WEST AFRICA BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE (WA BiCC) … · • Increasing coastal resilience to...

WEST AFRICA BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE (WA BiCC)

YEAR TWO ANNUAL REPORT OCTOBER 2016–SEPTEMBER 2017

NOVEMBER 2017 Disclaimer: This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Tetra Tech. The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

This publication was produced for the United States Agency for International Development by Tetra Tech, through a Task Order under the Restoring the Environment through Prosperity, Livelihoods, and Conserving Ecosystems (REPLACE) Indefinite Quantity Contract (USAID Contract No. AID-OAA-I-13-00058, Order Number AID-624-TO-15-00002).

For more information on the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change program, contact:

USAID/West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Tetra Tech 2nd Labone Link, North Labone Accra, Ghana Tel: +233(0)302 788 600 Email: www.tetratech.com/intdev Website: www.wabicc.org Stephen Kelleher Chief of Party Accra, Ghana Tel: + 233 (0) 302 788 600 Email : [email protected] Vaneska Litz Project Manager Burlington, Vermont Tel.: +1 802 495 0577 Email: [email protected]

Citation: Tetra Tech. (2017). USAID/West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC), Year 2 Annual Progress Report, 2nd Labone Link, North Labone, Accra – Ghana. 59p.

Cover photo: Market Women transporting smoked fish from the Fresco fishing island (Côte d’Ivoire) to sell in the Fresco village (Credit: David Aduama - WA BiCC)

http://www.tetratech.com/intdev

http://www.wabicc.org/

mailto:[email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... v 1.0 Program Strategy ................................................................................................................ 1 2.0 Activities and Results .......................................................................................................... 3

2.1 Component 1: Combating Wildlife Trafficking .................................................... 3 2.1.1 Define the role of Regional Institutions in Combatting Wildlife Trafficking in West

Africa........................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.2 Support Regional partnerships and action plans for protection of threatened

wildlife species .......................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.3 Establish baselines for threats to biodiversity including wildlife trafficking in West

Africa........................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.4 Conduct Scoping study on state of knowledge on Aquatic ETPs, priorities and

strategic interventions ............................................................................................................ 6 2.1.5 Enhance public awareness on CITES and behaviour change in favour of CWT....... 6 2.1.6 Build capacity for CWT enforcement and prosecution ................................................. 7 2.1.7 Strengthen regional and national coordination and cooperation in data generation,

sharing and use for enforcement ......................................................................................... 9 2.1.8 Use of new technologies in wildlife enforcement .......................................................... 10 2.1.9 Create or strengthen networks and collaboration. ...................................................... 11

2.2 Component 2: Increasing Coastal Resilience to Climate Change .......................... 13 2.2.1 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the Fresco Landscape ...................... 14 2.2.2 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape

Complex .................................................................................................................................. 14 2.2.3 Options Analysis to Improve Resilience to Climate Change in the Sierra Leone

Coastal Landscape Complex ............................................................................................... 14 2.2.4 Socioeconomic Situation Baseline of the Coastal Landscape Complex, Sierra

Leone ........................................................................................................................................ 15 2.2.5 Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis Exercise .................................................................... 16 2.2.6 Mangrove Cover Baseline in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape............................ 16 2.2.7 Community Participatory Land Use Planning.................................................................. 17 2.2.8 Ground Truthing Field Mission in the Sierra Leone Costal Landscape Complex .. 17 2.2.9 Land Tenure Clarifications for Mangrove Restoration in the Sierra Leone Coastal

Landscape Complex .............................................................................................................. 19 2.2.10 Formation of the Coastal Traditional Chiefs’ Network ............................................... 19 2.2.11 Establishment of Parliamentarian Network to support Abidjan Convention

Implementation ...................................................................................................................... 20 2.2.12 Formation of Community Natural Resource Working Groups (CNRWG) ........... 20 2.2.13 Formation of the Bonthe Sherbro Ecosystem Schools Nature Club ........................ 20

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2.2.14 Bonthe-Sherbro Nature Club Supports Mangrove Restoration in the SLCLC ...... 21 2.2.15 Piloting the Integrating Mangroves and Rice Planting to Increase Coastal Resilience

in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex .......................................................... 21 2.2.16 Needs Assessment for Community Flood Defence Structures ................................. 22 2.2.17 Improvement of the Policy Enabling Environment ......................................................... 22 2.2.18 National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) .................................................................................... 22

2.3 Component 3: Reducing Deforestation, Forest Degradation, AND Biodiversity Loss ......................................................................................................................... 23 2.3.1 Transboundary Landscape Grant Mechanism ................................................................. 24 2.3.2 Carbon Baseline – Assessment of Potentials within Protected Areas .......................... 24 2.3.3 Capacity building .................................................................................................................... 26 2.3.4 Fostering Trust-Based Relationships at Landscape and National Levels .................. 26 2.3.5 Strengthening Stakeholders Transboundary Landscape Collaboration .................... 26 2.3.6 Mobilization for Forest Landscape Restoration and Community Based Forestry

Natural Resource Management .......................................................................................... 27 2.3.7 Supporting REDD+ In Guinea and promoting learning from other States .............. 28 2.3.8 Supporting National Species Working Groups .............................................................. 29 2.3.9 Species Conservation Strategies and Actions Plan ........................................................ 29

2.4 Policy and Practice Linkages ................................................................................ 29 2.4.1 WA BiCC Engagements at COP 22 .................................................................................. 30

2.5 Partnerships and Collaboration ........................................................................... 30 2.5.1 The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ............................... 30 2.5.2 The Abidjan Convention ...................................................................................................... 31 2.5.3 Mano River Union (MRU) .................................................................................................... 33 2.5.4 Donors’ Roundtable Meeting on Biodiversity Conservation in West Africa .......... 34 2.5.5 Developing Partnerships with the Private Sector .......................................................... 34 2.5.6 Facilitating Collaboration between Abidjan Convention Implementation Partners

.................................................................................................................................................... 34 2.5.7 Developing Partnerships with IUCN on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) ...... 34 2.5.8 Engaging with Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) 2020 activities ..................................... 35

3.0 Crosscutting Activities ...................................................................................................... 36 3.1 Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) .................................................... 36

3.1.1 Capacity Building .................................................................................................................... 36 3.1.2 Communications .................................................................................................................... 40 3.1.3 Communications for Change (BCC) ................................................................................. 42 3.1.4 Grants Management .............................................................................................................. 45 3.1.5 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (M&E) ............................................................................. 46

4.0 Program Management ...................................................................................................... 48 Annex A: M&E Indicator Table .................................................................................................. 50 Annex B: Social Media Report ................................................................................................... 61

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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CIESIN Center for International Earth Science Information Network

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

CLA Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting

CMS Convention on Migratory Species

COP12 12th Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention

COP17 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

COP21 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

COP22 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

CWT Combatting Wildlife Trafficking

ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States

ETP Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

FDA Forest Development Authority of Liberia

FLR Forest Landscape Restoration

GESI Gender and Social Inclusion

GHG Green House Gas

ICT Information and Communication Technology

ICZM Integrated Coastal Zone Management

IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature

MEP Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

MP Member of Parliament

MRU Mano River Union

NAP National Adaptation Plan

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NGO Nongovernmental Organization

RAMPAO Reseaux des Aires Protegées Marines de l’Afrique de l’Ouest

REDD+ Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

SLCLC Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex

TA Threats Assessment

TGS Tai-Grebo-Sapo Transboundary Landscape Complex

UNFCCC Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

USAID United States Agency for International Development

VA Vulnerability Assessment

WA BiCC West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change

WASCAL West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use

ZWW Ziama-Wologize-Wonegize Transboundary Landscape Complex

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Annual Progress Report covers the reporting period October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017. The overall goal of the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) program is to improve conservation and climate-resilient, low-emission growth across West Africa. Although regional in scope and design, WA BiCC focuses on targeted geographical areas within the region to improve governance and policies that strengthen the conservation of critical ecosystems and the well-being of the people that depend on these ecosystems. By working through the core regional partners Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mano River Union (MRU), and the Abidjan Convention, and with targeted national and sub-national institutions, WA BiCC increases the capacity of institutions at all levels to address the three core WA BiCC components:

• Combating wildlife trafficking through the revision and operationalization of national and regional policies, laws, and regulations. The program strengthens national and regional networks and institutions by building their capacity to enforce trafficking laws.

• Increasing coastal resilience to climate change through integrated planning and the strengthened capacity of local, national, and regional frameworks. WA BiCC is building capacity to generate and use climate information in coastal planning, supporting the National Adaptation Planning processes and scaling up and sharing information on effective coastal adaptation strategies.

• Reducing deforestation, forest degradation, and biodiversity loss in through technical and knowledge management support. The program is improving capacity for economic planning and development of low emissions development strategies, reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), and transboundary conservation strategies while simultaneously engaging the private sector and supporting the sustainable management of natural resources and conservation of biodiversity.

Tetra Tech ARD implements WA BiCC together with a consortium of international partners, namely, Palladium Group, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), PCI Media Impact and Pact. Year 2 of WA BiCC implementation builds on and strengthens the accomplishments of Year 1.

The first year focused on laying the foundation for collaboration with core regional and other partners, gathering baseline assessment data, designing landscape grant requests, undertaking targeted activities and conducting in-depth analyses to establish a solid foundation to achieve WA BiCC’s anticipated results. A feature of Year 2, stridently and unanimously articulated by WA BiCC’s core regional partners during the Year 3 annual work planning exercise (Coordination Committee meeting and Work Plan Validation workshop), is the burgeoning confidence, collaboration and trust-based relationships enjoyed by all parties. The foundation phase has ushered in a year of consolidation across the program where: key recruitments have culminated in a complete and delivery-oriented staffing structure; strategies, plans and activities were refined and better articulated based on a greater situational awareness and better data; and constituent WA BiCC parts have blended together as a solid, functional and integrated team.

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WA BiCC is poised for a dynamic implementation Year 3 based on a compact of co-commitment with its core regional and other partners, where the program will continue to build on previous years with increasing rigor and intellectual prowess.

KEY MILESTONES

COMPONENT 1: COMBATING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING

A significant milestone for information generation and identifying priority needs and activities was the Biodiversity/Combatting Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Threats Assessment (TA) undertaken by the Born Free Foundation in collaboration with the Freeland Foundation. The objectives of the TA were to evaluate the status and effectiveness of existing policies and judicial frameworks related to CWT in West Africa; to identify legislative gaps that constrain CWT in the region; to document perceived and evidence-based impacts of wildlife trafficking on West African biodiversity by country and species; and define potential mitigation and capacity building activities. The field assessments were completed in six countries, (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo) while Liberia is scheduled for early FY18. The draft reports received have elicited great interest from USAID bilateral missions, and given the nature and quality of information discovered and the interest by core regional Partner ECOWAS to develop a regional CWT Strategy, it is planned to extend the TA to the remaining 8 West African States.

In terms of policy milestones, WA BiCC contributed significantly to the Abidjan Convention 12th Conference of Parties where it organised a side event related to the harvest of aquatic Endangered, Threatened, and Protected (ETP) species for consumption and trade. The event highlighted the need for greater awareness of and information on illegal harvesting and trade in these species. It also called for the establishment of a ‘non-binding partnership’ and a strategy to address identified issues. As a follow up recommendation from the event, an informal working group was set up including the World Bank, OceanCare, the Reseau des Aires Marines Protegees de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, WA BiCC and the AbC. The group has drafted a concept note to set up the proposed partnership; an action plan for the partnership; and initiated a study to map existing information, gaps and priorities to address problems related to aquatic ETP trafficking. A formal launch of this partnership is scheduled for the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species which will take place in Manila in October 2017.

Another milestone for WA BiCC was the conclusion of the training of its first cohort of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Master’s students. All twelve WA BiCC-supported students completed their field work and eleven were able to submit and successfully defend their theses within the deadline stipulated by the University of Andalucía. The 12th Master’s degree will be awarded during the next training cycle. Several of these students are already using the acquired knowledge to further conservation of threatened species in their countries. These students were instrumental in the design and field implementation of the CWT TA in the six countries surveyed so far. Other students have been engaged in hands-on conservation of endangered sea turtles, training of conservation officers, and are actively revising national policy processes to strengthen relevant institutions to more effectively implement CITES commitments.

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COMPONENT 2: INCREASING COASTAL RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

The final report on the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (VA), conducted in the Sierra Leone coastal landscape complex (SCLC), was completed during this period. Through this, WA BiCC established a mangrove cover baseline in the four learning sites within the landscape complex. The assessment found that Sierra Leone lost 26% of its mangrove cover over a 26-year period, or approximately 1% mangrove forest loss per year.

An options analysis was also undertaken with stakeholders to identify viable interventions to improve coastal resilience to climate change in four learning sites within the larger landscape complex. As a follow-on to the VA options analysis, a land use mapping and planning exercise was completed across the landscape in February to understand mangrove forest land use distribution and to identify potential mangrove restoration areas, including improvement of ecological conditions and ways to improve local livelihoods.

A stakeholder mapping exercise was completed which informed the establishment of a Traditional Chief’s Network (TCN) in the SLCLC. The TCN serves as link between local community practice and policy at the national level. As its first achievement, the network succeeded in managing a community conflict in the Bonthe-Sherbro sub-landscape.

A nature club was established in Bonthe Island. The members are already active and their activities are improving the level of awareness of the value of mangroves for climate change adaptation and actions on other environmental issues in the Bonthe-Sherbro region.

In collaboration with the Bonthe-Sherbro Nature Club, mangrove restoration activities were launched in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex to mark the National Tree Planting Day of Sierra Leone. Planning for the VA in the Fresco landscape in Côte d’Ivoire advanced and negotiations are underway to finalize a grant that will support that activity. An overall climate analysis for the MRU Member States was completed, with a view to improving adaptation planning and policy reforms in these countries.

Policy milestones include WA BiCC’s support for the development of additional protocols to the Abidjan Convention on Sustainable Use of Mangroves and Integrated Coastal Zone Management, along with the development of a Strategy to Combat Invasive Species. In March, WA BiCC participated actively at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention, where the Parties adopted the protocols and strategy. In August, WA BiCC continued its information dissemination by briefing a Congregational Delegation on interventions in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex and West Africa.

In summary, climate change is complex, and its impacts will have no geographical frontiers both inside and outside countries. That is why to increase coastal resilience across West Africa, WA BiCC is taking a vertical and horizontally integrated approach to identify and implement solutions. This implies that WA BiCC seeks to understand local to regional socio-economic and governance context before acting. Thus, WA BiCC’s resiliency actions for instance: mangrove restoration, strengthening of local governance structures, information dissemination and the adoption of the regional protocols on sustainable mangrove management and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), amongst others, have valuably contributed to combating wildlife trafficking and protecting species, including humans, avoiding deforestation and mitigation of climate change effects through carbon sequestration.

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COMPONENT 3: REDUCING DEFORESTATION, FOREST DEGRADATION, AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS

Three consortia of prospective grantees made up of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and national partner organizations were selected to undertake conservation and livelihood activities in the three transboundary forest landscapes. The landscapes are the Tai-Grebo-Sapo (TGS) forest landscape complex between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, the Gola International Peace Park Transboundary Landscape between Liberia and Sierra Leone and the Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi (ZWW) Transboundary landscape between Liberia and Guinea. The interventions comprise conservation related activities including biomonitoring, corridor establishment to connect isolated protected areas, enhanced protected areas management, community engagement to protect forest and biodiversity while supporting activities that improve livelihoods, enhancing policy and good governance while encouraging collaborative learning. Specific livelihood activities foreseen include expanding community forest management with more local benefit capture, increasing forest product value chains for legal timber and non-timber forest products and supporting small-scale gender-balanced enterprises, building on experiences in the region of USAID and other partner experiences and learning. Contracting arrangements are finalized or close to finalization with the respective grantees.

The carbon potential of WA BiCC targeted Protected Areas of Gola, TGS and ZWW were assessed during the reporting period. In addition, two contractual (control) sites where WA BiCC will not intervene were also assessed. The assessment will be repeated at the end of the WA BiCC program and differences will be compared between areas of intervention and that of control. This will enable a determination of WA BiCC/partner contributions. WA BICC is exploring various options with selected pilot countries (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo) to enhance reporting on their national determined contribution (NDC). WA BiCC is currently in discussion with the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) are engaged in the discussion and options are under consideration. Representatives from each landscape were selected and trained in carbon assessment techniques through collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and will support the grantees work in the landscapes. A network of forest inventory experts in carbon assessments was established and information sharing promoted.

