Aligned National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020

THE ALIGNED NATIONAL ACTION PLAN TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION IN JORDAN 2015 - 2020 His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein THE ALIGNED NATIONAL ACTION PLAN TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION IN JORDAN 2015 - 2020 Deserts and arid lands have a distinctive beau ty and are closely affiliated with the dynamics of humans and environment which characterized the livelihoods of Jordanians over many centuries. The stereotype image of deserts includes low produc tivity, scarce natural resources and high tempera ture. In Jordan, however, there is much more to deserts than such rigidity and paucity. Jordanian deserts are unique ecosystems in their religious, cultural, social, economic and environmental val ues. Nevertheless, the past decades saw sustainable arid land management becoming a major chal lenge, as desertification is increasingly threat ening the integrity of ecosystems. To maintain environmental balance, these lands need to be managed sustainably and turned into economi cally productive areas; especially that desertifica tion constitutes the main environmental problem affecting natural resources in arid and semi-arid lands and semi-arid wetlands. Interaction be tween natural factors and human-induced activi ties is identified as the main cause of these lands’ deterioration. Situations of this type emphasized the need for an international commitment to combat desert ification, a need that was addressed by the es tablishment of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as a principal international instrument to curb land deteriora tion and promote sustainable land management. When this agreement was open for signature in 1994 Jordan was among the first countries to sign. Hence, the Ministry of Environment enhanced its commitment to conserve the environment nation ally and regionally by developing the National Strategy and Action Plan to Combat Desertifica tion. This includes long term strategies to combat desertification within the framework set by the UN CCD and a vision, logical framework, monitoring program and financial plan; all against the back drop of the described environmental scene and current desertification situation in Jordan. Upon that, future programs addressing issues relevant to desertification, local environment and community were designed, and the Government of Jordan, represented by the Ministry of Envi ronment, in collaboration with other governmen tal and non-governmental institutions, commits to ensure the implementation of the National Action Plan. Sustainable programs for combating desert ification and its negative implications were sug gested based on best management practices and guidance, local communities’ involvement, planning of land use and water management and identifying multisectoral and multi-environmental indicators for long-term and short-term monitoring of desertification. Sustainable management of land resources and combating desertification require integrated inter ventions in various sectors, including water, agri culture, energy, urban development and several others. To implement the proposed programs of combating desertification, mitigating collateral impacts and decreasing the concomitant poverty and land degradation, the Ministry seeks to obtain technical assistance from international organiza tions, technical agencies and other concerned parties. This shall be made possible through a management system based on wide involvement while at the same time maintaining the role of co ordinating and evaluating all activities and initia tives targeted at achieving the common objective of sustainable land management and combating desertification. Here, I would like to express my appreciation to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, The Regional Office for West Asia and in specif ic Mr Fadi Shraideh and all the local experts that worked together throughout the past year to de sign in a participatory manner, a national strategy and action plan that meet the actual environmen tal and socio-economic needs in Jordan. I hope that the National Action Plan will be a cornerstone in policies directed at sustainably conserving the land and managing natural resources for the well-being of this generation and future ones. Dr. Taher Radi Al Shakhshir Minister of Environment Foreword by the Minister of Environment Acknowledgments The Aligned National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 is the result of a series of consultations with policy makers and stakeholders and extensive research in cooperation with specialists. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all those who were involved for their efforts and insights and to their institutions for supporting their involvement. We acknowledge with gratitude the guidance and support provided by His Excellency Dr. Taher Al Shakhshir, Minister of Environment, who generously facilitated the utilization of the human and technical resources of the Ministry for the completion of the NAP development process. National workshops were organized in preparation for the NAP, with active representation from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture, the United Nations Development Programme, USAID, academic and research institutions, the media, civil society organizations, women organizations and NGOs. These entities and their representatives displayed a high level of commitment and dedication without which this NAP would not have been produced with such quality. We are also grateful to the task force of the Ministry of Environment, the National Committee for Combating Desertification and environmental experts who provided valuable comments on the NAP’s different aspects, further improving it. We especially extend our gratitude to Eng. Ahmad Al Qatarneh, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment for his exceptional commitment to promote the alignment process and adaptation of the NAP. Last but not least we cannot overemphasize our appreciation of the support presented by the Natural Resources Department in the Ministry of Environment in coordinating and facilitating the process of national consultation that led to the production of the Jordan NAP 2020-2015. International Union for Conservation of Nature Regional Office for West Asia The National Action Plan for Combating Desertification in Jordan Preparation Team The The National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 was coordinated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature - Regional Office for West Asia (IUCN – ROWA), Amman, Jordan. The preparation team included: Eng. Fidaa F. Haddad Team Leader; Drylands, Livelihoods & Gender Programme Manager (IUCN – ROWA) Dr. Jonathan Davies International Expert; Coordinator, IUCN Global Drylands Initiative Dr. Mahfouz Abu Zanat Local Rangeland Expert Dr. Amer Jabarin Environmental Economics Expert Dr. Saeb Khresat Land Use and Management, Climate Change Expert Ms. Lara Nassar Environmental Communication Expert; Documentation and Communication Officer (IUCN – ROWA) Eng. Amer Madaat Field Researcher; Dryland Senior Field Coordinator (IUCN - ROWA) Ministry of Environment Team: Eng. Raed Bani Hani Director, Nature Protection Directorate Eng. Ammar Mismar Nature Protection Directorate Dr. Ahmad Abdel Fattah NAP Project Coordinator Mr. Farid Musmar NAP Project Officer Editor: Mr. Firas T. Abd-Alhadi 1 Table of Contents Foreword by the Minister of Environment ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 IUCN Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 The National Action Plan for Combating Desertification in Jordan Preparation Team ................................................................................. 8 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Executive Summary in Arabic ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter One: Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 1.1. Rationale of the 3 Rio Conventions ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 1.2. The Multi-Dimensional Problem of DLDD .................................................................................................................................................................... 18 1.3. Overview of Jordan NAP-2006 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 1.4. The UNCCD 10-Year Strategy: Vision and Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 19 1.5. Adopted Approach for Aligning the Jordan NAP-2006 ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Chapter Two: Country Status ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 2.1. Situation Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 23 2.1.1. Biophysics .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 2.1.2. Socio-Economic ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27 2.2. Stakeholder Analysis .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 2.3. Existing Investment in SLM ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 2.3.1. SLM Best Practices ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 2.3.2. Assessment of LD and SLM Mainstreaming in Jordan ............................................................................................................................ 32 2.4. Green Economy .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 34 2.5. Economic Valuation of the Unsustainable Land Management in Jordan ........................................................................................... 35 Chapter Three: Assessment of NAP-2006 .................................................................................................................................................................................. 38 3.1. Relevance and Implementation of NAP-2006 ................................................................................................................................................................ 39 3.2. Assessing NAP-2006 against the UNCCD 10-Year Strategy.............................................................................................................................. 41 3.2.1. Strategic Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41 3.2.2. Operational Objectives ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 41 3.3. Actions and Measures for Filling the Identified Gaps ............................................................................................................................................ 42 3.4. Setting Priorities ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015-2020 ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 44 4.1. Vision and Oobjectives ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 45 4.2. Operational Objectives Action Plan ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Operational Objective 1: Advocacy, Awareness Raising and Education ............................................................................................ 46 Operational Objective 2: Policy Framework .................................................................................................................................................................... 47 Operational Objective 3: Science, Technology and Knowledge .................................................................................................................. 48 Operational Objective 4: Capacity Building ...................................................................................................................................................................... 49 Operational Objective 5: Financing and Technology Transfer ...................................................................................................................... 50 4.3. Enabling Environment ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 51 4.4. Communication and Outreach Plan ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 52 4.5. Integrated Financing Strategy ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 54 4.6. Monitoring and Evaluation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58 References ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Maps and Tables ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 60 ACSAD The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands AFD Arab Fund for Development CAP-BRP Community Action Plan - Badia Restoration Program CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBOs Community-Based Organizations CC Climate Change CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CORINE Coordination of Information on the Environment CSOs Civil Society Organizations DBIU Data Base and Information Unit DLDD Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought DOS Department of Statistics FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations GEF Global Environment Facility GOJ Government of Jordan GTZ German Organization for Technical Cooperation HFBD Hashemite Fund for the Development of Jordan Badia ICARDA International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development IFS Integrated Financing Strategy IOs International Organizations IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature RJGC Royal Jordanian Geographic Centre JPRS Jordan Poverty Reduction Strategy JUST Jordan University of Science and Technology LD Land Degradation M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MA Millennium Assessment MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoEd Ministry of Education MoEnv Ministry of Environment MoF Ministry of Finance MoHEdu Ministry of Higher Education MoI Ministry of Interior MoPIC Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation MoPWH Ministry of Public Works and Housing MoSD Ministry of Social Development MoWI Ministry of Water and Irrigation NAP National Action Plan NAPA National Adaptation Program of Action NBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan NCARE National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension NCCD National Committee for Combating Desertification NCSA National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global Environmental Management NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations NMP National Monitoring Program PRAIS Performance Review and Assessment of Implementation System RSCN The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature SDG Sustainability Development Goals SLM Sustainable Land Management STIs Science and Technology Institutes TNC Third National Communication UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNDP United Nations Development Program UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UJ University of Jordan WB World Bank Acronyms and Abbreviations The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 Executive Summary Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) are issues of global concern. They are caused by complex interactions among physical, biological, political, social, cultural and economic factors, and are interrelated with social problems such as poverty, poor health and nutrition, food insecurity and others. The UNCCD Ten Year Strategy recognized that addressing DLDD would serve to improve the live lihoods of affected populations, restore degraded ecosystems