ESMF Botswana Wildlife Conflict Project

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management inNorthernBotswana Project (HWCM Project)

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REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA

Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management (HWCM)in Northern Botswana Project

GEF-PPG TF No. 057046

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

Prepared by

DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND NATIONAL PARKS

P.O.BOX 131, GABORONE. BOTSWANA

TEL: 3971405FAX: 3912354 E-mail:

i.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) provides a framework, covering all World Bank policies relevant to the Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management (HWCM) in Northern Botswana Project (the Project), which must be used by government, community based organizations, NGOs and the private sector during Project and subproject planning and implementation.

The ESMF details agreed policies, guidelines, and procedures to be integrated into the implementation of the Project. Implementation of the ESMF will support achieving compliance with applicable laws and regulations in Botswana and with relevant Bank policies on environment and social development issues.

The Project will comprise two related components: Component 1: Strengthened HWC service delivery for DWNP; and Component 2: Strengthened capacity of targeted communities in proactive HWC mitigation strategies.

Three Project sites comprise thirteen villages with a population of just above 12.000 local people (Projections for 2011 based on the 2001 census of total population for localities of over 500 people). These villages are located along the three primary and critical wetlands in Botswana. In the Okavango Delta Panhandle these are the villages of Seronga, Beetsha, Eretsha, Gudigwa, and Gunitsoga. In the Chobe-Linyanti wetlands these villages are Mabele, Kavimba, Satau, Parakarungu, Kachikau, and Lesoma. In the Makgadikgadi wetlands, these villages are Kumaga and Moreomaoto. The Project areas are in the vicinity to the following protected areas: (i) Moremi Game Reserve and Kwando Wildlife Management Area; (ii) Chobe National Park and Chobe Forest Reserve; and (iii) MakgadikgadiPansNational Park and Nxai PanNational Park.

The ESMF sets out the kinds of Project activities that will be financed, arrangements for project coordination and implementation, and environmental and social management requirements. These include environmental assessment requirements and provisions for participation of indigenous peoples.

Procedures for preparing, screening, approving and implementing Project activities are outlined in the ESMF, together with their monitoring and evaluation. A framework of typical human-wildlife conflicts is included, together with potential mitigation measures. Provisions for capacity building, training and technical assistance are also included, together with a budget for implementing these provisions and guidelines for annual reviews of the Project.

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ESMF for HWCM in Northern Botswana Project

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management inNorthernBotswana Project (HWCM Project)

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ii.TABLE OF CONTENTS

i.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ii.TABLE OF CONTENTS

iii.ACRONYMS

1INTRODUCTION

1.1Purpose of the ESMF

1.2Objectives of ESMF

2PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1Project Objectives

2.2Components of the Project

2.3Project Target Areas

2.4Anticipated Subproject Types

2.5Subproject Exclusions

3PROJECT COORDINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

3.1Project Steering Committee.

3.2The Programme Coordinating Unit (PCU)

3.3Coordination at National Level and District Level

4ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

4.1World Bank Operational Policies

4.2Environmental Assessment (OP/BP/GP 4.01)

4.2.1....Indigenous Peoples Operational Policy (OP 4.10)

4.3National Environmental and Social Management Requirements

4.3.1....Environmental Impact Assessment

4.3.2....Community Based Natural Resources Management

4.3.3....Remote Area Dwellers Development Programme

4.4ESMF Disclosure

5SUBPROJECT PREPARATION, APPROVAL & IMPLEMENTATION

5.1Environmental and Social Screening of Subprojects

5.1.1....Environmental and Social Checklist:

5.1.2....Environmental Impact Assessment

5.1.3....Field Appraisal

5.2Review and Approval

5.2.1....Review

5.2.2....Approval/Rejection:

