COUNTRY: THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA

Enabling Activity Proposal in Biodiversity

Country:	The Republic of the Gambia

Project Title:	Add ons: Assessment of Capacity-building needs for Biodiversity, Participation in CHM and preparation of a second national report

GEF Focal Area:	Biological Diversity

Country Eligibility:	The Gambia ratified CBD on 10 June 1994

GEF Financing:	USD 193,000

Government Contribution:	In-kind
	Project Management 		US$ 10,000 
						Working Groups        		US$ 20,000
                                                            		Transport	                	US$  10,000
						Office Space, Equipment    	US$  20,000
		    Total                               US$ 60,000

Estimated Total Budget			US$ 253,000

GEF Implementing Agency:	UNEP

National Executing Agency:	Department of Parks and Wildlife Management,
C/O DOS for Fisheries, Natural Resources & the Environment, State, House, Banjul.
Tel: (220) 375888
Fax (220) 392179
Email wildlife@gamtel.gm

GEF Operational Focal Point:	National Environment Agency

Endorsement GEF Op. Focal Point: 		Endorsement letter attached herewith

CBD/CHM Focal Point:	Department of Parks and Wildlife Management 

Endorsement CBD/CHM Focal Point: 	Endorsement letter attached herewith

Estimated starting date:	February 2001

Project Duration	15 months.

Enabling Activity Status:

In the second half of 1996, The Gambia received GEF enabling activity assistance through UNEP to the tune of 243,000 and in 1997/98 an additional US$13,950 for participation in the CHM.  The NBSAP is now completed (just coming out of the print shop) and will be presented to Cabinet and the Gambia donor roundtable for Agriculture and Natural Resources Sector soon. 

Completion of CHM 

In 1998, approval to the tune of US $13,950 was granted in respect of the CHM – Clearing House Component of the NBSAP project. In collaboration with UNEP as the implementing agency, software and hardware were identified and purchased. Specifically, the following purchases were made:

Hardware

1.	PC Pentium – 160 MHz, 32 mb RAM, 496 Hard Disk.
2.	Laser Printer
3.	Scanner – 600 dpi true resolution with OCR software
4.	Modem – 56kb.

Software

1.	MS Office 98
2.	HTML editor (Claris home page)
3.	HTML browser (internet explorer)
4.	Adobe Exchange, illustrator and Photoshop

Staffs from the following key stakeholder institutions was given at least three months training in the use of computers for the various biodiversity related needs. The institutions affected were:

•	National Environment Agency
•	Department of Agricultural Services
•	Soil & Water Management
•	Department of Fisheries
•	Department of Forestry & Livestock Services
•	Department of Water Resources
•	Department of Parks & Wildlife Management (NBSAP Focal & Alternate Focal Points)

Training was conducted in the following areas:

Beginners -		basic Windows training, MS Office training (Word, Excel, Access,
			PowerPoint)
			Internet (email connectivity, Netscape/Explorer, browsing)
			Database (Access)

Advanced Training -	Website training (HTML editing, Photo Design, website design and
			Maintenance).

The Gambia Telecommunications Company (Gamtel) is the Internet service provider for the NBSAP/CHM project. Staff from stakeholder institutions including the NBSAP secretariat is now to various levels familiar with computers, electronic mail and Internet and can access biodiversity information from other websites. Most of the NBSAP project correspondence is done through the use of email (wildlife@gamtel.gm). Although all relevant information from the NBSAP process is on diskette as back-up, we couldn’t launch our own website due mainly to the current limited capacity to design, manage and continually update the website. Additional website training as a package is urgently required to enable us launch our own website and further build the confidence of project staff and other users. This is necessary as most of the trainees including the NBSAP focal point were beginners and consequently there is need to repeat the training process this time at an advanced level. 

Background

Thanks to the GEF enabling activity assistance, the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management engaged two persons to co-ordinate the preparation of the NBSAP over the period 1997-1999.  At the national level, the ANR (Agricultural and Natural Resources Working Group) was given the mandate to provide overall policy guidance to the NBSAP process.  However technical guidance and advice as regards the Biodiversity Task provided the conduct of the study Force that is a sub-set of the larger ANR Working Group.

Spin-offs from the NBSAP project include the raising of national technical capacity in the sense that the reports are truly Gambian as data was collected and compiled by Gambian consultants.  The NBSAP project enabled The Gambia through the Department of Parks & Wildlife Management to document for the first time ever, the status of The Gambia's biodiversity, identified gaps where they exist and developed a national strategy and action plan.  Through collaboration and consultation, the NBSAP project secretariat and the staff from the Department of Parks & Wildlife Management were able to network with personnel from other participating agencies.

