cheetah conservation plan is
formulated and implemented in the
Algerian Central Sahara.
- Surveillance and enforcement
systems are strengthened in priority
biodiversity conservation sites.
- Development and upgrading of
park infrastructure.
Indicative GEF
Financinga
1,500,000
33
Indicative CoFinancinga
3,000,000
67
Total ($)
c =a + b
4,500,000
2
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03/09/2016 3:22:57 AM
Project Objective: The national system of cultural parks in Algeria is managed to secure the conservation of globally significant
biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services.
3. Addressing pressure
Comp Inv
onent TA
STA
s
TA
Inv
Expected Outcomes
Strengthened sense of
ownership by resource
users and other
stakeholders through the
implementation of
collaborative management
agreements reduces
pressure on ecosystem
functions in the cultural
parks of the Tassili and
the Ahaggar
Alternative livelihood
approaches contribute to
reducing pressures on
productive ecosystem
services and improving
socio-economic status at
priority sites in the two
parks
Indicators: number of ha
under agreed grazing
regime; level of
productivity of medicinal
plants; level of reliance on
fuelwood; % naturalresource reliant income at
selected households
8. Project management
Total project costs
a
b
Expected Outputs
- The collaborative management
agreements developed in the 6
priority sites of the Tassili and
Ahaggar Cultural Parks are
implemented and expanded.
- Technical and financial resources
are mobilized at the level of the
wilaya, the private sector and for
the sustainable development
program at the priority sites of the
two parks.
- Sustainable tourism involving
local communities and partnerships
with the private sector implemented
Indicative GEF
Financinga
2,410,000 32.5
477,142
5,387,142
33
Indicative CoFinancinga
5,000,000 67.5
1,022,858
10,022,858
67
Total ($)
c =a + b
7,410,000
1,522,858
15,410,000
List the $ by project components. The percentage is the share of GEF and Co-financing respectively of the total amount for the component.
TA = Technical Assistance; STA = Scientific & Technical Analysis.
B. INDICATIVE CO-FINANCING FOR THE PROJECT BY SOURCE and by NAME (in parenthesis) if available, ($)
Sources of Co-financing
Project Government Contribution
GEF Agency(ies)
Total Co-financing
Type of Co-financing
cash and in kind (Ministry of
culture, Agence de
developpement du Sud)
cash (UNDP)
Project
9,500,000
522,858
10,022,858
C. INDICATIVE FINANCING PLAN SUMMARY FOR THE PROJECT ($)
Previous Project
Preparation Amount (a)3
GEF financing
Co-financing
Total
3
Project (b)
-
Total
c=a+b
5,387,142
5,387,142
538,715
10,022,858
15,410,000
10,022,858
15,410,000
538,715
Include project preparation funds that were previously approved but exclude PPGs that are awaiting for approval.
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Agency Fee
3
03/09/2016 3:22:57 AM
D. GEF RESOURCES REQUESTED BY AGENCY (IES), FOCAL AREA(S) AND COUNTRY(IES)1
GEF Agency
Focal Area
Country Name/
Global
UNDP
Biodiversity
Algeria
UNDP
Land Degradation Algeria
Total GEF Resources
1
2
(in $)
Project (a)
Agency Fee (b)2
3,387,142
2,000,000
5,387,142
338,715
200,000
538,715
Total c=a+b
3,725,857
2,200,000
5,925,857
No need to provide information for this table if it is a single focal area, single country and single GEF Agency project.
Relates to the project and any previous project preparation funding that have been provided and for which no Agency fee has been requested from Trustee.
PART II: PROJECT JUSTIFICATION
A. STATE THE ISSUE, HOW THE PROJECT SEEKS TO ADDRESS IT, AND THE EXPECTED GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL
BENEFITS TO BE DELIVERED:
1. The first phase of the UNDP/GEF Tassili - Ahaggar project is ongoing. 4 At time of council approval (GEF 2), funding restrictions
led to the division of the initial concept into two phases with a first foundational phase and a second phase dedicated to
implementation. 5 Resources for phase 2 were conditioned to a positive evaluation of the first phase against established benchmarks
and a resubmission of a request for funding to the GEF. An independent evaluation will be conducted during the third quarter of 2009,
and the present document initiates the request for further funding as stipulated in the original project document. The first phase of the
project aims at meeting legal, staff and planning pre-requisites in the two protected areas as well as completing baseline studies and
establishing a collaborative management framework. The second phase was originally designed to deliver project final outcomes.