5.3Public Consultation and Disclosure

5.4Subproject Monitoring and Evaluation

6CAPACITY BUILDING, TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

6.1ESMF CAPACITY BUILDING AND IMPLEMENTATION BUDGET

7ANNEX 1: ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CHECKLIST

8ANNEX 2: GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING AN EMP

9ANNEX 3: EXAMPLE OF AN EMP FOR A SMALL-SCALE PROJECT

10ANNEX 5: WILDLIFE CONFLICTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES

11ANNEX 6: CRITERIA FOR REQUIRING A FIELD APPRAISAL

12ANNEX 7: GUIDELINES FOR ANNUAL REVIEWS

13ANNEX 8: BOTSWANA ACTS, POLICIES & DEVELOPMENT PLANS1

List of Figures

Figure 1 The location of the Project target areas in Botswana.

Figure 2 Project areas in more detail.

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ESMF for HWCM in Northern Botswana Project

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management inNorthernBotswana Project (HWCM Project)

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iii.ACRONYMS

BOCOBONET / Botswana Community Based Organisations Network
BOCONGO / Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organizations
CARACAL / Centre for Conservation of African Resources: Animals, Communities and Land Use
CBNRM / Community Based Natural Resources Management
CBO / Community-based organisation
DDC / District Development Council
DEA / Department of Environmental Affairs
DFRR / Department of Forestry and Range Resources
DWNP / Department of Wildlife and National Parks
EIA / Environmental Impact Assessment
EMP / Environmental Management Plan
ESMF / Environmental and Social Management Framework
GEF / Global Environment Facility
GIS / Geographic Information Systems
HEC / Human-Elephant-Conflict
HWC / Human-Wildlife-Conflict
IPP / Indigenous Peoples Plan
IPPF / Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework
LEA / Botswana Local Enterprise Agency
MEWT / Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism
PCU / Project Coordination Unit
PSC / Project Steering Committee
RAD / Remote area dwellers
RADP / Division of Remote Area Development Programmes
SIA / Social Impact Assessment
the Project / Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management (HWCM) in Northern Botswana Project
WIMSA / Working Group for Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa

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ESMF for HWCM in Northern Botswana Project

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management inNorthernBotswana Project (HWCM Project)

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1INTRODUCTION

1.1Purpose of the ESMF

This Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) details agreed policies, guidelines, and procedures to be integrated into the implementation of the Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management (HWCM) in Northern Botswana Project (the Project) in the target areas of the Project in Botswana.

The Project will support the Government of Botswana, through the Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT) and its Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) to improve the livelihoods of rural people by proactively mitigating human-wildlife conflict[1] in the Project areas and supporting tourism-related skills development. The Project will run over a five-year period and has been prepared in accordance with the World Bank’s Operational Policies re: Environmental Assessment (OP/BP/GP 4.01) and Indigenous People’s Safeguard Policy (OP 4.10).

The ESMF provides a framework, covering World Bank policies relevant to THE PROJECT, which must be used by government, community based organizations, NGOs and the private sector during Project and subproject planning and implementation.

The ESMF aims to:

Set the scene for implementation of World Bank Safeguard Policies relevant to the Project;
Enhance positive and sustainable environmental and social outcomes associated with Project implementation;
Support the integration of environmental and social aspects into the planning and decision making process;
Support the active and meaningful participation of vulnerable and marginalized groups in Project activities, and facilitate their improved roles and benefits;
Avoid or minimize negative environmental and social impacts;
Minimize environmental degradation as a result of either individual Project activities or their cumulative effects;
Avoid involuntary resettlement;
Protect human health; and

Minimize impacts on cultural property.

Implementation of the ESMF in Botswana supports and assists with achieving compliance with applicable laws and regulations and with relevant Bank policies on environment and social development issues.

1.2Objectives of ESMF

The ESMF is based on recommendations from an Environmental and Social Assessment and incorporates the legislation of Botswana and the Operational Policies of the World Bank. The Project is classified as Category B according to World Bank standards. Impacts of Category B projects are likely to be site-specific, relatively easy to mitigate and reversible within reason.