The Gambia's NBSAP was approved in December 1999 by the Biodiversity Task Force and the ANR working group and is in the process of being presented to cabinet/parliament for formal adoption.  

Priority for Capacity Building Needs

National capacity building was identified as one of the areas requiring priority attention should The Gambia wish to achieve the set goal of effective and efficient conservation of biodiversity and better management of its use.  The Gambia Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (GBSAP) sets out a strategy for action under the following main headings: forestry and forest biodiversity, fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, wildlife, wetlands, agricultural biodiversity, livestock, geology and water resources, policies and legislation, international agreements and social and cultural aspects of biodiversity. The Action Plan recognises that much of biodiversity loss in The Gambia is due to economic policy distortions and the resultant poverty that encourages rapid over exploitation of biological resources rather than sustainable use. It also recognises that slowing down the rate of biodiversity loss will require policy and institutional reform as well as institutional strengthening for effective action in all the areas. The Plan highlights the need to strengthen national capacity and identified major gaps in our knowledge and understanding about biodiversity, brought into light the major threats facing biodiversity and proposed strategic actions on how to address them.

Due to time constraint it was not possible to reach a national consensus on detailed and specific mechanisms through which the above capacity building needs could be realised.
Consequently with the ongoing decentralisation of natural resources management, government will review the capacity of national and provincial organisations to address the above issues and collaboration with NGO's to reach consensus on specific mechanisms for on going capacity building.  It is hoped that the envisaged additional GEF funding will significantly move forward this process.

Project objectives

•	To assess capacity building needs for managing the use and conservation of biodiversity in The Gambia.
•	To consolidate, expand and operate an information network through the National Biodiversity Clearinghouse Mechanism.
•	In accordance with the Decision V/19 of the Conference of the Parties, prepare a second national report for submission to the Secretariat CBD by the deadline May15, 2001.

The project will enable the ANR working group and its biodiversity task force to engage in stakeholder consultation through the various expert working groups with a view to reaching a national consensus on mechanisms to raise the capacity of The Gambia to manage, conserve and sustainably use its biodiversity.

Short Description

The Gambia NBSAP identified critical gaps where it was deemed absolutely necessary to develop national capacity to conserve and manage the use of biodiversity.  However, due to time constraints, it was not possible to specify mechanisms through which these specific capacity-building goals could be achieved.  It is therefore hoped that the envisaged add on funding will facilitate the attainment of national consensus on specific capacity building mechanisms that can be meaningfully implemented by all stakeholders targets.

The Biodiversity Task Force will select priority capacity building needs from those identified within the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and will, actively involve the grassroots and other key stakeholders in the process to ensure that the capacity building mechanisms identified have been reached by consensus.  Different expert working groups will be constituted and, members will comprise selected experts from the ANR working group, NGO's PVO's and relevant public institutions.  Each working group will focus on a specific theme and will consult widely in preparing discussion papers detailing appropriate mechanisms through which capacity could be raised in their focal areas.  Once a working group has reached consensus discussion papers (draft report) will be submitted to the ANR working group and other relevant private experts for scrutiny.  After having incorporated the comments of the ANR Working Group, the Expert Working Group report will be presented at a national forum involving the grassroots and other key stakeholders prior to being finalised.

The following Working Groups will be constituted, each responsible for their area of concentration (see Annex A).

1.	In-situ and ex-situ conservation and sustainable use.
2.	Assessment and monitoring.
3.	Incentive measures
4.	Access to genetic resources, benefit sharing and formulation of mechanisms for these purposes
5.	Preservation/maintenance of biodiversity related knowledge of indigenous and local communities.

Although biosafety and related issues were identified in the NBSAP as one of the key areas requiring urgent capacity development, it has been consciously left out of the present proposal on the understanding that it will be adequately treated under the biosafety protocol.  Each working group will (cease to exist) be suspended once it has fulfilled its mandate and a new one, will be constituted upon the selection of an additional capacity building need.

Participation in the CHM process

This proposal includes provision for The Gambia’s CHM Focal Point to expand upon its present CHM Internet access and links to the CHM mechanism. In addition to meeting recurrent CHM costs the project will establish an Internet site to incorporate pages on: 
•	The Gambia’s biodiversity.
•	Contact details for organisations in The Gambia responsible for biodiversity management
•	Information page for  international biodiversity researchers
•	Information page for importers and exporters of living things and their derivatives.
•	Environmental information of interest to visitors to The Gambia: conservation areas; fishing resources, sites to observe, species of note etc.