Pending the recommendations of the independent evaluation, the second phase should ensure full continuity with the initial
intervention, given that at site level the general context is largely unchanged and that the aims and methods employed by the project
are still considered valid by all key stakeholders and the project’s Steering Committee.
2. The first phase of the project will be reaching completion in June 2009 and the project steering committee satisfactorily assesses
the achievement of benchmarks as follows: (i) the structure and mandate of the Cultural Park (CP) Management Units is being revised
and technical staff specialized in biodiversity has formally been integrated as permanent park personnel; (ii) legal procedures for
Collaborative Management have been approved and the implementation of specific agreements for priority sites initiated; (iii) an IEC
strategy for the two protected areas has been developed and pilot activities initiated; (v) a biodiversity monitoring system has been
designed and tested; (vi) a Biodiversity Action Plan for the Tassili Ahaggar is being finalized and will be submitted to the project’s
Steering Committee for implementation; (vii) co-financing has been disbursed, exceeding initial GOA commitments for the first phase
of the project. Total METT scores for the Ahaggar and Tassili Cultural Parks have increased between 2006 and 2008 from 58 to 61
and from 58 to 60 respectively. This marginal increase is due to the fact that improvements are measured against relatively high initial
METT scores and that site-based interventions have been limited during the first phase which has targeted the set up of an enabling
environment as a priority.
Global Environmental Values:
3. The Tassili - Ahaggar complex, due to its vast size and relative integrity, represents a key biodiversity site in the central Saharan
ecosystem and - together with the ecologically connected areas of Fezzan, Air-Tenere and Adrar, in neighboring Libya, Niger and
Mali – it potentially constitutes one of the prime sites in the world for desert biome conservation. In addition to the Tassili, two further
world heritage sites already exist in the region, the Tadrart Acacus WHS in Libya and the Air-Téneré WHS in Niger. An important
new initiative to inscribe the whole of the Central Sahara as a transnational World Heritage Site is presently underway, with support
from governments and other key stakeholders.
4. The biodiversity inventory of the Tassili - Ahaggar is far from complete and data on the distribution and status of most taxa still
require updating. Based on previous surveys floristic diversity was estimated at about 300 species with high levels of endemism,
locally reaching up to 50%. Out of the 73 endemic species listed so far, 36 are considered endangered, the most notable being Wild
olive (Olea laperrini), myrtle (Myrtus nivellei) and the palaeo-endemic relict cypress species (Cupressus dupreziana), of which only
about 240 specimen remain. The avifaunal component of biodiversity includes a total of 134 species of which 14 are endemic to the
region and 4 species were first recorded during the preparatory phase of the project. The Tassili-Ahaggar also supports 12 species of
reptiles, 2 amphibians and 4 species of fish, relicts of a more humid past climate.
5. The list of mammals includes 37 species, mostly typical of arid climates. Like many other areas of the Sahara, the large flagship
antelopes, notably Scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) and Dama gazelle (Gazella dama), are
believed to have become extinct in the last 30-40 years. However among the higher mammals, several internationally important
4
The approved project document is available online: http://gefonline.org/projectDetailsSQL.cfm?projID=1114.
5
The logframe of the full intervention (phase 1 and 2) considered at that time is provided in annex 1
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species, reported as globally threatened or endangered in the IUCN Red Data Book, are still present, including Barbary sheep
(Ammotragus lervia), Slender-horned gazelle (Gazella leptoceros) and, among the carnivores, Fennec fox (Fennecus zerda) and the
flagship species cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). The elusive and critically endangered Saharan cheetah although seldom seen, is attracting
renewed interest6; recent results of ongoing systematic ground and camera-trap surveys indicate that an internationally important
population
is
still
distributed
through
the
Ahaggar
area
and
across
the
central
Sahara
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7905986.stm).
