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/ Brief Description
UNDP/GEF Project Framework
The Kamchatka peninsula is one of the world's last remaining extensive natural areas still offering an opportunity to conserve
outstanding globally significant biodiversity values. The size of Germany, Austria and Switzerland combined, this 1,500 kilometer-long
peninsula is included in WWF's Global 200 list of the world's most important ecoregions. Historically, Kamchatka's biodiversity was
protected by its remoteness, rugged landscape, and later by its strategic military importance. During the past 10 years of economic
reform and societal upheaval, however, the situation has worsened dramatically. Today, with the region having become "open" to
visitation and more accessible, as local populations are experiencing economic hardships, and protected area budgets have been
sharply reduced, there are significant and increasing threats to Kamchatka's biodiversity and existing protected areas (PAs).
In a business-as-usual "baseline" scenario, the PAs' biodiversity will face growing cumulative threats from organized poaching,
uncontrolled access and unmanaged uses of the PAs, including recreation, and resource exploitation by local populations beyond
sustainable levels, thereby significantly diminishing their global benefits. In spite of the economic hardships and numerous
competing priorities, the MNR, the KOA, the resident research community and NGOs have demonstrated a continued commitment to
supporting the PAs. Nevertheless, despite this effort, there is a widening gap between the existing limited baseline management
capacity, and the actual requirements to effectively address the growing biodiversity conservation challenges in the protected areas.
Phase 2
This full size project, initially designed as a seven-year intervention to help secure the globally significant biodiversity values of the Kamchatka Peninsula's protected areas, was approved by GEF Council in 2001. The project's implementation commenced in July 2002. Due to the financial constraints faced by the Global Environment Facility at the time, however, the funding and thus implementation of this project had to be split into 3 phases of two, three, and two years duration, with financing from GEF being advanced only for Phase 1. The first phase was subsequently extended to the end of December 2004. Thus, this Brief is being submitted as a first step to securing the funding required to continue the project's implementation for its intended duration. The second and third phases have now been combined into one, while the overall duration of the project has been shortened by one year. Thus, this Brief is being submitted in order to cover the final four years of the project, 2005 - 2008.
The project's goal or development objective is to help secure the globally significant biodiversity values of the Kamchatka Peninsula's protected areas. Its immediate objective is to demonstrate approaches for sustainable and replicable conservation of biodiversity in four different existing protected areas. The project has five primary outcomes: (i) The effectiveness of the four protected areas in conserving their biodiversity will be improved through strengthened institutional capacity for their governance and management; (ii) Sustainable alternative biodiversity-supporting economic development activities for local communities will be promoted so as to decrease pressure on the PAs' biodiversity, and community involvement in conservation will be increased; (iii) Awareness of and support for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development will be heightened among all stakeholders; (iv) Sustainable protected area and biodiversity conservation supporting financing mechanisms will be established; and (v) Mechanisms for transferring and replicating best practices and lessons learned will be developed and implemented through ministerial and NGO channels throughout Kamchatka and the Russian Federation.
This project is one part of a broader UNDP/GEF conservation programme for the Kamchatka peninsula, which also includes a salmon biodiversity conservation project approved in 2003 and the Commander Islands conservation and management project. The proposed project exploits linkages and collaboration with these projects through the strengthening of anti-poaching measures, institutional strengthening and capacity building, community co-management and alternative livelihoods, increasing biodiversity awareness, and sustainable financing through a joint Trust Fund. The project also provides a coherent unifying framework for the integration of a number of non-GEF initiatives of supported/implemented by UNDP in Kamchatka. These include particularly the work of IUCN on NTFPs and community outreach, the initiatives of UNESCO dealing with TEK, and the UNF-funded project on ecotourism in and around UNESCO WHSs in Kamchatka. This allows the adoption of a comprehensive and coherent programmatic approach to the conservation of Kamchatka's biodiversity and the promotion of its sustainable use.
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