TN-Sustainable Oasis Landscape Management Project

dropped

Failure

The Tunisian Government has always given particular importance to the development of the oasis areas, mainly in the Southerngovernorates of Gabes, Kebili, Tozeur and Gafsa, which comprise 126 traditional or historic oases, around which in the last fewdecades about 141 new palm groves, called "modern oases" have been developed. The oasis areas have great potential in terms of jobcreation, biodiversity, crafts and tourism. In addition, these areas are crucial contributors to people's food security andguarantee them a diversified source of income. The sustainability of oases has thus always been at the center of development /conservation projects that have succeeded in these areas. However, as the rest of Tunisia, oases landscape is deeply affected bythe effects of climate change.The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to strengthen integrated oasis landscapes management intargeted governorates in Tunisia (Gabes, Gafsa, Kebili and Tozeur). The PDO-Level Results Indicators are the following: • Landarea under sustainable landscape management practices (CRI), (35,000 ha) - Of which Land area with Land Degradation (LD) andBiodiversity (BD) objectives effectively managed under climate- resilient Integrated Landscape Development Plans(ILDPs) (5,000 ha)• Net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CRI, Metric tons/year)• Farmers reached with agricultural assets orservices (CRI, Number, disaggregated by gender)• Number of tourist enterprises offering ecotourism activities as a result ofproject interventionsThe project is structured around three interrelated components that address challenges to sustainable oasesdevelopment in selected governorates through an integrated landscape approach, which is recognized as an effective climateadaptation and mitigation strategy by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and aids in implementing Tunisia’supdated NDC. Component 1 focuses on strengthening environmental and economic governance of oasis landscapes, which are the mainbackbones of the development of these landscapes. Component 2 focuses on promoting sustainable investment in oasis landscapes,firstly to restore their environmental and social functions and services, and secondly to increase the access of their products todomestic, national and international markets through approaches aimed at the development of productive alliances and value chains.Activities explicitly address climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices; water saving, and mastering irrigationtechniques; land degradation neutrality (LDN); and biodiversity conservation. And Component 3 focusing on the project coordination,M&E, and communication and knowledge management to reach out local populations and key stakeholders. A fourth Contingent EmergenceResponse Component (CERC) is added to facilitate response to a potential crisis as needed.COMPONENT 1: Improve the environmentaland economic management of oasis landscapes, strengthening gender equalitySub-component 1.1: Promoting historical oases as partof Tunisia’s national heritage This sub-component promotes historic oases as national cultural and natural heritage sites.Tunisia's historic oases are historical sites with specific identities and cultural heritage shaped over generations in localcommunities. The sub-component includes the following activities:(i) Designating historic oases as national heritage sites:Granting an NHOS status to historic oases will ensure the legal protection for their conservation; reduce the impact of factorsnegatively affecting their functioning; and increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change. (ii) Certificationincluding Protected (or controlled) Designation of Origin: The purpose of this activity is to promote the certification of oasisproducts and by-products in order to consider environmental, economic and social factors and provide security to producers andguarantee the product quality for the consumers. It will also increase livelihood diversification protecting the livelihoods of themost vulnerable citizens, while developing new, climate-friendly job opportunities and income diversification.(iii) Capacity-building and awareness-raising activities, organized for all stakeholders involved at national, regional andmunicipal levels, including on: socio-economic and environmental challenges of natural and cultural oasis heritages and theirintegrated sustainable development; economic and commercial issues at stakes of oasis landscape labeling; use of renewable energyin oases landscapes; certification schemes; development of oasis products certification codes to respond to climate risks;productive alliances and value chains development approaches... Sub-component 1.2: Local planningThe project will supportcommunities to develop gender-responsive and climate-resilient Local Development Plan (LDP) through an inclusive, participatory,and democratic planning process as well as to implement their LDP. Some LDPs will be integral parts of broader comprehensive andmulti-sectoral Integrated Landscape Development Plans (ILDPs) to be prepared under GEF support and covering 5000 ha.COMPONENT 2:Promote gender-responsive sustainable investment in oasis landscapes This component will support investments (subprojects) ina gender-responsive, climate-informed manner, financed through matching grants and/or revolving loans. These financing will aim torestore and develop oasis landscapes functions and promote practices and productions that are respectful of the environment andadapted to local potential.Sub-component 2.1: Restoring oasis ecosystem functionsThe project aims at financing sub-projects torestore the functions and resilience capacity of oasis ecosystems and the productivity of the oasis ecosystem and climate smartagriculture practices as well as to restore and promote the intangible heritage of the historical oasis that are key forbiodiversity conservation. The program will emphasize green investment wherever possible, focusing on energy efficiency (such asenergy/resource use efficiency) and retrofitting existing buildings for climate events (e.g., storms and floods). The implementingagency for this subcomponent will be the CDC, in partnership with other public and private actors.To support the financing of thethree category of sub-projects detailed above, the project will allocate about US$43 million for a revolving fund and/or matchinggrants to provide financial support to Societe Mutuelle de Services Agricoles (SMSA), Women led Enterprises, Micro Petite etMoyennes Entreprises (MPME), Organisations de la Societe Civile (OSC), Groupement de Developpement Agricole (GDAs), for specificactivities such as technical assistance, construction, equipment as well as employment incentives. In the context of this Project,the positive list of eligible expenditures will be defined in the Manual of Procedures and will exclude acquisition of land andconstruction. Sub-component 2.2: Supporting oases productive alliances and value chains This subcomponent aims to enhance accessto economic opportunities and markets to improve livelihoods in rural areas and diversification of income for intendedbeneficiaries and vulnerable populations primarily by co-financing investments in Productive Alliances (PAs) and Value Chain (VC)development. Activities will aim at strengthening gender equality.i) Agricultural and craft productive alliance and value chainactivities The project will support the development of oasis landscape products (dates, fruit trees, aromatic plants and medicinalplants, therapeutic and culinary plants, olive oil, cereal and fodder crops, henna, tobacco, meat, milk etc.) and by-products (suchas organic waste), as well as the craft products (weaving and basketry) under productive alliance (PA) and / or value chain (VC)approaches.ii) Development of sustainable ecotourism The project will support ecotourism development promoting the culturalheritage and the uniqueness of oasis landsc

FY17 - Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry,FY17 - Energy and Extractives,FY17 - Public Administration

World Bank Group

Project

Solar, Water Supply and Storage, Oil and Gas, Hotel, Raw Materials, Waste Processing and Treatment, Hydro, Government, Commercial