6. The Tassili National Park, created in 1972 and declared as a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1982 was enlarged to its current size
of 133,300 km2 in 1986 and established as a Biosphere reserve. The adjacent Ahaggar CP, formally established in 1987 covers an area
of 446.700 km2 (532.200 km² with the proposed extension); this vast tract of land constitutes by far the largest contiguous protected
area in Africa and the second largest in the world7,8. The Tassili - Ahaggar complex currently includes three wetland sites of
international importance under the Ramsar convention (http://www.ramsar.org/index_list.htm) and the two cultural parks are
individually recognized as Important Bird Areas (IBA) by Birdlife International (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/). The persistent
failure in the specialized international literature to capture the actual size of these protected areas reflects the real difficulty in
apprehending the sheer scale of the Tassili - Ahaggar. Well into the 1990s, the Ahaggar CP was erroneously recorded in UN lists of
protected areas as covering 45.000 km2 instead of 450.000 km2 (http://www.wdpa.org) This ten-fold misjudgment in size may indeed
partly explain why the critical importance of the Tassili - Ahaggar and more generally of the Central Sahara region have often been
overlooked by the scientific and conservation community. The fact that the Central Sahara has yet to be identified as one of the
planet’s key ecoregions (http://www.panda.org/) further illustrates what may in time be recognized as a gap in current global
ecoregions analysis. Although the Tassili - Ahaggar may not support the rich species assemblages seen in some other ecoregions, its
biodiversity resources display unique adaptation to extreme arid conditions. These features are likely to become of increasing interest
as climate change and global warming are identified as critical issues for the future of the planet.
7. The Central Sahara supports critical ecosystem services. Foremost among these ecosystem services are habitats for globally
significant species (e.g. Slender-horned gazelle, Saharan cheetah), forage and water resources supporting key pastoral and animal
husbandry activities, as well as fuelwood and medicinal plants vital for local livelihoods. Critical cultural services provided include
traditional knowledge systems underlying nomadic livelihoods still prevalent in the region, the historically important cultural
landscapes of the Tassili Ahaggar and the economically significant services associated with ecotourism.
8. These global environmental benefits and ecosystem services are at risk due to a diversity of threats, over and beyond their intrinsic
fragility. The key threats may be summarized as follows: (i) overexploitation of vegetation due to the commercial production of fuel
wood, the collection of medicinal and forage plants and localized overgrazing ; (ii) poaching, particularly through indiscriminate
hunting of large mammals using vehicles and firearms ; (iii) habitat modification, mainly due to inadequate waste management and
pollution control in urban impact zones, inappropriate agricultural techniques, infrastructure development, and unsustainable tourism
practices.
Proposed intervention
9. Proposed by the Ministry of Culture as a sub-category of the national parks system, Cultural Parks as defined under law 98-04
with its emphasis on the inseparable links between nature and culture, are an innovation in and of their own. Geographically they are
concentrated in the South of Algeria, ecologically they consist of fragile desert biomes, and culturally they are cradles of ancient
civilizations. From a global environmental benefits perspective, they cover an area of over 850.670 km2 which harbors the species and
ecosystem services described above.
10. The long term vision of the Ministry of Culture is to raise the Central Saharan ecosystem as a unique territory, managed in a
coordinated manner fully recognizing the inseparability of biodiversity resources, ecosystem services and cultural values it harbors.
11. Insofar, the Government has demonstrated increasing attention to conservation issues through successive enlargements of the
protected areas - from 3,000 km2 when the Tassili N'Ajjer was first declared as an historic monument in 1972, to an area of 580.000
km2 presently covered by the two cultural parks. In a drive to establish a presence within the cultural parks, more than 600 permanent
park staff have so far been recruited from the local population. This very positive dividend for conservation should be viewed against
the backdrop of a wider national policy to develop the southern part of the country and promote the development of its resources and
territory. At the institutional level, a significant shift in the approach to protected areas in Algeria has occurred since the inception of
6
Wacher, T., De Smet, K., Belbachir, F., Belbachir-Bazi, A., Fellous, A., Belghoul, M. & Marker, L. (2005). Sahelo–Saharan Interest Group Wildlife Surveys. Central
Ahaggar Mountains (March 2005). iv + 34 pp.
7
Surfaces of protected areas were recalculated by the GIS of the Tassili - Ahaggar Project.
8
The three largest protected areas in the world are currently considered : Greenland's National Park (972.000 km 2) Ar-Rub’al-Khali Wildlife Management Area, Saudi
Arabia (640.000 km2), Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia (344.400 km2).
5
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phase 1. Three new cultural parks have been formally declared 9 and core funds secured from the Algerian state for their
establishment. It is foreseen that soon the Tassili and Ahaggar protected areas will also be classified as cultural parks. This new policy
is accompanied by the ongoing revision of the legal and institutional framework underlying the establishment and management of
cultural parks.
