Annual Work Plan 2016

4.4 Output Two: Reducing Disaster Risks from Wildland fire Hazards Associated with Climate Change in South Africa

Description/Purpose: The Fynbos Biome is identified in South Africa as the most vulnerable region in the country with respect to disaster risks from wildland fire due to patterns of urbanisation, agriculture, and potential impacts upon water catchment areas. The project will develop the adaptive capacity of the Fire Protection Associations, its members and local communities to effectively manage the risks associated with an anticipated increase in impact upon water catchment areas.

Activity 1: Capacity building at local level

Purpose: To ensure that the Fire Protection Associations (FPAs) have the governance options and management capabilities, and their financial sustainability is enhanced

2016 Targets

• 
  6 FPAs are aligned with their corresponding municipal structures
  
• 
  30 short courses developed for the FPAs
  
• 
  4 full-time courses developed for the FPAs
  

Activity 2: Risk management support and systems

Purpose: To improve fire management through collection and analysis of fire data in the region; weather data analysis; and support tools for FPAs, including fire forecasting;

2016 Targets:

• 
  6 Advanced Fire Information System( AFIS) field terminals installed across the Fynbos Biome
  
• 
  50 Automated Weather Stations in place to measure local weather conditions
  
• 
  80% of paid up Fire Protection Association members in the Fynbos Biome receive local and daily fire danger forecast
  
• 
  3 million hectares of the Fynbos Biome have a wildfire risk rating
  
• 
  6 municipalities integrate climate-based fire risk information into their management plans
  

Activity 3: Implement innovative risk reduction interventions

Purpose: To ensure that the FPAs and local communities have the requisite resilience and range of incentives to improve behavioural responses to the wildland fire risks they face.

2016 Targets:

• 
  60% of the potential landowners within the 2012 Southern Cape FPAs and Cedarberg FPA boundaries (disaggregated by sex) are paid up and FPA members are functional
  
• 
  100 private landowners in FPAs (disaggregated by sex) respond positively to insurance- based incentives set up by the project
  
• 
  2500 households in the targeted Wildland Urban Interface have an improved resilience to outbreaks of climate –induced wildfires
  

4.5 Output Three: Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Land Use Regulation & Management at the Municipal Scale

Description/Purpose: Municipalities play an important role as centers of economic growth and service delivery; they regulate land use at local scale, and are also important users and managers of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The project’s goal is to enhance the sustainable and effective conservation of globally significant biodiversity in South Africa through exploring, piloting and implementing innovative mechanisms and approaches to mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services into the regulation and management of land and resource use in the landscape at the municipal scale.

Activity 1: Biodiversity Mainstreaming

Purpose: To ensure that regulatory processes for land and natural resources use management incorporate criteria to prevent/minimise and offset impacts on biodiversity ; capacity of regulatory authorities is enhanced

Targets: Assessment of uptake of biodiversity priorities included in regulatory processes completed and action plan aimed at addressing gaps initiated

Activity 2: Develop biodiversity management plans for medicinal plant species, and priority ecosystem

Purpose: To ensure sustainability of local medicinal plants and ecosystem

2016 Targets:

Process to identify 3 priority medicinal species completed, and management plans thereof developed

Activity 3: Institutionalize the Technical Unit

Purpose: To ensure that monitoring and evaluation, documentation of lessons learned and communication strategy are mainstreamed within the project implementation process

2016 Targets: Technical Team, with at least one-third being women in place and operational

Activity 4: Engage key stakeholders to expand the current biodiversity protected areas

Purpose: To ensure all stakeholders are consulted, the required site assessment is carried out, and stewards support programme is institutionalized

2016 Target: 400 new Ha declared

Activity 5: Identify priority species and introduce better land and natural resource management practices

Purpose: To ensure that local producers adhere to new sector standards on land and natural resource use management

2016 Targets: 161 000ha under better land and natural resource use management through adherence by producers to new sector standards

Activity 6: Establish and operationalize the Mainstreaming Technical Unit

Purpose: To ensure that the project can monitor and evaluate its work and document its learning experience

2016 Targets: Mainstreaming Technical Unit operational

4.6 Output Four: Improving Management Effectiveness of the Protected Area Network

Description: The project seeks to expand representation of globally important terrestrial habitats by establishing new PAs covering 197,000 ha. The current Protected Area estate does not effectively represent the full range of globally important species and habitats in the three biodiversity hotspots in South Africa (Succulent Karoo, Cape Floral Kingdom and Maputaland Pondoland Albany Hotspot); and as a result, key critical biodiversity areas within these remain under protected and are at risk of loss or degradation of habitat from several factors.

