| Overview : As part of its commitment to protecting Botswana’s biodiversity, especially its wildlife species, and promote the role of natural resources in contributing to the livelihoods and well-being of rural communities, particularly those residing close to protected areas, the Government of Botswana has made a decision to allocate the entire Biodiversity and Land Degradation Focal Area resources earmarked by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for development of one Full Sized Project titled Managing the human-wildlife interface to sustain the flow of agro-ecosystem services and prevent illegal wildlife trafficking in the Kgalagadi and Ghanzi Drylands. The government has further identified the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the GEF Agency to support the development and implementation of this project over a five-year period. Due to its contribution to addressing the global crisis on poaching and illegal trafficking of endangered wildlife species, the said project form will form part of a Global Wildlife Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for Sustainable Development, a partnership of 20 similar projects coordinated by the World Bank Group and UNDP globally, with a total of 18 countries from across Africa and Asia participating. The GEF, through UNDP, has approved a grant for Botswana to prepare a GEF CEO Endorsement Request and a UNDP Project Document outlining the strategy for implementing the project on ‘Managing the human-wildlife interface to sustain the flow of agro-ecosystem services and prevent illegal wildlife trafficking in the Kgalagadi and Ghanzi Drylands’ for the GEF Council to consider for approval at its October 2016 Council Meeting. The total grant to be requested from the GEF is $6,000,000 to be implemented over a period of 5 years. In light of this, UNDP Botswana and the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), in collaboration with the Departments of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Forestry and Range Resources (DFRR) are launching the process of developing the proposal to the GEF and are seeking several individual consultants to conduct baseline studies and stakeholder consultations in the project area (Kgalagadi and Ghanzi Districts). The consultants sought are as follows: Land-Use Planning and NRM Specialist (to also act as Lead National Consultant); Wildlife Management Specialist; Range Management Specialist; and Sustainable Livelihoods and NRM Specialist. These consultants will be recruited at a national level (i.e. from within Botswana) and be coordinated by an International UNDP/GEF Project Design Specialist. Collectively, they will make contributions to the development of Full-Sized UNDP Project Document (PRODOC) and a GEF CEO Endorsement Request using templates to be provided by UNDP. The UNDP/GEF Regional Coordination Unit will facilitate further contributions for region-based Technical Advisors and an International Wildlife Management and Policy Specialist to ensure close linkages to the Global Wildlife Programme as agreed with between the World Bank and UNDP at the global level. |