12. By linking conservation of nature and culture, while fostering stewardship by people living within the protected areas, the
establishment of cultural parks in Algeria is highly compatible with the protected landscape approach that has been gaining growing
international recognition in recent years.10 This approach takes a holistic and inter-disciplinary view of the environment, it emphasizes
the integration of humans and nature and recognizes that in order to conserve biodiversity, attention must also be paid to cultural
diversity. 11
13. The achievement of the long term vision of the Ministry of Culture is still hampered by a certain number of barriers. The principal
barriers fall into three main categories: (i) at a systemic level the key difficulty is associated with defining and developing a
management planning process that will provide effective, bioregional and cross sectoral planning and management tools suited to the
scale and complexity of cultural parks. This is reflected in weak institutional capacity and legal frameworks to implement biodiversity
conservation initiatives enforce legislative and regulatory measures and catalyse strategic partnerships and cross-sectoral coordination
of activities. The recent increase in the number and size of cultural parks, adds further strains on the already limited human and
technical resources available to central services responsible for cultural parks within the Ministry of Culture; (ii) Operational and
individual capacities at site levels need to be strengthened in order to effectively protect the multiple values of parks while capturing
global environmental benefits. Rigorous management planning is currently in progress and there is a need to set up and implement a
decision support system based on the regular update and relay of biodiversity and ecosystems-related monitoring data. The two
cultural parks harbor both species and habitats of international importance as well as ecosystem services that are critical to the local
population (see § 3-7). With more than 600 staff already hired at park level but having so far benefited from limited formal training,
there is still wide scope in developing specialized skills for the management of biodiversity; (iii) at the institutional level there is a
clear need to enhance the legal and administrative procedures sustaining collaborative management processes involving the local
population. Sustainable use and conservation objectives are weakly inscribed on the local development agenda due to limited
awareness about ecosystem values, functions and resources as well as poor practices leading to ecosystem degradation and species
loss. The lack of technically sound management plans and ineffective policies for the development of alternative livelihoods further
heightens this trend. The progressive weakening of traditional economic and management systems is coupled with insufficient private
sector diversification into new, environmentally compatible, economic sectors that would lift pressures on natural resources,
ecosystems and their provisioning services. A connected and major impediment preventing such a shift in economic activities consists
in the lack of technical know-how and insufficient financing to demonstrate these activities for uptake.
14. The initial Tassili - Ahaggar project had been designed to implement a comprehensive package of measures to enable an effective
country-driven conservation initiative that secures global environmental benefits (see Annex 2 - original logframe of the project). The
present project has been revised to reflect emerging realities, incorporate lessons from the first phase, and align with the dual priorities
of the BD and LD focal areas. It supports a participatory approach enabling the development of new forms of local governance, based
on flexible and plural legal frameworks and institutions that are rooted in appreciation of the consequences of ecological uncertainty in
desert ecosystems. The project would still retain “site based” interventions and the main investments would target the Tassili and
Ahaggar CPs (see map, Annexe 1).
15. The project intervention would aim at fulfilling the following objective: “The national system of cultural parks in Algeria is
managed to secure the conservation of globally significant biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services.”
In a first, system-level component, the scope of the institutional strengthening and enabling activities originally envisioned by the
project would be widened during the second phase. The project would support the currently embryonic unit in charge of cultural parks
within the Ministry of Culture (MdC) and the following outcomes are envisaged: (i) The expanding national system of cultural parks
manages ecosystems and biodiversity assets in a systematized, inclusive and efficient way. By instilling efficient management
processes at the central level, it is expected that management effectiveness at the three newly established sites will also be enhanced.;
(ii) Public support for cultural parks expands the stakeholder base contributing to their conservation and management. Through public
involvement it is envisaged that additional stakeholders, such as scientists, investors and sectoral ministries will be rallied by the
Ministry of Culture around the management and conservation of Cultural Parks.
9
The newly declared cultural parks include the following (i) Touat-Gourara-Tidikelt CP: km2 38.740 [decree N.08-157 dated 28/05/2008]; (ii) Tindouf CP: km2
168.000 [decree N.08-158 dated 28/05/2008]; (iii) Saharan Atlas CP: km2 63.930 [decree N.08-159 dated 28/05/2008].
10
Brown, Jessica, Mitchell, Nora and Beresford, Michael (Eds.) (2004). The Protected Landscape Approach: Linking Nature, Culture and Community. IUCN, Gland,
Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xv + 270pp. plus 12 color plates.
