Transcript Using the NCSA for Global Environmental Management

National Capacity Self Assessment for Global
Environmental Management: Bhutan Experience
Karma Tshiteem
GEF Operational Focal Point
Bhutan
1
Outline
•
•
Bhutan environment context
Stakeholder identification and involvement
•
•
•
Responding to threats: the NCSA
Follow-up: NCSA follow-up project
•
Issues and challenges
•
•
Threats
Lessons Learnt
Conclusions & Recommendations
Bhutan NCSA Experience
2
Environment: Context
Biodiversity:
• Bhutan is among the top ten percent of the countries with the
highest species density (species richness per unit area)
• Has more than 5,400 known species of vascular plants, 600 species
of birds and 190 species of mammals, including many globally
threatened species.
Climate change:
• Bhutan stands out as one of the few countries with negative
greenhouse gas emissions.
• But is very vulnerable to climate change, as this is likely to affect
– the country’s forestry, agricultural and energy sectors, as well as
– an increased number of natural disasters, including GLOFs
Bhutan NCSA Experience
3
Environment: Context
Land use and cover:
• Forest is by far the most dominant land cover (72.5 percent)
• However, as 79 percent of the Bhutanese population primarily
depend on agriculture, and only 7.7 percent of the country is arable
agricultural land, land-use can be very intensive.
• Over one third of the country is protected as protected areas
Given the importance of Bhutan’s natural resources in terms of climate
change, biodiversity and land degradation, good management of Bhutan’s
land and forests yields significant global benefits !!!
However, at present, the land and forest resources in Bhutan face a series of
well documented threats & Challenges.
Bhutan NCSA Experience
4
Environment: Threats
Some of the key well documented HUMAN- induced threats are:
• Unsustainable wood collection, for fuel and for construction and furniture.
– Wood consumption for fuel per capita is one of the highest in the world
• Wildlife hunting, both to supply international trade and to protect livestock
and crops from wild animals;
• Overgrazing of pastures and in forests;
• Forest fires, caused almost entirely by man;
• Pollution, due to construction, and growing transport and industry.
Population growth and urbanization are important drivers immediately
behind these threats.
Bhutan NCSA Experience
5
BHUTAN Environment: THREATS
• With extreme climatic conditions, rugged terrain and fragile geologic
conditions, Bhutan is inherently vulnerable to natural disasters such
as landslides and flash floods.
• Vulnerability to climate change induced disasters has become
obvious in the recent years. For example, the winter of 1998/99 was
characterized by a prolonged spell of dry (snowless) weather. This
exacerbated incidents of forest fires that winter, with forest fires
occurring even in places where they were earlier not known.
Bhutan NCSA Experience
6
BHUTAN Environment: THREATS
There are also important NATURE- induced threats:
• With extreme climatic conditions, rugged terrain and fragile geologic
conditions, Bhutan is inherently vulnerable to natural disasters such as
landslides and flash floods.
• Vulnerability to climate change induced disasters has become obvious in
the recent years.
• Climate change is resulting in the receding of several glaciers in the
Himalayas, increasing the risks of dangerous glacial lake outbursts (GLOF).
• The most recent GLOF which occurred in the country in October 1994
wreaked enormous damage to agricultural land, property and
infrastructure, and caused several deaths in the downstream valleys
Bhutan NCSA Experience
7
The NCSA objectives
• To better understand the dynamics behind the threats to
the global, national and local environment in Bhutan and
assess its capacity to implement the Rio Conventions
• Identify thorough a broad-based consultative and
participatory process, priority capacity development
needs in the biodiversity, climate change and land
degradation thematic areas.
• Consequently also identify capacity development needs
across the thematic areas
Bhutan NCSA Experience
8
Stakeholders identification
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gross National Happiness Commission (DADM) –National co-ordination authority for aid
management
National Environment Commission (NEC): High level body with inter-ministerial
representation for policy decisions and guidance on matters related to sustainable
development.