and generate global benefits through effective implementation of the Convention. The Strategy has four Strategic Objectives: improv ing the living conditions of affected populations; improving the condition of affected ecosystems; generating global benefits; and mobilizing re sources to support implementation of the Conven tion. The attainment of these Strategic Objectives will be guided by five Operational Objectives: Ad vocacy, Awareness Raising and Education; Policy Framework; Science, Technology and Knowledge; Capacity-Building; and Financing and Technology Transfer. The Strategy urges the “Parties” to align their Ac tion Programs with the five Operational Objectives of the Strategy. The Government of Jordan, rep resented by the Ministry of Environment, prepared and adopted its National Action Plan (NAP) on combating desertification in 2006. Following the adoption of UNCCD 10 Year Strategic Plan and Framework to Enhance the Implementation of Convention (2007), this report provides an align ment of the Jordan NAP-2006. A participatory bottom-up approach was adopted through all phases of the alignment process. Mul tiple stakeholders from governmental and com munity-based organizations (CBOs) in the coun try participated in the meetings and workshops for reviewing and aligning the NAP. The alignment of the NAP was based on key find ings of the situation analysis of the country and the assessment of the 2006 NAP against the Opera tional Objectives of the UNCCD Strategy. The sit uation analysis revealed that recurrent droughts, land tenure, lack of effect of extension on sus tainable land management (SLM), and non-sus tainable land uses (such as improper plowing, inappropriate rotations, destructive grazing of natural rangelands, deforestation, fragmentation of habitats, random urbanization, over pumping of ground water) are the main causes of land degra dation. The situation will be accentuated further by the threats of climate change and increasing population growth which will put more pressure on the natural resources. The assessment of NAP-2006 revealed several strategic gaps including lack of a communication strategy to raise awareness of DLDD, lack of a national monitoring program to track the chang es and trends in the conditions of affected pop ulations and ecosystems, low mainstreaming of DLDD issues in national development plans, lack of coordination among the 3-Rio Convections, and lack of structured mechanisms to mobilize need ed resources for implementation. The NAP gaps from an operational perspective include low engagement of different stakeholders in national committees relevant to DLDD issues in addition to lacking of gender representatives and consideration of gender issues, lack of an entity or forum catering for knowledge management and sharing with key stakeholders as well as use of local traditional knowledge, deficient orientation on DLDD issues in the educational and research programs, lack of implementing the action pro grams of the National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global Environmental Management (NCSA), lack of translating research results into outputs for extension to advocate the practices of sustainable land management and into outputs for policy up take, lack of networking among national research and technological institutions relevant to DLDD issues, and lack of mechanisms to secure funds from local and external sources. Suggested actions and measures to fill the iden tified gaps are: adequate communication to mo bilize key stakeholders to support combating desertification; investment in research and knowl edge management; strengthening the Coordina tion Unit of the 3-Rio Conventions; fostering com munity-based approaches through participatory methodologies and multi-stakeholder dialogue; adopting integrated ecosystem approaches for 11 Executive Summary conservation and sustainable use of natural eco systems; developing a national monitoring pro gram to monitor the conditions of affected pop ulations and ecosystems; and orienting higher education curricula to address DLDD related is sues at national universities to improve the knowl edge of graduates on these issues. The aligned National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 consists of a vision, logical framework, monitoring program on DLDD and SLM, and an integrated financial plan. The agreed vision of the aligned NAP is “Produc tive and sustainable use and management of land resources to support poverty reduction, environ mental sustainability and national economy”. This vision focuses on sustainability of land resources, enhancement of population livelihood, and contri bution to the national economy. The realization of this vision could be achieved by focusing on sev eral themes. A logical framework has been prepared for ex pected outcomes under each of the Operational Objectives outlining the indicators, responsible parties and assumptions. The outcomes include communication and outreach strategy, policy coh erence regarding addressing DLDD issues, DLDD platform for knowledge sharing, a national moni toring program on DLDD and SLM, and updating and fulfilling capacity needs for proper implemen tation of DLDD activities. The organizational and operational aspects of the monitoring and evaluation plan were discussed briefly to underline the importance of M&E in track ing the future impact of the NAP on the biophysical and socio-economic characteristics of the country. 12 ي للرصــــــد بهدف يكولوجي الطبيعي، وتطوير برنــامج وط�ن الإ يكولوجيــة المتأثرة، متابعة أوضاع السكان المتأثرين والنظم الإ ي وتوجيه مناهج التعليم العالي لتتناول التصحر وتدهور الأرا�ن ن معرفة خريجيها بهذه القضايا. ي الجامعات لتحس�ي والجفاف �ن ي الأردن 2015 وتتألف خطة العمل الوطنية لمكافحة التصحــر �ن ، برنامج لرصــد التصحر وتــدهور ي 2020 من رؤيـــة، إطار قانو�ن ، وخطة متكاملــة ي دارة المستدامة للأرا�ن ي والجفاف والإ الأرا�ن للتمويل. وقد اتِفق عىل رؤيـة خطة العمل الوطنيــة المعــدلة لتكون: »الستخــــدام والدارة المثِمران والمستدامـــان لموارد ي للحد من الفقــر ودعم الستدامــة البيئيــة والقتصاد الأرا�ن ي وتعزيز «. وتركز هذه الرؤية عىل استدامة موارد الأرا�ن ي الوط�ن . ي ي القتصــاد الوط�ن سبل عيش السكان والمساهمة �ن ي للنتائج المتوقعة من كل غاية عملياتيــة يشمل أِعدَّ إطاٌر قـانو�ن اضات. وتشمل النتائج ات والأطـــــراف المعنيــة والف�ت المؤ�ش ي السياســات المتعلقــة اتيجيـــة اتصال وتوعية واتســاق �ن اس�ت ي ي والجفــاف ومن�ب للتشارك �ن بقضايا التصحــر وتدهور الأرا�ن دارة ي لها ولـلإ المعرفة حـول هذه القضــايا ونظـام رصــد وط�ن ي لتحديث وتلبية الحتياجــات من القــدرات المستدامة للرا�ن اللزمة للتنفيذ المناسب للأنشطة الخــاصة بتلك القضايا. أما الجــوانب التنظيميـــة والعملياتيـة لخطة الرصــد والتقييم ي تتبُّع الأثر فقد نوِقشت باختصار لتبيان أهميـــة هذه الخطة �ن المستقبىلي لخطة العمل الوطنيــــة عىل الخصـائص الحيويــة يائيــة والجتماعيــة-القتصادية للمملكة. ن الف�ي 13 خالصة تنفيذية ي المراعي الطبيعيــة، وإزالـة الغابــات، المنظم لنباتــات أرا�ن ، والستخـــراج ي وتفتيت الموائل، والتمـدد الحضـــري العشوا�أ . ي الُمفرط للمياه الجوفية( هي الأسباب الرئيسية لتدهور الأرا�ن وسيتفاقم هذا الوضع أك�ش بفعل تهديـــدات التغ�ي المنــاخي يــد من الضغوط عىل الموارد ن ي المضطرد مما س�ي والنمو السكا�ن الطبيعية. ن من تحليل خطة العمل الوطنية لعام 2006 وجود ثغرات َّ لقد تَب�ي اتيجية اتصال لرفع الوعي اتيجية عديدة بما فيها غياب اس�ت اس�ت ي والجفاف، وغياب برنـامج حول قضايا التصحر وتدهور الأرا�ن ي أوضـــاع السكان ات والتجـــاهـات �ن ي لتتبُّع التغــ�ي رصد وط�ن ي يكولوجيـة المتأثرة بالتصحر وتدهور الأرا�ن المتأثرين والنظم الإ والجفـاف، وضعف إدراج هذه القضايــا ضمن خطط التنميـــة ن اتفاقيـات ِريو الثلث، وعدم الوطنيـــة، وغياب التنسيـــق ب�ي وجـــود آليات منظمـــة لحشد الموارد اللزمة للتنفيذ. ي فقد اشتملت خطِة العمل الوطنية أما من حيث الجانب العمليا�ت ي ن �ن عىل عدة ثغــرات أهمها: ضعف إشـــراك مختــلف المعني�ي ي اللجان الوطنية الخاصة بقضــايا التصحــر وتــــدهور الأرا�ن والجفــاف، عــدم تمثيل النوع الجتمــاعي ومراعـاة اعتبــارات النوع الجتماعي، غياب هيئة أو منتـدى يتول إدارة المعرفـــــة ن والستفــادة من المعــارف ن الرئيسي�ي وتشــاركها مع المعنيــ�ي امج ي إدراج تلك القضــــايا ضمن الــــ�ب المحليــة، القصـــور �ن ي التعليمية والبحثيــة، وعدم تنفيـــذ برامج عمل التقييم الذا�ت دارة البيئية العالمية، عدم ترجمة نتـائج ي الإ للقدرات الوطنية �ن رشاد لحشـــد الدعم ي الإ الأبحاث إل مخرجـــات تُستخـــدم �ن ي صياغة السياســات، ي و�ن دارة المستدامـة للأرا�ن لممارسات الإ ن المؤسســات البحثية والتكنولوجية الوطنيـة غياب التشبيك ب�ي ي والجفاف وضعف المختصة بقضايا التصحر وتــدهور الأرا�ن آليات الحصول عىل تمويل من مصادر محلية وخارجية. ولمعالجـــة هــذه الثغرات يُو� باتخـــاذ إجراءات وتـــداب�ي ي دعم ن �ن ن الرئيسيـــ�ي ي لحشـــد المعني�ي تشمل التواصـــل الكا�ن ي الأبحـــاث وإدارة المعرفـــة، مكافحــة التصحـر، والستثمار �ن ي منهجيـــات ن وحـــدة تنسيق اتفاقيات ِريو الثلث، وتب�ن وتمت�ي ، ن مجتمعية من خلل الأساليب التشاركية والحوار متعدد المعني�ي ي منهجيات تكاملية للصون والستخدام المستدام للنظام وتب�ن خالصة تنفيذية ي والجفــاف مصدر قلق تمثل قضايا التصحر وتـــدهور الأرا�ن ن عالمي. وقد نشـأت هذه القضــايا بفعل تفاعلت معقدة ب�ي يائيــــة وبيولوجيــة وسياسيـة واجتماعيــة وثقافيـــة ن عوامل ف�ي واقتصادية؛ وهي متصلة بمشكلت اجتماعية مثل الفقر والمرض ها. ي وغ�ي وسوء التغذية وانعدام الأمن الغذا�أ يــة لتفاقيــــة الأمم المتحــدة ْ اتيجيــة الَع�ش وقد أقرت الس�ت ي تحـسي لمكافحة التصحر أّن التصدي لتلك القضــايا يساهم �ن يكولوجيـة سبل عيش السكـان المتأثرين بها واستعادة النظم الإ المتــدهورة والخروج بفوائد عالمية من خلل التنفيـــذ الفعال اتيجيــة هي: ية أربع غايات اس�ت اتيجية الع�ش للتفاقية. وللس�ت ن الأوضاع المعيشيـة للسكان المتأثرين بالتصحر وتدهور تحس�ي يكولوجية المتأثرة، ن وضع النظم الإ ي والجفــاف، تحس�ي الأرا�ن الخروج بفوائد عالمية، حشد الموارد لتنفيذ التفاقية. ولتحقيق َشد بخمس غايات عملياتية هي: اتيجية سُيس�ت هذه الغايات الس�ت حشد الدعم والتوعية والتعليم، إطـار عمل السياسات، العلم والتكنولوجيا والمعرفة، بناء القدرات،التمويل ونقل التكنولوجيا. اتيجيُة »الأعضــاَء« عىل جعل برامج عملهم موائمة تحثُّ الس�ت اتيجيـــة العملياتية. وقد أَعدت وتبنَّت الحكومــُة لغايات الس�ت ي عام 2006 خطـة العمل الوطنيــة الأردنيـة ممثلة بوزارة البيئة �ن اتيجيان ي الخطة وإطار العمل الس�ت لمكافحة التصحر. وبعد تب�ن يان لتعزيز تنفيذ اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمكافحة التصحر ِ الَع�ش ي عام 2007 يقدم هذا التقريـــر مواءمــًة لخطــة عمل الأردن �ن الوطنية لعام 2006. ي كافة مراحل ي نهج قائم عىل المشاركة المجتمعية �ن وقد تم تب�ن عملية المواءمـة، حيث شارك معنيــون من مختلف المستويات ي ي المؤسسات الحكومية والمنظمـــات المجتمعيــة الأردنيـة �ن �ن اجتماعات وورش عمل مراجعة ومواءمة خطة العمل الوطنيــة. وقد استندت مواءمة خطة العمل الوطنيــة إل النتائج الرئيسية ي المملكة وتقييم خطة العمل الوطنية لعام لتحليل الأوضـاع �ن اتيجيـة اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمكافحة ي ضوء غايات اس�ت 2006 �ن التصحر. أظهر تحليل الأوضاع أن تكرار حدوث موجات الجفاف دارة المستدامــة رشاد عىل الإ ي وعـــدم تأث�ي الإ وحيــازة الأرا�ن ي )مثل الحراثــة ي والستخدامات غ�ي المستـدامة للأرا�ن للأرا�ن غ�ي الصحيحـة، والأنماط الزراعيـــة غ�ي الملئمــة، والرعي غ�ي 14 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 15 © Mohammad Amma - Ghor Feifa Chapter One: Introduction 16 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 1http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/conventionText/conv-eng.pdf2http://www.unccd.int/en/about-the-convention/Action-programmes/Pages/default.aspx The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), often referred to as the “Earth Summit”, took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. UNCED led to the develop ment of three legally binding global agreements, to address the global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifica tion was established in 1994 and, of the 3 “Rio Conventions”, UNCCD is considered to be the only agreement that links environment and de velopment to sustainable land management. The Convention emphasizes improving the living con ditions for people in drylands, maintaining and re storing land and soil productivity, and mitigating the effects of drought. These environmental-de velopment challenges are collectively referred to as DLDD: Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought. UNCCD is also unique in favoring a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participa tion of local people in combating DLDD. Jordan signed and ratified the Convention in 1996. Article1 of the Convention defines desertification as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, in cluding climatic variations and human activities”. Combatting desertification is described as “activ ities which are part of the integrated development of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas for sustainable development which are aimed at: (i) prevention and/or reduction of land degrada tion; (ii) rehabilitation of partly degraded land; and (iii) reclamation of desertified land1. Arid, semi-ar id and dry sub-humid areas are collectively re ferred to by the Convention as the Drylands (this excludes Hyper Arid lands that are considered drylands by other organizations, including the Convention on Biological Diversity). According to UNCCD Articles 9 to 11, Action Pro grammes (National, Sub Regional or Regional) should be central to the strategy to combat DLDD; they should be updated through a continuing participatory process allowing modifications ac cording to the changing reality, and they require regular review. The NAPs should be developed “through a participatory approach involving vari ous stakeholders, including relevant governmen tal offices, scientific institutions and local com munities. They spell out the practical steps and measures to be taken to combat desertification in specific ecosystems.2” In 2007, Parties to the Convention adopted a 10 Year Strategic Plan and Framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention for 2008 2018 (“The Strategy”). The Goal of the Strategy is to “forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertification/land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas in order to support poverty reduction and environ mental sustainability”. In particular the Strategy focuses on: performance based management; mainstreaming sustainable land management into the development process; recognizing the need for broad-based reforms and policy changes that reach beyond the scope of traditional environ mental policy-making; and securing the financial resources to implement actions. The Strategy (De cision:3 COP8) urges and recognizes: “the need for Parties to align their Action Programmes”, and at COP9 (Decision:2) further emphasis is placed on “Alignment of the action programmes with The Strategy”, and particularly alignment of NAPs with the 5 Operational Objectives of the Strategy. Alignment of NAPs is recommended to address the challenge of multiple, overlapping, sometimes contradictory policies and frameworks at the na tional level. DLDD is a highly dynamic process and NAPs should be updated to reflect the changing context and science. There is particular demand for greater accountability and measurement of the effects of actions to combat desertification, more effective implementation, greater synergies and mainstreaming, and improvements in scientific assessment. Together, these improvements are intended to be used to develop Integrated Fi nancing Strategies that mobilize resources to combat DLDD. NAP alignment should also take into account the intimate connectivity between