WA BiCC fostered trust-based relationships with landscape and national partners including government institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs/CBOs), chiefs/community leadership and other development partners. In collaboration with other TGS partners, WA BiCC organized the bilateral TGS Steering Committee between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. This was under the leadership of MRU and witnessed by ECOWAS country representatives. Local administrators from the border area including the Prefects of Tai and Dabou from Côte d’Ivoire and Superintendents of Sinoe, Zwedru and River Gee Counties in Liberia actively participated. A draft agreement to guide bilateral and coordinated support to the TGS was developed, endorsed and is currently the subject of wider consultation, in each of the two countries, prior to final adoption. Transboundary sub-committees for public sensitization, law enforcement, policy enhancement and corridor negotiation to connect protected areas were established.

West Africa has already lost 90% of their forests and many countries have identified REDD+ as an option to save the remaining forests and enrich degraded landscapes. Guinea expressed the willingness to adopt the REDD+ scheme and therefore convened its REDD+ National Coordination Committee

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and commenced mobilization efforts for technical and financial support. WA-BiCC’s targeted support was to mobilize Guineans from all eco-regions in Kindia, Nzerekore, Boke, Kankan, Labe and Conakry to understand the full extent of forest landscape degradation and consider the REDD+ initiative as the only viable alternative to conserve Guinea’s dwindling and threatened forest ecosystem and biodiversity resources. A final National Stakeholders Workshop, attended by the Minister for Forests and Water Resources and representatives from government, CSOs, councils and religious organizations, was held to present the results from the regional workshops and provide guidance on how to move forward. Experts from Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire shared their rich experiences developing REDD+ Strategies with the Guinean participants. A taskforce was established and will work towards the production of a country specific REDD+ Readiness Road Map. The road map will be used by Guinea to attract development partners, enabling the country to advance its own REDD+ program to a position where it is on par with neighboring MRU countries.

A Species Working Group (SWG) was established in Liberia with the technical and financial support of WA BiCC as well as national and other development partners. The SWG is bringing together experts working on plant and animal species to discuss a conservation strategy for threatened species in support of the country’s CITES and related commitments. Since the inaugural meeting, the group has met regularly and created four sub-committees including threatened plants and animals, biomonitoring, and sensitization/law enforcement. It has become an invaluable resource and advisory body for Forestry Development Authority and other development partners. The approach will be scaled up to other MRU countries and will help create a network of dedicated MRU experts on call to guide and support threatened species conservation within Upper Guinean Forest Landscape.

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1.0 PROGRAM STRATEGY The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) established the five-year West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) Program in 2015 with the overall goal to improve conservation, climate resilience, and low emission development across the West Africa sub-region. WA BiCC is the largest investment in the environmental sector in West Africa, at close to $50 million.

The WA BiCC Program is an ambitious effort that co-generates, documents, and shares knowledge and learning to influence policy and practice, based on implementation experiences within WA BiCC-supported “learning landscapes” and those managed by other practitioners and partners in the region. Effective interventions are designed, implemented, and evaluated in partnership with three core regional partners. These are the Environment Directorate of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Mano River Union (MRU) and the Abidjan Convention. Knowledge and lessons identified by ongoing work, or generated directly because of WA BiCC support, are communicated broadly yet strategically to serve as model interventions to be adopted, adapted and replicated or scaled up in the pursuit of most effective policies and practices.

WA BiCC is implemented by Tetra Tech ARD, in association with five main implementing partners, or sub-contractors: Pact supports capacity building; Palladium supports Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) and advocacy; PCI Media Impact supports communications and outreach; and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) supports efforts on related to climate change resilience, mitigation, adaptation and vulnerability.

WA BiCC comprises three core technical components:

• Combating wildlife trafficking through the revision and operationalization of national and regional policies, laws, and regulations. The program strengthens national and regional networks and institutions by building their capacity to develop, strengthen and/or enforce trafficking laws. National action plans and community-led behavioral change campaigns will be considered based on the outcomes of an ongoing TA, intended to increase the understanding of the dynamics of this issue in West Africa, which is limited compared to other regions in Africa.

• Increasing coastal resilience to climate change through integrated planning and supporting the development of local, national, and regional frameworks to increase resilience. WA BiCC is building capacity to generate and use climate information in coastal planning, supporting National Adaptation Planning processes while scaling up and sharing information on effective coastal adaptation strategies

• Reducing deforestation, forest degradation and biodiversity loss through the identification, generation, distilling and disseminating technical and policy knowledge through the undertaking of activities across five learning landscapes, organizing learning events between countries in the region and facilitating the adaptation or development of relevant policies and strategies. The program is improving capacity for economic planning and development of low emissions development strategies, REDD+, and transboundary conservation strategies while


simultaneously engaging the private sector and supporting the sustainable management of natural resources that promote improved livelihoods and the conservation of biodiversity.

The components are supported by complementary crosscutting components essential to the success of the program. These include GESI, Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA), communications and capacity building that focuses on sustainability by increasing the organizational and technical capacities of the core regional partners. A Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (MEP) with a clear set of indicators guides activity development and reporting, which is complimented by a robust focus on learning.


2.0 ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS 2.1 COMPONENT 1: COMBATING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING

Growing demand for illegally traded animal and plant wildlife and animal and plant products is devastating biological diversity across Africa and beyond. In 2015, the United Nations passed an unprecedented resolution on tackling wildlife trafficking at its 69th session. While much attention is paid to this issue in Eastern, Southern and Central Africa, wildlife trafficking and the concomitant criminal activities that accompany it must be more effectively and systematically addressed in West Africa.

FIGURE 1. COMPONENT 1 THEORY OF CHANGE

WA BiCC links current knowledge to policy and decision-making processes for wildlife protection. Making such information available to decision makers, at national, regional and global levels is one of the key approaches adopted by Component 1 and to do so during FY17, WA BiCC targeted two global events and established links with subject matter specialists and institutions.

2.1.1 DEFINE THE ROLE OF REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN COMBATTING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING IN WEST AFRICA

In collaboration with the Environment Directorate of ECOWAS, WA BiCC organized a side event at the CITES 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Johannesburg to solicit from West African delegates, their views on: priority species for conservation in West Africa; critical challenges they face in implementing CITES; and the role that West African regional institutions should play. These views were captured in an opinion piece that highlights key lessons for West African countries from the COP17 which is available at http://www.wabicc.org/en/after-the-dust-settles-lessons-from-cites-cop17-for-west-african-countries/. The article identifies the need for a united voice in order to achieve influence in global policy decision making and for more champion countries to develop and implement a clear agenda

http://www.wabicc.org/en/after-the-dust-settles-lessons-from-cites-cop17-for-west-african-countries/



for wildlife protection. Because of this event, the ECOWAS commission will host an event in Abuja bringing together national focal points for CITES and wildlife conservation experts to discuss coordination with ECOWAS, implementation of COP17 decisions, planning for COP18 and design of a regional strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking.

2.1.2 SUPPORT REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND ACTION PLANS FOR PROTECTION OF THREATENED WILDLIFE SPECIES

Beyond the need for a regional approach to fight wildlife crime, identify the species that are most affected and understand the causal pathways, it is critical to inform policy making processes at regional and global levels. The TA initiated will provide much needed information on species and national priorities for legislation and enforcement action. At the same time, preliminary research identified the importance of taking a closer look at the specific category of threatened wildlife that is dependent on or spends a major part of its life around water. WA BiCC partnered with the Abidjan Convention, the World Bank, Birdlife, Wetlands International, OceanCare and the Reseaux des Aires Protegees Marines de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (RAMPAO), to organize a side event that addressed illegal harvesting of Aquatic Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) Species for Consumption and Trade at the Abidjan Convention’s twelfth Conference of the Parties (COP 12) in March 2017. The event was a first attempt to establish opinions of key stakeholders on the importance of the issue

and to define a process to acquire a deeper understanding of context and appropriate response options. Consensus was reached on the limited and disparate nature of available information; the need to establish an action plan for conservation of aquatic birds, mammals, reptile and fish species that are threatened by over catch and not adequately protected by either the fisheries or wildlife authorities. Finally, resolutions of COP12 also stated the need for a ‘non-binding partnership’ to coordinate conservation efforts for the aquatic ETP species. Three key outputs have been achieved by this working group including a concept note that describes the vision and structure of the partnership; a draft action plan; and a scoping study to establish current knowledge, gaps and priority interventions to address illegal harvest, trade and consumption of aquatic ETPs. These outputs will be presented at the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) COP13 in Manila in late October. The CMS COP provides an opportunity to share preliminary results of the scoping study, solicit feedback from delegates on the partnership concept and the draft strategy, and to invite the CMS secretariat to join the partnership, thereby forming a bridge between the CMS and CITES conventions.

In terms of terrestrial species, WA BiCC engaged the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) to determine ways to work together to strengthen protection of elephants and reduce ivory trafficking in West

Photo 1: Examples of aquatic species suffering from over-harvesting – Green sea turtle (Endangered), Great white pelican (Least Concern), and African manatee (Vulnerable).


Africa. Although a formal framework for the partnership is still under discussion, several possible areas of collaboration were identified and collaboration has begun. EPI recently completed an elephant action plan for Liberia and has specifically requested support from WA BiCC to develop an elephant action plan for Côte d’Ivoire. They have requested other funds and hope to use any contribution from WA BiCC as seed funding to leverage additional funds for this activity. Some funds have been included in the TGS landscape grant and next steps will include the identification of appropriate mechanisms for co-funding and actual roles of each partner in the process.

2.1.3 ESTABLISH BASELINES FOR THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY INCLUDING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING IN WEST AFRICA

During the reporting period, WA BiCC conducted critical Biodiversity Threats Assessments (TA) that focus on Combatting Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) in West Africa. The objectives of the TA are to evaluate the status and effectiveness of existing policies and judicial frameworks to identify dynamics and scale of CWT in West Africa along the legislative gaps that constrain CWT in the region to document evidence-based impacts of wildlife trafficking on West African biodiversity by country and species, and define potential mitigation and capacity building activities. The field assessments have been completed in six countries including Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo. Liberia is scheduled for early in FY18.

Photo 2: Seahorses being trafficked through Lungi Airport in Sierra Leone

Preliminary results show low levels of awareness about CITES even amongst enforcement agencies; the need to provide basic training on identification of threatened species; urgent requests for training of enforcement agents including police, judiciary and wildlife officers on CITES and national wildlife legislation; and the need to establish coordination mechanisms and protocols for managing seizures and crime scenes. The TA has provided findings beyond expectation. In Sierra Leone for instance, it was a surprise to observe that even small species such as seahorses are being traded illegally. With regard to this species, it will be of interest to observe how this can lead to investigative action through the Management Authority of CITES, or to research by the Scientific Authority of CITES. It will be useful


amongst other things, to know more about the fishing tools and methods used to capture thousands of this small species to understand the ecological consequence of this illegal trade. The trafficking is from Sierra Leone to Belgium, and this kind of trade should be considered when defining policy implementation and wildlife enforcement priorities.

Draft country assessment reports for Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo are under review and reports for Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone are almost completed. Two additional reports include an analysis of the wildlife policy and legislative context within these countries, and a comparative analysis of threats to biodiversity and wildlife enforcement across the target countries. The draft reports received have elicited great interest from USAID bilateral missions and given the nature and quality of information discovered, it is planned to extend the threats assessment to the remaining 8 West African States.

To complement the biodiversity TA, WA BiCC included a CWT Regional Stakeholder Mapping and analysis. A draft protocol was designed for data collection and the actual analysis will take place between October 2017 and February 2018. The purpose of this study is to understand the CWT environment in terms of existing champions, active institutions, and positive or negative interests of various stakeholders that could either enhance or constrain the implementation of WA BiCC’s mandate for building enforcement capacity and strengthening wildlife policy implementation. Initially the TA was to include a sociologist to understand the socio-economic impacts of the wildlife trade and to determine if traffickers were exploiting poor or vulnerable communities, or if economic need was a driver or contributor to CWT on the local, national and/or regional levels in West Africa. However, it was determined that without more comprehensive understanding of the nature, scale, scope and drivers of CWT in the region, and whether the trafficking and trade was being driven in the region or if West Africa was more of a transit point, the sociological and economic analysis would be too broad at the outset. As the baseline situation becomes more clear, follow-on socio-economic studies can be defined to address specific outcomes. Other assessments will include a regional wildlife policy analysis to determine opportunities and gaps to support ECOWAS’s request for support to develop a West Africa regional strategy for CWT.

2.1.4 CONDUCT SCOPING STUDY ON STATE OF KNOWLEDGE ON AQUATIC ETPS, PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS

WA BiCC is currently undertaking a scoping study that commenced during the reporting period to map existing knowledge and gaps as well as priority interventions and active institutions in conserving threatened species of aquatic mammals, reptiles, birds and fish. Through this exercise, WA BiCC and its partners seek to better understand the regional dynamics of illegal consumption and trade in aquatic ETP species to design activities for increased knowledge, awareness, skills, and tools, as well as coordination between partners. Preliminary results confirm that manatees, five species of turtle, seven species of dolphin, one species of crocodile, and several wetland bird species are regularly hunted for either human consumption or as bait. Such information is not abundant overall and seems to be less available in West Africa than elsewhere. For instance, it was possible to find some reference articles but difficult to estimate species harvest quantities.

2.1.5 ENHANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS ON CITES AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE IN FAVOUR OF CWT


WA BiCC participated in various events during FY17 to raise awareness on wildlife conservation, such as World Wildlife Day (see section 3.1.3 below for more information). These events are valuable platforms for advocacy and policy influencing, bringing together national experts in biodiversity conservation, government officials, donor representatives, practitioners and policy makers.

An opinion piece entitled “After the Dust Has Settled” on conclusions of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP 17)—held in September 2016—was posted on WA BiCC social media platforms and its first quarterly newsletter. Among the issues highlighted was the need for better regional coordination on CITES issues in West Africa. In addition two tweets from the WA BiCC team participating at the COP 17 were picked up and used by the Washington Post in an article on Elephant Poachers during the COP. Consequently, WA BiCC secured the commitment of TRAFFIC, a global wildlife conservation and trade organization, to co-host with ECOWAS, a post-COP 17 workshop to strategize on the implementation of commitments based on the listing or upgrading of additional species. The workshop was initially planned for March 2017 but was postponed until a later date in FY18 (to be determined) in order to ensure ECOWAS ownership of the event. Another issue highlighted in the opinion piece is the need to introduce or adapt new technologies to support decision making and strengthen enforcement of wildlife legislation in West Africa.

2.1.6 BUILD CAPACITY FOR CWT ENFORCEMENT AND PROSECUTION

Implementing CWT policies and legislation is only possible when there is a cadre of trained and competent individuals who understand the issues, are aware of the rules and possess the necessary skills to enforce existing policies and legislation. During FY17, WA BiCC focused on two pilot activities: training West African judges and prosecutors; and training wildlife agents from the National CITES authorities.

Advanced training judges and prosecutors on enforcement of environment and wildlife legislation WA BiCC partnered with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice (ENRD) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to provide a follow up training to 37 judges and prosecutors from Benin, Gabon, Ghana, Niger, Republic of Congo and Togo, 25 of whom were from West Africa. The general subject matter of this 5-day workshop built upon the content of the foundational Accra Workshop in FY16 and included: updates on the global wildlife trafficking trade and its impacts in Africa; considerations with respect to evidence gathering and the role of forensics in particular; case development and presentation; the presentation of evidence and witnesses; money laundering and asset forfeiture; and the effects of official corruption on enforcement. Most of the subjects included corresponding practical exercises. The workshop venue was near the Port of Lome and the shipping container scanning operation that effectuated the 2014 ivory seizures. To provide context for the counter-trafficking substance of the workshop, the participants benefited from observing first-hand the facilities involved in this successful interdiction, but also from a presentation by Government of Togo authorities describing the totality of the law enforcement effort that led to these seizures, including: the agencies involved and effective techniques for inter-agency cooperation; the technology and investigative methods deployed; the role of international cooperation; and lessons learned from successful operations.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/09/26/elephant-poachers-are-even-deadlier-than-we-knew/?utm_term=.ec3209f1599e


Photo 3: Group Photograph at the Advanced Training of Judges and Prosecutors

ENRD prosecutors, UNODC, EAGLE Network and WA BiCC provided most of the instruction and agents from U.S. investigative agencies working in Africa, such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, also participated. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Lomé and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), among others, attended the program. The follow-on Advanced Regional Workshop on Combating Wildlife Trafficking for Officers and Prosecutors was successful in providing an interactive, participatory platform for participants and experts to share information and case studies in addressing crimes related to combating wildlife trafficking and illegal logging. The workshop illustrated the benefit of having an initial workshop that framed the wildlife and environmental crimes through a different lens and the participants were ready to discuss how they have been applying and noticing what they have learned at the previous workshop to the cases that emerged since. The overall approach of having the U.S. legal perspective at the forefront was a sound one to provide additional perspective on international best practices, but may require some adaptation in future trainings that involve participants from a mix of Francophone and Anglophone countries who all have slight nuances to their legal systems.