Ministry of Agriculture: Overall authority for the management of Bhutan’s renewable
natural resources sector (RNR)
Ministry of Trade & Industry (Ministry of Economic Affairs): Environmental management
functions in terms of reducing or controlling industrial pollution, promoting clean
technology and energy, and providing geotechnical services including assessment and
monitoring of geologically vulnerable areas
Ministry of Works & Human Settlement: Promotes environment – friendly road
construction techniques and eco-friendly human settlements
Royal Civil Service Commission: apex body responsible for HRD and civil service
administration
Development Partners (UNDP)
Bhutan NCSA Experience
9
Stakeholder involvement and process
Principle of broad-based, consultative and participatory
•
Inception and Planning Workshop to sensitized the stakeholders
on concept process and methodologies
•
Formation of Thematic Working Groups (TWG) to take advantage
of in-house expertise and enhance ownership
•
Thematic Assessment ( Review of existing literature, questionnaire
survey and preparation of thematic profiles.
•
Cross-cutting analysis and consolidation of the thematic profiles
into an NCSA Report
Bhutan NCSA Experience
10
Bhutan NCSA: Responding to the threats identified
•
Based on the findings of the Bhutan NCSA, the Govt prepared an Action Plan
for addressing priority capacity needs to implement the three Conventions.
•
The Action Plan included seven Outputs :
•
•
•
•
Policy and legal framework for environmentally sustainable development improved
Implementation of environment mgt mandates at central, dzongkhag, and geog levels improved
Information and monitoring systems in the four thematic areas strengthened
Implementation capacity of NECS and MoA enhanced to effectively to effectively function as national
focal agencies
Institutional mechanisms for environmental management strengthened
Environmental financing mechanisms strengthened
Environmental education and awareness programmes strengthened
•
•
•
•
Further to subsequent consultations with concerned stakeholders - and based
on in-country opportunities - the government has packaged the Outputs into
the following three priority project proposals for immediate action:
•
•
•
Enhancing Environmental Management in Local Governance System;
Strengthening Policy and Legal Framework for Environmental Management;
Strengthening Information and Monitoring System for Environmental Management.
Bhutan NCSA Experience
11
The NCSA follow up: UNDP-GEF project “Enhancing
Global Environmental Management in Bhutan’s Local
Governance System”
•
Long term project goal: to ensure effective environmental management in Bhutan in
support of its national socio-economic goals and fulfillment of the Rio Conventions
obligations
•
Project Objective: to enhance global environmental management by mainstreaming
the provisions of the Rio Conventions into enhanced environment management
3 Outcomes:
1.
Enabled Central-level framework to enhance decentralized capacity for environmental
management and implementation of the provision of the 3 Rio Conventions
2.
Enabled decentralized institutional framework and personnel to enhance local
environmental management which include implementation of the Rio Convention
provisions
3.
Existing Environmental Information Management System enhanced to backstop
national policy and decision making in response to global environmental management
needs as per the provisions of the Rio Conventions
Project approved by GEF, to be signed in May
Bhutan NCSA Experience
12
Issues and Challenges
•
Access and environment degradation vs costs (especially upfront costs)
•
Poor awareness about long-term adverse environmental impact on
livelihoods among the general public and local governance functionaries
•
Coordination in environmental management systems both at national and
local levels
•
Weak compliance and enforcement of environmental regulations
•
Inadequate capacities of relevant environment agencies and mechanisms
•
Lack of data and information on environment, such as air and water quality
•
The “overall challenge” is to maintain the level of high environmental quality
while achieving growth
Bhutan NCSA Experience
13
Lessons from the NCSA process
• Inter-agency Thematic Working Groups ensures ownership
and cross-sectoral synergies
• The importance of broad-based consultations including the
“voices of the rural communities”
• Coordination / Institutional structure to situate the process
(i.e. SC, Task Force, TWG etc) helps not only ensure
stakeholder commitment but also build on existing knowledge
and engender synergy with other parallel on-going efforts
Bhutan NCSA Experience
14