the dynamics of land, climate and biodiversity, ensur ing alignment with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Frame work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 1.1. Rationale of the 3 Rio Conventions 17 Land is a dynamic resource for producing food and other ecosystem goods and services includ ing conserving biodiversity, regulating hydrolog ical regimes, cycling soil nutrients, and storing carbon, among others. Indeed, the most signifi cant natural capital asset is productive land and fertile soil. For those communities that depend heavily on land as their main asset, especially the rural poor, human well-being and sustainable live lihoods are completely dependent upon and com plexly linked to the productivity of the land. Population growth, climate change, unsustainable land use, land degradation and growing urban areas increase the pressure on productive land and water resources. At the same time, competi tion for productive land increases due to growing demand for food and fodder. The drylands con tinue to be the most vulnerable and threatened by desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD). Ecological and economic systems are also disrupted by drought. Sustainable Land Management (SLM) with its focus on soil structure and land cover improvements has the potential to make significant progress towards three crit ical global sustainability goals related to DLDD, namely food security, energy access, and water availability. SLM practices significantly enhance soil water retention capacity and improve water availability. Women bear the burden of land degradation but can also be part of the solutions. In this respect, gender sensitive investments in addressing the conditions of degraded land will not only contrib ute to achieving food security, poverty alleviation and sustainability but also contribute to improving the living conditions of women in ecosystems af fected by DLDD. Land is intimately related to climate change ad aptation and mitigation, and its sustainable man agement provides a tool for addressing both. Maintaining and enhancing the condition of land also contributes to biodiversity conservation and its sustainable management. Serious actions are needed to protect, restore and manage land and soils sustainably to be able to achieve our com mitments for climate change adaptation and miti gation, biodiversity conservation, forest and SDG targets. As a result of Jordan’s commitment towards con servation of the local and regional environment, the Ministry of Environment led the process of preparing the National Strategy and Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Desertification within the context of the UNCCD. The NAP was prepared in 2005 and launched in 2006. A combination of bot tom-up and top-down approaches were used in the preparation of NAP with an overall objective to provide integrated development plan and subse quent programs targeting local communities and environmental components in areas under threat of desertification. The NAP includes six programs with specific ob jectives and focal themes of activities. Under each program several projects with justification, objectives, activities, expected outputs, duration, implementing agencies, and estimated budget were proposed. The programs include (i) De sertification Information System, (ii) Drought Pre diction and Desertification Control, (iii) Capacity Building and Institutional Development, (iv) Res toration of Degraded Ecosystems of Rangelands and Forests, (v) Watershed Management, and (vi) Human, Social and Economic Development. 1.2. The Multi-Dimensional Problem of DLDD 1.3. Overview of Jordan NAP-2006 Chapter One: Introduction 18 1.4. The UNCCD 10-Year Strategy: Vision and Objectives 1.5. Adopted Approach for Aligning the Jordan NAP-2006 Recognizing the need for the Convention and its institutions to take a new results-based manage ment (RBM) approach, the Convention adopted a 10-year (2008–2018) strategic plan and frame work to enhance its implementation in order to respond to the new challenges and needs at all levels. The vision of the 10 Year Strategy is “to forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent de sertification/land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas in order to support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability”. The Strategy consists of 4 Strate gic Objectives and 5 Operational Objectives. The four Strategic Objectives are: n Strategic Objective 1: To improve the living conditions of affected populations. n Strategic Objective 2: To improve the con dition of affected ecosystems. n Strategic Objective 3: To generate global benefits through effective implementation of the UNCCD. n Strategic Objective 4: To mobilize resourc A participatory bottom-up approach was adopt ed through all phases of the aligning process. Calls through official letters and e-mails were for warded to most of line governmental and commu nity-based organizations (CBOs) in the country to participate in the meetings and workshops for aligning the NAP. Participation started from the preparation of the NAP Outline to the discussion of the Final Draft before official submission of the aligned-NAP document to the Ministry of Environ ment. Substantial numbers of participants rep resenting line institutions (MoEnv, MoWI, MoA, MoPIC, MoSD, DoS, HFBD, NCARE, JUST, UoJ, RSCN, ICARDA…) shared in all phases of the aligning process reflecting an effective participa tion, particularly in the following events: Proposed outline of the aligned-NAP; results of stakehold es to support implementation of the Convention through building effective partnerships between national and international actors. The Operational Objectives are designed to guide the actions of all UNCCD stakeholders and part ners in the short and medium term with a view to supporting the attainment of the vision and Stra tegic Objectives. Each Operational Objective also includes a number of Outcomes which explain the short and medium-term effects intended by the Operational Objectives. The five Operational Objectives are: n Operational Objective 1: Advocacy, Aware ness Raising and Education. n Operational Objective 2: Policy Framework. n Operational Objective 3: Science, Tech nology and Knowledge. n Operational Objective 4: Capacity Building. n Operational Objective 5: Financing and Technology Transfer. er analysis; Jordan provisions and obligations to UNCCD; country studies on desertification and land degradation related to socio-economic and sustainable land management and the barriers; analysis of NAP-2006; economic valuation anal ysis of degradation of rangeland productivity and climate change on the value of ecosystem goods and services; communication and outreach plan for the updated NAP implementation; and the final draft of the aligned-NAP. 19 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 20 © Mohammad Ammar-Wadi Araba 1 21 © Mohammad Ammar-North West Jordan Chapter Two: Country Status 22 3The aridity index classification scheme uses the term very arid which is the same as the Hyper-arid term. 2.1. Situation Analysis 2.1.1 Biophysics The Country Jordan covers an area of 89,800 km2 with varied topography including a range of mountains that runs from north to south with altitudes ranging from 500 meters to over 1,700 meters, which form the Highlands. East of the mountains, the land slopes gently to the east to form the eastern deserts. In the west the land slopes steeply towards the Jor dan Rift Valley, which extends from Lake Tiberias in the north (elev. 220 m below the sea level) to the Red Sea at Aqaba. The Dead Sea lies about 120 km south of Lake Tiberias, with a water level at about 405 m below the sea level. Less than 5% of the country’s land area is arable land. Climate Jordan is a semi-arid and drought-prone country largely influenced by the range of mountains in the west. The western part of Jordan, or the High lands, has a Mediterranean climate characterized by a hot, dry summer (up to 45Co) and a cool, wet winter (average 13Co) separated by two short transitional periods. The southern and eastern parts of the country are arid with hot dry summers and cold dry winters. Precipitation is character ized by extreme variability and is confined largely to the winter and early spring seasons and ranges from over 500 mm in the highlands to less than 50 mm in the east. Aridity extent: Area analysis of aridity map ac cording to Emberger’s factor (Map 1) showed that 95% of the country’s land is arid and very-arid3 while the remaining proportion of country’s area is semi-arid. Natural Systems in Jordan Jordan’s wide range of physical conditions and location at the junction of three continents −Eu rope, Asia and Africa− contributes to various dif The intention of this chapter is to provide import ant background information on the current con text of DLDD in Jordan that is needed to inform revision of the National Action Plan. The chapter provides a brief situation analysis of the biophys ical and socio-economic context, a stakeholder ferentiated bio-geographical regions and ecosys tems. These ecosystems include deserts (Badia) with poor plant cover; sub-tropical ecosystems, including Sudanian species of tree and dwarf shrub prominent in the sparse and very open veg etation; aquatic ecosystems, comprised of rivers, wadies and wetlands, the latter varying from salt marshes to marine ecotypes; and the scarp and highland ecosystems, comprising of escarpments and mountains, hills and undulating plateaus with natural woodland (Pinus, evergreen/deciduous oak woodland) and steppe, the latter consisting of a transitional area where desert biota is gradually replaced by “Mediterranean” biota. Jordan is one of the world’s most water-deficit countries with declining availability of water per capita resources (now at 145 m3/year but pro jected to 90 m3/year by 2025). Less than 5% of the total land area is considered arable. As a consequence, agricultural productivity is great ly reduced. Therefore, a major challenge for the Government is to promote the sustainable use of natural resources for agricultural purposes. This challenge is being made harder by the ongoing processes of degradation. Land Use in Jordan Land use in Jordan is a complex mixture of rural and urban activities that reflect both climate and socioeconomic characteristics. According to the Department of Statistics (2003), land use shows that 93% of the country is dominated by non-cul tivated areas, classified as rangeland, due to lim itations of climate, water availability, soil suitability and surface cover of stones. Although the eastern and western arid lands and deserts are used as open rangelands, irrigation is practiced in these analysis, a review of existing investment in SLM, of traditional knowledge, of community-based mechanisms for promoting SLM, and of important policies and policy changes that are integral to combating desertification. 23 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 hot areas. Cultivated areas form 2.7% of the total area of Jordan. Intersecting land use/cover and agro-climatological maps show that 90% of rain fed agriculture is taking place in the northern and western highlands. Irrigation is taking place in Jordan Valley (JV), highlands and desert areas. Map 1: Aridity Index (Emberger Classification) in Jordan (Source: JNGC, 1984) Chapter Two: Country Status 24 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 Land Degradation Issues and Constraints Land degradation processes in Jordan affect not only selected ecosystem components or their functional cycles; rather, they are destructive pro cesses that negatively impact the entire environ mental landscape. While to a large extent these land degradation processes have a human-in duced local origin, if not addressed appropriately the negative effects will have implications on re gional and global environmental goods and ser vices. Land degradation (LD) in Jordan is mainly asso ciated with smallholder agricultural activities such as unsustainable crop production, unsustainable rangeland management, and over exploitation of vegetation. In addition, the over-pumping of groundwater practiced in the eastern and southern plains farming contributes to LD by affecting veg etation, soil and water resources that are used by small-scale farming. Different studies and research conducted in the Kingdom show the main types of land degradation in different ecosystem types as shown below in Table 1. (Khresat et al., 1998). The map of land use/cover included 5 main cate gories of land use/cover (following CORINE clas sification system) that included 14 classes. Map 2: Existing land use/cover of Jordan. (Al-Bakri et al., 2010) 25 Table 1. Land Degradation State According to Ecosystem Type Land Degradation Type Ecosystem/Region Main Cause Water erosion Highlands and Jordan Valley escarpment Deforestation, overgrazing, agricultural practices Wind erosion Eastern plains; Steppe areas and Badia Overgrazing, deforestation Decline in soil fertility & soil com paction Highlands and Jordan Valley Agricultural practices, overgrazing, deforestation Rangeland and vegetation degra dation Forest and Badia Overgrazing, deforestation Specific Drivers and Pressures Unsustainable land use and management, re current droughts and climate change are the main causes of land degradation in the country. Non-sustainable land use practices include im proper plowing, inappropriate rotations, inade quate or inexistent management of plant residues, overgrazing of natural vegetation, forest cutting, inappropriate land use, random urbanization, land fragmentation and over-pumping of groundwater. High population growth and ineffective arrange ments of land tenure are among the root causes which exert excessive pressure on the natural re sources to meet increased food and income de mand. Overall, the constraints facing the deprived land users, such as poor access to technology, capital and organization, are also factors that con tribute to unsustainable practices. Agricultural Land Use Changes In recent years, the trends have been: (i) a re duction of total agricultural use, partly due to decreased capacity of poor land users; (ii) an in crease in the permanent crop area at the expense of some annual crops which have become unprof itable and as a result of land fragmentation and a decrease in land holding sizes; and (iii) crop culti vation and grazing in areas of higher risk (steeper slopes and/or lower rainfall and in particular in the marginal and steppe areas). Unsustainable Farming Practices Rain-fed farming, which is distributed over the northern, middle and southern Highlands, forms the base for agricultural production in Jordan. However, average crop yields are low and pro ductivity is seriously limited by overall scarcity of water, extreme variability of rainfall and limited soil water conservation activities. Consequently, re source-limited land users have been increasingly exposed to decreasing income and declining live lihood security, which in turn have led to: n Repeated tractor-operated tillage along slopes that is driven by the longitudinal shape of the small landholdings. Tractor plowing has progressively replaced ani mal plowing along contours as tractors are perceived as cheaper and are more