Title
[Forthcoming] High Ambition Fund Annex 6: Environmental and Social Management Framework
Author(s)
Wildlife Conservation Society
Published
2023
Abstract
WCS has brought together a group of catalytic funding and development partners and is submitting a proposal to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to create the High Ambition Fund for Nature, Climate and People - a 30x30 Implementation Programme. The Programme is designed to enable and mobilize the flow of funds needed to support 20 of the highest priority countries, including governments, Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, civil society, businesses, and others in meeting their commitments to 30X30, to protect those places that have greatest value for biodiversity, deliver the maximum in tackling climate change, and provide the most to people and the planet. The Programme takes an integrated, science-driven approach to meeting the global 30x30 target to maximize co-benefits for biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation for both ecosystems and vulnerable people, in full partnership with, while respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LC). The Programme will help ensure the system of protected and conserved areas is fully representative of the Earth’s diversity of nature and ecosystems in the selected countries. This will enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of the world’s intact ecosystems to climate change and that of the communities who depend on them and will boost climate change mitigation through biodiversity conservation and restoration of carbon-rich, fully functional ecosystems. The Programme has four key components, including (1) the Finance Mechanism, including the Co-Investment Platform; (2) a focused set of integrated 30x30 area-based conservation and climate solutions; (3) a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), including a separate IP&LC TAF that is IP&LC led and operated; and (4) a policy reform component to address financial flows that are harmful to nature and to align NDCs, NAPs and NBSAPs, including recognizing the contributions of Indigenous Territories in NDCs, NAPs and NBSAPs. This document contains the proposed Environmental and Social Management Framework for the High Ambition Fund, which the Wildlife Conservation Society is submitting for Programme-Specific Assessment Approach (PSAA) with the GCF to carry out activities that fall within Environmental and Social Risk Categories B and C. WCS evaluated the potential social and environmental risks for the proposed Programme, recognizing that project-specific activity risks will be evaluated for each project as well. The High Ambition Fund is preliminarily assessed as having moderate environmental and social risk, equivalent to GCF’s category B (https://www.greenclimate.fund/documents/screening-categorizing-activities). The risks and impacts are considered moderate to limited, and the magnitude of the risks and impacts expected are low to moderate. The expected risks and impacts are also few in number and are anticipated to remain within the implementation zone of all the activities. Any potential negative impacts are also determined to be reversible, and readily mitigated through generally accepted mitigation measures. Specifically, these mitigating measures include adequate stakeholder engagement for determining distribution of benefits and determining mitigation as needed for project-level access restrictions, a clear process and oversight for strict adherence to national labor and safety rules including SEAH, and training human rights in law enforcement, training on potential environmental risks to species and ecosystems in the course of implementing projects. Mitigating steps will also include the establishment of a Programme-wide GRM that complements project-level GRMs along with a process to establish clear communication with all stakeholders and project beneficiaries on how to access the systems and file a grievance as needed. Given the unspecified nature of risks of specific projects during this evaluation, the potential risks remain broad and could apply across a variety of anticipated projects the Programme might support. These risks may include, but are not limited to adverse impacts on species and ecosystems due to investments in new economic activities, lack of participation from IPs and LCs in project implementation, inequitable distribution of project benefits to some groups and not others creating potential power differentials among communities or that could exacerbate exposure to sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment, a risk that may affect all project components if unmitigated. In activity design, there is a risk that inadequate consideration of traditional resource use practices could negatively impact tangible and intangible cultural heritage of IPs and LCs. The suite of projects may cause social risks including loss of access to natural resources or lands due to new land classifications or stricter implementation of land use and park laws, and loss of access to land for food production. The EEs and grantees may not have instruments in place to ensure adherence to Labour and Working Conditions’ standards which could expose communities, especially special needs, disadvantaged or vulnerable groups or individuals (e.g., women and children) to both accidental and natural hazards. The High Ambition Fund aims to support conservation of natural systems, however, depending on the final projects, some environmental risks may remain. These risks include the potential for invasive species spread in the reforestation/afforestation, increased or diverted water usage during restoration activities or seedling production, disturbance to species and ecosystems during project activities, increased human-wildlife interactions as natural systems are secured, unsustainable supply chains for project supplies and activities, modification of water flow and topsoil that could increase exposure to disease or increased exposure to COVID-19, Ebola, or other zoonoses as human to human and human to wildlife interactions increase at project sites. Investments in conservation may result in threats to human security through the risk of escalation of personal or communal conflict and violence that could be caused or exacerbated by the project(s), including potential risks posed to rangers, eco-guards, or similar security personnel in the course of performing their job duties, as well as potential risks to communities by the project's use of law enforcement. Finally, there may be negative impacts of climate change on adaptation opportunities provided by the project, thwarting the ultimate outcomes. These general environmental and social risks will be thoroughly vetted as specific sites and beneficiaries are identified. Specific impacts an associated mitigation measures may be revealed during project review, selection and implementation. For that reason, this document outlines an ESMF for the AE to guide the final review of project-specific environmental and social impacts.
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