Next steps include organizing a similar training for West African judges and prosecutors; and building on the experiences of this workshop series while integrating some of the needs expressed to WA BiCC by other West African countries that did not participate in these trainings. WA BiCC will follow up with State Department, Department of Justice, and UNODC to discuss the proposed training and explore collaboration on a follow-on activity.


Master’s degree training on CITES for West African Wildlife Agents Following the enrolment and completion of coursework at the University of Andalucía during FY16, the CITES Master’s degree students supported by WA BiCC completed their field research and thesis reports during FY17. WA BiCC worked with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a grantee to provide technical and financial support to the 12 students in designing and implementing their field research, and subsequently in drafting their thesis reports. The students were provided with literature as well as with a team of mentors to guide them through this process and help review their documents. All students completed their thesis, and except for the Liberia student, were able to submit them within the deadline set by the university.

Going forward, WA BiCC has begun working with the West African students to design dissemination and awareness raising workshops to be led by each student within their country, and planning for the 2018 batch of students has begun. Guiding documents for the selection process have been drafted including a ToR, selection criteria and a cover letter, a tentative agreement has been reached with the CITES MSc Course Director to send 15 West African students for the 2018 session.

2.1.7 STRENGTHEN REGIONAL AND NATIONAL COORDINATION AND COOPERATION IN DATA GENERATION, SHARING AND USE FOR ENFORCEMENT

A key constraint to CWT implementation is the availability of, and access to data on the status of key threatened species. Country reports to the CBD or CITES show that huge gaps in listing of various taxonomic groups for instance, or in numbering threatened species. Whereas some if this data does not exist, some of it has actually been collected by NGOs, or academic and research institutions but is not shared with national CITES or wildlife conservation authorities. Furthermore, coordination amongst agencies has been found to be weak at both national and regional levels, hence there is often insufficient data available for use in enforcement. During FY17, WA BiCC tested several approaches to strengthening availability of data, and link available information to wildlife enforcement end users, particularly through the TA.

Contribution of CITES student research to policy and enforcement processes The recently trained CITES Master’s students generated a huge body of knowledge covering various aspects of the wildlife enforcement in their countries. Several students demonstrated the lack of clarity on institutional roles, whilst others highlighted low levels of awareness even within government and enforcement agencies for wildlife protection. The data generated by these thesis is yielding positive outcomes and being used to initiate concrete enforcement action. Specifically:

• African Rosewood Stock study. During the CITES COP17, the Senegal CITES Master’s student used part of the data he collected to demonstrate that African Rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceaus) stocks in Senegal had been severely depleted and required intervention from the global CITES community. His participation on a panel at an African Union side event was key to consolidating the support of African delegates for upgrade of African pangolins to CITES Appendix 1. At the national level, he was instrumental in getting a new wildlife legislation drafted and submitted to Parliament that integrates CITES principles, and is now working on getting a draft forestry legislation proposal to parliament.

• Awareness studies. The theses from Sierra Leone, Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo, all assess levels of awareness of CITES in these countries. The data reveals that overall knowledge


and awareness of CITES is low; that institutions hosting the management authorities are consistently those that seem to be most aware hence signing up to CITES and setting up the prescribed management structures is in itself a booster for awareness; levels of awareness vary based on geographical location within a country but appear to be highest in the capital where these institutions are present; and finally that there are different types of awareness that need to be addressed. This data will be complemented by similar information coming from the Biodiversity TA and will be used to design targeted awareness raising and capacity building programs in FY18.

FIGURE 2. DATA ON CITES AWARENESS IN LIBERIA GENERATED AS PART OF THE MASTER’S THESIS PROGRAM.

• CITES functional compliance. The Gambia thesis reveals that there is one institution (i.e. the Parks Service) fulfilling several functions including the management, research and enforcement of CITES. It demonstrates that this is not in compliance with CITES principles and recommends how other institutions could be empowered to redistribute roles and render CITES implementation more effective. The University of Banjul, for example, could play the role of Scientific Authority. These recommendations have been captured in a concept note recently submitted by the Government of The Gambia to the CITES Secretariat, requesting financial support to hold stakeholder dialogues and initiate a process for re-allocation of institutional roles and definition of processes and responsibilities for CITES implementation. It should be noted that these trends are quite extensive given that Senegal, Togo and the Gambia have all developed proposals for reviewing their CITES implementation institutions and national wildlife and forestry legislation.

2.1.8 USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT

WA BiCC has identified several technologies that could strengthen enforcement efforts in West Africa. Those that are currently being promoted or piloted include use of social media, phone applications for identification of threatened species or products, data sharing platforms. These include the following:

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Do you know about CITES? Yes Do you know about CITES? No


• Use of social media as a tool for enforcement appears to be a useful way of disseminating information to the public. WA BiCC makes extensive use of Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and WhatsApp to capture and share information on events, seizures of wildlife, linking its networks to those of key partners such as other USAID missions, EAGLE Network or Born Free Foundation and Traffic. WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups have proven to be an effective way of getting CITES enforcement agents to network freely and was tested with the CITES Masters students and the trained judges and prosecutors. An interesting event occurred when WA BiCC staff using a Facebook group were informed of a case of attempted pangolin trafficking in Benin. This was communicated to the EAGLE Network who mobilized the government enforcement agents and arrested the trafficker, freeing two live pangolins. Information on this seizure was again disseminated on Facebook.

Photo 4: An example of social media working for enforcement

• WildScan. Discussions are well underway with Born Free Foundation and Freeland to develop a West Africa version of the WildScan phone application and conduct trainings for CWT professionals across West Africa on its uses in both enforcement and awareness raising. A contract is already under negotiation and once developed, this tool will build the capacity of enforcement agencies to identify species that are protected by CITES.

2.1.9 CREATE OR STRENGTHEN NETWORKS AND COLLABORATION.

Capacity for combatting organized crime in West Africa is currently dispersed with various government, NGO or other institutions having different levels of skill, data, mandates and ability. Consequently, it is critical to link these institutions across thematic disciplines, but also across geographic boundaries and from national through regional to global scales, thereby providing platforms for sharing information, human and financial resources across institutions and countries. During FY17, WA BiCC contributed to this in several ways:

• Guinea registration in the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI): WA BiCC informed the wildlife authorities in Guinea, of the opportunity to be part of the EPI network and facilitated renewed discussions between the Direction Nationale des Eaux et Forêts and the EPI. The Guinea government has indicated its willingness to join EPI and has prepared and submitted documentation to start the process. The EPI network will provide Guinea with access to


expertise in development of elephant protection action plans and in conducting national ivory inventories amongst other benefits.

• Engaged national authorities in Threats Assessments: The implementation of the TA in each country was done through the National CITES management authority. The focal points and the recent graduates of the CITES Master’s degree program were all involved in the design of the study, as well as in its implementation which included the conducting of key informant interviews. This not only gave them a first-hand overview of issues that they might not ordinarily have had the time or financial resources to apprehend, but also provided an opportunity for them to learn and share their own knowledge with the customs, police intelligence and other experts from the Born Free consortium. Finally, this activity also served to initiate contact between the wildlife authorities, and other national institutions who should play a role in CITES. In many instances, this was an impromptu education opportunity on CITES and wildlife conservation to the police, customs and airport or railway authorities who were interviewed.

• Linked wildlife experts and university professors: To supervise the CITES Master’s degree students, WA BiCC identified at least one senior wildlife professional, or a university lecturer specialized in biology and wildlife. They were brought together for a 3-day workshop and provided opportunities to make new contacts across countries and thematic disciplines, getting to better understand what CITES was and establishing long-term collaboration amongst each other beyond the specific activity of supervising the students. Throughout this workshop and the subsequent interactions with each other and with the students from different countries, wildlife professionals were able to learn about the issues, strategies, and regional dimensions of CWT and how they could contribute to enforcement from their various perspectives.

• Created or supported Species Working Groups (SWGs): WA BiCC developed a concept note for establishing or supporting specialist networks for conservation of threatened species. In Liberia, WA BiCC participated in several meetings with the existing SWG and the Forest Development Authority (FDA). Currently, WA BiCC is working with authorities in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone to scale up the concept and ultimately create a regional network of experts who can provide information on specific threatened species, and help to develop action plans for their conservation.

• Creating virtual platforms for learning and exchange of ideas: One of the key lessons learned during FY17 was the fact that enforcement networks can be real, or virtual and still be effective given the options provided by new information and communication technologies via the internet. Examples of this include the creation of WhatsApp groups with active participation of judges and prosecutors from Central and West Africa sharing experiences and information on seizures, or requesting ideas from each other on how to handle cases that they come across. This contributed to WA BiCC’s successes in linking people and institutions for research, capacity building and enforcement. Another dimension that is to be explored further is the relevance and effectiveness of informal versus formal networks in CWT activities within the West African context. This will be further analyzed as part of the design and implementation of FY18 activities.


• Strengthened partnerships for integrated landscape management: A field visit to the Moyamba District in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex, provided context on reports of human wildlife conflicts within the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex (SLCLC) involving several threatened species. A preliminary investigation of the nature of the conflicts revealed key areas of conflict including crop raiding by chimpanzees and wild pigs; rice farm destruction by manatees, and perceived threats to human life by buffalo, crocodiles and chimpanzees. Further investigation revealed a long-standing research presence of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS) in the area and the need to coordinate across WA BiCC and TCS interventions. WA BiCC engaged the TCS in discussions to identify how the two institutions can collaborate with the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) to provide integrated solutions to addressing the conflicts including:

- Intensification of agricultural activities to prevent farm extension towards critical wildlife habitat

- Enrichment planting within critical wildlife habitat to provide increased food sources for chimpanzees

- Education of concerned community members on best practices in co-habiting with chimpanzees.

This initiative will provide an excellent laboratory for testing best practices in integrated landscape management by combining expertise of different institutions. Likewise, it was interesting to note that Tacugama is working on the protection of species, including chimpanzees where their habitats extend over the coastal landscape as well as on upland forests. Collaboration with Tacugama will be an opportunity to integrate all WA BiCC components and create internal and external synergies, especially in the work of civil society and government.

2.2 COMPONENT 2: INCREASING COASTAL RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

In the coming years, it is anticipated that events resulting from climate variability will be more frequent and intense across West Africa. Climate stressors will interact with non-climatic stressors such as coastal erosion, pollution, invasive species, among others, to exacerbate climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems and human well-being. Anarchic growth of coastal urban centers that line West Africa’s coastline and the lack of effective land use planning are adding to the issues that need to be addressed in strategic policy frameworks such as National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). Component 2’s approach to coastal resilience and coastal adaptation includes improvements to the policy environment and promotion of effective interventions as indicated by the two strategies identified in the Theory of Change (Figure 3).



2.2.1 CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR THE FRESCO LANDSCAPE

The Fresco Landscape Climate Change VA will begin in Q1 of 2018 after a difficult search to find the competencies required to undertake the Assessment. The VA findings will serve as a baseline to inform the design and implementation of interventions to strengthen the resiliency of communities and ecosystems to climate-related impacts.

2.2.2 CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR SIERRA LEONE COASTAL LANDSCAPE COMPLEX

WA BiCC completed a climate change VA report for the SLCLC. The VA was conducted jointly with governmental and non-governmental partner staff during several field visits in 2016. The report provides information that has increased WA BiCC, partners’ and community understanding of factors that contribute to the vulnerability and resilience of communities and mangrove ecosystems in coastal Sierra Leone. The goal is to inform the design of program interventions such as actions to increase community and ecosystem resilience to climate change, improve livelihoods, encourage mangrove restoration and inform the Sierra Leone NAP.

2.2.3 OPTIONS ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE SIERRA LEONE COASTAL LANDSCAPE COMPLEX

WA BiCC engaged over 350 stakeholders in an options analysis workshop series in December 2016 based on the initial findings of the VA. The aim of the workshops was to identify feasible interventions to improve coastal resilience in targeted coastal landscapes based on the VA. The final national workshop was organized jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Security (MAFFS) and its National Protected Area Authority (NPAA), and was attended by over 60 participants including senior government officials. The national workshop was followed by six community-level workshops, where over 308 participants attended from 28 villages within the four coastal sites of the larger landscape.


Participants were drawn from various coastal resource user groups and local religious and traditional authorities. A report highlighting the recommendations made by national and local level policymakers on how coastal resilience could be improved is available. Based on the recommendations, a series of simple but strategic plans to address climate change effects was proposed. Plans are grouped under 3 adaptation pathways: disaster risk reduction and early warning systems, livelihoods and sustainable development, and ecosystem conservation.

2.2.4 SOCIOECONOMIC SITUATION BASELINE OF THE COASTAL LANDSCAPE COMPLEX, SIERRA LEONE

The draft socio-economic baseline survey was undertaken concurrently with the VA and provided an analysis and mapping of the wealth index and human vulnerability components at household levels, and a measurement of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of people relative to climate change. This was revised based on comments received and included in the VA report.

The baseline survey was supplemented with a seasonal calendar of activities, for planning purposes, by communities in the landscape. In addition, a resource utilization assessment was completed to quantify utilization and how this contributes to ecosystem resource depletion in the SLCLC. This will improve WA BiCC’s understanding of the socio-economic dynamics, inform the decision to invest in increasing coastal resilience in the landscape, and facilitate planning of field activities and engagement with communities. Resource harvesting includes: fishing, fuel and construction wood gathering, salt production, rice farming, sand mining and oyster fishing.

FIGURE 4. SEASONAL CALENDAR OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE SIERRA LEONE COASTAL LANDSCAPE COMPLEX

Source: Compiled by author from focus group discussions and key informant interviews.

Note: Activity intensities are based on a five-point ranking scale (scale: 1=very low, 2= low, 3=medium, 4=peak season, and 5= very high). This ranking thus based indigenous knowledge and expert observations on the field. The validity of this information is limited to WA BiCC’s coastal communities of interest.


2.2.5 STAKEHOLDER MAPPING AND ANALYSIS EXERCISE

This exercise was conducted to determine the roles, responsibilities, capacity gaps and level of contribution stakeholders can provide to improve climate change adaptation and resiliency building in the landscape. Results reveal that stakeholders can be grouped into four categories: government institutions, multilateral agencies, nongovernmental and community-based organizations (NGOs and CBOs) and community resource user groups.

National government institutions include MAFFS, NPAA, a department within MAFFS, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the Ministries of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Land, Country Planning, and Environment, Local Governance and Rural Development. These government entities have been partners from the inception stage of WA BiCC and support the program in implementing activities.

Multilateral agencies include the United Nations Development Program and the FAO, which work jointly with various government partners on programs that are contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both share a common working focus with WA BiCC and coordinate and collaborate on areas of mutual interest.

The third group, NGOs and CBOs, provide support to coastal communities in livelihood activities and services, but are headquartered in cities or districts centers from where they operate due to the poor road network in Sierra Leone. The fourth group of stakeholders includes various community resource user groups or individuals that manage coastal ecosystems and resources.

Most resource user groups are destitute and lack basic ecosystem and climate change management skills. However, in a few communities, some of the users have formed organized groups recognized at the chieftaincy, council, and district levels, although few have formal registration certificates. This was a finding of the ground truthing exercise carried out to better understand realities on the ground. In the past, service providers based in the district headquarters or Freetown supported livelihood development activities in some landscape communities. However, there has been little effort made in mangrove management and no effort on climate change management. National institutions have devolved roles and responsibilities in the management of mangroves and fisheries for the coastal landscape complex. Regardless of the decentralized roles of these institutions, their governance capacities are constrained by limited financial resources, and poor capabilities and policies to support coastal resilience. Analyses will be conducted to determine the level of institutional support that WA BiCC could provide to national and community-based institutions.

2.2.6 MANGROVE COVER BASELINE IN THE SIERRA LEONE COASTAL LANDSCAPE

WA BiCC developed a detailed land cover map to establish a mangrove baseline using satellite images (Landsat 8). It was established for four sites within the landscape in line with WA BiCC’s Mangrove Baseline Measurement Plan. The map below (Figure 5) depicts vegetation types. A historical land cover change analysis was also conducted to understand recent changes in the mangrove cover from 1990 to 2016.


2.2.7 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATORY LAND USE PLANNING

Eight community participatory land use mapping and learning exercises were conducted in February 2017 to better understand mangrove forest land use distribution. It enabled communities to understand basic mapping principles, and thus, support the production of land use maps for their localities. They identified and proposed potential sites for mangrove rehabilitation based on the Free, Prior and Informed Consent Principles (Tamang, 2005). A total of 191 local community decision-makers and representatives, including 58 women, participated in the development of community land use maps. The exercise was jointly organized by WA BiCC and various national partners including MAFFS, NPAA and the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, and Lands. The skills acquired by the community members and some government staff will be used to make a regular mapping (annual) to show the evolution of the mangrove stands in the landscape.