readi ly available. When the slope is very steep, tractors are obliged (for fear of overturn ing) to work along the slopes resulting in an overall increase in the erosion risk. Joint planning of tillage operations between neighbors is reported difficult; n Little, if any, soil fertility management and insufficient use of rotational practices in the cereal based cropping pattern; at times even fallow is not practiced. Lack of capi tal, seed or access to the same, and small farm sizes (that require continued cultiva tion of food crops) are the constraints farm ers cite as a rationale behind such prac tices; n Cultivation of marginal lands under field crops (barley and even wheat) as a conse quence of urban encroachment in agricul tural areas but also due to crop substitution with tree crops on higher potential land. Animal Overstocking Livestock is an important component in the farm ing system in Jordan and a major source of cash income as well as consumption. There is a vi cious circle whereby rangeland carrying capac Chapter Two: Country Status 26 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 ity is decreasing, farmers are unable to supple ment feeding with expensive fodder and feed and are thus obliged to downgrade traditional management and extend the grazing season to unsuitable months. This exacerbates pressure on rangelands and further lowers productivity of both, pastures and animals. Overgrazing is also leading to a loss of resilience of the rangeland against droughts. Overexploitation of Natural Habitat The Mediterranean bio-geographical zone which used to represent a type of woody habitat has been degraded following logging and destruc tive grazing in the past 50 years. The situation is aggravated through construction of new villag es, fires, unorganized reforestation/afforestation, fuel wood collection, and introduction of invasive species. As previously mentioned, the desert and semi-desert regions comprise more than 85% of Jordan’s land area. Nevertheless, the desert is a vulnerable ecosystem that has been subjected to many changes and disturbances, due to the abovementioned causes, particularly over-ex traction of underground water, which has led to the desiccation of surface vegetation, as well as over grazing in the eastern and more arid areas and introduction of mechanization on a major scale, expanding tillage, hence resulting in large areas where steppe vegetation is being destroyed. Climate change and land degradation The natural ecosystems in Jordan are subject to many pressures (e.g. land-use change, resource demands, population changes); their extent and pattern of distribution is changing, and land scapes are becoming more fragmented. Climate change constitutes an additional pressure that could change or endanger ecosystems and the many goods and services they provide. Soil prop erties and processes -including organic matter decomposition, leaching, and soil water regimes will be influenced by temperature increase. Soil erosion and degradation are likely to aggravate the detrimental effects of a rise in air temperature on crop yields. Climate change may increase ero sion in some regions, through heavy rainfall and through increased wind speed. Based on the results of the different climatic models and the trend analysis (TNC, 2014), cli mate change scenarios in 2050 and 2100 were suggested for the different basins in Jordan. The most probable scenario would be an increased air temperature of 1.5°C and a 15% decrease in pre cipitation by the year 2050. This climate change trend is likely to exacerbate the degradation of land in the arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas in the country. 2.1.2. Socio-Economic Demographics of Jordan At the end of the year 2012 the total population of Jordan amounted to 6.388 million of which 37.3% are less than 15 years of age and 60% are within the age range of 15-64 years. According to the last population census in 2004, the population of Jordan was 4.139 million. This means that in the eight years period of 2004-2012, the population has increased by more than 50%. The most recent statistics published by the Department of Statis tics (DOS) indicate that the population growth rate was at 2.2% in the year 2012 compared to 2.7% and 2.3% in the years 1994 and 2001, respective ly. However, it should be noted here that Jordan’s population has significantly increased during the last three years due to the influx of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled their homes to Jordan after the outbreak of the war in Syria. The total population density is 79.2 people per km2. Although Jordan’s population is considered relatively small in comparison with neighboring countries, distribution and density are two main problems related to population in Jordan. The DOS population estimates at the governorate lev el show that the people living in Amman Gover norate are around 2.5 million representing 39% of the total population. The other highly populat ed governorates in Jordan include Zarqa, Irbid, Balqa, Jerash and Ajloun. The lowest population density is that in Ma’an and Mafraq governorates. Another important observation regarding the pop ulation density is that, the high population densi ties are found in the relatively most fertile land of highlands extending from Irbid area in the north to Karak area in the mid-south, on one hand, and the demographic imbalances on the other hand, had imposed serious stresses on land quality of a country characterized by aridity. Such stresses are manifested by continuous degradation of the land quality. 27 The expansion of city borders and introduction of municipal services have resulted in increasing the urban population to 82.6%. According to the DOS statistics4, the average household size is 5.4 per sons and the total number of households is 1.173 million. Land Tenure in Jordan Among the many other factors affecting desert ification in Jordan, it is believed that land tenure system is one of the major elements leading to land degradation especially in the Badia region5. A recent socioeconomic study conducted by ICARDA in the Badia region concluded that the traditional land tenure system has collapsed and, in reality, rangeland is available to those who can exploit it. The announcement of grazing rangelands as a state-owned properties (common property) and the elimination of traditional land tenure systems accelerated the destruction of the rangelands by the introduction of new land uses such as culti vation of wheat and barley, overgrazing and early grazing of range plants, ploughing of rangelands to establish ownership rights, property rights, ur banization, uprooting of bushes for use as fuel wood, arbitrary movement of vehicles, quarries and mining activities6. Different types of land tenures are found in Jordan based on the land right system that was used in the Ottoman Land Law7: 1) Mulk: absolute own ership of the land; 2) Meeri: legally owned by the state but is under perpetual lease to the occupi er, who has inherited right of disposal; 3) Waqf: This land is inalienable religious endowment; 4) Mawaat unoccupied land, which has not been left for public use; usually it is too far from urban ac tivities; 5) Matrouk: set aside land for public use; and 6) Masha’a: village land that is usually plant ed with field crops and owned collectively under tribal tenure (tribal fronts). The Economy Jordan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices amounted to JD21,966 million in 2012 while the GDP growth rate at current prices amounted to 7.3%. However, at the constant prices of 1994 the GDP growth rate was 2.7%. As indicated in Figure 1, the GDP in both prices has witnessed a continuous increase over the last two decades. The contribution of the agricultural sector has fluc tuated over the same period but the general trend was decreasing in proportion due to the growth of the other sectors and to the constraints facing the agricultural sector, especially water. The Net Trade Balance of Goods & Services was JD8,277 million and the Percentage Coverage of the Exports to Imports was 38% which means that exports cover only 38% of the total country im ports. Also in 2012, the GDP per capita amounted to JD8 3,439. Agriculture The importance of the agricultural sector stems from the fact that it is the major source of fresh vegetables and fruits for the domestic market and regional export markets. Agriculture plays a cru cial role in food security of the country and as a source of foreign currency. Despite the fact that more than 90% of the country’s area is classified as arid and receives less than 200 mm annual rainfall, the agricultural sector is still considered as an important sector in terms of socioeconomic as pects and factors affecting both irrigated and rain fed agriculture. Agricultural exports represented 17% of the total national exports in 2012 of which 13% were from exports of livestock9. Agricultural production is closely tied to climate, making agriculture one of the most climate-sensi tive of all economic sectors. The risks of climate change for the agricultural sector are a particu larly immediate and important problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their liveli hoods. Climate change will affect the agricultural production and food quality because of the in creasing temperature and decreasing crop growth period. Also, it will affect the food quantity and the accessibility to food leading to food-insecure communities. Food security is increasingly import ant for the livelihood of the rural community where food availability and food quality are major con cerns because of climate change impacts. 4 DOS, Demographic Statistics, Estimated population for the Kingdom by Urban and Rural 2012. 5 Akroush S. and Shideed K. 2008. Community-Based Optimization of the Management of Scarce Water Resources in Agriculture in West Asia and North Africa. Report no. 6. Baseline Information and Livelihood Characterization of Badia Benchmark Water Harvesting in Jordan. ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria. iv +60 pp. 6 Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate of Rangelands and Badia Development (2013/2014), Updated Rangeland Strategy for Jordan. (IUCN and UNDP). 7FAO 2012 Country Study on Status of Land Tenure, Planning and Management in Oriental Near East Countries, CASE OF JORDAN, FAO – SNO CAIRO, EGYPT 2012 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for the Near East (RNE) Oriental Near East Sub-Region (SNO). 8 DOS, (2012), Selected Indicators-2012. 9 DOS, 2012, External Trade Statistics, 2012. Chapter Two: Country Status 28 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 In addition to its important role in supporting food security of Jordan, the agricultural sector is also one of the major contributors to national exports. In the year 2012 the total value of agricultural ex ports amounted to JD458 million of which 72% were vegetable exports and the rest 28% were fruits and nuts as shown in Figure 1 (DOS, 2014). The main destinations of fresh horticultural exports are the Gulf countries, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In addition to Arab countries, horticultural products are also exported to Western and Eastern Europe an markets. The main suppliers of these exports are farms under irrigation in the uplands and in the Jordan Valley. Water Irrigated agriculture in Jordan is characterized by heavy reliance on underground water which is considered unsustainable irrigation development. Other characteristics include the spreading out of large-scale farms; exclusive dependence on high-water-consumption cropping patterns such as vegetables and fruit trees in the middle of the deserts. Much of the irrigated agriculture in Jor dan especially in the highlands relies on under ground water for irrigation. According to MWI10, there are 12 groundwater basins identified in Jor dan. Most basins are comprised of several aqui fer systems. One of the most important sources of renewable groundwater is the Azraq ground water basin which is also one of the most over pumped. The basin is located in the northeastern part of Jordan, in the Highlands and covers an area of about 700 square km. This basin is one of the largest groundwater aquifers in Jordan which contains more than 400 wells used mainly in ag ricultural, municipal and industrial uses11. The catchment area holds four dams located inside the Basin vicinity for the purpose of groundwater recharge and providing the local population with drinking water. In addition to over abstraction, a newly major threat facing the basin is the recent ly established Syrian refugees’ camp which holds more than 100 thousand inhabitants. This threat is of two-tiers: 1) the additional demand for water to fulfill the daily needs of more than 100 thousand people, from an already over-abstracted basin and 2) the potential water contamination resulting from the generated wastewater since the basin is characterized by a shallow water table. The water sector of Jordan has been receiving lots of attention from the Government of Jordan (GOJ). The government has invested hundreds of millions of JDs to improve the utilization of the water used for municipal, agricultural and industrial sectors. Currently, all underground resources are exploit ed to their maximum capacity and in some cases abstraction exceeds the safe yield of the aquifer. According to the MWI, seven groundwater basins are being over pumped with abstractions ranging from 135% to 225% of the safe yields. In four ba sins abstractions equal the safe yield. The Minis try concluded that overexploitation of aquifers has and will contribute significantly to the degradation of groundwater quality and endangers the sus tainability of these resources for future use12. Desertification The expected impacts/risks from climate change on ecosystems in Jordan according to climate ex posure and sensitivity of ecosystems in Jordan are droughts, forest dieback, community composition change, expansion of drier biomes into marginal lands, habitat degradation and species loss. The highest vulnerable ecosystems are forests (espe cially in the north) and fresh water ecosystems (especially in Jordan Rift Valley), which highlights the priority to perform adaptation interventions within these two ecosystems. The Gender Issue The Government of Jordan is a signatory to, and member of, a number of key international agree ments that already commit the country to gender mainstreaming. According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2012 rankings, Jordan ranked 121 of 135 countries13. It is clear that Jordon has taken wide steps during the last years in many achieve ments on the level of economic and social policies and legislations that contributed in the improve ment of the women conditions in Jordan in all fields, especially those related to educational on natural resources and ecosystem services achiev ements with a quantitative dimension represented in higher rates of girl enrollment in various edu cational stages than boys as well as a qualitative dimension represented in distinguished academic achievements by female students and their excel lence over their male peers. 10 Hashemite University, Zarqa (2005), Workshop on “Aquifer Vulnerability & Risk in Jordan”, Final report. 