The Government of Botswana will use and refer to the ESMF during implementation of the Project. At the time of Project preparation, proactive prevention strategies to mitigate HWChave been demanded during an initial consultation process. Though some proactive mitigation strategies have been identified as a result of community consultation, but specific location and intervention design are not known at project appraisal. Thus, the appropriate safeguard instrument to prepare prior to project appraisal is the ESMF. It is expected that during Project implementation detailed Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) will be prepared for specific Project activities following guidelines in the ESMF. It remains the responsibility of the MEWT, as Project implementing authority in Botswana, to ensure that necessary plans are developed, and the project implementers to ensure that they are adhered to.

The objectives of this Environmental and Social Management Framework are:

a)To establish clear procedures and methodologies for the environmental and social planning, review, approval and implementation of specific Project activities (subprojects);

b)To specify appropriate roles and responsibilities, and outline the necessary reporting procedures, for managing and monitoring environmental and social concerns related to;

c)To determine the training, capacity building and technical assistance needed to successfully implement the provisions of the ESMF;

d)To establish the project funding required to implement the ESMF requirements;

e)To provide practical resources for implementing the ESMF.

The Project’s ESMF is developed for proactive HWC interventions under the Project and will be operational at all times when the Project provides financial support. Therefore, the ESMF is triggered and becomes a mandatory operational framework even when the Project co-funds an initiative with another project or support organisation.

2PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1Project Objectives

The Project’s Global Environment/Development Objective is to reduce Human-Wildlife-Conflict in targeted hotspot areas in Northern Botswana. The GEF Project will enhance DWNP’s overall operational capacity and will assist local subsistence farmers to mitigate wildlife conflict through proactive prevention strategies. It will further address some causes of the conflict by trying to manipulating elephant spatial use in order to reduce conflict and by offer local people employment choices and increasing opportunities to benefit from the presence of wildlife.

2.2Components of the Project

The component that will finance ESMF relevant Project activities (subprojects) is Component 2.

If rural communities are to manage human-wildlife conflicts, they need to implement proactive mitigation approaches and realise real benefits from wildlife and the environment at the household level, thereby improving rural livelihoods. In terms of Component 2, communities will be instrumental in applying proactive strategies for human-wildlife conflict management. Component 2 also addresses the lack of leadership and operational capacity at rural level to manage wildlife conflict and tourism-related skillsfor competitive employment to enhance livelihoods of participating communities and gain their support for biodiversity conservation.

Proposed subcomponents include:

(i) Support for proactive Human-Elephant-Conflict (HEC) prevention by demonstrating and scaling up support for chili pepper deterrent techniques, including technical assistance and training by experienced service provider, elephant restraining kits, support for initial cultivation, extension and monitoring;

(ii) Support to improved kraaling and herding to mitigate livestock-predator conflict particularly caused by lions, with focus initially on three Project villages;

(iii) Piloting and eventually rolling out less conventional prevention strategies, including early maturing maize which can be harvested before the dry season, solar-powered elephant restraining fence lines for manipulating elephant spatial use in order to reduce conflict, additional boreholes to delay wildlife passage/migration the dry season, beekeeping and use of guard dogs as additional preventive devices;

(iv) Training of local community members in MOMS (management oriented monitoring systems); and

(v) Training for tourism-related employment, including wildlife guide, chef, waiter/waitress, restaurant and/or lodge manager, receptionist and accountant/book-keeper.

Expected Outcome Indicators:

(i)Number of households successfully using proactive HWC prevention strategies;

(ii)Number of individuals in community based organizations trained in MOMS and applying this tool; and

(iii)Number of people trained in tourism-related skills and finding related employment.

2.3Project Target Areas

Figure 1The location of the Project target areas in Botswana.

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ESMF for HWCM in Northern Botswana Project

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management inNorthernBotswana Project (HWCM Project)

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Figure 2Project areas in more detail.