2.2.8 GROUND TRUTHING FIELD MISSION IN THE SIERRA LEONE COSTAL LANDSCAPE COMPLEX

After the land-use planning mapping, WA BiCC embarked on a ground truthing mission to establish valid indicators for intervention in restoring and/or protecting dwindling mangrove forests in the complex. A community-led approach was employed to ensure that community stakeholders were fully engaged in the process and become owners of outcomes. In each community, youths, elders and females were involved. The team engaged 79 local community members 11(14%) of which were women.


FIGURE 5. LAND COVERS IN LOW ELEVATION COASTAL ZONE (ELEVATION < 40M) OF SIERRA LEONE FOR 2016

Thirty-one communities in the four regions of SLCLC were visited, and a total of 63 locations were evaluated, mapped and characterized. During the exercise, the team also sought to understand the root causes of mangrove loss as well as chemical and biophysical parameters such as the salinity and acidity level of the soil or water (PH) in the different sites. Results revealed that 57 i.e. 90.5% of sites assessed had restoration potential, and sites in 24 communities will constitute the baseline for restoration. From field observations is was determined that hydrology and species content of areas are altered, and restoring these parameters will be part of the mangrove restoration process.

Photo 5: Participatory community land use mapping exercise.


WA BiCC jointly conducted this activity with national partners including Ministry of Lands and Environment, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, EPA and NPAA.

2.2.9 LAND TENURE CLARIFICATIONS FOR MANGROVE RESTORATION IN THE SIERRA LEONE COASTAL LANDSCAPE COMPLEX

To ensure successful mangrove restoration, it’s critical to clarify land ownership from the onset as a first step to align all parties with long-term conservation and climate change adaptation objectives. WA BiCC, in collaboration with local community chiefs and user groups and the Ministry of Lands of Sierra Leone, identified and clarified land tenure issues around proposed mangrove restoration sites, using a participatory two step mapping approach.

All sites assessed fall under Marine Protected Areas. Regardless, land areas are managed by local communities under the leadership of the paramount chiefs, except for the SLRE region. Communities enjoy customary use rights over coastal ecosystems resources and land. The mapped land for mangrove forest restoration thus traditionally belongs to the communities. However, in the Scarcies and Bonthe regions where rice farming is prevalent, individual families have taken control over most mangrove land, converting to rice farms and consequently own the land. Based on this understanding, WA BiCC anticipates using a nested (community and family) restoration approach in the SLCLC. This combination will allow the institutionalization of community and agro-silviculture restorations systems that will contribute to increased coastal resilience in the complex.

2.2.10 FORMATION OF THE COASTAL TRADITIONAL CHIEFS’ NETWORK

Following mapping exercises, it was identified that traditional chiefs are central to ensuring the sustainable management of coastal resources. Consequently, a Traditional Chiefs' Network was constituted. The network will serve as a link between local communities and national government institutions in the SLCLC. It will also provide a pathway between practice (WA BiCC’s community-based activities) and policy (national government institutions). WA BiCC will promote sustainable mangrove/resource management using customary authority, local rulemaking, and local level enforcement.

Photo 6: Paramount Chiefs with the COP and DCOP during the Traditional Chiefs Network workshop in Freetown, Sierra Leone


2.2.11 ESTABLISHMENT OF PARLIAMENTARIAN NETWORK TO SUPPORT ABIDJAN CONVENTION IMPLEMENTATION

Following a series of regional workshops with Members of Parliament (MPs) supported by WA BiCC, IUCN and the Abidjan Convention Secretariat, a regional MPs network was adopted by the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12). The objective is to encourage ratification and domestication of the Sustainable Mangrove Management and Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocols.

2.2.12 FORMATION OF COMMUNITY NATURAL RESOURCE WORKING GROUPS (CNRWG)

After identifying and mapping sites to pilot mangrove restoration in the SLCLC, it is essential to form CNRWGs to plan and coordinate activities. Twenty-four CNRWGs, comprising about 602 individuals of which 19.4% are women, were subsequently established in the SLCLC. Besides supporting other interventions that will be implemented at the community level, the groups will carry out mangrove restoration and management activities. They will directly answer to the Traditional Chief’s Network. The capacities and behaviours of team members will be progressively improved over the project cycle through targeted training and awareness raising.

2.2.13 FORMATION OF THE BONTHE SHERBRO ECOSYSTEM SCHOOLS NATURE CLUB

To motivate the next generation of coastal resilience advocates in the SLCLC, WA BiCC inaugurated the first nature club in Bonthe Island. The aim is to use members as ambassadors to improve the level of awareness on the value of mangroves in climate change adaptation and other environmental issues in the Bonthe Sherbro region. In addition, it is anticipated that the initiative will impart fundamental knowledge to the youth about the natural environment, the very real implications of climate change and potential livelihoods opportunities that the environment may support. The club brings together pupils from nine primary, secondary, vocational and Islamic schools and currently boasts with membership of eighty students. This club has organised two Bonthe-community cleaning events and supported mangrove restoration activities in collaboration with WA BICC.

To ensure a science-based approach to the restoration of mangroves, an Ecosystem Mangrove Restoration (EMR) training was held within the coastal landscape. It aimed to raise awareness of and build local capacity amongst communities and relevant government institutions on the importance of mangroves for livelihoods and climate change adaptation. The training was conducted by WA BiCC and the Government of Sierra Leone through NPAA, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the

Photo 7: Bonthe-Sherbro Nature club members participate in a monthly clean-up campaign of the Bonthe Island town


EPA. Staff from these institutions and three community animators were trained by WA BiCC during a one-day training of trainer’s workshop at Kychom. The government trainees later became fully fledged trainers and delivered the community-level training during the remainder of the process.

A total of five clustered community-level training workshops - involving 24 communities - were attended by 414 participants, of which 33% were women, including twelve from government institutions.

2.2.14 BONTHE-SHERBRO NATURE CLUB SUPPORTS MANGROVE RESTORATION IN THE SLCLC

A mangrove tree planting event was organized in a degraded mangrove area with the Bonthe-Sherbro Nature Club to commemorate Sierra Leone’s National Tree Planting Day 2017. Because of this activity, over 4,500 mangrove wildings were sourced and planted, covering an area of about 0.6 hectares. The wildlings were salvaged from areas earmarked for rice cultivation that would ordinarily have been destroyed. The mangrove site will serve as an experimental plot to inform restoration and management of further degraded mangrove areas totalling almost 1,000 hectares. Once established, the degraded mangrove site will regain most of its original ecological functionality and contribute to increased resilience to climate change in the Bonthe-Sherbro Island.

2.2.15 PILOTING THE INTEGRATING MANGROVES AND RICE PLANTING TO INCREASE COASTAL RESILIENCE IN THE SIERRA LEONE COASTAL LANDSCAPE COMPLEX

To reduce the loss of mangrove forest habitat and hence reduce societal and ecosystem exposure to the risks of climate change, it is essential to reduce pressure on mangrove forest resources. In collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone represented by the NPAA, the concept of integrating rice and mangrove planting on farms was piloted in six communities in the Bonthe-Sherbro sub-landscape of the SLCLC.

Sixty-eight participants attended the sensitization meeting, of which 69% were men and 31% female. A total of 20 farms were visited and assessed during the community visits, and the farmers provided indicators against which WA BiCC will measure their commitment to the concept before providing them with additional livelihood support.

The objective of this pilot activity is to demonstrate that it is possible to integrate rice cultivation with mangrove management and ensure synergy between nature conservation and sustainable agriculture.

Photo 8: Women and boys from the Bonthe-Sherbro Nature club commemorating Sierra Leone’s National Tree Planting Day


2.2.16 NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR COMMUNITY FLOOD DEFENCE STRUCTURES

Kortimoh (Scarcies River Estuary) and Momayah (Bonthe-Sherbro region) are coastal communities within the SLCLC. They were identified during the VA as ‘at risk communities’ exposed to periodic flooding due to rising sea levels. Some inhabitants have already taken temporary action to adapt to the rising sea level by building embankments to protect houses and farmland against inundation. However, the embankments are failing because they are not properly built. As one of WA BiCC’s pilot communities, a needs assessment was conducted to determine how best WA BiCC can support this community to increase resilience to climate change using locally sourced materials. The assessment also identified natural and traditional adaptation practices and defense mechanisms used by this community, which will inform the development of activities to improve implementation. The next step will be to engage the necessary expertise to build embankments that will comply with WA BiCC’s Environmental Mitigation & Monitoring Plan (EMMP).

2.2.17 IMPROVEMENT OF THE POLICY ENABLING ENVIRONMENT

Analysis for climate change adaptation planning was initiated with the aim to provide policymakers in Ghana, Togo, and the MRU Member States (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte D’Ivoire) with robust and contextualized climate information to support climate change adaptation planning, focusing on coastal issues. A literature review was carried out. The analysis examined best practices and minimum climate information needed for an assessment of the current climate and projected changes, including data sources, indicators, and climate analyses. The final review, with tailored recommendations on best practices, was completed in April and the results will be used as a baseline for a regional meeting to raise awareness and build the capacities of policymakers and climate analysists on climate change reporting.

2.2.18 NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLANS (NAPS)

Research was initiated to establish a baseline on the status of the integration of coastal issues into NAP processes in Ghana, Togo and MRU Member States. Not surprisingly, all six countries are at various stages of NAP development and thus the integration of coastal issues. Building on some of the gaps identified during that initial baseline research, national-level consultations were completed with relevant government and non-governmental partners including NAP focal points, national climate change experts, and development partners in the six focal countries. WA BiCC worked with USAID/Washington and the NAP Global Network to develop a concept note focused on cross-national learning that was to be

Photo 9: Community animator demonstrating the concept of integrating rice-mangrove planting in Momamyah, Bonthe-Sherbro


held prior to the end of the reporting period but that will now take place in October 2017. The workshop is largely informed by an earlier event hosted by USAID/ECOWAS on adaptation in West Africa held in 2013. Findings and recommendations, from that event, have been carried forward into current deliberations and planning for the workshop.

The workshop aimed to improve contemporary understanding of the importance of effectively integrating coastal issues into the NAP process, and to define a program of action for WA BiCC and partner countries moving forward. The NAP Global Network is a global institution with experience and expertise in NAP processes, they will provide technical assistance in their capacity as an international partner for WA BiCC’s NAP work.

2.3 COMPONENT 3: REDUCING DEFORESTATION, FOREST DEGRADATION, AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS

West Africa has lost 90% of its Upper Guinean Forests. Today only 10% of these forests (73 million ha) remain as fragmented blocks and patches mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo. This loss is caused by unsustainable or illegal practices that must be reduced to save the remaining forests and mangroves and curb the associated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions resulting from deforestation and forest degradation. Steps toward this objective include understanding and addressing the activities (threats) that cause deforestation and forest degradation, including mangrove loss, and the root causes (drivers) of these threats. WA BiCC is building the capacity of national and regional-level institutions for sustainable forest and mangrove management and increasing the availability of information on effective interventions in mangrove and upland forest management through on the ground work in several learning landscapes and partner-driven policy support.



2.3.1 TRANSBOUNDARY LANDSCAPE GRANT MECHANISM

Two consortia comprising international and national NGOs were selected to undertake initial landscape work in the three Transboundary Forest Landscapes: the Gola Forest Landscape was awarded to Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and its partners, the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL) and the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL); and the World Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) and local partners were awarded one of two grants for the TGS landscape. All lead grantees and key partners passed the due diligence requirements, were accepted by USAID and were subsequently introduced to and endorsed by the main government national partners. WA BiCC also began negotiations during the reporting period with Flora and Fauna International (FFI) and its local partners to work in both the TGS and ZWW landscapes with an anticipated award date in the first quarter of FY18.

2.3.2 CARBON BASELINE – ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIALS WITHIN PROTECTED AREAS

An upland forest cover and carbon assessment over 12 forest sites was produced. These include: Gola, ZWW, TGS and two counterfactuals (Gbi and Grand Kru) as control, i.e. where WA BiCC will not intervene. The purpose of the assessment was to pre-determine carbon stocks at each site at the commencement of WA BiCC-supported activities. This will be followed by a post-determination of stocks upon program termination. The difference between the two assessments will be compared between where WA BiCC intervened and where it did not to evaluate WA BiCC’s relative contribution. The carbon assessment uses a common model – the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) calculator - that most African countries (e.g. Liberia) are using to arrive at estimates of carbon stocks (reported as tons C) as indicated in the upland targeted landscapes (Figures 7 & 8).

WA BICC is exploring various options with selected pilot countries (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo) to enhance reporting on their National Determined Contribution (NDC) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Options include identifying available remote sensing and GIS skill sets within targeted countries with follow-on support by CIEISN to design a tailored hands-on training.

Photo 11: Prospective grantees endorsement by FDA Photo 10: Negotiations with grantees and WA BiCC


FIGURE 7. LAND COVER IN UPLAND FOREST LANDSCAPES FOR 2015

FIGURE 8. FOREST CARBON (C) STOCKS FOR EACH OF THE TWELVE TARGET LANDSCAPES

Note: Forest C stocks were calculated using the Forest Protection tool in the AFOLU calculator.


2.3.3 CAPACITY BUILDING

Four landscape actors from MRU target learning landscapes were selected and trained in carbon assessment techniques. The training was done in collaboration with FAO who supported 36 other candidates from 13 ECOWAS countries. The training covered forest carbon inventory techniques, and forest inventory and permanent sample plot data analysis for biomass estimation. The skills acquired during the training will be used to support grantees and national partners to assess and monitor their forests. The collaboration with FAO culminated in the creation of an expert network of West African resource persons responsible for forest inventories, carbon assessments and analyses. All expressed a commitment towards information and knowledge sharing.

2.3.4 FOSTERING TRUST-BASED RELATIONSHIPS AT LANDSCAPE AND NATIONAL LEVELS

National and landscape partners were regularly engaged throughout the year, fostering trust-based and enduring relationships. They included government institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs/CBOs), chiefs/community leaders and other development partners. WA BiCC interacted with them on a variety of issues including: exploring synergies among work plans of intervening partners (e.g. GIZ, KFW); discussions around REDD+; community-based natural resource management or law enforcement to stop poaching; and over-exploitation of resources in the landscapes. These regular meetings not only strengthened relationships with WA BiCC but also amongst partners and mainly between national and landscapes-based partners.

2.3.5 STRENGTHENING STAKEHOLDERS TRANSBOUNDARY LANDSCAPE COLLABORATION

A bilateral Steering Committee meeting on the TGS was organized between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia under the leadership of MRU and with the participation of ECOWAS country representatives. Local administrators from the border area including the Prefects of Tai and Dabou from Côte d’Ivoire and Superintendents of Sinoe, Zwedru and River Gee Counties in Liberia actively participated. A draft

Photo 13: Exchanging ideas with stakeholders from Gola, Sierra Leone and in Liberia

Photo 12: Photos of field training of West Africa people in charge of forest inventory, carbon assessment and analysis


agreement to guide bilateral and coordinated support to the TGS was developed and is currently the subject of ongoing and wider consultation in each of the two countries prior to final endorsement and adoption. Transboundary sub-committees for public sensitization, law enforcement, policy enhancement and corridor negotiation to connect protected areas were established.

2.3.6 MOBILIZATION FOR FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION, COMMUNITY BASED FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

WA BICC and ECOWAS mobilized representatives from West Africa to discuss Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) at the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 22) in Marrakesh. The purpose of the brainstorming exercise was to identify potential landscape restoration opportunities. Representatives from Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone indicated interest in starting the process of FLR in their respective countries. Côte d’Ivoire has already started the process of mapping their restoration opportunities using the Restoration Opportunity Assessment Methodology (ROAM) with the assistance of IUCN. The participants were quick to link the FLR to commitments that their respective countries have made under the Bonn challenge http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge and AFR100, which was an agreement reached by the African Union on forest restoration during the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 21) in 2015.

As mentioned above, FLR will be a good opportunity for West African countries to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation processes as well as to biodiversity, livelihood and ecosystems services improvements. As an example, Sierra Leone requested technical and financial support for a national tree planting event. The Vice President of the Country and the USA Ambassador to Sierra Leone led the event, during which stakeholders from the Gola landscape in Sierra Leone were engaged

Photo 14: Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire bilateral meeting on TGSFC and under MRU, and led by OIPR and FDA Managing Directors

Photo 15: Engaging ECOWAS member states on FLR at COP 22

http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge


to map their potential community forest. WA BiCC will consult national FLR experts and Private sector and work with ECOWAS to promote and support FLR concept in West Africa.