11German-Jordanian Programme “Management of Water Resources” (2012), The Azraq Dilemma: Past, Present and Future Groundwater Management, Amman, Jordan. 12 Ibid. 13 World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report 2012, Insight Report.29 The relation of DLDD with gender and poverty is due to the dependency of such vulnerable groups (water springs, rangelands and biodiversity) that could be threatened by DLDD. Over 90% of pastoralist and farmer households in Jordan are supported by the father while women have un accounted roles through essential contribution in agriculture, animal husbandry and rural enter prises. Distinct gender roles within Bedouin and rural communities largely undermine the indige nous knowledge and skills of local women. Deci sion making and management on the household level and community level are mainly governed by the males in contrast with the fact that it is fe males who are in direct contact with natural re sources use and processing either for livestock feeding or meeting family needs14 while women play a vital role in providing the family with part of the income and sometimes generating income from other non-traditional means such as cultivat ing and processing medicinal and herbal plants. Unemployment and Poverty The official rate of unemployment in 2012 was (12.2%). The unemployment rate between males and females was 10.4% and 19.9%, respective ly. The highest proportion of unemployed per sons was among the age group of 15-24 which amounted to 49% of the total unemployed individ uals. Unemployment and poverty are considered the principal hurdles for socioeconomic develop ment in the country. It is believed that unemploy ment arises from the current education structure and the Jordanians’ norms of favoring certain professions which are not on demand at the local labor market. To overcome this serious situation, there is an urgent need for an educational reform program at all levels (schools and universities) for matching the labor market demand. This program should be accompanied with a behavioral change campaigns for addressing the “shame culture” is sue that is inhibiting many Jordanians from work ing in certain professions considered as “inferior”. Over the last two decades, the government of Jordan has undertaken some broad economic re forms in a long-term effort to improve living stan dards. These measures have helped in improving economic productivity and have put the country on the foreign investment map. The main challenges facing the country are reducing dependence on for eign grants, reducing the budget deficit, and creat ing investment incentives to promote job creation. The GOJ, with the support of the UNDP, launched in January 2013 the “Jordan Poverty Reduction Strategy”. This Strategy (PRS) 2013-2020 has been aligned with other national strategies (such as the national employment strategy, education strategy, transport strategy, tourism strategy) and also with the Millennium Development Goals). Giv en the stated vision of combating desertification strategy, it is also crucial to align the NAP with the new PRS. The overall goal of PRS is: “To contain and reduce poverty, vulnerability and inequal ity in the current socio-economic environment of Jordan, from 2013 to 2020, through the adoption of a holistic and result-oriented approach, which targets poor and below middle class households”. The PRS considers most of the relevant policies and strategies related to the National Strategy to Combat Desertification that was adopted in 2006 and included five main programs: (i) De sertification Information System; (ii) Drought Pre diction and Desertification Control; (iii) Capacity Building and Institutional Development, (iv) Res toration of Degraded Ecosystems of Rangelands and Forests; and (v) Watershed Management. 2.2. Stakeholder Analysis The level of involvement or role in the processes of planning, implementation, financing and M&E was assessed using participatory analysis based on the expected roles of the potentially involved insti tutions in the NAP process. The analysis of related stakeholder main roles include: 1) Planning and policy advice; 2) Implementation (direct implemen tation as an implementing institutions or indirect implementer-support implementation process); 3) Financing (direct financing or providing necessary support in obtaining the financing); and 4) Moni toring & Evaluation and Impact Assessment of the approved programs/activities/actions…etc. 14 Gender Mainstreamed in Improved Pastoralism- IUCN - ROWA 2013. Chapter Two: Country Status 30 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 2.3.1 SLM Best Practices Valuable experiences dealing with the sustainable development and natural resource management activities, including development in water catch ment areas and combating land degradation, are made or have been gained through past and on-going national and regional initiatives. The programs and projects that were implement ed in the country and related to land degradation and sustainable land management are mostly community based, and generate information and knowledge in terms of methodologies, approach es, and technical solutions to LD problems, taking account of the national and regional experience in arresting land degradation, and contributing to pursue water and biodiversity conservation. A series of best practices for SLM that are simi lar to the ones suggested by FAO, supported by government and non-governmental organizations has proven to be successful in Jordan. The fol lowing are examples of SLM best practices being practiced in Jordan through different projects and programs: n Through minimum tillage, improved fallows, and promotion of adapted forms of the Con servation Agriculture. n Restoring overall soil fertility (through increa sing organic matter with use of green ma nure / improved fallows, incorporation in soil of plant residues, animal manure, nutrient replenishment). n Implementing soil conservation measures (terraces, contour tillage, stone walls). n Improving water management through water harvesting (for crop, range and forest areas). n Regeneration of forests, including refore station of forests, steep slopes orother fragile areas. n Rehabilitation / re-vegetation of degraded range. n Restoration of community rangeland gover nance and management practices, includ ing rotational and seasonal grazing patterns. n Improving management of ruminant animals including veterinary services and aware ness programs on animal diseases. n Maintenance of stream flow and rehabilita tion of water springs. n Measures to improve livelihoods through sus tainable intensification of natural resource use (including introduction of business ori ented organic farming in raifed agriculture, livestock production and non-timber forest ry products (e.g. honey prduction, dairy products, medicinal and herbal plants). In general, the main objectives of the projects were or are to increase agricultural production and rural incomes in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. This includes the restoration of sup porting ecosystem services, such as improving rangeland, agricultural land (soil and water con servation) and forest land. This also includes im proved availability or access to agricultural inputs, expansion of cultivated area, control of soil erosion and sedimentation, introduction of efficient water harvesting and irrigation systems, better effective ness of extension services, afforestation activities, and improvement of rangelands. 15 Investment plan means existing initiatives and practices. Reviving HIMA System Hima is a traditional institution of tenure which has governed rangeland resources in Jordan and the Ara bian Peninsula for over 1400 years. Since then, the community-managed system has evolved slightly to signify the setting aside of land to allow regeneration and sustainable use of natural resources for the bene fit of the communities living adjacent to it. IUCN with the Ministry of Agriculture and Arab Women Organization have identified an opportunity to bridge the policy implementation gap in Jordan through the revival and support of the Hima system, for scale up to the entire Arabian Peninsula. Revival of Hima is car ried out by linking communities with local government to legitimize their land management strategies. This enables communities to establish and enforce rules and regulations for rangeland resources, promoting natural re-vegetation and recovery of soil and water cycles. Based on Hima and a preliminary economic valuation conducted by IUCN 2012, the government is revising its rangeland policy. 2.3. Existing Investment15 in SLM 31 Interaction with major local stakeholders and the assessment of National Priority Capacity Constr aints for Implementing the Rio Conventions and their Synergies (National Capacity Self-Assess ment for Global Environmental Management; NCSA, 2007) allowed the identification of the main bottlenecks and barriers that hinder mainstream ing of sustainable land management in Jordan. Overall, the bottlenecks and barriers can be grouped into three main categories: I. Knowledge and Technology, II. Institutional and Governance, and III. Economic and Financial. In the area of Knowledge and Technology, ef fective knowledge management and networking (through unified/integrated M&E systems) be 2.3.2. Assessment of LD and SLM Mainstreaming in Jordan Dana Biosphere Reserve Established in 1989, Dana Biosphere Reserve is Jordan’s largest nature reserve, covering some 320 km2 of rugged and beautiful landscape along the face of the Great Rift Valley. The overall Dana Biosphere Reserve is divided, based on grazing practices, into three distinct locations: the Core Zone (no grazing), Barrat Dana or Al-Barrah (regulated grazing) and Wadi Araba (uncontrolled grazing or the land of commons). The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) is interested in the sustainable integrity of the Dana Biosphere Reserve which requires proper management inside the reserve and in the surrounding areas. Prolonged wintering (1st of October to end of March) of grazing animals in Al-Barrah area depleted the herb layer, damaged ligneous plants, and contaminated water wells. The continuous overgrazing and woodcut ting were the major threats to the natural environment Al-Barrah. In 2009, RSCN with collaboration of Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands (SUMAMAD) project funded by the Flemish Government of Belgium and implemented by UNESCO-MAB in collaboration with the United Nations University, International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) prepared a work plan (2009-2014) for sustainable management of grazing resources of Al-Barrah. The work plan consisted of four major components: i) Collection, compilation and analysis of the available information, ii) Baseline study of the targeted pastoral communities and the biophysical aspects of Al-Barrah, iii) Development of community-based grazing management, and iv) Development of a monitoring program. Al-Barrah grazing area is now managed by the local community through “Al-Barrah Cooperative for Live stock Production”. tween various stakeholder sectors and institutions is lacking and the absence of integrated land use planning approaches also impedes the synergies that would be possible through the application of the UN Conventions. In addition, awareness rais ing and outreach programs and even education (still too separated from research) are consid ered an end by themselves while more emphasis should be given to real capacity development of both, resource users (empowerment and partici pation of rural communities are still lagging behind because of insufficient investment in their training on one side and due to inadequate traditional knowledge retrieving mechanisms on the other) and service providers. Also, technology transfer is still dealt with in a compartmental way irrespective of the mutually supportive value the technologies should have. Chapter Two: Country Status 32 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 The Ecosystem Approach The Ecosystem Approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources, which enables sustainable natural resource management and conservation of biodiversity. The Ecosystem Approach was developed by IUCN and adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity at its fifth Con ference of the Parties (decision V/6). The Ecosystem Approach applies appropriate scientific methodologies focused on levels of biological organization which encompass the essential processes, functions and inter actions among organisms and their environment. It recognizes that humans and their cultural diversity are an integral component of ecosystems. The preparation and implementation of a compre hensive knowledge management strategy, would allow achieving common goals by facilitating col laborative work among all stakeholders at differ ent levels, using all information available, allowing the identification of areas for strengthening and designing appropriate action plans at different levels. In addition, the application of a participa tory M&E system would allow stakeholders to as sess the impact of projects according to their ob jectives. All these elements would result in a more reasonable use of financial resources and a better empowerment of stakeholders to deal with land degradation. Regarding the Institutional and Governance aspects, Jordan has made a great deal of prog ress and has gained achievements by setting key strategies, policies and in preparing a good qual ity legislative framework. However, the application of such framework leading to concrete experi ences that integrate the sustainable management From the economic and financial point of view, the insufficient allocation of financial resources is the main barrier. The financial leverage used through price policies, fiscal policies, and im proved ownership arrangements can foster sus tainable resource use and in turn, facilitate the resolution of some of the other barriers highlight ed above (Knowledge and Institutional). Overall, there is a need to better understand the economic and social costs of land degradation though an improved valuation system. Rapid population growth is forcing land and eco system users to continuously increase pressure on local resources, at the expense of the regen erative capacities of vegetation and land resourc of resources and poverty alleviation efforts is still incipient and limited to pilot experiences, leading to serious issues of sustainability of investments in most of the country’s rural areas where this coordi nation does not take place. Therefore, the adoption of a fully integrated land use planning approach (such as the integrated “ecosystem approach”) in national programs to combat land degradation needs refinement. In ad dition, the existence of an adequate and integrat ed land use planning supporting legislation would also contribute to remove this barrier. Another is sue is related to insufficient or inadequacy of law enforcement systems for the application of the le gal framework existing in Jordan. Furthermore, greater effort is required to fine-tune and provide effectiveness to the inter/intra-institu tional coordination framework for the different envi ronmental and land resource stakeholders to play their role in a truly synergetic manner. es. In addition, poverty is inducing many resource users to embark on short term coping strategies rather than long term investment in land and re sources. The overarching issue is very much the inadequa cy of allocated financial resources. On one hand, there is the lack of compensation mechanisms to cover costs in switching to the SLM practices, and on the other, incentives that allow for alternative livelihoods and exit strategies are also missing. Financing fiscal leverages (e.g. tax holidays) may also raise the private sector’s interest and solve the issue of the weakness of their activities in the field of combating land degradation and desertifi cation. 