Conserve the ecosystem of Upper Siran Valley through participatory approaches focussing on the sustainable use and recovery of galliformes as well as threatened medicinal plant species due to their key role and inter-relatedness in the ecosystem of the area.

(1) Location of project:

The entire proposed project area is a remotely located valley of Upper Siran District Mansehra, NWFP whereas the core project area i.e. Methal and adjoining two cluster villages is located centrally in the Upper Siran with 600 househols, 2915 people and approximately over 3000 Acre of land. The valley is located at the dead end of Siran River, after which the valley derives its name. This valley is sandwiched between Kaghan Valley in the east, Allai in the west, Palas lies at South and at North Mansehra is located. The snow clad towering heights of Moosa-ka-Musalla (Moses prayer mat), 4,075 meters, makes a formidable geographical barrier from Kohistan. The salient population settlements in the project area are of Jabbori, Nawazabad, Nikki Mohri, Bandodhar, Sacha Kallan, Shahid Pani and Kund. The average population density in the area is 409 persons per square km. The terrain is predominately mountainous, where limited agriculture is being practiced on terraced fields along the contours. This valley is located in the moist temperate zone, where the major parts of agricultural activities depend upon rains, with some scattered irrigation systems mostly in the valley bottom. Intermittent showers of rains are received throughout the year. However, major part of the annual precipitation is in monsoons, whereas winters are long and severe due to heavy snowfall.

The major population segment of nearly 84% inhabitants is largely dependent on farm income. That is further substituted by remittances of migratory off-farm workers who are employed in the industrial towns. The major population segment in Upper Siran belongs to Gujar tribe, who live on the steep hillsides and who are mostly the tenants of the ?Swati? Khans (landlords). In this valley, tenancy is still a very common practice.

Background

At Methal, although some activities like forest conservation, plantations and community organization were initiated by ex-SFDP, to some extant, the same were being carried forward by HAASHAR Association , however, most of the project activities will be new in the real essence at Methal as well as in additional two areas.

(3) Starting date: After the approval of project

(4) Duration: Three years

c. Characteristics of the Proposed Activity. Please indicate:

(1) How community organizations/populations will participate?
At the outset of the project, after an intensive dialogue process, a participatory conservation planning exercise will be developed the capacity of Methal community. A regional study of Upper Siran Panjul Forests will also be conducted with the full participation of the concerned community. The entire planning and project execution process will be undertaken with active involvement of community representatives and activists, carefully ensuring that the majority of the community is involved in the project one way or another and that the opinions of the respective communities will be accorded due weight.

(2) Whether and how women will be involved?
Keeping in view social and cultural norms, women will be harnessed into suitable organizations at the hamlet level; their involvement will be crucial, particularly in the planning process, and their capacities will be built corresponding to the important role they have in regard to wild plant harvest, fuel wood collection and other outdoor activities in regard to NRM. Furthermore, 30 women activists will be trained in medicinal plant cultivation and sustainable wild harvest techniques, as it is the women who are mainly involved in this sector.

(3) Whether and how the activity relates to indigenous peoples and practices?
The local inhabitants have adequate knowledge about their ecosystem, which is in practice since ages. In future project modern scientific biodiversity conservation will be tailored with indigenous knowledge through participatory learning and action, propagation of scientific knowledge and long-term enhancement of community skills.

(4) Whether and how the project addresses multiple concerns?
The project addresses a range of causes and threats of biodiversity loss ranging from over-exploitation, lack of resource ownership and legal empowerment to absence of financial means, systematic planning and awareness. The project aims to address these problems through capacity building, linkages promotion, income generation through sustainable use activities and institutionalization of conservation activities at stakeholder level.

(5) Whether and how the activities will strengthen the capacities of institutions?
The model community institutions already existing, i.e. the Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) of Methal are actively involved in collaborative forest management in partnership with the NWFP Forest Department. JFMCs of the greater project area of Upper Siran Valley have also been formed during the GTZ funded Siran Valley project, but need re-activation through HAASHAR and Methal community activists particularly in biodiversity conservation. The project aims to build upon the existing joint forest management approach and successful model by extending the mandate of the JFMCs to wildlife management. The positive attitude and initiative of the NWFP Wildlife Department will play a very important part in institutional strengthening through legal notification of the selected core area of Methal area of Upper Siran area as Community Game Reserve and capacity building and notification of Community Wildlife Guards. Likewise the capacities of NWFP Wildlife Department will also be strengthen.