Activity 1: Establish new Protected Areas

Description/Purpose: This component focuses on expansion of the PA network in seven areas that contain under represented biodiversity features in South Africa’s three biodiversity hotspots. The expansion is aimed primarily at stewardships, partnerships and the transfer of state land within these hotspot areas, with a realistic target 197,000 ha added to the PA estate.

2016 Targets:

• 
  Established New Protected Areas in the Succulent Karoo Hotspot (Richtersveld Coastal),
  
• 
  Lowland climate change corridors established in the Cape Floral Region (Riverlands/Pella - Dassenberg-West Coast)
  
• 
  New Protected Areas in upland areas in the Cape Floral Region (Forest exit areas).
  
• 
  New Protected Areas established in the upland areas of the Maputaland Pondoland Albany hotspot (Sneeuberg corridor linking Mountain Zebra and Camdeboo National Parks)
  
• 
  New Protected Areas established in the upland areas of the Maputaland Pondoland Albany hotspot (Eastern Cape interior).
  
• 
  New Protected Areas established in lowland areas of the Maputaland Pondoland Albany hotspot (Kruger to Canyon).
  

Activity 2: Establish Protected Areas effective management

Description/ Purpose: To ensure that management of protected areas is improved

2016 Targets:

• 
  Capacity of Protected Areas staff to implement robust and low cost expansion completed
  
• 
  Cost effective management planning, monitoring and evaluation developed and implemented in existing and newly expanded PAs.
  
• 
  Implementation of the policy on Buffer Zones for National Parks for three areas
  

Activity 3: Reduce Protected Areas expansion costs

Description/Purpose: To ensure that the protected areas delivery is improved and new areas are established at the minimal cost

2016 Targets:

• 
  Existing financial income streams of the PA network and its ability to absorb external shocks is optimized.
  
• 
  Other innovative financial instruments and mechanisms to improve the financial resilience of the PA network and its expansion are explored and identified.
  
• 
  Analysis of cost effective resource allocation and efficiency of spending within the expanded low cost reserve network is completed.
  

7. 
   Output Five: South African Wind Energy Programme Phase II
   

Description: To provide support to the Government and industry stakeholders to overcome strategic barriers to the successful attainment of South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan target of 3,320 MW of wind power generation online by 2018/19. This will have the effect of contributing to a further reduction of CO2 emissions and increased socio-economic development.

Activity 1: Monitoring and verification (M&V)

Description/Purpose: To put in place mechanisms for objective, evidence based assessment and verification of progress in implementing local initiatives taking into account any correlation between local content requirement, generation capacity, financial returns, cost, prices and socio-economic development.

2016 Targets:

• 
  M&V system and supporting business processes defined, developed and implemented
  

Activity 2: Resource mapping and wind corrido development

Description/Purpose: To ensure adequate resources are mobilised to expand the implementation of wind atlas (WASA Phase II) to additional provinces in support of future wind power project development and procurement mechanisms.

2016 Targets:

At least 4 Masts and related equipment installed in the Northern Cape for SAWEB II

Activity 3: Development of small scale wind sector

Description/Purpose: To develop capacity of stakeholders on technical financial, regulatory, and socio-economic aspects of small scale wind project.

2016 Targets:

8 small scale wind farm demonstration projects developed.

Activity 4: Capacity building

Description/Purpose: To enhance the capacity of local stakeholders to manage, operate and maintain wind farms in a given area

2016 Targets:

5 technical and vocational education and training participated in the wind project

Activity 5: The GEF Small Grant Programme

Description/ purpose: The purpose of the GEF SGP is provide grant-funding support to communities and civil society organisations for the implementation of environmental conservation projects in the focal areas of biodiversity, climate change mitigation and community based adaptation, land degradation, sustainable forest management, international waters and chemicals. These projects must meet environmental objective while at the same time supporting poverty reduction and local empowerment objectives. In the 6^th Operational Phase of the GEF (OP6) 2015-2018, Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in Limpopo was selected as the landscape to receive 70% of SGP grant-making in OP6.

2016 Targets

• 
  Development of Baseline Assessment Report for Vhembe Biosphere Reserve
  
• 
  Development of Country Programme Strategy for OP6
  
• 
  Approximately 12 community projects approved for implementation inside the landscape
  
• 
  Approximately 6 projects approved for implementation outside the landscape
  

4.