33 2.4. Green Economy Our ecosystems offer society a wide range of eco nomic services and goods including, but not lim ited to, clean water, food, rangelands, fuel wood, climate regulation, nutrient cycling, aesthetic val ues, recreational services, and carbon sequestra tion. All members of society including urban and rural people and business entities heavily rely on these services, raw production inputs and climate stability. The unsustainable use of these valuable economic resources has led to a high cost of en vironmental degradation which could be estimat ed using well-established and internationally ac cepted tools. Unfortunately, the economic value of the degradation of environmental resources is still ignored in the decision making process and con sequently funding to sustain these resources and to address environmental challenges continues to be low. Jordan’s Country Environmental Analysis (CEA)16 which was completed in 2008 concluded that over the last decade, Jordan has experienced an in crease in the degradation of its natural environ mental resources accompanied with the increase of per capita income. The report added that land degradation had the heaviest impact on the eco system stability and on poor farmers’ income in particular. The study estimated the Cost of Envi ronmental Degradation (COED) by addressing immediate and longer-term impacts of degrada tion which have taken place in the reference year (2006). The total COED was estimated at a range of JD148-350 million, with an average of JD248 million, or 2.48% of GDP in 2006. Adding the im pact of emissions on global environment would raise total cost to Jordan and the global commu nity to JD403 million. This means that over the last 8 years, using 2006 as a reference year, the undiscounted accumulated cost of environmental degradation in prices of 2006 would be within the range of JD1.16 to 2.8 billion and if the impact on global environment is added then the cost would be JD3.2 billion. Different measures and tools could be used for integrating the green economy in environmental strategies. Much of these measures and tools are centered on the national policy process, includ ing: 1) Policy design and formulation; 2) stake holders engagement; 3) integrated assessments; 4) M&E; and 5) implementation. The policy de sign should tackle the different regulations; mar ket failure instruments such as taxes, subsidies; market creation instruments such as “payment for ecosystem services (PES)” and ecotourism; and poverty instruments such as “social protection”. The implementation tools may include: innovative financing (trust funds); budget allocation; sustain able public procurement; and sustainable service delivery (public-private partnerships)17. Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is one of the green economy tools that is gaining more at tention by many developing counties. The con cept is built on providing sufficient investments and incentives for supporting green initiatives and investments in green technology for promotion of the green economy in the country. PES could be one of the “right” incentives for encouraging the sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services through encouraging the beneficiaries to fairly contribute to restoring and maintaining the flows of these goods and services. The Ministry of Environment has recently estab lished a new directorate for green economy. This is a very constructive step towards incorporating the economic principles in the environmental as pects in the country. The newly established direc torate requires special capacity building efforts to build a team of professionals in economic and financial analysis to provide the decision makers with professional advice on environmental deci sions related to investments in the dry lands, fi nancial tools to enhance and promote sustainable land use as well as introduction of suitable tech nologies; and consider the monetary dimension in future policies and strategies. 16 World Bank (2008), “Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Country Environmental Analysis (CEA)”. 17 Usman Ali Iftikhar, (2013) A presentation titled “Overview of inclusive green economy tools and instruments”, Nairobi workshop 2-4 July, Poverty Group, BDP, UNDP, New York. Chapter Two: Country Status 34 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 2.5. Economic Valuation of the Unsustainable Land Management in Jordan A major part of the NAP focuses on issues relat ed to sustainable land management (SLM) in Jor dan. Rangelands in Jordan are the most affected part by the unsustainable management practices. Providing economic evidence on the magnitude of the unsustainable use of rangelands could be used for justifying mobilization and additional al location of funding for the rehabilitation of the de graded rangelands in both the steppe and Badia. This section of the NAP draws heavily on one of the background papers that was conducted to provide necessary information and data for the preparation of the Jordan aligned NAP. The eco nomic valuation paper is dealing with estimating the cost of rangelands degradation in Jordan that resulted from several factors including desertifica tion and the unsustainable land management. Ac cording to the Ministry of Agricultural, the range land productivity in the Jordanian Badia (which represents the majority of the desert areas) has decreased during the last twenty years and many indigenous plant species have disappeared. Ac cording to the MoA (2009) the edible dry matter per dunum has decreased from 80 kg/ha in 1990 to 40 kg/ha in 2010. The livestock numbers is one of the dictating fac tors of land use system in the rangelands in the country. The number of sheep and goat witnessed a continuous increase since 1990. The 24-year average since 1990 was 2.742 million heads. This number has fluctuated due to many events and factors affected Jordan including the Gulf war, the devaluation of the Jordanian dinar, the waves of droughts that hit Jordan and the changes in the government policies. Two valuation techniques for estimating the values of rangelands in Jordan were used in the back ground paper: 1) Direct saved economic costs in terms of the value of animal feed saved from putting animal on rangelands (grazing); and 2) Di rect and indirect benefits of rangelands in terms rangelands productivity and other environmental services. Rangelands have always been the major source of animal feeds for sheep and goat herders in Jor dan either in the steppe or in the Badia. Supple mental feeds, especially barley, straw and crops’ residuals were always fed to animals during win ter or during drought seasons. Placing animals on rangelands (grazing) has a significant value in terms of saved cost of feed and for other biolog ical benefits. Several assumptions were used to estimate the value of saved cost of feed in terms of monetizing the amount of grazed biomass. The applied methodology focused on three scenarios for the estimated monetary value of the total saved cost of the three types of animal feeds. In each of the three scenarios, three price levels were used for the barley and wheat brain used in feeding sheep and goats. The background paper conclud ed that the rangelands in Jordan provided over the last 24 years a sum of JD404 million in terms of direct saved costs of animal feed evaluated at the prices of 2013. Continuing the current practices without any new measures/projects will result in huge economic losses that may even exceed hun dreds of million dinars. The other method that was applied in the analy sis focused on estimating the value of rangelands using the direct use value of grazing only in terms of grazed vegetation. Rangelands in Jordan are classified based on the most dominant vegeta tion type into steppe and Badia (desert). Based on the equivalent feed value of grazed vegetation, the direct value of the rangeland was estimated. The maximum attainable amount of vegetation is assumed to be in the base year of 1990 when the productivity of the one dunum of the steppe and the one dunum of Badia was 20 kg and 8 kg of dry matter, respectively. The researcher used several assumptions in the estimation process to quantify the consequences of land degradation due to the different factors affecting rangelands degrada tion. The estimated costs are based on the con tinuous decline of rangelands productivity (range land vegetation losses) in terms of dry matter per one dunum of the steppe and the one dunum of Badia using the year 1990 as the base year. The researcher has also assumed that the rangelands were at their best conditions of productivity (20 kg for steppe and 8 kg for Badia). 35 The presented estimates in this section provide a perspective on the economic value of the range lands and the cost of their degradation. Overgraz ing has decreased fodder availability without a decrease in livestock numbers that contributed to increased desertification and biodiversity loss. The cost of forage losses for grazing livestock is estimated based on barley feed units valued at barley prevailing three price levels during 2013. The results of the analysis concluded that the to tal accumulated production of the Badia range lands would be 1.344 million ton of barley if the conditions of the rangelands were maintained at the conditions of the year 1990 (8 kg of dry mat ter per dunum). However, due to several factors of rangelands degradation, the total adjusted pro duction over the period 1990-2013 is estimated at 937.3 thousand ton. This means that the total estimated lost production due to rangelands deg radation is 407 thousand ton of barley. Converting this amount of barley into monetary terms means that the total monetary loss is JD130 million if we value barley at the prevailing – unsubsidized mar ket price. Chapter Two: Country Status 36 © IUCN ROWA - Bani Hashem Hima, Zarqa 1 37 © IUCN ROWA - Bani Hashem Hima, Zarqa Chapter Three: Assessment of NAP-2006 38 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 3.1. Relevance and Implementation of NAP-2006 The various national institutions (line ministries, NCARE, RSCN, RBG, universities…) and interna tional organizations (IUCN, ICARDA, IFAD, WFP, FAO, UNDP…) working in Jordan implemented a wide array of land-related activities such as the Badia Restoration Program (BRP), Zarqa River Basin Project, Yarmouk Basin Project, Sustain able Land Management in Southern in Jordan, Agro-Biodiversity, Integrated Management of Jor dan Rift Valley, Hima System, Grazing Reserves, Nature Reserves and others. There is no doubt that Jordan has made significant progress towards achieving compliance with UN CCD obligations. One of these important achieve ments is the development and implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan to Combat Desertification (NAP-2006). The NAP-2006 was prepared according to certain terms of reference which shaped its design as “project-based” within the context of UNCCD to facilitate funding of the proposed projects. The NAP-2006 is a good ini tiative in the right direction to provide a framework for an action to combat the accelerating threats of desertification in the country; but it needs ex tra work to make it a strategic document capable of dealing with DLDD, biodiversity and climate change issues which are important for community livelihoods and the national economy, especially in arid areas with limited natural resources such as Jordan. Additionally a more strategic document is required to guide and harness a wide range of stakeholders and contributors to tackling DLDD, in order to achieve a mobilization of popular sup port for addressing this significant environmental and developmental concern. To make the NAP-2006 more strategic, two pro cesses were performed: a review of the NAP-2006 and its in relation to the UNCCD 10-year Strategy. Revision of NAP-2006 n The review of the NAP-2006 revealed the follow ing shortcomings: n It is designed as a stand-alone combating deser tification program which narrowed the options and the entry points to find its way to implemen tation. n One of the specific objectives of the NAP-2006 is to highlight desertification as a national pri ority. The NAP proposed a traditional aware ness project which is not adequate to address complex issues such as desertification and land degradation. The awareness project should be upgraded to an effective communication and outreach plan to raise awareness and initiate an effective lobby to address these issues. n The analysis of the biophysical and socioecono mic conditions of the country highlighted two cru cial root causes of desertification and land deg radation: land tenure and land use planning. The two root causes were not addressed properly. n The proposed programs and projects are not prioritized; prioritization is important for resource allocation especially in a country like Jordan with great dependence on foreign development as sistance. n The NAP was designed as a project-based and not as a result-based program and is not expect ed to provide sufficient data and information to assess its impact. n Designing programs/projects relying solely on external funding which may or may not be ful filled is a risky approach. Greater emphasis was needed on how public and private resources within Jordan would be mobilized to address priority actions. n Desertification has multi-dimensional impacts on soils, water, vegetation, animals, wildlife and hu man which requires an “ecosystem approach” for effective management of natural resources. The concept of the ecosystem approach was not emphasized in the proposed programs and projects. n Expected outputs were listed for each proposed project but without specifying the indicators for an objective verification. Performance indicators are usually used for project evaluation whereas impact indicators are used for evaluating the overall change made by the implementation of the NAP-2006. n The NAP lacks a monitoring and evaluation plan to assess the progress made at the project, pro gram and the entire action plan. The M&E sys tem is highly needed for proper planning and making necessary modifications in response 39 to situational changes for achieving the objec tives of the NAP-2006. The M&E system should include indicators of both outputs and impacts, recognizing that long-term impacts may take longer to deliver, and testing assumptions about the relationship between outputs and impacts. Implementation Status of NAP-2006 Since its launching in 2006, the implementation of the NAP-2006 can be objectively