Water Development
AfDB promotes sustainable, resilient and healthy agro-
and forest ecosystems with GEF
O
n May 24, 2017 at the 52nd Global Environment
Facility (GEF) Council meeting, the GEF
approved a total funding of US $11.2 million for
two projects co-financed with the African Development
Bank (AfDB). The projects, one in Mali (Scaling up a
Multiple Benefits Approach to Enhance Resilience in
Agro- and Forest Landscapes of Mali’s Sahel Regions)
and the other in Benin (Sustainable Forest Management
and Conservation Project in Central and South Benin)
focused on the “poorest and most vulnerable”, particularly
Least Developed Countries (LDCs), according to the GEF
CEO Naoko Ishii. Mali and Benin are both LDCs and
the projects will improve land and forest management to
promote sustainable, resilient and healthy agro- and forest
ecosystems. The projects comprise new funding for US
$8.6 million (Mali) and US $2.6 million (Benin) with a total
AfDB co-financing of $78.8 million.
The “Scaling up– a Multiple Benefits Approach to
Enhance Resilience in Agro- and Forest Landscapes
of Mali’s Sahel Regions” project aims to promote food
security and multiple environmental benefits through
a landscape approach. The project is considered very
innovative in its design given it is based on the land
degradation and sustainable forest management focal
areas while also integrating climate change mitigation
and chemicals and waste aspects, connecting interrelated
problems for local communities within the full rural
landscape.
Land degradation is severe in Mali’s Sahel and poses
a major threat to livelihoods. The degradation of soil
is caused both by natural processes such as wind and
water erosion but also by inappropriate agricultural and
waste practices, overgrazing, and overexploitation of
woodlands. The project is co-financing to the Program to
Build Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the
Sahel, a multi-year program financed by AfDB to increase
production, develop infrastructure, basic social services,
and diversify income options.
The GEF intervention
emphasizes the need to
enhance resilience and is
based on activities to promote
integrated landscape planning
and management, investments
in protecting the health of
landscapes and enhancing
productivity, and better
learning. Its integrated nature
will help produce multiple
global and local environmental
benefits in addition to
improved food security and
health.
The project, Sustainable Forest Management and
Conservation Project in Central and South Benin, will
promote socially and environmentally sustainable forest
management by improving forest and land management
in target areas of the country as a way to preserve forest
cover and biodiversity. The project focuses on the forests
of Mont Kouffe and Wari-Maro which constitute some
the country’s most important areas for species abundance
and diversity. The deforestation rate in Benin is very high
(2.5%) and agriculture is a key driver of forest degradation
as well as the primary form of economic activity.
The GEF project will improve the management
effectiveness of new protected areas, develop local
capacities in sustainable forest management, and support
alternative livelihoods away from unsustainable agricultural
practices. In addition, it will enhance carbon stocks and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Since 2007, the partnership between the GEF and
the AfDB has been growing rapidly, working to
generate environmentally sustainable, climate smart
and transformational change in Africa,” said Mahamat
Assouyouti, AfDB/GEF Coordinator. “The goal is to
reduce the vulnerability of people and communities to
climate change and to reduce negative environmental
impact on the continent. The scale of the joint work
being carried out by the GEF and AfDB has also matured
and diversified substantially. As of end 2016, the overall
portfolio of projects funded by GEF and managed by the
AfDB amounts to US $302 million, leveraging more than
US $2.8 billion in co-financing.”
The AfDB-GEF partnership is an important alliance
for tackling pressing environmental problems and
reducing the vulnerability of people to climate change
in Africa. The Bank is committed to further expand
the collaboration and deliver more resources to ensure
resilience, sustainability and to drive low-carbon growth.
Source: Africa Development Bank
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • July - August 2017
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