It also provides for a consultant to be employed to provide on-the-job training in use and management of the CHM Internet site, to provide sequenced training in the use of the CHM to staff of other government departments and relevant non-government organisations and to be on-call to assist and advise all uses on CHM access needs. The project will also produce a CD-ROM on the Gambia’s biodiversity, and linkages with existing databases. 

Preparation of the 2nd National Report to the COP

The budget includes provision to assist with preparation of The Gambia’s reports to the COP, due with the CBD secretariat on 15 May 2001. 

The Gambia’s 2nd national report will be prepared by a local consultant in consultation with the National Biodiversity Task Force and government and non-government organisations involved in the use and management of biological resources. Draft reports will be developed with a one-day workshop of national-level stakeholders in association with the NBTF. The report will be prepared in accordance with the format and guidelines issued by the CBD secretariat so as to measure the state of national implementation of the CBD and review national priorities and actions.

Time Plan and Sequencing

The project is designed to be completed over 15 months to ensure effective consultation processes.

Activity/Month	1-2	3-4	5-6	7-8	9-10	11-12	13-14	15	
Contract project secretariat staff	X								
Meeting of Biodiversity Task Force to finalise work plan and group terms of reference (TOR)	X	x							
Identify and establish working groups	x	x	x						
Nature and scope of working groups/stakeholders consultations in areas of focus
•	Stock take existing capacity and mechanisms
•	Prepare a detailed outline of national needs
•	Assess gaps, inconsistencies and potential for overlaps/duplication
•	Identify alternative solutions
•	Reach consensus on preferred capacity building mechanism
•	Present detailed and specific recommendations to the biodiversity taskforce/ANR working group with budgets and costs.	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	
Biodiversity Task Force disseminates WG draft recommendations for review and comments incorporation (may include focal group meeting and/or regional level workshops)	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	
ANR working group & (BTF) reaches consensus on capacity building assessment and recommendations from WG					x				
A national workshop to review all recommendations of all WG's for complementarity and consensus on a package of capacity building measures						x			
The final package of national capacity building measures submitted to relevant stakeholders (Ministries, Departments, NGO's etc for implementation).							x		
Nation-wide public awareness campaign to raise awareness of capacity building mechanisms adopted.							x	x	
Second national report (national workshop, draft preparation etc.).	x	x							

N.B. 	The deliberation of Working Groups will be a continuous process.

•	Project staff will provide the necessary technical, secretarial and administrative support to the BTF and WG.
•	Where appropriate short-term consultancies may be issued to support Working Group deliberations.
•	Each Working Group will decide on its own process of consultation and participation as relevant to the issue being addressed and the range of stakeholders. This may include focal group meetings in key centres, circulation of discussion papers or national/regional and local workshops.
Institutional Framework & Project Implementation

The Department of Parks and Wildlife Management under the purview of Department of State for Fisheries, Natural Resources & the Environment will be responsible for overall execution of the project. The Department of Parks and Wildlife Management will provide the project secretariat. 

The Biodiversity Task Force (BTF) established in 1996/97 to provide guidance and technical advice and support to the initial NBSAP process will continue to provide similar guidance and advice to the present project (Table 1). The BTF will convene working groups (WG) to advise and go into details on each key theme for the assessment of capacity building needs and lead consultations with stakeholder groups.  Initially, the working groups will assess the interests, responsibilities and capacities of various departments. NGO's etc with respect to capacity building needs identified in the initial NBSAP and the current extension and consult with stakeholder focus groups.  All working groups will be directly answerable to the BTF.  The working groups in collaboration with the project secretariat will elaborate discussion papers in line with current procedures, duties and responsibilities of relevant agencies and proposing national capacity strengthening options.  Discussion papers will be widely circulated for review.

UNEP will provide overall technical backstopping, and will monitor project implementation as per UNEP rules and procedures.

The project secretariat will provide secretarial, technical and administrative support to the BTF and its Working Groups including overseeing consultancies, preparation and circulation of discussion papers and draft reports, ensuring public awareness of project activities, budget management and co-ordinating consultancies and workshops. The secretariat, through the Project Co-ordinator will be responsible for the formulation of an overview report summarising capacity building needs and priorities in biodiversity and will ensure submission of report, documents and action plans to the Government for endorsement and dissemination through appropriate national focal point to the COP/CBD.