11
This shift towards greater engagement in the cultural dimension of conservation is broader than a single protected area category or designation and builds on the
experience from a variety of protected areas (IUCN Categories V and VI, World Heritage Cultural Landscapes, Biosphere Reserves). The key characteristics of the
protected landscape approach have been outlined as follows (Brown et al., eds., 2004): (i) bioregional in scale and represents a mosaic of designations and land uses; (ii)
embraces the interrelationship of nature and culture; (iii) recognizes the relationship between tangible and intangible values and the value of both; (iv) is communitybased, inclusive and participatory; (v) is based on cross-sectoral partnerships; (vii) is founded on planning and legal frameworks that create an environment of
engagement through equity and governance for a diverse set of stake-holders; (viii) contributes to a sustainable society.
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A second component of the project would focus on site level interventions with the following outcomes: (i) Management
effectiveness at the Tassili and Ahaggar cultural parks is enhanced (measured by METT scores); (ii) Threats and degradation of
priority biodiversity conservation sites and Rasmar sites of the Tassili and Ahaggar are reduced (measured by routine assessments);
(iii) Conservation of flagship species at the Tassili and Ahaggar is enhanced. This component will consolidate and enhance the
investments initiated under the first phase of the project with an aim to deliver tangible impacts on key flagship species and sites of
global importance.
The third component of this project aims to address pressures on ecosystems and would result in the following outcomes:
(i) Strengthened sense of ownership by local populations through the implementation of collaborative management agreements
reduces pressure on ecosystem functions in the cultural parks of the Tassili and Ahaggar; (ii) Alternative livelihood approaches
contribute to reducing pressures on productive ecosystem services and improving socio-economic status at priority sites in the two
parks. While the previous two components address global environmental benefits from a biodiversity perspective, this component
aims to address pressures on ecosystems and their underlying causes. The full engagement of local populations in the development of
alternative livelihoods and substitution of sources of food, fuel and the re-establishment of sustainable use approaches, constitute the
core elements of this component.
16. The successful implementation of this project would contribute to cross-fertilization of ideas and tools between the system of
cultural parks and the rest of the national system of protected areas. In a wider international context, the project is likely to generate
important new lessons for the planning and management of cultural landscapes and of IUCN protected area Categories V and VI.
Through these interventions, the project is expected to secure biodiversity elements of global value described above, to balance
pressures and demands on ecosystem services and functions in a sustainable manner, to generate lessons on adaptation mechanisms of
key species and momentum for the recognition of the Central Saharan ecosystem as one of global significance.
B. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH NATIONAL/REGIONAL PRIORITIES/PLANS:
17. The designation of protected areas, including the Tassili and Ahaggar, is based on Law No. 83-05 on the Protection of the
Environment, established in 1983 as part of the National Strategy for the Conservation of Fauna. The National Biodiversity Strategy
and Action Plan (NBSAP), prepared in late 2000 with UNDP/GEF assistance, provided an integrated framework for biodiversity
conservation and specifically recognized the Tassili n’Ajjer and Ahaggar CPs as a national priority for biodiversity conservation and
sustainable development. The emerging national priority for the establishment of a system of cultural parks in Algeria and the
requirement for the development of management plans for all cultural parks is based on law 98-04 and has more recently been
highlighted and ratified in the National Master Plan for Archaeological and Historical Sites. The latter is a sector plan which is part of
the National Land Use Plan until year 2025 established, according to Law N. 01-20 of 12/12/2001, to ensure the management and
sustainable development of land and territorial resources in Algeria.
C. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH GEF STRATEGIES AND STRATEGIC PROGRAMS:
18. The project was originally formulated under GEF 2 which focused on conservation needs at specific protected area sites or
clusters of sites. Subsequently in GEF 3, the focus moved from sites, taken in isolation, towards National PA systems, while in GEF
IV clearer objectives for ‘systems’ level support have been established. With the proposed widening of the project’s scope, to
encompass support for the development of the national system of cultural parks in Algeria, the second phase of the Tassili - Ahaggar
project is aligned with the GEF Strategic Objective on Protected Areas (SO 1) aimed at “Catalyzing Sustainability of Protected Area
Systems”. The project addresses the second sub objective “Expanding PA Coverage, with a focus on under represented ecosystems”
and fits specifically under Strategic Programme N. 3: “Strengthening Terrestrial Protected Area Networks”.