2.3.7 SUPPORTING REDD+ IN GUINEA AND PROMOTING LEARNING FROM OTHER STATES

To save the remaining 10% of the Upper Guinean forest, countries have engaged with the REDD+ scheme, aiming to reduce forest deforestation, forest degradation and enhance conservation. This will help mitigate or adapt to the impact of climate change. Guinea has admittedly made little progress since the establishment of the national REDD+ coordination team in 2015. The country has loss 33% of its forests over the past 40 years and is now committed to conserve the remaining forest areas and restore degraded landscapes. To assist Guinea to move forward on REDD+, a series of sub-national consultations in Kindia, Nzerekore, Boke, Kankan, and Labe and a national consultation in Conakry were organized.

Stakeholders from government, civil society organizations, councils and religious leadership, expressed their interest to adopt the REDD+ scheme. A taskforce was established to produce the REDD+ Readiness Road Map for the country. At each workshop, a film on climate change and the importance of trees and forests was played and discussed. A presentation was also made on the degraded status of the Guinea environment and forests. REDD+ was proposed as an option to conserve and manage remaining forest resources. Enlighted by the presentations, participants expressed interest in REDD+. At a national workshop, REDD+ experts from Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire were invited and they shared their experiences. At each meeting, the drivers and actors of deforestation were identified and possible solutions suggested. Shifting cultivation, environmentally unfriendly mining, wood cutting for energy were often cited. Actions or next steps identified included unanimous support for conservation and

Photo 16: Tree Planting in Sierra Leone led by the US Ambassador

Photo 17: REDD+ consultation in Guinea, launched by 4 Ministers and 3 Ambassadors


forest landscape restoration. This will entail active engagement with the private sector especially agro-industries, mining companies and CSOs. REDD+ successes and challenges, from surrounding partner countries, were assessed to inform the design of a regional REDD+ learning event in 2018.

2.3.8 SUPPORTING NATIONAL SPECIES WORKING GROUPS

A Species Working Group (SWG) was established in Liberia bringing together experts working on plant and animal species to discuss a conservation strategy for threatened species. Since the inaugural meeting, the group has met regularly and created four sub-committees including threatened plants and animals, biomonitoring, and sensitization/law enforcement. It has become an invaluable resource and advisory body for FDA and other development partners. The approach will be scaled up to other MRU countries and will help create a network of dedicated MRU experts on call to guide and support threatened species conservation within the Upper Guinean Forest Landscape.

2.3.9 SPECIES CONSERVATION STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS PLAN

Stakeholder consultations have revealed that coastal communities are using CITES timber species (Rosewood or Pterocarpus sp.) from upland forest for the construction of fishing boats. In addition, priority animal species identified include chimpanzee, elephants, pygmy hippos. Partners will be mobilized towards the development of conservation strategies and action plans for various priority species.

Partners mobilized (FFI, IUCN, USWFS) and co-funding have already been secured for the development of the Chimpanzee Conservation Strategy and Action Plan scheduled for December 11-15, 2017.

2.4 POLICY AND PRACTICE LINKAGES

WA BiCC program generates information through five learning landscapes, three of which are transboundary, and identifies information, lessons learned, and best practices that can inform policy reforms and enhance best practices across West Africa. Utilizing the “policy-practice loop” as a key process in its implementation, whereby field practice and learning informs policies and policies are developed that support sustainable natural resources management, WA BiCC recognizes the active involvement of all stakeholder groups in program activities and ensures that field activities feed into the national and regional policy debates. Below are some of the policy-related activities carried out during the reporting period.

Photo 18: Liberia species working group meeting; two priority species identified for Liberia – chimpanzee and Pterocarpus sp.


2.4.1 WA BICC ENGAGEMENTS AT COP 22

The UNFCCC COP 22 was held in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016. WA BiCC and ECOWAS co-organized a side event at which WA BiCC convened a panel of regional, national and local partners to present and discuss achieving impact through partnerships. The impressions and experiences of the partners and their interactions with WA BiCC on various policy and practical levels confirmed the value of working in partnership with other institutions and programs to add value to activities and strengthen the foundations for long-term sustainability, even if this requires a longer upfront investment of time. Forty-eight delegates attended the side event from various West African countries.

WA BiCC supported ECOWAS to convene a meeting with West African delegations to deliberate on joint negotiation positions regarding the implementation of the Paris Agreement. This meeting was attended by 26 delegates. The Green Carbon Fund (GCF) was identified as a funding source to assist Parties to implement the Agreement although delegates went on to stress inadequate capacity to develop quality proposals acceptable to the GCF. WA BiCC offered its resources to help build capacity to write effective proposals to the GCF, and will follow up with the ECOWAS Directorate in FY18on how to address this capacity need.

With the support and participation of the Director of the ECOWAS Environment Directorate, WA BiCC organized a meeting of delegates on the subject of Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). Participants were quick to link FLR to the restoration commitments that countries have made under the Bonn Challenge http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge and the Africa-specific Bonn Challenge under the AFR 100 framework, which was an agreement reached by Africa Union on forest restoration during COP 21 held in Paris in 2015. As mentioned above, FLR presents an opportunity to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation processes as identified in their Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement targets, as well as to biodiversity, livelihood, and ecosystem services improvements.

2.5 PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION

2.5.1 THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS)

Engagements with ECOWAS include the formation of a Scientific and Technical Consultative Group on Climate Change, strategic meetings on forest landscape restoration and capacity building activities for the ECOWAS Environment Directorate under section 3.1.1.

Mr. Kwame Awere-Gyekye was selected as the WA BiCC Advisor to the ECOWAS Directorate of Environment. This position supports the Directorate in the implementation of the joint activities identified in the Annual Work Plan and the ongoing implementation of its Institutional Strengthening Plan

Photo 19: ECOWAS side meeting with West Africa delegates

http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge


(ISP). For additional support to ECOWAS see Section 2.4, Policy and Practice Linkages, and Section 3.1.1, Capacity Building.

2.5.2 THE ABIDJAN CONVENTION

WA BiCC supported the Abidjan Convention to undertake a comprehensive Project Portfolio Assessment of the Secretariat’s ongoing programmatic activities. The objective of the assessment was to enhance the efficiency of the Secretariat’s internal system for measuring progress and performance of its activities, maintaining a strategic reporting system, and effectively leveraging joint partners’ support across the Convention’s activities.

Preparation and Participation in COP 12

Pre-technical Harmonization Meeting: Support was provided to organize a pre-COP 12 technical harmonization meeting on October 25-26, 2016 in Abidjan. The meeting brought together members of the Abidjan Convention Ad Hoc Committee on Science and Technology, lead facilitators, and technical experts to consolidate, review, and harmonize inputs obtained from national consultations on additional Protocols to the Abidjan Convention, and to finalize a Regional Strategy on Marine/Coastal Alien Invasive Species and Implementation Plan.

Adoption of Additional Protocols to the Abidjan Convention: Following the support of WA BiCC to the development of additional Protocols to the Abidjan Convention, Draft protocols and a Regional Strategy on Invasive Species were submitted to COP 12 for final review and adoption. These include the Protocol(s) on the Sustainable Management of Mangroves, and the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol. These Protocols and a regional strategy to better address invasive species, focusing specifically on Sargassum seaweed were adopted by the Abidjan Convention COP 12.

Photo 20: Lomé 17th Oct. 2016; Left: Group photo of participants; Right: Representative of Abidjan Convention Regional Coordinator (Prof. Jacque Abe), Minister of Environment and Forestry (André Kwassi Ablom Johnson), WA BiCC Deputy Chief of Party (Mr. Anada Tiega), and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment


Photo 21: Cotonou, Oct. 20, 2016: Group photo of participants

COP 12 Side Events: WA BiCC organized five side events during COP 12: Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation Systems of Abidjan Convention; Organizational Network Analysis; Increasing Climate Change Resilience through Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Options Analysis; Harvesting Aquatic Endangered, Threatened, and Protected Species; and Sargassum Invasion in West Africa: How to Transform a Nuisance into an Opportunity.

As a result of two regional workshops jointly sponsored by the Abidjan Convention Secretariat, IUCN, and WA BiCC, a Regional Network of Parliamentarians for the Abidjan Convention was established in March 2017. During a workshop held in Cotonou, Benin, from February 28 to March 2, WA BiCC supported a training session for the parliamentarians to provide them with better knowledge about key issues related to costal and marine areas. This training was a key milestone in the process for the establishment of a network of parliamentarians for better implementation of the Convention. A second workshop provided a platform to review, finalize, and adopt legal, organizational, administrative, and operational instruments for the functioning of the newly established network. These instruments include the legal status, charter, rules, and procedures of the network.

The network will strengthen the capacity of parliamentarians and local elected officials for better governance of the coastal and marine environment in accordance with the guidelines and the relevant rules of the Abidjan Convention and its instruments, including additional protocols. (For more on the Abidjan Convention, see section on capacity building: 3.1.1.)


Photo 22: WA BiCC presence at COP 12

2.5.3 MANO RIVER UNION (MRU)

WA BiCC supported the Deputy Secretary General to participate in many of the workshops and meetings attended by other two core regional partners of the Program. A Memorandum of Understanding was drafted, and a Technical Advisor was identified and will be part of the MRU team beginning in October 2017. The new MRU Secretary General (Ambassador Medina Wesseh) assumed her position in August 2017 and was systematically onboarded in relation to the WA BiCC program and attended a series of annual work planning sessions in the final quarter of FY16. This led to the quick take off of activities related to the implementation of the ISP, which were put on hold pending her official arrival. However, activities in the MRU Member States as defined and agreed by the MRU in the Annual Work Plan have progressed as noted in the component progress reports. Direct engagement with the MRU Secretariat is focussed on capacity building to strengthen financial systems - (See section 3.1.1., Capacity Building)

Another area of engagement with MRU is on the implementation of the IUCN/Mano River Union/GEF Ecosystem Conservation and International Water Resources Management Project. The project shares similar objectives with that of WA BiCC in that it’s focus is on transboundary conservation of natural resources especially watershed management. WA BiCC is involved in three of the four landscapes that


the project will be carrying out field activities. The project was launched in Sierra Leone in July 2017 with full WA BiCC participation.

2.5.4 DONORS’ ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN WEST AFRICA

The BirdLife/Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund’s (CEPF) Regional Implementation Team for the Guinean Forests of West Africa (GFWA), in collaboration with WA BiCC, organized a two-day donor roundtable in Accra, Ghana. Fifty individuals from sixteen organizations attended, including representatives of key donors and their executing agencies, and private sector and civil society actors who are currently supporting and/or implementing biodiversity conservation programs in the Guinean Forest Biodiversity Hotspots. The meeting objective was to provide a platform for various stakeholders to establish consensus with respect to the most significant threats to biodiversity in the sub-regions, especially in the GFWA Hotspots, and to determine the key challenges of grants management and other forms of support to civil society actors. WA BiCC and CEPF/Birdlife West Africa had a follow-on meeting to consider implementation and to clarify collaboration efforts.

2.5.5 DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR

FORM Ghana is one of the private sector entities involved in FLR in Ghana, with established plantations in the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions. WA BiCC and FORM Ghana initiated discussions on a possible partnership. After discussions, a field trip to the FORM Ghana restoration plantation was organized to better understand this particular model and what lessons it can provide to other deforested or degraded landscapes and efforts to restore and manage them for economic and environmental benefits.

2.5.6 FACILITATING COLLABORATION BETWEEN ABIDJAN CONVENTION IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS

WA BiCC used the COP 12 to facilitate a meeting of the Abidjan Convention implementation partners. The oobjectives of the meeting were to identify collaboration opportunities, foster synergies and ensure the available resources are put to better use. It was also an opportunity to facilitate exchanges and share experiences learned through the implementation of programs and projects. Eleven ABC partners participated at this meeting. They included the World Bank; West African Coastal Management Program (WACA); WA BiCC; GRID-Arendal; MAVA Foundation; Birdlife International; The West Africa Regional Partnership for the Conservation of the Marine and Coastal Area (PRCM); RAMPAO; The University of Portsmouth; MRU; The Central African Development Bank (BDEAC); and ECOWAS.

2.5.7 DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH IUCN ON FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION (FLR)

As a follow up on outcomes of meetings held during the UNFCCC COP 22 in Marrakesh, WA BiCC continued to explore collaborative efforts with IUCN on FLR. A joint mission was undertaken by representatives of IUCN and WA BiCC to Abuja to discuss how the ECOWAS Forest Convergence Plan can be used as basis for getting member states interested in FLR. Joint activities were identified, agreed upon and will form part of the WA BiCC third year work-plan.


2.5.8 ENGAGING WITH TROPICAL FOREST ALLIANCE (TFA) 2020 ACTIVITIES

WA BiCC commenced engagement with the TFA 2020 in August 2017. It is an alliance of like-minded organizations including private sector companies interested in the conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests. WA BiCC supported the West and Central Africa regional consultation on a draft Global Agenda 2020. The agenda identifies the most important issues that need to be addressed in advancing progress towards the goal of eliminating deforestation from key traded commodities. It is a strategic document geared towards high- level decision makers in government, business, and civil society, enabling them to define organizational goals and to provide strategic leadership on implementation. The agenda (when approved) will be useful to WA BiCC in the FLR approach especially soliciting additional private sector involvement in the conservation of forests in West Africa and as a means of contributing towards climate smart agriculture.


3.0 CROSSCUTTING ACTIVITIES 3.1 COLLABORATING, LEARNING, AND ADAPTING (CLA)

A considered and strategic decision was made not to overlay CLA (with its plethora of theoretical concepts) on top of the Technical Components as an optional extra, but to rather integrate it throughout WA BiCC as an essential imperative via ‘learning by doing.’

The Knowledge and Learning Specialist (K&LS), tasked with pioneering this approach and managing the CLA Unit (comprising the functional units listed below), assumed duty in April 2017. What ensued was a lengthy orientation coming to grips with the complexities and intricacies of the WA BiCC program and associated staff, core regional and other partners and the West African region. In addition to the defined roles and responsibilities, the K&LS also stepped into the breach and provided program-wide management and advisory support and is part of both the WA BiCC SMT and PMT.

Integrating CLA throughout WA BiCC is a time consuming and complicated process. Tentative steps to gauge CLA understanding and readiness were carried out at the Communications Team Retreat which was held in May 2017. Early indications were that urgent, follow-up CLA socialization was needed widely across WA BiCC and this culminated in the staging of a dedicated CLA Team Retreat in July 2017. The event was planned with a twist in that the entire Technical Team and other senior WA BiCC staff were invited to attend at its midway point. Whereas the ‘joint retreat’ resulted in robust discussion and many more questions were raised than necessarily answered, the opportunity and overture provided specifically by the CLA Unit to open Pandora’s Box and explore its contents in a mature, measured and respectful fashion proved to be an invaluable first step.

CLA socialization and operationalization is ongoing but with a growing awareness and acceptance of this imperative there is clear evidence that this orientation is being inculcated into important WA BiCC processes – planning and prioritization and outputs – plans, activities and documents. Momentum around CLA is important and to this end the first ‘Our Learning Hour’ session was held within the Accra office in August. The intention is to encourage a ‘learning culture’ throughout WA BiCC rank and file, where an opportunity is set aside within the work place for learning and dialogue on topical issues, provided by either internal or external resource persons.

3.1.1 CAPACITY BUILDING

Implementing ISP activities for the ECOWAS Environment Directorate Revision of the ECOWAS Environment Action Plan. By the end of the reporting period a final draft of the revised EAP was submitted based on comments and feedback on the second draft. An internal revision workshop will be organized to finalize the Action Plan table and a validation workshop will be conducted to adopt the revised EAP with the Member States.

Development of an M&E System. A first draft of the ECOWAS Directorate of Environment M&E Plan was developed and shared internally within the Directorate. WA BiCC and ECOWAS teams reviewed it jointly and thereafter the document was updated accordingly. The draft document was


translated into English to be shared with stakeholders and Member States. The Directorate M&E Plan will be directly linked to the EAP and will therefore require the EAP to be finalized first.

Development of a Communications Strategy. The WA BiCC STTA tasked with developing the Directorate’s Communication Strategy was recruited after a collaborative selection process. The next step will be to organize an Inception Workshop with the Directorate for the consultant to meet with the Directorate team, officially starting his assignment and at the same time validating his work plan.

Provision of language classes. An Abuja-based language firm was contracted to provide French and English language classes for the staff of the Directorate. A series a 1-hour training sessions was delivered each Wednesday for a period of 6 months at the Directorate premises. The classes started with an assessment to evaluate the language readiness level of each participant and tailor the classes accordingly. By the end of the reporting period, the French classes were completed but the English classes are ongoing. Once the English classes are completed an evaluation will be conducted to assess the further need for follow up classes in FY18.Implementing ISP Activities for the Abidjan Convention.

