ENVSEC - IES Workshop onEnvironmental Security Assessments: Methodologies and Practces

22 November 2010

Presented by: Wouter Veening, President IESSlides by: Jeanna Hyde-Hecker, Science Coordinator IES

IES Environmental Security Assessments

Overview of Presentation

• Main characteristcs of the IES Environmental Security Assessment (ESA)

• Targeted end users (identfying them and catering to their needs)

• Feedback from users

• Shortcomings

• Translatng analysis into acton

• Discussion

Institute for Environmental Security

• IES mission - to advance global environmental security

• Environmental Security Defned…

Simple: the current and future availability of life-supportng ecosystem services and goods for human needs and natural processes

More detailed:the current and future availability (determined by the factors – supply, accessibility and management) of life-supportng ecosystem services and goods for human needs and natural processes which contribute to poverty alleviaton and confict deterrence

Importance of Environmental Security

IES Method Paper v.2008©

ScarcityDestruction

Violence Conflict

Resolution

Healthy Ecosystems

Model of relationship between environment and conflict.

Importance of Environmental Security

Resolution

Scarcity

Violence

Conflict

Destruction &/or Poorly governed resources

HealthyEcosystems

IES Method Paper v.2009©

Model of relationship between environment and conflict. A B C = Attitudes, Behaviour and social (social, political and economic) Conditions which are contributing factors to the relationships at various stages in the cycle.

• Interdisciplinary Approach – (added value of IES)• science (ecology, RS/GIS)• diplomacy• legislaton • fnance• educaton

• 5 year Program – Environmental Security for Poverty Alleviaton

• Executed by means of the EnviroSecurity Assessment Methodology

• To develop method: 6 Study Areas

IES Environmental Security Assessments

Case Study Areas

1. Matavén Forest, Amazon, Colombia

2. Virunga-Bwindi, Great Lakes Region, Africa

3. Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

4. Ngiri-Tumba-Mai Ndombe Wetland, DRC, Congo Basin

5. Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, Horn of Africa

6. Nam Can District, Vietnam, Mekong River Basin

www.envirosecurity.org/espa

Case Study Areas

Objectves:

1. To identfy areas with threats to environmental security

2. To investgate ways to address and prevent threats to environmental security

Method Summary:1. Study area selecton: exploraton2. Mult-disciplinary Assessment3. Integratve Analyses as relates to Environmental Security Problem

Solving4. Use of remote sensing, GIS and cartographic synthesis maps5. Alternatves and Recommendatons 6. Advocacy

IES ESA: Main Characteristics

Integrative Analysis

Problem Solving

• not only finding out direct causes

Fire and carbon emission

SMOKE HAZE

HOT SPOTS

Estimated burned area in Indonesia:

~ 10 million ha

Slash and burn practices - an important source of large wildfires in peatlands.

Main causes of peatland degradation

•Conversion into oil palm estates,

•illegal logging and

•construction of drainage canals

Integrative Analysis

Problem Solving

• But the root causes and effects as well

e.g. Problem Tree/Cycle assists with root causes and effects

PovertyInsufficient law

enforcement

Illegal loggingFiresAgriculture in

vulnerable ecosystem

Legal logging in

vulnerable ecosystem

Green House Gas

emissions

Biodiversity loss:

orangutan and rare

species populations

threatened

Less opportunities

and resources for

marginalized

groups

Economic

loss

Lack of legitimate work

opportunties

Type of Governance / Guidance:

knowledge experience intentions

beliefs finance opportunity distribution

Inappropriately managed

natural resources

Insufficient transparency

in government activities

Environmental Destruction:

peat swamp destruction wildlife exploitation deforestation

habitat destruction air pollution

Respiratory illnesses

(caused by smoke

with suspended

particulate matter)

Marginalization/

neglect of groups

of Indonesian

(e.g. Dayaks)

Tourism revenues

decrease

Unable to enforce

national, regional,

inernational

laws/conventions

Less funds/

possibilities for

CDM etc. thru int'l

mechanism

Violence:

neglected Dayaks

killing "favored"

Madurese

IDP's

C

A

U

S

E

E

F

F

E

C

T

Use of remote sensing, GIS and synthesis maps

• Beter understanding of the issues

• Communicaton – various levels

White rectangle = Study Area. 1979 mostly mangroves

Vegetaton/mangrove areas (green), Bare land/agriculture/setlements (grey) and Shrimp farms/water (magenta), Clouds (white)

Landsat MSS 1979, bands 4-7-5,

White rectangle = Study Area. 2003 more shrimp farms

Vegetaton/mangrove areas (green), Bare land/agriculture/setlements (sandy pink or red) and Shrimp farms/water (black to blue), Clouds (white).

Landsat ETM+ 2003, bands 7-4-2,

Nam Can Study Area, Mekong Delta

Images help greatly to id and communicate the issues in the study area

Developing Synthesis Maps helps to understand the dynamics of the issues

Virunga-Bwindi, Great Lakes Region, Africa

Synthesis Mapsfor Communication

Colombia(2004-2005)

Ongoing Environmental Destruction: Colombia and Neighboring Countries

Synthesis Maps

Colombia (2004-2005)

ESA Reports with Recommendations

Other Products: Posters…

Achievements in Case Study Areas

Indonesia:• IES partcipated in lobby and acquisiton of €5million - 2005 and €10 million per each

following year from Dutch parliament

• Reforestaton of the area – CDM project for sustainable livelihood of locals and payments for ecosystem services.