Public input to the discussion process will be ensured through national, divisional and or focus group level consultations. Recommendations from all the working groups will be subject to a final review and scrutiny at a national workshop not only to ensure complementarily but also equally to demonstrate consensus for a package of capacity building measures.  The adoption of any specific recommendations will be followed by carefully planned public awareness activities to ensure a broad understanding of the mechanisms being put in place.

Consistency of Approach & Procedures

The Implementing Agency and the GEF focal point of The Gambia have satisfied themselves that the proposal for additional funding complies with the Operational Criteria for the expedited financing of biodiversity enabling activities.

Budget Gambia				
Cost Estimates For Additional Enabling Activities (Biodiversity) 		
Activity	Product	Process	Total (US$)	
Approved Earlier				
Original EA less cost of CHM activities			243000	
CHM support (provided through add on module of project itself)		13950	
Total approved support			256950	
1. ADDITIONAL REQUEST				
 Assessment of capacity building needs for-				
 Implementation measures for in situ and ex situ conservation and sustainable use	4000	30000	34000	
 Methodologies to evaluate and mitigate specific threat to biodiversity components	
 Biosafety				
 Initial Assessment & monitoring programmes including taxonomy	15000	15000	30000	
 Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity important for agriculture 	15000	15000	30000	
 Incentive measures	7500	18000	25,500	
 Access to genetic resources, benefit sharing and formulation of mechanisms for these purposes	0	0	0	
 Preservation/maintenance of biodiversity related knowledge of indigenous and local communities with traditional lifestyles	4000	15,000	19000	
Sub-Total	45500	93000	138500	
2. Participation in CHM (Clearing House Mechanism)	4500	45,000	49500	
Sub-Total	4500	45000	49500	
3.Preparation of a second national report to COP	0	5000	5000	
Sub-Total	0	5000	5000	
Total New Request	50000	143000	193000	
GRAND TOTAL			449950	

Explanation To Changes In Budget

Incentive Measures:

The process cost is US $25,500.

As regards traditional indigenous/local community knowledge and incentive measures, the Biodiversity Task Force (BTF) is aware of the complexity of issues to be addressed vis-à-vis the current capacity in the country within any working group to be established to address them. The BTF is of the view that the respective Working Groups for the two areas will identify important gaps due mainly to cultural differences and the fact that incentive measures for biodiversity conservation as such are new and poorly understood at the national level. There will be need to engage additional subject area specialists to provide back stopping to the working group and undertake further grassroots consultations not only to provide answers to the gaps identified, but hopefully to add relevant new dimensions to the products.

Participation In CHM :

The process cost of US $45,000.00 is due to the fact that the training package will be repeated once again; we plan to launch our own website and continue to pay the Internet service provider on a monthly basis. The frequent electricity power cuts and fluctuations often result in serious damages to computer equipment. This inevitably requires the purchase of spare parts to replace damaged and unusable ones. Henceforth, we plan to purchase surge protectors for all the computer equipment to ensure reliability. Participation in the training will be expanded to cater for essential users like the University, Agriculture Research Institute and Action Aid, The Gambia who have been initially omitted.

Table 1
Composition of the National Biodiversity Task Force

Chairman:	Deputy Permanent Secretary, Department of State for Fisheries, Natural 
Resources and the Environment

Members:

		Department of State for Finance & Economic Affairs
		Department of State for Fisheries, Natural Resources & the Environment
		Department of State for Agriculture
		Department of State for Local Government & Lands
		Department of State for Justice
		Department of State for Information & Justice
		TANGO (NGO Umbrella Organisation)
		National Agricultural Research Institute
		Gamcotrap (Gambian Committee on Traditional Practices)
		SPACO (Strategy for Poverty Alleviation Co-ordination Office)

Annex  A Priority for Capacity Building Needs
Priority
	Reasons for Priority	Work to be done	Product expected	Notes	
In-situ and ex-situ conservation and sustainable use
Responsibility: Conservation and Sustainable Use Group			
Capacity building for biodiversity conservation 	Ad hoc nature of existing activities relating to in-situ conservation and clarification needs for ex-situ conservation.	The WG will assess the different reference collections in terms of their adequacy, complementarity, and methods of collection etc. and make appropriate suggestions for improvements.
	* Assessment reports on current reference collections 
* recommendations 
* detailed costings and budgeting	Resource sharing within and between relevant sectors will be considered	
	Lack of comprehensive assessment of existing facilities and additional needs	Assess needs for additional facilities for effective biodiversity research, data handling, taxonomy and inventories
	A report detailing technical, infrastructure and training needs	WG should consider opportunities for resource/facilities sharing	
	Present cooperation models are in most cases fragmented, sectorally biased, and narrow in scope.	Assess existing capacity and potential for collaboration between community, NGO,  public and private entities and develop appropriate models for capacity building
	Elaboration of possible models on multi-stakeholder collaboration in conservation 
		