Development of a Monitoring and Evaluation System. The final version of the AbC M&E Plan was presented during a Validation Workshop held in Dakar in June. The objective of the workshop was to gather the focal points and stakeholders of AbC to present, validate and adopt the updated version of the M&E Plan and discuss the implementation of the M&E System. Field visits were also organized at three different sites for participants to learn from concrete cases to understand and appraise different challenges linked to the monitoring of environmental issues and to the data collection process. At conclusion of the workshop, participants agreed that all workshop objectives were met. Generally, participants were satisfied with the draft document and agreed to validate it with certain amendments.

Photo 23: Participants at the AbC MEP Validation workshop in Dakar


The next step is to present and adopt the final document and develop M&E tools, conduct the baselines and setup targets and training the identified stakeholders.

Development and Implementation of a Communication Strategy. A Communications Strategy was developed with the Convention. To implement the strategy and build the communications capacity of Convention staff, a communications expert was hired for six months. The expert played an important role leading up to and during COP 12, including development of the COP 12 Communication Strategy, and the organization of a social media and photography training delivered by WA BiCC. A United Nations Volunteer will also be recruited for a one year period to support the operationalization of the strategy.

Photo 26: Lamine Cisse from WA BiCC presenting on the Evaluation Mechanism

Photo 27: Visit of the mangrove and biodiversity of the Somone Lagoon with local pirogue

Photo 25: Example of urban sprawl next to the Technopole wetland in Dakar

Photo 24: An example of dike built to protect a hotel from sea level rise on Saly beachfront


Social Media Training. Nineteen staff and partners of AbC took part in a two-day social media and photography training, culminating in the development of a social media toolkit for the Convention. The training was conducted by WA BiCC’s Communications and Capacity Building teams in February to raise the profile of the Convention on social media. The COP 12 provided an experimental platform for trained beneficiaries to put newly acquired skills to good use. The social media toolkit was successfully shared with the press and implemented during COP 12.

Development of the AbC Resource Centre. WA BiCC is supporting the Convention to develop a Resource Centre. To advance this activity an Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) workshop was held just after the conclusion of COP12. The objective of the ONA was to gather selected Convention focal points and stakeholders to map and analyse current information-sharing networks, discuss the future of an information sharing system and collaboration mechanisms for a Resource Centre and provide recommendations. The main outcomes and recommendations collected during the workshop were presented in a report paving the way toward development of the Centre.

Following the recommendations of the Network analysis workshop, WA BiCC worked with AbC and conducted a content inventory for the Convention, listing data, its status and availability and those with access to it throughout the Convention. This data catalogue will be available to an expert team tasked to support AbC in the development of Technical Specifications for the Resource Centre.

Implementing ISP activities within MRU Development and operationalization of new financial and accounting procedures. After translating the new MRU Financial and Accounting Procedures Manual into English, WA BiCC worked with the MRU Secretariat in selecting and contracting PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to support implementation of the new system based on the adopted International Public-Sector Accounting

Photo 28: Scenes from the communications training

Photo 29: Scenes from the ONA Workshop


Standards (IPSAS). PwC started the assignment in September with an Inception Meeting at the MRU Secretariat premises in Freetown. The MRU Secretary General hosted the meeting and endorsed the initiative. The needs assessment and gap analysis phases have already been completed. The next steps will be to support implementation of the ISPAS accounting system through an update of the accounting practices; a series of trainings and mentoring support; and the installation of new accounting software.

Partnership with IBM to support the development of a regional clearinghouse mechanism WA BiCC and the Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) in Senegal jointly developed and successfully submitted a proposal articulating dedicated environmental data management support from IBM’s Corporate Service Corps. The IBM Corps was launched in 2008 to help deliver cutting-edge problem solving for communities and organizations in emerging markets. IBM selected Senegal to deliver its support to West Africa in 2017.

Following IBM’s approval, a team of experts will be allocated to the month-long initiative commencing in October 2017. They will support and upgrade the Senegalese National Environmental Information System and develop a Resource Centre on coastal and marine environment.

Stakeholders mapping in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex WA BiCC conducted a stakeholder mapping and analysis of institutions involved in the management of climate change issues and coastal ecosystems services in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex. The mapping informed the establishment of the Traditional Chiefs Network in the landscape and will be followed by a network analysis to identify and strengthen the information sharing practices.

3.1.2 COMMUNICATIONS

Communications activities in Year 2 achieved significant milestones in building social capital and helping to document program results as well as disseminating information on best practices. Of particular note was the approval by USAID of the WA BiCC website following a lengthy approval process. The site is now being populated with content and will be launched as soon as possible in FY18.

There is considerable support for the goals and objectives of the WA BiCC program from the regional to grassroots levels. Two video documentaries on the CITES Master’s course and the impact of the students in combatting wildlife trafficking in their various countries and the region were produced. In the absence of a website, the program leveraged social media to broadcast and share news, updates and activities with various audiences. Social media campaigns yielded significant improvements with Twitter user engagements increasing by over 300 per cent as compared to the previous reporting year. Another new tool developed for outreach was the Quarterly Newsletters, disseminated via Mailchimp. The program also completed formative research on communication materials for the SLCLC to ensure effective dissemination of BCC tools and messages. The unit also started preliminary work on CWT awareness through airport campaigns. Initial conversations started with United Nations. Environment and plans are set to roll these campaigns out in FY18.

Production of CITES Video Documentary Series The first two of a three-episode video documentary series on wildlife trafficking in West Africa, which shows how the US government is contributing to West African regional capacity to combat wildlife trafficking were completed. The series focused on the work of the 12 CITES students from across West Africa and how the knowledge acquired is being used to address wildlife trafficking. Information was


gathered from beneficiary countries of Senegal, The Gambia, and Burkina Faso to gather video footage as well as still images to set up a photo database on wildlife in West Africa. The first two parts of the video documentary series can be found here:

Part 1: https://goo.gl/BNbbF2

Part 2: https://goo.gl/AqQyDg

WA BiCC Photo Bank To effectively produce communication products, WA BiCC organized a visit to Mole National Park in Ghana to capture images and footage of wildlife in their natural habitat for use in communications materials and to be added to a bank of images and videos. The team captured shots of elephants, antelopes, baboons, warthogs and some birds. The bank can be accessed through the link below:

https://goo.gl/S5vxS4

Social Media Performance WA BiCC’s social media accounts shared news, information and updates on combatting wildlife trafficking, coastal resilience, deforestation and environmental conservation in and around West Africa. The pages posted on WA BiCC activities that occurred within the period under review, such as the National Tree Planting Campaign in Sierra Leone, Guinea national REDD+ launch event, and the Species Working Group workshop held in Guinea. The pages also posted on special event days such as World Wildlife Day, World Environment Day, World Oceans Day, World Elephant Day, and World Lion Day. The Communication team shared toolkits with partner institutions for onward sharing and cross-posting on their various social media pages Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Since the official roll out of the WA BiCC social media tools, significant progress has been made, generating conversations, exchanges, and interest in the program and conservation issues in general. Currently, WA BiCC’s social media analytics report reveals that our Twitter posts earned about 1,921 impressions per day, increasing our weekly impressions to about 13,500, while our Facebook posts had over 750 posts that audiences liked, commented on, shared, or clicked on to view images.

Whereas it would be amiss to describe WA BiCC’s social media growth, over the past 12 months, as exponential it has nevertheless been rapid and highlights the media’s untapped potential for communication and information dissemination. Most of the growth in posts has centered in and around Ghana with some uptake in the surrounding MRU countries of Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. Greater uptake is a goal across all MRU countries and the West African region. More exposure is possible, as part of an internal programmatic response, when WA BiCC staff and regional/national partners actively post/share and engage with social media content on consistent basis. Another option is to boost social media content and exposure through sponsored posts which can be highly effective and selective according to country, timing and content. This was piloted on a limited basis and has a place as part of an array of options. As is typical with any fast-paced growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector – if often outstrips the capacity to manage and sustain it. Continued active and creative participation in the social media space by WA BiCC requires dedicated human resources to ‘feed the media beast’ especially if it is regarded as an important and integral part of a WA BiCC-wide communication strategy and learning agenda. Additional staff resources will have to be considered in Year 3 to ‘grow’ the social media campaign. See Annex B for a detailed report.

https://goo.gl/BNbbF2

https://goo.gl/AqQyDg

https://goo.gl/S5vxS4

https://twitter.com/wabiccnews

https://www.facebook.com/wabiccnews/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel


Quarterly Newsletters During the reporting period, WA BICC produced three Quarterly Newsletters to update partners, the general public and audiences on ongoing activities, highlights, success stories and upcoming events/activities. Currently the newsletters are sent to a list of 286 contacts with 50% of the number, opening and reading the updates.

Production of Information, Education and Communications (IEC) Materials

TABLE 1. NUMBER OF IEC MATERIALS PRODUCED BETWEEN OCTOBER 2016 AND SEPTEMBER 2017

# IEC Material QTY 1. Wildlife Threats Assessment Brief 1 3 Social Media Toolkit (COP 22, World Wildlife Day, COP 12, Prosecutors

and Judges Training, World Environment Day, World Ocean Day, World Lion Day, World Elephant Day, CITES Documentary Rollout)

9

5 World Wildlife Day T-shirts; Mangrove Protection T-Shirts 2 6 World Wildlife Day News Brief 1 8 World Wildlife Day Posters 1 Mangrove Protection Posters 9 World Wildlife Day Video Documentary (30 minutes) 1 10 CITES Documentaries 2 11 Pull-up banners (in French and English) for 3 component areas; one WA

BiCC generic banner; one for COP 12 5

12 Backdrop banner for exhibitions 1 13 Communications Plan document for COP 12 1 14 Invitation cards for COP 12 (4pcs) and COP 22 (1) 5 TOTAL 29

3.1.3 COMMUNICATIONS FOR CHANGE (BCC)

Community Mobilization Campaigns implemented in SLCLC In May 2017, WA BiCC undertook a 10-day Behavior Change Communications (BCC) Campaign in five strategic locations across the SLCLC. The campaign brought together 474 participants representing 29 communities. The purpose of the campaign was to make coastal community members aware of the overall program goals and objectives as well as to introduce WA BiCC’s approach of working together with communities for building social capital to support implementation and engender learning.

Three posters were produced demonstrating images and providing messages aimed at raising awareness around the importance of mangroves and what communities can do to increase their own resilience to climate change. Other communications materials such as t-shirts, jingles, and PowerPoint presentations with videos were produced as part of WA BiCC’s official introduction to communities in the landscape. Four radio programs were produced and broadcast on community radio stations that reached key communities in the landscape. Changes are already clearly visible as some community members engaged during the period shared experiences. Excerpts can be accessed here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxoGAU5VI8Y


Production and Broadcast of Audio-Visual materials on rice and mangrove planting As part of the awareness raising activities carried out in one of the regions in the Sierra Leone coastal landscape - Bonthe/Sherbro Island, on the concept of integrating mangrove and rice farming, WA BiCC produced and broadcast two radio programs on Radio Bontico, a local radio station in Bonthe. There was also a phone-in session as part of the 1-hour long radio program, where listeners called in to interact.

In addition, the team captured video footage of agro-silviculture training activities and testimonials of community members that will be used in an upcoming video documentary on the achievements of WA BiCC to date in the SLCLC.

A summary of all audio/visual programs that were produced and broadcast during the reporting period is summarized below in Table 2.

TABLE 2. AUDIO/VISUAL PROGRAMS PRODUCED AND BROADCAST Type of

Material TV or Radio Station

Theme Component Date Duration

1 Audio Truth FM, Liberia Bilateral Meeting between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire

Comp. 3 May 27, 2017 1 hour

2 Audio Radio Voice of the Peninsula

WA BiCC BCC Introduction


3 Audio Radio Modcar WA BiCC BCC Introduction


4 Audio Radio Bankasoka WA BiCC BCC Introduction


5 Audio Radio Bontico WA BiCC BCC Introduction


6 Audio 5 platforms: Radio Bontico; Bankasoka; Voice of Peninsula; Radio Modcar; Star Radio

WA BiCC Jingle Comp. 2 May 8-23 Twice a day for 15 days

7 Audio Star Radio Live talk show-Sierra Leone Tree Planting Drive

Comp. 3 July 25, 2017 1 hour

8 Audio AYV Tree Planting Jingle

Comp. 3 July 14-20, 2017

Twice a day for 7 days

9 Radio Radio Democracy

Live talk show-Sierra Leone Tree Planting Drive


10 Visual Star TV Sierra Leone Tree Planting publicity


11 Audio Radio Bontico Mangrove/Rice Planting

Comp. 2 August 2017 1 hour


Type of Material

TV or Radio Station

Theme Component Date Duration

12 Audio Radio Bontico Mangrove/Rice Planting

Comp. 2 August 2017 1 hour

13 Visual RTG Guinea REDD+ Talk Show

Comp. 3 September 28, 2017

1 hour

14 Visual YouTube CITES video documentary part 1

Comp. 1 January 31, 2017

7 Minutes

15 Visual YouTube CITES video documentary part 2

Comp. 1 September 6 10 Minutes

Formative Research Report Completed A formative research report to pre-test communications materials and channels in the SLCLC was completed. A questionnaire was administered on a selected group of participants, 10 in total (five men and five women), from the clustered communities around Waterloo, Mahera-Lungi, Kychom, Shenge and Bonthe Island. This group was comprised of youth leaders, Chiefs, fishermen, students and farmers. Based on the findings of this research, most respondents prefer face-to-face engagements and radio programs. The report revealed that respondents from communities around Mahera (Sierra Leone River Estuary), Shenge (Yawri Bay) and Bonthe (Sherbro River Estuary) do not receive any information on climate change, mangrove protection or coastal vulnerability via the radio. It was also confirmed that AYV Radio has the widest coverage throughout the landscape. Findings from the pre-test of communication materials reveal that using posters with key messages and community mobilization campaigns will be equally very effective.

Sierra Leone’s National Tree Planting Drive WA BiCC supported West African countries to fulfil their commitments to the Bonn Challenge for Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR), under which Sierra Leone committed to restoring 1 million ha of degraded land by 2020. In July, Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, with support from WA BiCC and other development partners, organized the country’s National Tree Planting Day. The Acting US Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Laurie Meininger, participated in the National Tree Planting campaign alongside Sierra Leone’s Vice President, Victor Foh, as well as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Security (MAFFS), Professor Monty Jones. The event attracted 900 participants and featured on the US Embassy Sierra Leone website.

Outreach and Awareness Raising Events on the World Wildlife Day 2017 On March 3, 2017, WA BiCC organized multiple events to commemorate World Wildlife Day. An event was organized in Sierra Leone in partnership with the NPAA and EPA, which brought together 105 participants, including 10 schools, 3 universities, and representatives from national and international NGOs such as Birdlife International, the Environmental Foundation for Africa, and the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The Symposium was the first major WA BiCC social mobilization campaign with respect to combatting wildlife trafficking. The global theme was: “Listen to the Young Voices”. Amongst issues discussed was the need to encourage debates on wildlife conservation among the youth.

WA BiCC participated in a similar event in Lagos at the Leki Conservation Center. The event was co-organized by the US Consulate General in Lagos-Nigeria and the Nigeria Conservation Foundation. In


attendance were the US Consul-General in Lagos, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Abuja, the Deputy Director for Wildlife at the Federal Ministry of Environment, traditional rulers, and NGOs. The event presented an opportunity for WA BiCC to share updates on progress made in combating wildlife trafficking in West Africa.

Social media coverage was a major part of all three events to disseminate information on the World Wildlife Day events. The Freetown event was registered and mapped onto the United Nations website set up to show all locations worldwide, where World Wildlife Day was commemorated. Table 3 below presents a summary of the number of people mobilized for various WA BiCC events.

TABLE 3. 1641 PEOPLE MOBILIZED UNDER COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION CAMPAIGNS Location Theme Component Date # of people 1 Freetown,

Sierra Leone World Wildlife Day Component 1 March 3,

2017 105

2 SLCLC WA BiCC BCC Introduction-Waterloo

Component 2 May 8, 2017 85

3 SLCLC WA BiCC BCC Introduction-Mahera


4 SLCLC WA BiCC BCC Introduction-Kychom


5 SLCLC WA BiCC BCC Introduction-Shenge


6 SLCLC WA BiCC BCC Introduction-Bonthe

Component 2 May, 23, 2017

100

7 Freetown, Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone Tree Planting Drive

Component 3 July 27, 2017 900

8 SLCLC Mangrove/Rice planting Component 2 August 13, 2017

60

9 Conakry, Guinea

REDD+ Component 3 September 20-22

100 (anticipated)

Total 1,641

3.1.4 GRANTS MANAGEMENT

As discussed under Component 3, USAID has approved two grants under the WA BiCC GUC program during the reporting period: Community Landscape Management to Reduce Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss in the Gola Transboundary Forest Landscape implemented awarded to RSPB; and “Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Management of the Tai-Grebo-Krahn-Sapo (TGKS) Transboundary Forest Landscape between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire” awarded to WCF. An additional grant was also approved to support ECOWAS Students’ CITES Research as discussed under Component 1 which supported student research during the reporting period. Planning for the second batch of students has commenced and several guiding documents were drafted including a ToR, selection criteria, and a cover letter. An agreement has been reached with the CITES MSc Course Director to send 15 West African students for the 2018 session, and discussions on logistical and financial modalities are ongoing.