• All local stakeholder groups to be involved

Colombia:• Current testng of fnancial mechanism (Payments of Ecosystem Services)

– To include proposed sustainable development policies– To support small business and communites– To address exploitaton problems of the resources such as over huntng of animals

Great Lakes, Africa:• In 2007 and 2008 IES fnancially supported Bwindi AMAGARA farmers associaton in Uganda.

Project to train local farmers to produce and sell high quality food products to the vibrant tourism industry around Bwindi Natonal Park.

• Producton of Bwindi AMAGARA increased in 2009, and revenue-generatng actvites have been expanded.

• Feasibility study carried out for "translatng" the "AMAGARA concept" to northern Rwanda, in 2009.

Promotng sustainable livelihoods, preventng environmental destructon, avoiding confict

IES’ Role at the end of an ESA

IES follow-up role as advocate:

• To take stakeholder input to relevant platorms

• To draw atenton to environmental security, poverty and confict issues

• To provide results and products from the assessment which can be used to strengthen upcoming development programs in the region

• To facilitate local stakeholder groups in the networking needed to identfy alternatves where necessary and implement recommendatons with the intenton to improve environmental and livelihood issues

Identifying end users and catering to their needs

• IES ESPA Program donor – Ministry Foreign Afairs, NL and Embassies– Their interest used as important determining factor for the general regions targeted for investgaton

but they do not interfere with research and recommendatons

– IES works closely with them esp. country embassies to avoid duplicaton of eforts and to beneft from their expertse and networks in area.

– Results of ESAs provided back to Ministry and Embassies to help guide development aid and strategy

• Stakeholders in the study area, region and internatonal– ESAs usually applied with assistance of local contacts (local governing body, NGOs, research agencies,

local community group, mix of representatves). Formal MOUs/Contracts.

– Usually feld missions to collect informaton/data, hold stakeholder workshops, see frst hand what the issues are and who potental actors in various stages could be.

– Stakeholder workshops to id issues, causes and efects, alternatves, possible recommendatons ensure that ESA captures user needs

Meetng with indigenous local government, Matavén, Colombia

Identifying end users and catering to their needs

• Regional and Internatonal Donors, Development Agencies, Training Insttutes etc.– Scoping meetng/interviews with experts of the potental study area help us identfy

internatonal and regional interests, involving them early on (if possible) to ensure ownership of fndings of ESA and commitment to fnancing/executng alternatves and recommendatons. Round of actors ID carried out again once alternatves and recommendatons are formulated.

Feedback from users

• Indigenous people of Matavén, Colombia – IES ESA project is too good to be true. – Locals were suspicious of IES intentons at the start of project – Was IES really not interested in taking their land & natural resources like everyone else? – Meetng with locals, clearly explaining objectves and the need to protect ecosystems of

global importance, and MOU signing cleared away suspicions.– Now GSI pilot project on Payments for Ecosystem Services serves as follow up to ESA

• Specifc situaton: Locals informed us of danger of them being caught in the jungle with one of our maps outlining positons of armed groups.

– Made IES realize the need to consider producing diferent versions of maps – those for locals and others for policy/decision makers, internatonal organizatons etc.

• Ngiri-Tumba-Mai Ndombe Wetland, DRC, Congo Basin– DRC ESA validaton workshop organized in the town of Mbandaka (Province of

Equateur/DRC) in May 2009. According to provincial and territorial authorites of the province of Equateur, the conclusions and recommendatons of the IES ESA report were accepted and would be integrated into the DRC’s Provincial Poverty Reducton Strategy Papers under development.

Shortcomings

• IES ESA builds in involvement of responsible governing and fnancing organizatons but ofen difcult to obtain their interest in taking on alternatves and recommendatons, even if they state interest and enthusiasm about the ESA project.

– This stems possibly from the stll existent isolaton of environmental issues from economics and development, poverty etc.

– For ESA to be efectve policy & decision makers need to have a change in belief and attude about the role environment plays in all sectors of life

– Using results of research in policy and decision making should become routne and not seen as cumbersome, irrelevant etc.

Shortcomings

• Best results for the actual ESAs occur when relaton with local contact is reliable. – Their support with informaton/data, expertse, validaton of fndings etc. is invaluable esp.

in remote areas not world renown and well researched by others.

– IES experience with developing reliable relatonship – meetng in person is ofen a pre-requisite even if it is not requested. (Indigenous Leader of the study area territory in Colombia wanted to look us in the eye and shake our hands before commitng to collaboratons.) Formal MOU was developed to clearly layout IES interest in the study area, TORs for each party, along with responsible person from each party. Other tmes a contract is necessary.

Meetng with Khmer (lef) and other Vietnamese (right) Shrimp Farmers, 2010

Translating analysis into action

• Environmental security acton plan

– Recommendatons taken one step further

– Environmental security acton plan – includes a summary of the problems, solutons, existng organisatons working on the problems, recommendatons, actors and further steps toward implementaton that could be taken.

– Helps to determine who will be the key players (donors, service providers etc.) in executng alternatves and recommendatons with the locals. So far we have also connected these actors with locals.

Discussion