19. Under this Strategic Programme, the site based intervention provided by the project is justified in terms of the high demonstration
value. In the two sites biodiversity conservation is being mainstreamed and tested as a new PA operating modality needed to expand
the network of cultural parks in Algeria. By focusing on cultural parks, the project is effectively targeting what may be viewed as sub
system within the National PA System, thus strengthening further the justification for the project under this Strategic Programme.
20. Component 3 of the project is aligned with the land degradation focal area, specifically SO1 “To Develop an Enabling
Environment That Will Place Sustainable Land Management in the Mainstream of Development Policy and Practices at Regional,
National, and Local Levels” and targets an area identified as a priority “arid and semi-arid agro-ecological zones” for GEF 4 LD
investments under SP1 “Supporting Sustainable Agriculture and Rangeland Management”.
21. Overall, and recognizing the intrinsic linkages between human use and resource management and conservation, the project aims at
integrating practices and approaches supported by each individual focal area. For example, co-management agreements promoted in
the management of parks (BD) will serve as a basis for LD investments in improving resource use and management practices.
Similarly, impact indicators for which a baseline will be provided in the full brief span the two focal areas and effectively aim to link
ecosystem services to biodiversity of global significance they sustain.
D. JUSTIFY THE TYPE OF FINANCING SUPPORT PROVIDED WITH THE GEF RESOURCES:
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22. GEF financing is being requested primarily for technical assistance, with investments being considered for the implementation of
the collaborative management agreements identified during phase 1. Technical assistance is required for the development of capacities
at system and site levels and for the mainstreaming of biodiversity management and sustainable land management practices in the
overall management of cultural parks in Algeria. Investment support will provide catalytic funding for the initiation and
implementation of community level support projects identified in the framework of the collaborative management agreements
finalized during the first phase of the project. GEF financing will be complemented by UNDP financing for technical assistance and
government financing for operational and investment purposes which will cover all infrastructure and equipment costs.
E. OUTLINE THE COORDINATION WITH OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES:
23. The project has already initiated during its first phase a programme of strategic collaboration with two highly related projects: the
Transhumance for Biodiversity Conservation in the Southern High Atlas project, Morocco (UNDP/GEF project N. 0013676) and the
Sustainable Co-Management of the Natural Resources of the Air-Tenere project, Niger (UNDP/GEF project N. 2380). During the
second phase, collaboration will be intensified, particularly with projects and related institutions in the ecologically connected areas of
Fezzan, Air-Tenere and Adrar, in neighboring Libya, Niger and Mali as part of an important new initiative to inscribe the whole of the
Central Sahara as a transnational World Heritage Site.
24. Furthermore, the project will coordinate with the MENARID projects in Tunisia and Morocco, particularly with regards to
sustainable land management practices under extremely constrained geophysical conditions. The knowledge management project
under preparation in the context of MENARID will provide a vehicle for the transmission of practices to the project and for capturing
this project’s experiences and lessons.
F. DISCUSS THE VALUE-ADDED OF GEF INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT DEMONSTRATED THROUGH INCREMENTAL
REASONING :
25. Without GEF support the Ministry of Culture – while having recognized the inseparability of cultural and natural capital in the
Central Sahara ecosystems – would not have the technical skills and competencies to secure ecosystem services in this large landscape
or to appropriately design and implement management and conservation plans for globally endangered species. Furthermore, while
rapidly expanding the cultural parks estate, the provision of managerial, planning, and technical skills has not followed suit and there
would be a risk that the management of biodiversity of global importance would remain limited. GEF funding will enable the
provision of technical assistance geared towards support for the establishment of systems, structures and policies for the management
of global environmental benefits enshrined in these landscapes, consolidate site level interventions at the initial Tassili and Ahaggar
sites as a model for newly designated parks and establish the ecosystem approach that would secure provisioning and other ecosystem
services in this area. GEF support will also lead to strengthened institutions gradually reaching consensus on conservation approaches,
social, cultural and economic dimensions. It will in particular provide support for the coordination of relevant policies across all
sectors in a given territory (Wilaya).
G. INDICATE RISKS, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS, THAT MIGHT PREVENT THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE(S) FROM
BEING ACHIEVED, AND IF POSSIBLE INCLUDING RISK MITIGATION MEASURES THAT WILL BE TAKEN:
Risk
Re-orientation of the CP Management
Units towards biodiversity
conservation is hampered or delayed
Rating
High
Management staff are not willing to be
redeployed to sub-headquarters and
outposts
High
Government is unwilling to implement
the new participatory management
methods and share responsibilities and
accountability
Medium
Law and order fundamentals foreclose
the development of ecotourism
activities and Algeria does not become
an attractive market for international
tourism
Low
Risk mitigation strategy
Considerable financial and technical resources have been foreseen during the first
phase to address this key issue. Legal modifications of the mandate of the
Management Units of the CP has been identified as a prerequisite for graduating
from the first to the second phase of the project and is underway.