In addition, WA BiCC is nearing completion of the grant award process to support a climate change vulnerability assessment in the Fresco Landscape in Côte d’Ivoire. An initial application received following a Request for Application. The application was subsequently revised by the prospective


grantee following review and comments by WA BiCC. A Pre-Award Responsibility Determination (PARD) assessment was conducted in the offices of the prospective grantee in August 2017 and the grant package was submitted to Tetra Tech Home Office for review in September and for onward submission for USAID approval.

Finally, WA BiCC employed Short-Term Technical Assistance at the end of the reporting period to work with technical leads to identify activities that could constitute potential grants for the remaining duration of the WA BiCC program. The STTA will also work with the team to develop draft Requests for Application, which will seek to address livelihoods interventions in the Gola Transboundary Forest Landscape. The first draft was produced in September for team review. Deliverables from this STTA are anticipated in early FY18.

3.1.5 MONITORING AND EVALUATION PLAN (M&E)

Implementation of WA BICC’s Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (MEP) Revision of the WA BiCC’s MEP. Based on the revision of the Global Climate Change (GCC) monitoring guide, WA BiCC updated its MEP by adding new indicators and disaggregating splitting them based on the specific program earmarks that fund WA BiCC. As a result, WA BiCC’s performance indicators increased from 15 to 25, capturing all the changes made by USAID with respect to the disaggregation of targets and their specific measurement tools and approaches. This revision was factored into WA BiCC’s new Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS) and submitted to USAID in September 2017 for review and validation.

Build capacity of the WA BiCC team in the use of the M&E system. The M&E team organized various training opportunities held in November 2016 and January 2017 aimed to improve the capacity of WA BiCC staff to use the M&E systems, guarantee consistency and continuity, and enhance data quality The training focused on key aspects of the M&E system such as concepts and approaches for understanding the system, data collection approaches and methodologies and indicator definitions, annual targets, tools and forms.

Support to Partners to Design M&E Systems Abidjan Convention MEP Design. During the FY2017, WA BiCC supported the Abidjan Convention in the design of its Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. The draft plan, developed by WA BiCC, was presented at a Validation Workshop hosted by AbC in Dakar, Senegal in July. Forty participants, including the National Focal Points, reviewed the document and validated the logical framework, related indicators and a mechanism to report on achievements and progress to date. The workshop concluded with the adoption of a road-map and a capacity-building plan for the implementation of the associated M&E manual.

Development M&E functionality within ECOWAS Directorate of Environment. During FY2017, WA BiCC provided support to the ECOWAS Directorate of Environment in the design of its M&E system. WA BiCC shared a first draft of M&E plan. The finalization of the M&E manual is pending the validation of the Environmental Action Plan that defines the logical framework allowing to identify the monitoring indicators in the M&E Manual. The M&E Manual, when finalized, will be presented to parties at a Validation Workshop planned for the FY2018 first quarter.


Support Implementation of Grants Programs in Upland Forest Landscapes Assessment of M&E Capacity of Prospective Grantees. The M&E Unit assessed the capacities of prospective grantees shortlisted for the Gola, the TGS and ZWW Landscapes. The assessment addressed different M&E domains (M&E resources, M&E documents, data management, data quality, data analysis, verification, evaluation, and alignment). The assessment was done through interviews with partners’ staff responsible for M&E and was designed to identify grantee system strengths and weaknesses as well as remedial actions/plans that can be implemented together in support of the prospective grantee upon adjudication and final award.

Baseline Studies The M&E team also supported the technical components to conduct various baseline studies including:

• The Regional Threat Assessment survey to analyse complex regional dynamics and partner relationships at play in combatting wildlife trafficking in West Africa. The study addressed critical questions including networks in West Africa and policies and strategies at regional and national levels. The process was engaged in partnership with Born Free and key deliverables are expected for next year.

• The Carbon sequestration baseline conducted by CIESIN in both coastal mangroves (4 sites) and upland forest (12 sites) areas. The carbon assessment uses a common model – the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) calculator – to arrive at estimates of carbon stocks (reported as tons C) in the targeted landscapes.

Support Provided to Landscape-based Impact Evaluations Support MSI (Management Systems International) in establishing a baseline for the Impact Evaluation (IE). The IE focusing on the mangrove areas of the Greater Freetown Coastal Landscape is designed to provide learning and evidence-based data on the impact of mangrove conservation activities. To gain a general understanding of the intervention sites, a team of two consultants from NORC (an independent research institution at the University of Chicago), conducted a scoping mission in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape to help develop a methodology for an impact baseline. The team visited 12 communities in the landscape in March and met with community decision makers, such as local leaders, and resource user groups (mangrove wood cutters, fishermen). The Concept Note, emanating from the Impact Evaluation, is still under discussion with USAID Washington.


4.0 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW

Given its scope and scale, WA BiCC, like any program, has its share of management challenges. Having offices in two different countries is the most challenging as it makes day to day exchanges difficult on technical and management issues. Despite advances in communication technologies, the internet is still very inconsistent in Freetown and still somewhat inconsistent in Accra. It makes it difficult to near impossible to take full advantage of basic internet services such as Skype and options such as share-screen technologies for virtual face to face meetings, viewing of documents or preparing presentations not possible. The geographic division has also incurred tangible opportunity costs. An inordinate amount of time is spent coordinating complex activities over email or even skype, which can create confusion and when a key decision maker or technical lead is on travel or cannot engage in a timely manner on a given discussion.

To address this very real challenge, WA BiCC management has decided to relocate the three Component leads and the DCOP/Technical to Accra effective January 1, 2018. The programmatic benefits and implementation efficiencies that this consolidation will generate are significant. Having the core technical, cross-cutting and management personnel under one roof, where daily discussions, planning and synthesis can take place, will greatly and positively impact implementation, management and internal and external communications the remainder of the Freetown-based staff will remain in order to coordinate the program activities that take place in Sierra Leone and with the Freetown-based MRU Secretariat.

To improve on management for delivery, a Senior Management Team (SMT) as well as a Program Management Team (PMT) have been established. The former to tackle management issues related to systems, human resources of strategic direction, and the latter to identify and address issues that may be impacting on technical delivery. The SMT provides the COP with additional input and support for high level management decisions. The onboarding of the Knowledge and Learning Specialist (K&LS), a member of the SMT, fills a gap in the SMT and ensures that all programmatic and operational Units reflected in the organigram are now fully represented on the SMT.

An additional challenge that has emerged as work plan implementation has ramped up, relates to the challenge of using the grants mechanism as an effective one for fast and effective disbursement of funds for field activities, particularly as this relates to work in the five learning landscapes. Issues relate the funding ceiling on certain types of grants and the lengthy process required for advertising and selection of grantees. Adapting to this challenge, WA BiCC has moved to a combination of grants as well as sub-contracts to more effectively implement activities through technical expertise provided by specialised organizations.

STAFFING

As noted, the K&LS was brought on board to lead the CLA Unit responsible for the important cross-cutting functions of M&E, Capacity Building and Communications. Another key position, the Senior


Communications Specialist, was filled. This person will lead the Communications staff in Accra and Freetown and ensure effective program and behaviour change communications. In addition, a Mangroves Specialist and a Livelihood Specialist were hired in Freetown to coordinate the implementation of activities in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscapes Complex. These positions were initially included in the Wetlands International Africa staffing plan and were moved to WA BiCC/Tetra Tech after the decision to retool the relationship with Wetlands International Africa.

In order to support the management and administration of this complex project, and in anticipation of a surge of activities in Year 3 including implementing several large grants and subcontract, the functions and responsibilities of the Finance, Grants and Operations Specialist, who left the Program, were restructured in recognition of the actual skills and needs required to effectively manage a project of WA BiCC’s scope and scale. A Deputy Chief of Party for Operations was hired to ensure the efficient and consistent administration and implementation of activities. The DCOP/Operations will be supported by a Finance Manager, who will focus solely on ensuring that all financial rules, regulations and accounts are in strict compliance, and a Grants and Subcontracts Manager who will bring additional skills and experience to support the Accra and Freetown-based Grants Specialists, and associated staff, in successful implementing and managing the large grants and subcontracts portfolio.

As a regional program that focuses on supporting regional and national institutions to achieve outcomes consistent with the WA BiCC mandate the program, by design, does not have an office in each country. Many, but not all, of WA BiCC direct implementation and learning efforts are focussed on the four Members States of the Mano River Union – Guinea, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone. Examples of activities include interventions in the five learning landscapes, support to national and regional REDD+ strategies and support to National Adaptation Plans. Not having staff in the countries where WA BiCC is most active has been a constraint in terms of tracking and participating in meetings and other exchanges that directly impact and influence WA BiCC activities. To address this, WA BiCC will bring on national-level coordinators in Guinea and Liberia to ensure WA BiCC presence over the next several months as activities ramp up.

ACTIVITY PLANNING

In the absence of a Management Information System (MIS), an early priority of management that has not yet materialized due to procurement issues beyond the control of WA BiCC, a basic excel-based activity planning system was put in place to assist activity managers to track and prioritize their ongoing and planned activities based on the agreed work plan. This tool has been revised and adapted as the strengths and weaknesses have become apparent, but it has proved of critical importance for more detailed and streamlined activity planning, including mandatory quarterly updates and modifications. This has also been adapted to make the links between activities and indicators explicit during planning. The activity plans are reviewed and adapted every quarter both to streamline the tool and make it more effective, but also to use it as the foundation for the next annual work plan.


ANNEX A: M&E INDICATOR TABLE

# Performance Indicator

TARGETS RESULTS PERFORMANCE

Comments Life Of the

Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

1

Number of people trained on Climate Change adaptation supported by USG Assistance

5000 150 450 127 716 843 84,67% 159,11% 16,86%

During FY17 WABICC conducted/supported several trainings on issues relating Climate Change Adaptation. A total of 716 people were trained on various aspects of adaptation, of which 218 were women. The breakdown is as follows: Three training were conducted in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex (SLCLC).

- 191 community members (135 men and 56 women) were trained on "Community land and resources use mapping and planning".

- 413 people (276 men and 137 women) were trained on "mangrove seeds and propagule identification and establishment of nurseries for mangrove restoration"

- 59 local leaders (48 men and 11 women) members of the Traditional Chiefs Network were trained on the sustainable management of coastal resources

Additional trainings were: - 10 parliamentarians (6 men and 4 women) from West Africa

(including Cameroun) were trained on strengthening the Abidjan Convention Parliamentarian networks and was intended to strengthen the capacities of parliamentarians and stakeholders on implementing the Abidjan Convention;

- . WABICC supported also an international NGO Trocaire conduct a training on climate change issues, including adaptation, in Sierra Leone) with 30 people attending (25 men and 5 women).

- 13 people (8 men and 5 women) from the Abidjan Convention Staff (11) and journalists (2) were trained on Social Media and Photography, which enabled the Convention to be more articulate when presenting the new protocols to the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention.

The FY17 targets were exceeded by 159% due to an increase in the number of communities expected to take part in the SLCLC intervention. Demands from communities and from the government agencies increased the number of communities reached from 21 to 31. Men 100 498 598





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

Women 27 218 245 The award of different grants during FY2017 will notably increase the number of people trained by WA BiCC in 2018.

2

Number of institutions with improved capacity to assess or address climate change risks supported by USG assistance

45 4 6 3 3 6 75,00% 50,00% 13,33%

Two additional institutions that received training as part of the development of the SLCLC VA are captured here. These are the Nature Club of Sierra Leone and the Liberian Forest Development Authority (FDA). In addition WA BiCC supported the ECOWAS Environment Directorate to strengthen its capacities and deliver on its mandates to address issues such as the coastal and marine issues. An institutional capacity assessment conducted in FY17 showed that ECOWAS improved his capacities between the first OPI conducted in 2015 and this one. The target fell short because the landscape grants, a vehicle by which institutional capacity will be increased, did not get underway until towards the end of FY2017. A learning workshop on integrating climate change issues into National Adaptation Plans, planned for FY17, was rescheduled for October FY18 due to logistics reasons. The 18 institutions expected to attend that workshop will be assessed for FY18 reporting. A constraint was the challenge Identifying institutions with the necessary capacities to manage USAID grants. FY2018 will provide the opportunities for increase the capacities of national and local organizations to improve their capacities to address climate change risks. The Fresco Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment planned for Q1 FY18 will also contribute to this indicator.

Local 0 0 0

National 3 0 3

Regional 0 1 1

3

Number of laws, policies, Regulations, or Standards addressing climate change adaptation formally proposed, adopted or implemented as a result of USG assistance

45 8 5 0 4 4 0,00% 80,00% 8,89%

The 12th Conference of Parties to the Abidjan Convention provided the opportunity for the adoption of the two WA BiCC-supported protocols (Mangrove management and ICZM) and the Strategy on Invasive Species. WA BICC worked intensely with the Abidjan Convention and the national stakeholders on conducting an inclusive process for the drafting, validation and presentation of the Protocols and the Strategy. Therefore, the Protocol on Sustainable Management of Mangroves ecosystems and annexes, the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management and annexes and the Strategy on Invasive Species with a focus on Sargassum will contribute to better manage coastal and mangroves areas mobilize synergies for their protection. WA BiCC also provided support to Abidjan Convention for defining and validating a Monitoring and Evaluation Manual that will contribute to improve the performance measurement system and ease communication Local 0 0 0





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

National 0 0 0 and data sharing among the institution members. The M&E manual was validated in July. The final process of review and validation of the different documents were not finalized during FY2017 due to delays at the partner level. This explain the gap between the expected results and the actuals. FY2018 will allow to finalize some key documents under the support to regional partners

Regional 0 4 4

0 0 0

4

Number of countries that undertake the various steps or activities to develop and/or implement a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) with USG Assistance

6 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% 0%

In FY2017 the groundwork was established for a learning workshop and exchange on integrating coastal issues into NAPs, including scoping studies of 6 focal countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo). The learning workshop to achieve this indicator was planned for FY2017 but, due to logistical reasons, was moved to October FY2018. This indicator will be achieved in FY2018 as all of the preparation activities have been finalized.

5

Amount of investment mobilized (in USD) for climate change adaptation as supported by USG assistance

3 000 000 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% 0%

There are several partners working in collaboration on coastal adaptation issues whose resources can be leveraged to add value to WA BiCC activities, and vice versa. These include the World Bank funded West Africa Coastal Areas Program (WACA) and the UN Development Program (UNDP) Sierra Leone Coastal Project and several others. In FY18 the agreements to jointly contribute to each other’s objectives will be formalized to allow reporting on this indicator.

6

Number of people supported by the USG to adapt to the effects of climate change

7000 100 400 0 693 693 0,00% 173,25% 9,90%

During FY2017 WABICC supported 693 people (484 men and 209 women) to adapt to the effect of the climate change. The support was mainly driven by the training conducted on topics such "community land and resources use mapping", "mangrove seeds and propagule identification and establishment of nurseries", sustainable management of coastal resources". Target was exceeded due to an increase in demand for support from communities and government agencies. The number of people supported will likely be higher in FY18 as the grants activities unfold in the coastal landscapes, including Fresco.

Men 0 484 484

Women 0 209 209

0 0 0

7 Number of people using Climate

4000 40 100 0 57 0 0,00% 0,57% 1,40% 57 individuals from the Bonthe Nature Club were actively involved restoring degraded mangrove areas in FY17. Additional people are being involved to continue and expand this work in FY18 and beyond including





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

information or implementing risk-reducing actions to improve resilience to climate change as supported by USG

policy makers engaged in the domestication of the Abidjan Convention Protocols as well as stakeholders engaged with the Fresco CCVA and its follow on. The deviation between the total FY17 figure of 57 against the 100 target is based on the 3 main factors: 1) the VA in the Fresco Landscape, which would have contributed to this indicator, will now be conducted in FY18 2) the NAP workshop for 6 countries focused on integrating coastal issues into adaptation strategies based on additional information took placed in FY 18 3) the work with the 57 individuals from the Bonthe nature club was a pilot in one site of 4 sub-landscape areas where the project intervenes and will be expanded and scaled up in this sub-landscape and the other 3, in addition to the Fresco landscape and policy makers.