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ESMF for HWCM in Northern Botswana Project

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Human-Wildlife-Conflict Management inNorthernBotswana Project (HWCM Project)

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2.4Anticipated Subproject Types

Communities will be instrumental in implementing proactive prevention strategies to mitigate HWC impacts. HWC interventions will focus on tested methodology which can easily be demonstrated and supported, while piloting additional approaches. For example concerning HEC, the aim is 1500 households successfully adopting elephant restraining techniques by the end of the Project period. Skills training will focus on tourism-related competences for various aspects of hospitality management and candidates will be selected according to transparent, merit-based criteria.

Options for proactive conflict mitigation options will be identified through an inclusive consultative process in each of the Project target areas and their utility assessed.

Activities/Subcomponents under component 2 will focus on:

Activities that are directly aimed to prevent and mitigating HWC proactively. HWC is defined as incidents where the needs and behaviour of wildlife impact negatively on the livelihood of local people. These conflicts may result when wildlife damage crops, injure or kill domestic animals, threaten or kill people. Such Project activities must satisfy the requirements of the ESMF in terms of safeguards relating to environmental impacts andindigenous San/BaSarwa and other marginalized groups (see Section 4 below).

Tourism-related skills development: To improve the competitiveness of local people for tourism-related employment is not directly related to HWC, but may nonetheless have positive indirect benefits because such an intervention reduce poverty, has a direct relation to conservation and could support investments that promote mitigation of HWC. Skills training will focus on tourism-related competences for various aspects of hospitality management and candidates will be selected according to transparent, merit-based criteria.

2.5Subproject Exclusions

Subproject proposals that focus on the following topics are not eligible for funding:

Infrastructure not sufficient to proactively prevent HWC.

Skills development/training not connected to tourism-related employment.

Agriculture: activities that would result in a net loss of forests, agricultural expansion, large scale commercial agricultural activities.
Forestry production activities especially conversion of forest land to other land use.
Large scale drainage and irrigation including:
Construction of dams and reservoirs.
Artificial enlargement of lakes with surface areas of 20ha or more.
Drainage of wetland wildlife habitat or of virgin forest
Irrigation schemes covering an area of 50ha or more per community.

Activities that would negatively impact cultural property (e.g. land clearance for cultivation).
Acquisition of land (whether individually or communally owned).
Rehabilitation, construction and industry:
Housing development
Large scale industrial plants and industrial estates including major expansion
Rehabilitation or modification.
New land development
New construction or major upgrading of roads or highways
Mining or quarries
Construction of railways
Construction or rehabilitation of places of worship
Power generation and transmission.
River basin development (i.e., large scale development and construction in riparian areas that would impact downstream systems).
Manufacture, transportation and use of pesticides or other hazardous and/or toxic materials.
Firewood production or briquette manufacture
Any form of physical resettlement
Waste treatment and disposal of the following types:
Hazardous waste management.
Construction of incineration plant.
Construction of recovery plant (off-site).
Construction of waste water treatment plant (off-site).

3PROJECT COORDINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

The programme will be implemented through the following arrangements:

MEWT through the DWNP will be responsible for the oversight and effective implementation of the programme to ensure that it meets its strategic objectives; and
The Project will have coordination and implementing structures at two levels, national and local level, which will interact in operations and outputs.

3.1Project Steering Committee.

The Project will operate under the supervision of the Programme Steering Committee, which will provide policy guidance, monitoring and Project oversight during implementation. The PSC will further review and approve work programmes and cost estimates, as well as technical and progress reports. In this regard the Programme Steering Committee will meet quarterly or more frequently if necessary. The PSC will be chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism and include representation from the Director of Wildlife and National Parks, Department of Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, affected District Council Secretary, Land Board Secretary, local implementing partner CARACAL, World Bank and others as may be identified. The participation of the Council and Land Board Secretaries in the Project Steering Committee is meant to streamline and institutionalize the Project from the National to the District level in Project areas. The Land Boards and District Councils have a critical role to play on the outcome of the Project at a local level. The Land Board is responsible for management of communal land where most human/wildlife conflict occurs. The Council on the other hand is responsible for governance and provision of facilities at District and local level.