This risk can be reduced through careful selection of personnel and the timely
realization of infrastructure and procurement of key equipment for decentralized
the CP Management Units.
A key element of project design is systematic consultation with local
communities. The Collaborative Management framework will ensure that
community perspectives are addressed. A finely targeted IEC strategy will assist
in reaching agreement between stakeholders and local and national government
institutions.
The risk is mitigated by the fact that ecotourism is supported as one of several
sustainable livelihood options for the diversification of the local economy. In
addition this sector is usually associated with flexible exit and re-entry into the
pastoral economy.
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Risk
Climate change impacts lead to
species loss and affect livelihood
patterns though increased pressure on
natural resources, leading to their
degradation.
Rating
Low
Risk mitigation strategy
UNDP is currently supporting Algeria to undertake a series of assessments in
addition to the vulnerability and adaption assessment being undertaken under the
second national communication. These will enable a better understanding of
potential impacts in the selected region. However it should be noted that
available global circulation models for the Sahara do not agree and that the
lifestyles and species are already highly adapted to extreme climate variability
and conditions. As climate science evolves, the project will integrate gradual
knowledge, in particular through components 1 and 3 of the project which best
lend themselves to adaptive approaches.
Furthermore, the key approach in the project is to create and strengthen
ecological coverage in a way to enable species migration. This is one element of
strengthening ecological resilience to climate change and will be duly taken into
account during project preparation and implementation.
H. DESCRIBE, IF POSSIBLE, THE EXPECTED COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROJECT:
26. Given the extent of land areas targeted the requested funding represents 8.4$ of GEF investment per km2 set under sound
management. Based on the assumption that (i) system level interventions will trickle down to individual sites; (ii) piloting site level
interventions will reinforce systemic structures; (iii) ecosystem based approaches involving the local population would ultimately
result in the sound management of all land areas designated as cultural parks, the project would have effectively contributed to the
conservation and sustainable management of a major area of the Central Sahara ecosystem. This expanse and continuity is critically
important for globally significant species with a territorial range of hundreds of kilometers such as the Cheetah.
I. JUSTIFY THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF GEF AGENCY:
27. UNDP has been the initiator of the Tassili Ahaggar project investing significant resources since the formulation phase as well as
being responsible for the direct execution of the first phase of the project currently under implementation. Moreover, UNDP has
important advantages, both globally and in the Algerian context specifically. Globally, UNDP has implemented a number of site-based
and PA system enhancement projects. Nationally, UNDP Algeria has gained experience by executing the Biodiversity Conservation
and Sustainable Natural Resource Management project, currently under implementation in three protected areas (GEF project ID 795).
28. Its development mandate also enables UNDP to address the development/conservation nexus and to make the most out of the land
degradation and biodiversity focal areas approaches under the umbrella of integrated natural resources management. Finally, UNDP is
the implementing agency for the LD Air Tenere intervention in Niger, and is supporting the establishment and management of
protected areas in Libya. These interventions in all three countries – in addition to Mali – will facilitate cooperation towards the
holistic conservation and management of the Central Saharan ecosystem and ultimately the establishment of a transboundary parks
system.
PART III: APPROVAL/ENDORSEMENT BY GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT(S) AND GEF
AGENCY(IES)
A. RECORD OF ENDORSEMENT OF GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT (S) ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT(S):
(Please attach the country endorsement letter(s) or regional endorsement letter(s) with this template).
NAME
Djamel Echirk
POSITION
GEF Operational Focal Point,
Inspector General of Environment
MINISTRY
DATE
Ministry of Territories, Environment March 23, 2009
and Tourism
B. GEF AGENCY(IES) CERTIFICATION
This request has been prepared in accordance with GEF policies and procedures and meets the GEF criteria for
project identification and preparation.
Agency
Coordinator,
Agency name
Yannick Glemarec
Executive
Coordinator,
UNDP/GEF
Date
Signature
April 22, 2009
Project
Contact
Person
Mirey
Atallah
Telephone
Email Address
+421905887861 Mirey.atallah@undp.or
g
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