2. How the proposed activity will be carried out

a. Role of the Recipient NGO: Basic roles of HAASHAR will be, (i) facilitating the community and stakeholders to work on partnership basis, (ii) promotion of skills and (iii) information exchange among all stakeholders.

b. Role(s) of Partner Organizations: All the partners including NWFP Wildlife Department, FSP, Ethnobotany project and Private sectors will follow the broad-spectrum terms of partnership with clear understanding of roles, responsibilities, rights and obligations.

c. How Award Funds will be used: In accordance with approved work programme of the project and biodiversity conservation plan.

d. Provision for Scientific and Technical Advice/and Proposed Source(s): All relative institutions including NWFP Wildlife Department, FSP, Ethnobotany project and Private sectors are already mentioned and assistance will be obtained as per project work plan.

e. Provision for Dialogue/Networking with Other NGOs or Community Groups: Dialogue will be initiated right at the onset of the project. The relative institutions with common interests will develop a network for benefit sharing and dissemination of knowledge and experience.

f. Proposed Methods for Modifying Project Design for Effectiveness: The project execution methodology has been designed with a degree of flexibility, so that if the need be, it could be modified and readjusted accordingly. However, any such modification must not become an impediment for attaining the project objectives.

g. Proposed Methods for Evaluating Project Design and Implementation: The activities and results will define quantitative and qualitative indicators for various project accomplishments. Various project steps at different stages will be documented, where monitoring and evaluation process of planned and actual achievements will be an on-going process. The impact of various activities will be determined through performance monitoring. Internal evaluation of individual activities and overall program will be done at various stages of the project, which will also be accompanied by ?Program Evaluation? with the close collaboration of communities and related institutions.

3. Context of the activity

a. Relationship to Local/District/National Government Agencies or Programmes:
The National Conservation Strategy (NCS), supported by the Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy (SPCS) provides the supportive framework conditions for the project. Meanwhile, the GoNWFP has also approved the new forest policy focusing on participation of local communities at all steps of planning and implementation. Government of Pakistan is presently implementing its new policy of ?Devolution of Power?. In the context of this policy decision-making, administrative and financial authority is to be gradually transferred to the district and village levels. Explicitly the objective of this policy to strengthen the role of all segments of village communities in planning and implementing district and village based development and conservation plans. In this way, the proposed project is in total conformity with the current policies at all stages of governance.

b. Relationship to Other GEF Projects:
At the moment none of the UNDP/GEF project is operational in the area but there are GEF projects in other regions, hence the said project has a link with other GEF projects at regional level under ecosystem management approach.

c. Relationship to Other UNDP Projects or Multilateral / Bilateral Projects:
There is no UNDP/GEF project, operational in the area. However the wider umbrella of NCS, SPCS, IUCN, WWF, Forest/Wildlife Departments, SNPI, Forestry Round table, Sarhad Biodiversity Forum and the like will be the common grounds for cooperation. All the available forums and institutions have a direct/indirect relation with UNDP/GEF. Hence, the future cooperation and interaction is very eminent. Pakistan is a signatory Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and the project area contain flora and fauna species of global importance thus the said project has a relation with GEF projects within Pakistan and abroad.

Among multilateral projects, the present EC funded Bird-Life Palas Conservation and Development Project, Kohistan, IUCN/EC related Natural Resource Conservation and Management Project, Galiat, ADB funded Forestry Sector Project. Mountain Area Conservation Project (MACP), Ethnobotany project Nathiagali and other GEF/IUCN sponsored projects are the related interventions. ?Support from the Austrian Government would directly benefit the UNDP/GEF project, since it would also be implemented by Haashar, operate in the same area and complement specifically in the field of local institution building and sustainable rural development/ income raising activities.?

d. Relationship to Other NGO or Private Sector Activities:
Although, a number of NGOs are operative in the area but none of them have a direct relation with the project at local level. Some of the provincial and national organizations do have a conceptual project relation and its directional orientation like WWF, IUCN etc. whereas, Haashars has contacts/friendly relations with other NGOs even outside the area of Siran. E.g. Action Aid, Plan International, Rotary Club, Sungi, etc.

4. Anticipated project results

a. Impacts on Participants/Beneficiaries:
Impacts of the project will be a sustainable natural resource management regime based on sound sustainable harvest criteria. Furthermore, interventions will enhance linkages and develop human and financial capacities for self-sufficient long term biodiversity conservation based on sustainable use principles. It is also anticipated that people will thus be able to reduce dependence on external assistance by improved marketing of medicinal plants and income from other reflected biological resources.

b. Demonstration Value of the Activity as a Model for Possible Replication:
As already mentioned, the core objective of this project is to develop and establish a cost effective biodiversity conservation model. At the same time the project is designed in a way that local communities could easily initiate the process of replication at micro level with reduced external support and costs. It is expected that the results achieved at the core community (Methal) level will be replicated by the community at the greater Upper Siran Valley level without any outside support

c. Value as a Learning Experience:
Since the community will implement the major part of all the project activities, this will provide a very unique kind of learning experience. The flow of experience will be within community and outside community i.e. backward and forward and thus both communities and working institutions will simultaneously benefit from the project. Particularly the unique aspects of the project, e.g. pheasant monitoring as well as medicinal plant cultivation (already reflected in flora lists) in comparison to wild harvest will provide a unique new learning opportunity in the area as well as globally (in terms of target species involved).