described as “limited”. The implementation was constrained be cause the focus was on a few projects, rather than on broader targets to which multiple stakeholders could contribute. This includes non-governmental actors who are willing partners but were not well accommodated within the NAP. This means that the limited progress in implementing the NAP does not necessarily mean that there has been limited progress towards addressing DLDD; and the re vised NAP should create an improved framework for coordinating multiple interventions. The con straints limiting the achievements of NAP-2006 are mainly institutional and financial. Institutional Gaps n The National Committee for Combating Deserti fication (NCCD) was established as an obliga tion to UNCCD to promote the implementation of the NAP. It acts as an advisory panel for the Ministry of Environment (MoEnv) on the deserti fication convention. Presently, the NCCD is not fully functioning because it is not representing all stakeholders (governmental and civil insti tutions) directly engaged in desertification and drought issues. n The MoEnv is the lead authority for implementing the NAP supported by the line institutions en gaged in combating desertification, but through time the MoEnv lost this vital role resulting in weak coordination among these institutions. n The MoEnv has many obligations towards natio nal, regional and global institutions and organi zations. Deficient capacity especially in plan ning and monitoring fields obliged the Ministry to rely almost totally on others (mainly individu al experts) to perform these vital roles through contracting. This reliance hindered building the capacities needed by the Ministry. n Desertification is a multi-sectoral issue and there is no clear mechanism for cross-sectoral coordi nation and responsibility. Financial Gaps n The NAP-2006 projects were designed without having any idea about the available funds from internal and external sources. There is a lack of mechanisms to secure needed funds to imple ment the proposed activities of NAP-2006 which is a major obstacle impeding the implementation of the proposed projects. n The role of private sector especially the banking and industry sub-sectors as potential donors to finance the implementation of the NAP was over looked, particularly considering the role they can play in facilitating and augmenting the existing investments made by land managers. Chapter Three: Assessment of NAP-2006 40 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 3.2. Assessing NAP-2006 against the UNCCD 10-Year Strategy 3.2.1. Strategic Objectives From a strategic perspective, the NAP gaps in clude: n Lack of a communication strategy to raise the awareness of all stakeholders, in particular the line institutions and decision makers, on the causes, consequences and impact of DLDD. In-depth understanding and appreciation of DLDD and their links and impact on poverty is essential for developing a shared vision and a common understanding of DLDD issues. n Lack of a national monitoring program to track the changes and trends in the conditions of af fected populations and ecosystems by DLDD. The monitoring results are useful for amend ing or strengthening the management plans in place, reforming policies, and updating all stakeholders on the impacts of DLDD. n Lack of promoting awareness and traditional knowledge of and include local populations, particularly women and youth, and civil society organizations in the implementation NAP pro grams. n Low mainstreaming of DLDD issues in the nati onal development plans (e.g. Poverty Allevia tion Strategy) and budgetary framework. Part nering with line institutions is a key for resource mobilization. n Lack of coordination among the three Rio con vections which are all aiming for sustainable use of land resources and natural ecosystems. n The ultimate goal of the Strategy is to improve the living conditions of the affected people and support poverty reduction. The NAP does not adequately link the priority activities to poverty reduction. n The Strategy focuses on global environmental benefits (increasing carbon stocks in affected areas). These benefits were not mentioned in the NAP. n Lack of structured mechanisms to mobilize needed resources for implementation. The conformity of the NAP-2006 document to the objectives of the UNCCD 10-year Strategy was 3.2.2. Operational Objectives From an operational perspective, the NAP gaps include: n Low engagement of different stakeholders, in environmental CBOs as well as human rights NGOs, in national committees relevant to DLDD issues in addition to lacking of gender repre sentatives and consideration of gender issues. n Lack of an entity or forum catering for knowledge management (collection, storage, analysis and reporting) and sharing with key stakeholders as well as use of local traditional knowledge. n Deficient orientation on DLDD issues in the educational programs at the university level and in the research of academia and national agri cultural research centers. n Lack of implementing the action programs of the National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global Environmental Management (NCSA) especially the planning, monitoring and evaluation needs relevant to DLDD issues. n Lack of translating research results into outputs for extension to advocate for the practices of sustainable land management and into outputs for policy uptake taking into consideration dif ferent stakeholder needs as well as addressing gender sensitivity. n Lack of networking among national research and technological institutions relevant to DLDD is sues. n Lack of mechanisms to secure funds from local (core governmental budget, private sector) and external sources. n The following actions and measures are sugg estedto fill the identified gaps: n Through a goal-oriented approach, supported with adequate communication, mobilize a grou nd-swell of popular support for combating de assessed. The assessment revealed several gaps that should be bridged to better implement the NAP. 41 sertification, including CBOs, NGOs, IOs, re search institutions, and government agencies. n Community outreach to improve awareness of ocal community in DLDD impact and restoration actions. n Investment in research and knowledge manag ement focusing on finding solutions to DLDD threats. Establishment of DLDD knowledge forum (DLDD-Forum) representing all national relevant scientific, civil society, gender repre sentatives and research institutions to develop a research strategy focusing on DLDD issues. The forum can serve as the advisory panel for decision-makers on the issues related to DLDD. Networking of the DLDD-Forum with relevant DLDD knowledge centers worldwide is an as set for sharing knowledge with key partners. n Strengthening the Coordination Unit of the 3-Rio Conventions at the MoEnv to facilitate the main streaming of activities of the three conventions into the programs of key institutions. The allo cation and use of resources (facilities, human, and finance) of the three conventions will be ef ficiently utilized considering gender sensitivity as well. n Fostering community-based approaches throu gh multi-stakeholder dialogue (e.g. Hima system, rangeland cooperatives, communi ty-based grazing Management, co-manage ment or protected areas) n Promote integrated ecosystem approaches for conservation and sustainable use of natural ecosystems (e.g. integrated-watershed man agement or landscape restoration approach es). A good example on these approaches is the Community-Action Plan of the Badia Resto ration Program (CAP-BRP), the Ministry of Envi ronment. n Developing of a national monitoring program (NMP) to monitor the conditions of affected populations and ecosystems. The NMP serves many purposes: a source of reliable and up dated information for DLDD-Forum, national research centers, and decision-makers. Better use of monitoring and data to validate different approaches, use of economic valuation and cost-benefit analysis to identify value-for-money options for scale-up. These valuable services encourage local and external donors to support this program. n Orientation of curricula of DLDD at national universities improves the knowledge of gradu ates on these issues. Recruited graduates with good background on DLDD in involved institu tions in DLDD issues will contribute significantly in building the human-capacity of these institu tions. 3.4. Setting Priorities n There are many things to do with little time left to achieve the objectives of the UNCCD 10–year Strategy (2008-2018) through aligning the NAP 2006. High impact, urgency, low requirement of resources and requirements of relatively short time to put in place are some of the criteria for ranking the identified priorities. The identified priorities include: 1. Re-composition of the institutionalization of National Committee for Combating Desertifi cation (NCCD) with new terms of reference. 2. Development of a strategy to promote the engagement of relevant stakeholders includ ing CBOs, women and youth groups in na tional committees, decision-making, and activities related to DLDD issues. 3. Strengthening the 3-Rio Unit with clear terms of reference at the Ministry of Environment to coordinate the programs of the three con ventions. 4. Development and operation of a national monitoring program (NMP) to monitor the conditions of affected populations and eco systems by DLDD threats. 5. Establishment of DLDD knowledge forum (DLDD-Forum) representing all relevant research and scientific institutions in the country. 6. Development and operation of communication and outreach strategy to raise awareness and traditional knowledge of and include local populations, particularly women and youth, and civil society and research organi zations on DLDD issues. 3.3. Actions and Measures for Filling the Identified Gaps Chapter Three: Assessment of NAP-2006 42 1 43 © Mohammad Ammar-Tabaqat Fahil Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 4.1. Vision and Objectives The agreed vision is: “Productive and sustainable use and management of land resources to sup port poverty reduction, environmental sustainabil ity and national economy”. This vision focuses on sustainability of land resources, enhancement of population livelihood, and contribution to the na tional economy. The realization of this vision could be achieved by the five Operational Objectives of the UNCCD 10 year Strategy: Advocacy, Awareness Raising and Education; Policy Framework; Science, Technol ogy and Knowledge; Capacity Building; and Fi nancing and Technology Transfer. The following tables outline the targets, indicators, responsible parties, and risks for each outcome of the Operational Objectives and then each table is followed by a brief on needed activities to achieve the targeted outcomes. Five Operational Objectives are complementary and closely integrated as follows: Operational Objective 1: Actively influence rel evant national and local processes and actors to adequately address desertification/land degrada tion and drought related issues. aThe first Operational Objective provides the communication, advocacy and awareness raising that is necessary to ensure multi-stake holder buy-in to the strategy, to the national effort to combat DLDD and promote SLM solu tions, and for effective integration of DLDD with efforts to conserve biodiversity and ad dress climate change. Operational Objective 2: Develop an enabling environment for solutions to combat desertifica tion/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought. aObjective 2 addresses the policies, regulations and institutions that will enable coordinated action to address DLDD at policy level and on the ground, and to integrate effectively with objectives under other global and national commitments. Operational Objective 3: Strengthen the colletion and use of scientific evidence and knowledge on desertification, land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought. aThe third objective provides the monitoring system; the establishment of indicators, im provement in scientific assessment and ef fective gathering; validating and sharing of knowledge, including local knowledge, which are critical for cost-effective implementation of SLM as well as appropriate monitoring and evaluation of the NAP. Operational Objective 4: Build capacity to pre vent and reverse desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and to enable sustainable land and ecosystem management. aOperational Objective 4 builds the capacity to deliver on the commitments of the revised NAP, including capacity for inter-sectoral collabora tion and capacity to integrate DLDD in multiple sector plans (including the green economy), as well as nation-wide capacity to monitor and implement DLDD-related actions through stronger education and training institutions. Operational Objective 5: Increased mobilization and improved coordination of national and exter nal financial and technological resources. aThe final Operational Objective addresses the components of an integrated financing strat egy that is required for the delivery of the first four objectives. Financing, monitoring and communicating DLDD and SLM are also treated in three specific nar rative sections at the end of this chapter, where these cross-cutting elements extracted from the Five Operational Objectives are presented in a consolidated explanation. Mainstreaming DLDD issues into national policies and frameworks is facing a number of interrelated institutional, financial, legal, knowledge and poli cy barriers which requires an integrated approach to strengthen the mainstreaming process The in tegrated approach is the basis of the aligned NAP in mainstreaming land-related issues into national cross-sectoral policies. The revised NAP provides a broad strategic framework under which multiple actors and actions can contribute according to their capacities; delivery of the NAP does not rely exclusively on a narrow set of prescribed projects. However, a few indicative high-value actions are highlighted under each objective to help in nation al prioritization exercises. 