DESIGNING REDD+ PROJECTSLessons from the Past

John Pielemeier

Independent Consultant

Types of Programs to Learn From

Integrated Rural Development (late 60s-70s)

Integrated Conservation and Development (mid-1980s – today)

Landscape projects (mid-1990s-today) Payment for (non-environmental) Services Global Initiatives

Integrated Rural Development

“Extending development to low-income subsistence populations”

Province or District-wide. Ag focus, but a wide range of productive and social services

$50-100M over 5-10 years Often managed via Project Management

Units

Lessons Learned-Lele

Tried to accomplish too much too fast Too complex for recipients Too complex for donors Inadequate knowledge of socio-political and

administrative environment

IRD Recommendations (1)

Complex projects need careful phasing Consider a planning year Start with:

- local capacity building - careful data collection - identification and resolution of policy

constraints.

IRD Recommendations (2)

Begin with “only the simplest interventions to remove the most critical constraints”

Train field and administrative staff Develop local and regional human,

institutional and financial capability Strengthen regional administration systems

Created to “move beyond fines and fences” & work with people in and around the PAs (buffer zones)

50+ by 1995; estimated 300 ICDPs today “BD conservation projects with rural

development components”. Activities: Social Development, Alternative

Livelihoods

Integrated Conservation and Development

ICDP Lessons Learned-Brandon and Wells

Tenuous linkage between development and conservation

Difficult to measure conservation impact ICDPs too limited in size to resolve many

“external” threats PAs too small to effect national/sub-national

conservation needs

ICDP Lessons Learned- Madagascar

Conservation NGOs unable to respond effectively to multiple community priorities

Limited Community management capacity Hard to avoid elite capture/internal conflict

ICDP Recommendations

Longer project cycle needed to change behavior

Implement a few prioritized activities, ideally with local participation and leadership

Start small, learn and scale-up gradually as capacity improves

Approach conservation and development within the broader context of regional planning

Address wider policy/legal/market constraints

Landscapes – What is it?

Large-scale regions with particular biological importance for conservation investment

The landscape approach is all about ensuring that land is optimally used for various purposes—from protected areas to agriculture, including restoration

Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE): Lessons Learned (1)

Need sufficient resources and time Establish adequate overarching legal and

policy framework Use macrozone and microzone land use

planning Figure out stakeholder relationships Establish the incentive system as close to

the deforestation problem as possible

CARPE – Lessons Learned (2)

Need participatory approaches and local capacity building

Integration into markets is critical for promoting improved livelihoods

Establish systems to share information for decision making. See http://carpe.umd.edu/ for CARPE mapper. CARPE Data Explorer and CARPE Information Management

Madagascar Landscape Development Initiative: Lessons Learned

Lead with sustainable development, not BD conservation. Economic benefits are key

Get quick, visible results in order to build trust with communities

Must work at multiple scales: spatial, temporal and institutional

Ensure linkages and coordination between these scales

Cross-sectoral approaches appeal to clients and are cost-effective

Landscapes – Lessons Learned

Local participation is a key ingredient, perhaps THE key ingredient, in long-term success

Local capacity is very weak and its strengthening requires early attention.

Good policies mean little if not implemented

Implementing NGOs can work in more than one sector with “value added” (e.g. conservation, basic health services, micro-credit)

Landscapes – Recommendations

Work at multiple scales (regional, district, community). Address jurisdictional issues

Have a holistic vision and accompanying land-use plans

Focus on specific zones within the landscape e.g. PAs, Indigenous Lands, concessions

Keep management systems as simple as possible (especially donor requirements)

Payment for (non-environmental) Services or Conditional Cash Transfer

Initially in Brazil and Mexico, now more than 12 countries

These programs provide money to poor families, conditional on certain behavior

-school attendance -visits to health centers on a regular

basis

Payment for (non-environmental) Services: Lessons Learned (1)

Clear evidence of success from the first generation of programs

Increased enrollment rates Improved preventive health care Increased household consumption.

Still new: many questions remain unanswered about longer-term impact and sustainability

Payment for (non-environmental) Services: Lessons (2)

The most important questions of program design are:

defining the target population selecting the appropriate conditions and

size of the transfer setting entry and exit rules deciding on complementary interventions

Donor overload and donor competition Competing donor requirements led to “the

three 1s”: one strategy, one M&E system, one national coordination office

Scarce human resources “stolen” from other health programs

Donor/NGO staff also concentrated on one issue

Vertical program management (HIV only)

Global Initiatives: HIV/AIDS: Lessons Learned (1)

Global Initiatives: HIV/AIDS: Lessons Learned (2)

2nd phase focus in now on broader health systems strengthening

Wherever you have a major initiative, the auditors will be close behind. Be prepared.

Recurring Themes (1)

Adequate project timeframe and funding How to work at multiple scales: spatial,

institutional, temporal Decide degree and means of coordination

needed between scales Sequencing Policy and legal framework; policy

implementation capacity

Recurring Themes (2)

Capacity at community, district, regional and national levels

Capacity and flexibility of funding agencies and NGOs. Need for partners.

How to find/develop leadership and local “champions”

How to gain “trust” and provide incentives Use of cross-sectoral approaches

Thank you!Questions and Reactions Please

Questions and Reactions Please