biodiversity conservation and protected area management

 "How do you strike a balance between the need for economic growth and the long term need for environmental protection and biodiversity conservation?"

There is a clear need for rural development and economic growth in many countries and regions throughout the world.  Equally there is a need to conserve the integrity of the environmental systems upon which rural populations ultimately depend.  At FRR we believe that the diverse needs of commercial interests, governments and local populations can be met without losing the diversity of ecosystems and wildlife. 

We assist governments to establish sustainably managed environments, where human populations can coexist alongside protected areas, with the ultimate aim of improving rural livelihoods and conserving biological diversity.  We work to develop the management capacity of government institutions and to increase alternative livelihood options available to local populations, to find a workable balance between environmental protection and meeting the needs of rural populations for natural products.  Current and recent projects in this area include:

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

FRR is currently implementing a project on Capacity Building for Biodiversity Conservation (CBBC) in Vietnam.  The project focuses on the development and operationalisation of training curricula for managers, technical and field staff of the Forest Protection Department to support them implement Vietnam’s forest and biodiversity legislation and strengthen forest and biodiversity governance and management.  FRR is providing strategic guidance to the project and developing training programmes and manuals for FPD staff, as well as developing an inter-agency enforcement mechanism for Vietnam’s forest protection and biodiversity legislation.

MID-TERM EVALUATION OF THE ASEAN CENTRE FOR BIODIVERSITY

FRR is currently carrying out a Mid-term Evaluation of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) in the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia.  The objective is to enable the ASEAN region to meet the World Summit on Sustainable Development's target of achieving a significant reduction in biodiversity loss by 2010.   ACB aims to strengthened regional capacity on biodiversity in the ASEAN region.  The specific objectives of the mission are to conduct a mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the ACB with particular attention to performance against established indicators and targets.  The evaluation will provide an overview of the quality of the project design, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impacts and sustainability of ACB with particular emphasis in terms of providing concrete recommendations in order to ensure the long term financial sustainability of the centre (sustainable financing mechanisms for biodiversity).

NORTHERN SAVANNAH BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROJECT

FRR prepared a background paper on policy issues relating to Savannah Natural Resource Management (SNRM) and also developed a Savannah Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) for the Northern region of Ghana.

COASTAL HABITATS AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (CHARM)

The Coastal Habitats and Resource Management (CHARM) project in Thailand is a five year Royal Thai Government project supported by the EC, which aims to promote effective and sustainable co-management of coastal zones.  FRR conducted the final impact evaluation and review of this project in 2007.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF MARINE RESOURCES IN CON DAO NATIONAL PARK, VIETNAM

This GEF project aims to strengthen local capacity for marine and coastal biodiversity conservation, improve integration of conservation and environmental management into development planning, establish sustainable financing mechanisms for biodiversity conservation and link local efforts to national strategies and policy development. It contributes to the conservation of globally significant coastal and marine biodiversity. The work includes project design and management, and design and assessment of an enforcement programme for Con Dao National Park.