Assessment and monitoring programs, including taxonomy
Responsibility: Assessment and Monitoring Group			
Development of biodiversity monitoring programs  and establishment of facilities to support in-country biodiversity monitoring and research 	Ad hoc nature of existing activities; lack of facilities for effective biodiversity monitoring and research	The WG will identify biodiversity threats and training and awareness raising needs, identify methods, tools and resources requirements.  Assess community capacity for record keeping, fund management, sharing of responsibility and finance allocation procedures.	•	Status of current monitoring
•	training needs assessment 
•	technical needs assessment 
•	detailed costings and budgeting proposals 
•	evaluation of measures taken 
•	facilities

Conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity 
Responsibility: Conservation and Sustainable Use Working Group			
 Conservation of important subsistence landscapes and resources including genetic variants	The vast majority of farmers in The Gambia derive their livelihoods from subsistence agriculture. Consequently, the significance of subsistence agricultural resources for national well being, and food security cannot be under estimated.	Working Group to take stock of existing subsistence resources, cultivation methods and capacity and prepare detailed recommendations to improve farming techniques and on going capacity building.	•	Data on subsistence agricultural resources
•	Report on capacity building needs for conservation of subsistence agricultural resources, including  awareness raising
•	Technical needs assess
•	Planned activities costed and budgeted for.		
Incentive Measures
Responsibility: Incentive Measures Working Group			
Building national capacity to fund biodiversity management in the long term	Presently the Gambia lacks adequate financing for biodiversity management and conservation.	The WG will identify reliable financing mechanisms, determine procedures for responsibility sharing, record keeping, fund management and finance allocation and make recommendations for building capacity to fund biodiversity.	•	National capacity needs assessed
•	Policy and legislation and procedures manual analyzed for cabinet/parliament consideration.
•	Options for national capacity building actions costed, budgeted for and presented etc.		
Access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and formulation of mechanisms for these purposes
Responsibility: Genetic Resources Working Group			
		Establish WG to reach consensus with respect to responsibility sharing, record keeping, maintenance of national collections etc. 	* survey of the condition of existing genetic resource collections and make this information available to public
* technical needs assessment
* detailed costings and budgeting 		
Formulation of access and benefit sharing mechanisms and developing measures for access to genetic resources and benefit sharing through a recognised scientific body.	Lack of a national mechanism to track and maintain records of biodiversity research, ensure that researchers work ethically and bio-prospecting is done on fair terms.	The WG will determine needs for responsibility sharing, record keeping, maintenance of a national collection, collation of research reports, maintaining records of bio-prospecting activities, establishing research protocols, awareness raising and will assess the adequacy of existing policy measures and institutional/human capacity related to access to genetic resources and benefit sharing.	•	Assess the need for policy /legislation on access and benefit sharing for cabinet or parliament consideration
•	Reach consensus on  a research code of ethics on access, benefit sharing and bio prospecting 
•	Assess the need for establishing a national scientific body to co-ordinate and keep track of biodiversity research
•	Technical needs assessed
•	All planned activities costed and budgeted for etc.		
Preservation/maintenance of biodiversity related knowledge of indigenous and local communities 
Responsibility: Traditional Agriculture and Lifestyles Working Group			
Better understanding of traditional biodiversity management mechanisms and their application 	Poor documentation and understanding and in some cases total lack of information on The Gambia's unique and diverse indigenous biodiversity knowledge hinders progress towards sustainable utilization of biodiversity at the national/local levels.	WG will take stock of existing capacity, prepare detailed outline of national needs, in terms of documentation, information storage and dissemination.	•	Documentation of traditional biodiversity management, knowledge, innovations and practices
•	Assessment of capacity building needs assessment 
•	Detailed action plan costed and budget presented
	In collaboration with on going and proposed Gamcotrap (Gambian Committee on Traditional practices) activities	
	The need to raise capacity of local communities for biodiversity conservation has been emphasized in the biodiversity country study and action plan reports	The WG will assess present and future needs of the indigenous and local communities at community, public and private and NGO levels and suggest appropriate recommendations for on going capacity building	•	Methods to evaluate and mitigate specific threats to plant biodiversity used by indigenous peoples and local communities.
•	Detailed training action plan
•	Detailed awareness raising action plan
•	All activities costed and budgeted for etc.