Men 0 38 38

Women 0 19 19

0 0 0

8

Number of people trained on Sustainable landscapes supported by USG Assistance

6000 100 200 0 91 91 0,00% 45,50% 1,52%

During FY17 WABICC supported 4 people (all men) from the Mano River Union countries (Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea) to attend to a training on Forest Carbon Inventory Techniques and Biomass estimation. WA BiCC supported the Government of Guinea to advance its REDD+ Strategy and increase its capacity on REDD+. Two trainings on REDD+ were conducted in Guinea. The first training was for 9 Ministry of Environment Staff (8 men and 1 woman) and a second training on REDD+ was for 73 diverse non-government stakeholders (62 men and 11 women). ECOWAS staff were also trained in English (4 men) and in French (1 man) that will increase their capacity to more effectively implement their forest policies such as the Forest Convergence Plan. In FY18 performance against this indicator is intended to increase significantly as the 3 forest transboundary grant activities get underway. The landscapes are the main, and explicit, vehicle to deliver on this indicator.

Men 0 80 80

Women 0 11 11

0 0 0

9

Number of institutions with improved capacity to address Sustainable Landscapes issues supported by of USG assistance

30 2 4 0 2 2 0,00% 50,00% 6,67%

The institutional capacity assessment of ECOWAS in FY17 demonstrated improved capacity on SL against the 2015 baseline OPI. The Guinean Ministry of Environment significantly increased its capacity on SL through the work supported by WA BiCC on REDD+. A REDD+ expert was recruited to conduct training for Ministry Staff and increase its capacity. A series of 5 regional and one national consultation were organized and the Ministry established a Task Force to lead the consultations. In FY18 performance against this indicator is intended to increase significantly as the 3 forest transboundary grant activities get underway. Local 0 0 0





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

National 0 1 1 The landscapes are the main, and explicit, vehicle to deliver on this indicator.

Regional 0 1 1

0 0 0

10

Number of laws, policies, Regulations, or Standards addressing sustainable landscapes formally proposed, adopted or implemented as a result of USG assistance

35 7 0 0 3 0 0,00% 300,00% 0,00%

The adoption of the 2 Protocols and the Invasive Species Strategy by the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention contributed to this indicator. WA BiCC will also track and report on progress made by each Party towards the domestication of these instruments.

Local 0 0 0

National 0 0 0

Regional 0 3 0

0 0 0

11

Amount of investment mobilized (in USD) for Sustainable Landscapes activities as supported by USG assistance

3 000 000 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% 0%

There are several partners working in collaboration on sustainable landscapes issues in the transboundary forest and coastal mangrove landscapes whose resources can be leveraged to add value to WA BiCC activities, and vice versa. These include German (KfW and GIZ) investments in the TGS landscape, Norway investment in the Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi landscape and RSPB co-financing in the Gola landscape. In FY18 the agreements to jointly contribute to each other’s objectives will be formalized to allow reporting on this indicator.

12

Number of people receiving livelihood co-benefits (monetary or non-monetary) associated with

6000 100 500 0 0 0 0,00% 0,00% 0,00%

Progress on this indicator is mainly tied to activities by grantees in the landscapes, where livelihood activities are embedded into grant agreements and work plans. Thus, it is anticipated that there will be significant progress on this indicator starting in FY18 and continuing through the remaining years of WA BiCC.





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

the implementation of USG supported sustainable landscapes activities

Men 0 0 0

Women 0 0 0

0 0 0

13

Greenhouse gas emissions estimated in metric tons CO2 equivalent, reduced or sequestered and/or avoided as a result of USG assistance

35000 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% 0%

Indicator not to be reported this year as it is largely linked to work in landscapes by grantees. However, the restoration of the mangroves in the SLCLC will generate a metric towards this indicator and WA BiCC is working to generate that figure for a possible revision to FY17 reporting, but certainly for FY18 reporting.

14

Number of countries with improved capacity to report on the quantity of greenhouse emissions measured in metric tons CO2 equivalent, reduced, sequestered, or avoided as a result of USG assistance

6 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% 0% Indicator not to be reported this year





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

15

Number of hectares of biological significance and/or natural resources under improved natural resource management as a result of USG assistance

300000 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% 0% Indicator not to be reported this year as it is largely dependent on work by grantees or WA BiCC in the landscapes

16

Number of people trained on Biodiversity Conservation supported by USG Assistance

4000 300 300 49 541 590 16,33% 180,00% 14,75%

During FY17 WABICC supported two trainings on issues relating to Biodiversity Conservation. One was the Second Regional Workshop on Combatting Wildlife Trafficking for Prosecutors and Judicial Officers conducted in partnership with the Department of Justice and the UNODC. A total of 25 people (19 men and 6 women) were trained. 11 of the CITES Master’s students finalized their research, submitted their thesis to the University and were conferred their degrees. The 12th student will receive her degree in FY2018. ECOWAS staff were also trained in the main regional languages to more effectively deliver on their biodiversity commitments. 4 people (all men) were trained in English and one man was trained in French. Data collected from the 12 CITES Master’s students shows they organized 687 people for training or mobilization in FY17, of these 500 are considered as trainings based on the PIRS definition The uptake and use by the CITES students of the information gained from their training is unexpected and explains the deviation. Verification of what counts as a legitimate training as defined in the PIRS is being done for FY18 reporting. The trainings that are anticipated to follow the CWT threats assessment will be developed and delivered in FY18 and subsequent years, as will various trainings related to biodiversity conservation in the learning landscapes.

Men 38 34 72

Women 11 7 18

0 0 0

17

Number of institutions with improved capacity to address Biodiversity

45 2 6 12 2 13 28,89% 33,3% 28,89%

During FY2016 and FY2017 WA BiCC supported the ECOWAS on strengthening its capacities and deliver on its mandates and address different issues. An Organization Performance Assessment of ECOWAS against the 2015 baseline.





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

Conservation issues supported by of USG assistance

The Abidjan Convention Secretariat and its West African Parties also increased its capacities to conserve mangrove biodiversity and the fight against invasive species. The Threat Assessment is expected to be validated in FY18 and several activities starting. These will contribute to strongly reduce the gaps on expectations in term of results

Local 0 0 0

National 12 0 12

Regional 0 1 1

0 0 0

18

Number of laws, policies, Regulations, or Standards addressing Biodiversity Conservation formally proposed, adopted or implemented as a result of USG assistance

35 8 2 0 3 3 0,00% 150,00% 8,57%

The Conference of Parties of the Abidjan Convention adopted the two protocols and Invasive Strategy, which when domesticated and implemented will have significant positive impact on biodiversity conservation.

Local 0 0 0

National 0 0 0

Regional 0 3 3

0 0 0

19

Amount of investment mobilized (in USD) for Biodiversity Conservation as supported by USG assistance

2 000 000 0 0 0 164,578 0 0% 0% ,8%

The figure reported is from the grant to RSPB for work in the Gola landscape. There are several partners working in collaboration with WA BiCC on biodiversity conservation in the landscapes whose resources can be leveraged to add value to WA BiCC activities, and vice versa. In FY18 the agreements to jointly contribute to each other’s objectives will be formalized to allow reporting on this indicator.

20

Number of new USG-supported public-private partnerships

15 0 1 0 1 0 0% 0% 0%

A PPP was concluded with IBM to advance with work exploring the feasibility and possible framework for developing a Resource Center for the Abidjan Convention. The proposal for this partnership was accepted by IBM with the work to take place in October 2018.





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

(PPPs) formed with the support of USG assistance

In addition, discussions with FORM Ghana on the restoration of a degraded forest landscape in Ghana where illegal gold mining have advanced. A MoU and landscape activities are expected in FY18.

21

Number of tools, databases, monitoring systems developed or adapted to analyze, organize, manage or share data on climate change and biodiversity

50 5 10 5 6 11 100,00% 60,00% 22,00%

During FY2017, WA BiCC supported the Abidjan Convention on designing its Communication strategy and developed a social media toolkit. In addition, the Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for the Abidjan Convention and ECOWAS were developed, with validation and implementation anticipated for FY18. The CC Vulnerability Assessment in the SLCLC was finalized as was the options assessment. The MRU Secretariat received GIS hardware, software and data to increase their capacity to support their Member States to improve climate change analysis. Training is planned for FY18. In addition, the IBM Resources Center is on target for FY18 as is the Wild SCAN and potentially Africa TWIX tools for CWT work expected to advance in FY18.

Local 0 0 0

National 0 0 0

Regional 5 2 7

0 0 0

22

Number of best practices and approaches identified, implemented, and/or adopted as a result of USG assistance

40 5 10 0 3 0 0% 3.33% 13.33%

In the SLCLC landscape community mapping, a best practice for stakeholder engagement for the identification of the development of priorities, was undertaken. Agroforestry integrating rice and mangroves, an identified best practice in other countries of West Africa (i.e. Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Casamance region in Senegal and several SE Asian countries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change includes Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments, like that done in the SLCLC, as a best practice. As with other indicators this indicator is mainly dependent on work in the landscapes and will move forward in FY18. FY2018 will likely allow to engage the different planned grants to start implementation. This will contribute to raise the results of the project on identifying and implementing best practices

23

Number of networks recognized at a regional and

20 2 3 0 4 4 0,00% 100,00% 20,00%

During the period, WABICC supported the Abidjan Convention on establishing a Networks of representatives from the various National Assemblies and Parliament of the covered countries. The association established on February 28th in Cotonou and named "Alliance des





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

national level and addressing climate change (mitigation or adaptation) and/or biodiversity conservation officially installed or strengthened as a result of USG assistance

Parlementaires et Elus Locaux pour la mise en oeuvre de la Convention d'Abidjan (APELCA) will allow to strengthen capacities of parliamentarians and local staff on marine and coastal environment governance and on the implementation of the Abidjan Convention. WA BiCC also supported the Network of Stakeholders for the transboundary collaboration in Tai Grebo Sapo (TGS) landscape between Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire and co-organized a related workshop in Monrovia. WA BiCC also supported the CITES Master Students establishing a Network for sharing knowledge. The network of Regional CITES Masters graduates is already established on WhatsApp and Facebook groups for coordination and collaboration on CITES issues across West Africa. A Traditional Chiefs Network to coordinate activities in the SLCLC was established.

Local 0 0 0

National 0 0 0

Regional 0 3 3

0 0 0

24

Number of audio-visual programs produced and broadcast on climate change adaptation, sustainable landscapes and/or biodiversity conservation with the support of the project

200 5 20 0 19 19 0,00% 95,00% 9,50%

During FY2017, WA BICC supported Nine (9) Radio programs on coastal resilience to climate change in the SLCLC. Two (2) programs on Agro-silviculture (integrating mangroves into rice farming) in the Sherbro River Estuary in the SLCLC. Two (2) audio-visual programs broadcast on YouTube on CITES. Four (4) radio and television programs on the importance of tree planting and national tree planting day in Sierra Leone. One (1) Television program in Conakry, Guinea on the REDD+ Process and sustainable landscape management. One (1) radio program in Monrovia, Monrovia on forest landscape management





Project

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2016

FY 2017 TOTAL FY

2016 FY

2017 TOTAL

25

Number of people participating in community mobilization campaigns conducted as a result of USG assistance

20000 200 2800 86 2157 2243 43,00% 76,79% 11,18%

During FY2017 WA BiCC supported several communication and advocacy activities. These are listed below. 480 (330m, 150f) community stakeholders were mobilized to increase their awareness in climate change impact mitigation and coastal resilience in communities living in the Sierra Leone Complex Landscape. 18 (14m, 4f) stakeholders were mobilized to increase their awareness in climate change resilience in West Africa. 39 (28m, 11f) stakeholders were mobilized to raise their awareness in community based forestry in Liberia. 35 (33m, 2f) national stakeholders were mobilized in Sierra Leone to raise their awareness in community based forestry. In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, 900 stakeholders were mobilized to demonstrate tree planting and celebrate the national tree planting day in Sierra Leone. 102 (62m, 40f) stakeholders were mobilized in Sierra Leone to celebrate the World Wildlife day. 68 (47m, 21f) coastal community farmers in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex (SLCLC) were mobilized to increase their awareness in the integration of mangroves into rice farming (Agri-silviculture). 323 (290m, 33f) stakeholders at national and sub-national levels were mobilized to increase their awareness in REDD+ process in Guinea. 92 (82m, 10f) stakeholders were mobilized to establish the national level species working group in Guinea, 70 (55m, 15f) stakeholders were mobilized through transboundary collaboration for Tai-Grebo Sapo forest complex between Cote D'Ivoire and Liberia, 17 (10m, 7f) CSO stakeholders were mobilized on REDD+ process in Guinea, 13 (11m, 2f ) ministry of environment stakeholders in Guinea were mobilized to raise awareness on REDD+. FY2017 did not allow to engage with the different grantees expected to intervene at the field level. Difficulties to identify local institutions having sufficient capacities for managing USAID Grants and responding to the needs and requirements delayed the process of grants conclusion. FY2018 will likely allow to engage the different planned grants to start implementation. This will contribute to raise the results of the project on reaching more people through community mobilization

Local 0 555 555

National 86 1602 1688

Regional 0 0 0


ANNEX B: SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT WA BiCC’s social media accounts shared news, information and updates on combatting wildlife trafficking, coastal resiliency issues, deforestation and environmental conservation throughout West Africa. The pages posted on WA BiCC activities implemented across the region such as the National Tree Planting Campaign in Sierra Leone, and the REDD+ official launch and the Species Working Group workshop in Guinea. The pages also posted on special event days celebrated such as World Wildlife Day, World Environment Day, World Oceans Day, World Elephant Day, and World Lion Day. The Communication team shared toolkits with partner institutions for sharing and posting on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

FACEBOOK

WA BiCC’s account on Facebook posts a minimum of 3 posts per day, up from 3 posts per week. At the beginning of October 2016, the Facebook page had a total of 2,948 followers. Between October 1st 2016 and September 30th 2017, the page has gained 14,610 more followers, bringing the total number to 17, 558. The Facebook page’s daily reach and engagements has varied between 100 and 10,000 people per day, peaking in the months of November and December, when the effective “Boost” tool on Facebook was used most.


Majority of the WA BiCC page’s fans are in Ghana, but the countries with the most people engaging with our content varies per month. On Facebook, our target countries are mostly being reached.


TWITTER

WA BiCC’s twitter account posts at least three (3) times in a day. WA BiCC’s twitter account, between October 1st 2016 and September 30th 2017 experienced a significant increase in user engagements. The total engagements between July and September 2017 alone was 2,938 compared to 729 between October and December 2016, representing a 303% increase in user engagement. Our tweets were noticed 703,100 times over the 1-year period. Over the same period, our posts have had total of 2,514 retweets, 2,645 likes and 307 mentions. The WA BiCC page now has 4, 680 followers, gaining 652 in July alone.

0200400600800

1000120014001600

Oct-Dec Jan-Mar April-Jun July-Sept

Peop

le

Months

Engagements

Likes Retweets Replies

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep

Peop

le

Months

Impressions


Polls, Ecopoetry, educative material, infographics, videos, opinion pieces, and fun facts have attracted user engagement most. Demographic information could not be obtained from twitter analytics.

LINKEDIN

Our LinkedIn page now posts at least 2 posts per day, up from 3 posts per week. A total of 27,942 impressions (views), peaking at 4,560 in August 2017. People engaged with content a total of 606 times between October 1st 2016 and September 30th 2017.


Visual material dominates web links on our LinkedIn page now, because our LinkedIn audience do not interact with the web links as much as the visual material such as the infographics, fun facts, quotes, and poetry.

Our transition to the education-oriented approach is steadily attracting more engagement on LinkedIn.

Whereas it would be amiss to describe WA BiCC’s social media growth, over the past 12 months, as exponential it has nevertheless been rapid and highlights the media’s untapped potential for communication and information dissemination. Most of the growth in posts has centered in and around Ghana with some uptake in the surrounding MRU countries of Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. Greater uptake is a goal across all MRU countries and the West African region. More exposure is possible, as part of an internal programmatic response, when WA BiCC staff and regional/national partners actively post/share and engage with social media content on consistent basis. Another option is to boost social media content and exposure through sponsored posts which can be highly effective and selective according to country, timing and content. This was piloted on a limited basis and has a place as part of an array of options. As is typical with any fast-paced growth in the ICT sector – if often outstrips the capacity to manage and sustain it. Continued active and creative participation in the social media space by WA BiCC requires dedicated human resources to ‘feed the media beast’ especially if it is regarded as an important and integral part of a WA BiCC-wide communication strategy and learning agenda. Additional staff resources will have to be considered in Year 3 to ‘grow’ the social media campaign.

U.S. Agency for International Development 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20523 Tel: (202) 712-0000 Fax: (202) 216-3524

www.usaid.gov

WEST AFRICA BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE (WA BiCC) … · • Increasing coastal resilience to...

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