45 4.2. Operational Objectives Action Plan Table 2. Operational Objective 1: Advocacy, Awareness Raising and Education To actively influence relevant national and local processes and actors to adequately address desertification/land degradation and drought related issues OUTCOMES INDICATORS TARGET RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER RISKS 1.1. Enhanced synergies of DLDD issues within climate change and biodiversity conser vation at local and national level • Number and type of DLDD issues reported in National Reports (different ministry reports, CBD, CC National Communication Reports, PRAIS). • Number of DLDD programs/activities in different ministries (MoA, MoWI) • DLDD, BD and CC integrated in %100 of key sectoral ministerial programs/ activities and annual reports (MoA, MoWI) • Annual report on progress towards integrated results of the 3 Rio Conventions • L: MoEnv and NCCD • S: MoA, MoWI, Prime Ministry • Lack of consensus over DLDD issues (causes, indicators, impacts, lessons learned…) • Insufficient willingness for collaboration between line ministries 1.2. Improve mainstreaming of DLDD issues in relevant national strategies (poverty reduction, women strategy, youth strategy) • At least 50% of national strategies reflect DLDD issues as a way to improve livelihood • At least 50% of all new or revised strategies incorporate DLDD issues • L: NCCD • S: Prime Ministry, Parliament, Women Commission • Stakeholders not given the official mandate to mainstream the DLDD issues into the national strategies/policies/action plans • Inadequate political will for DLDD mainstreaming 1.3. Increased involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) and science and technology institutes (STIs) in advocacy, awareness raising and education initiatives related to DLDD issues • Percentage of yearly increase of DLDD related programs developed and implemented at national and local levels including specific initiatives that target vulnerable groups, women and youth • CSOs and STIs to address DLDD in their advocacy, awareness and educational initiatives • L: MoEnv, MoEd • S: MoEdu, IUCN, NCARE, Women Commission, international organizations working in Jordan • CSOs and STIs have insufficient resources and capacities to engage in DLDD actions • Donor priorities cannot be steered towards DLDD, or other regional and national priorities overtake the DLDD agenda Recommended high priority for delivering Operational Objective 1: 1. NAP is endorsed by ministerial forum and convened by the Office of the Prime Minister to establish expectations and roles in implementation of the NAP 2. Establish a platform for networking between CSOs and STIs to advocate and increase awareness on DLDD related activities 3. National (government-led) awareness campaign on DLDD and the opportunities for SLM as an engine for growth For Jordan to report its achievement regarding Strategic Objectives 1 and 2 of the UNCCD Strate gy, several activities should be fulfilled. For Strate gic Objective 1, mapping of poverty in the country and assessment of dietary energy consumption by affected people are needed. For Strategic Ob jective 2, mapping of land productivity, updating the land cover map, mapping vulnerability of the different ecosystems or agro-ecological zones to climate change and drought, reduction in total area affected by desertification/land degradation and drought are of vital importance. These needs will provide important information that will serve as baseline data to assess the impact of implement ing the aligned NAP on the conditions of affected people in the affected ecosystems. These gaps are addressed primarily through Operational Ob jective 3 which strengthens the collection and use of scientific evidence and knowledge on desertifi cation, land degradation and mitigation of the ef fects of drought. Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 46 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 Table 3. Operational Objective 2: Policy Framework To develop an enabling environment for solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought OUTCOMES INDICATORS TARGET RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER RISKS 2.1. Identification of institutional barriers and opportunities to combating desertification • Baseline assessment of barrier analysis and institutional strengthening strategy • Validated review of institutional barriers and strategy for addressing them • L: MoA, NCARE • S: MoEnv, MoWI, CSOs, research institutions, international organizations working in Jordan • Lack of capacity needed for conducting baseline studies on SLM barriers and drivers 2.2. NAP, NBSAP and NAPA integrated in development planning through amendment of iden tified policies • Number of relevant policies integrating SLM, biodiversity conservation and drought mitigation • National plans in key sectors, including at least agriculture, environment and water, address DLDD, biodi versity loss and climate change • L: Prime Ministry, MoEnv, MoA, MoWI • S: CSOs, municipalties, MOI, MoSD and MoF • Political willingness is lacking to amend policies • Sectoral conflicts of interest arise in relation to harmonizing policies between sectors 2.3. Establishment of public institution to coordinate SLM interventions on the ground and at policy level • Number of coordinated actions on the ground and at policy level • In the first year of implementation of the NAP, the NCCD restructured/reformed into an effective institu tion and coordinating policy, investment and reporting on DLDDs • L: NCCD • S: MoF, MoPIC, municipalities MoA, MoWI, MoEnv • Public resources unavailable for institutional development • Lack of institutional commitment in hosting ministry Recommended high priority for delivering Operational Objective 2: 1. Publication of a review of policy opportunities, gaps and policy implementation status at national and local levels to be fed into and guide national budgeting processes 2. Establishment of inter-sectoral mechanism for improved coordination of SLM-related interventions, integrated with NBSAP and NAPA priorities and convening annual coordination meetings 47 Table. 4 Operational Objective 3: Science, Technology and Knowledge Strengthen the collection and use of scientific evidence and knowledge on desertification, land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought OUTCOMES INDICATORS TARGET RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER RISKS/ASSUMPTIONS 3.1. DLDD and SLM monitoring system established and covering poverty, livelihood systems, land-use/land-cover change/ LULUCF, rangelands … • Frequency and acceptance of DLDD monitoring reports • In the first year, a nationa lbaseline assessment of DLDD and related vulnerability carried out • In two years, a functioning monitoring system established with agreed indicators for preliminary monitoring • L: MoEvn • S: MoA, MoWI, STIs, CSOs, inter governmental organizations and governmental organizations • Lack of agreement and institutional buy-in for monitoring indicators and protocols • Insufficient public resources to establish routine monitoring 3.2. Increased quality of scientific data on DLDD and SLM innovations/ technologies • Number of peer reviewed papers on DLDD and SLM in Jordan • At least 10 peer reviewed publications per year • L: MoEnv, DOS • S: Line ministries, national research centers, STIs, CSOs, IOs working in Jor dan • Scientific institutions lack the resources and skills to conduct high-quality research 3.3. Effective systems for vali dating and shar ing knowledge, including local knowledge, are in place to support policy and decision makers • Number of studies, briefing notes and related communications on DLDD science, tech nology and knowl edge taking into consideration women knowledge as well • Number of success stories documented and disseminated • National level knowl edge hub established by the second year • By year 2, a suitable mechanism for review of local and scien tific knowledge is approved to enable validation of studies and experiences • L: DOS • CSOs, STIs, MoA, MoWI • Insufficient willingness and interest from stakeholders to provide knowledge and information for dissemination • Lack of agreement over validating science and knowledge from different sources Recommended high priority for delivering Operational Objective 3: 1. Establish national knowledge sharing system on DLDD, climate change adaptation, and SLM practices through a governmental information portal 2. Establish national monitoring system on desertification, land degradation and drought incorporating data on climate change adaptation, drought mitigation, and restoration of degraded lands including local indicators and taking into consideration knowledge of vulnerable groups, youth and women.. Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 48 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 Table 5. Operational Objective 4: Capacity Building Build capacity to prevent and reverse desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and to enable sustainable land and ecosystem management OUTCOMES INDICATORS TARGET RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER RISKS 4.1. Increased capacity for inter-sectoral and cross-institutional coordination for more sustainable ecosystem management • Number of intersectoral and inter-institutional plans, agreements and initiatives • All relevant ministries and departments are capable of reflecting DLDD in annual plans, activities and reporting • L: Prime Ministry, MoEnv • S: Line ministries, CSOs and IOs • Stakeholder institutions have overlapping mandates that impede progress towards collaboration • Inadequate leadership to promote effective collaboration • Institutions are unaware of the value of cross sectoral collaboration and the risks of sectoral approaches 4.2. Increased capacity of the Ministry of Environ ment to support the newly established Green Economy Directorate • Green Economy Directorate incorporates DLDD and SLM into program strategies and annual plans • Green Economy Directorate integrates DLDD in all relevant plans and strategies • L: MoPIC, Prime Ministry • S: Line ministries • Lack of political support for the Green Economy Directorate and low priority of green economy development issues 4.3. Stronger capacity for education and professional training in SLM, DLDD monitoring, environmental economics • Number of graduates with improved understanding of DLDD taking into con sideration gender % • Number of equitable career professionals with improved under standing of DLDD • DLDD integrated into at least 5 courses at university degree and higher degree courses in the natural and social sciences • One DLDD professional training program established in a reputed training institute with turnover of at least 100 trainees per year • L: MoEnv • S: Line ministries, NCCD • Insufficient resources for training institutions to mainstream DLDD courses • Insufficient demand for training Recommended high priority for delivering Operational Objective 4: 1. Establishment of centers of excellence and training programs in DLDD, SLM, and related subjects including mainstrea ming into existing university curricula based on training needs assessments, taking into consideration the needs of gender sensitivity 2. Establishment of mechanism for routine SLM coordination between sectors and with non-governmental actors 49 Table 6. Operational Objective 5: Financing and Technology Transfer Revised Objective: Integrated financial strategy to mobilize and improve coordination of national and external financial and technological resources OUTCOMES INDICATORS TARGET RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER RISKS 5.1. Increase in national budgeting and budget moni toring across sec tors for direct and indirect actions to combat desertifi cation • Baseline established of both direct and of indirect expenditure (x% of national budget) and increase both direct and indirect expenditure on DLDD incrementally by ½% of total budget annually • Annual report on non-governmental direct and indirect actions and expenditure to combat desertification • Annual report on non-governmental direct and indirect actions and expenditure to combat desertification Responsible partners for national budgeting: • MoF; • MoPIC; • MoEnv & MoA (for requesting the funding) Responsible parties for establishing the baseline: • MoEnv & MoA (for requesting the funding) • DOS • NCARE • Restricted access to national budgeting processes • Limited access to baseline information 5.2. Increase in targeted resource mobilization from multilateral and bilateral donors and international financing institutions • Number and size of projects • Line ministries (MoWI; MoA) reflect desertification in their annual plans as a top priority and MoPIC to give desertification a high priority • Line ministries, MoPIC • Other environmental priorities displace desertification in sectoral planning 5.3. Identify and mobilize innovative sources of finance, including private sector investments, specific investments from the banking sector, corporate social responsibili ty, and voluntary contributions • Establish baseline of private, corporate, and volunteer investments in combating desertification (x%) and increase by %1 annually • National level knowledge hub established by the second year • By year 2, a suitable mechanism for review of local and scientific knowledge is approved to enable validation of studies and experiences • L: DOS • CSOs, STIs, MoA, MoWI • Insufficient willingness and interest from stakeholders to provide knowledge and information for dissemination • Lack of agreement over validating science and knowledge from different sources 5.4. Increase in the level of technol ogy transfer from other countries to new technologies transferred per year • Number of new technologies transferred (per year) • Two new technologies transferred per year • Line ministries, development partners, NCARE, and universities • Appropriatetech nologies may not be identified • Absence of safeguards on new technologies may hinder adoption Recommended high priority activities for delivering Operational Objective 5 1. Updating\development of IFS 2008 or development of an integrated investment framework/strategy, based on analysis of potential local and external financial sources interested in DLDD and how these financial sources can be mobilized to serve DLDD. Include advice on including SLM actions in the budgetary framework and pursue high priority activities for funding through international financial institutions 2. Establish a national mechanism for monitoring investments and coordinating learning of multiple stakeholders in SLM to optimize allocation of resources Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 50 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 4.3. Enabling Environment The enabling environment refers to the policy, le gal and institutional framework through which efforts to combat DLDD and pursue SLM solu tions will be made possible. The national sec toral plans and policies relevant to desertifica tion and SLM were addressed in the National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global Environ mental Management (NCSA) – Jordan (2007) and recently by UNDP-Jordan SLM integrat ed investment study (to be published in 2015). These laws, rules, regulations and mechanisms will provide the architecture through which Jor dan will monitor, implement and coordinate DLDD and SLM activities. The “enabling en vironment” is principally addressed through Operational Objective 2: Policy Framework, which aims “To develop an enabling environ ment for solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought”. Another important dimension in any enabled envi ronment is gender. The gender is a cross-cutting is sue along the different Operational Objectives. This aligned NAP involves engaging affected communi ties and stakeholders in finding creative solutions that are good for people and good for the environ ment. Using gender-sensitive participatory methods for project management and policy development facilitates greater expression and consideration of both women’s and men’s voices, a worthwhile effort since those most intimately involved with the DLDD problem often have good ideas for the solution. The gender aspects are considered in the Oper ational Objectives of the Strategy through avoid ing targeting specific policy areas or stakehold er groups such as the cross-cutting areas of action including advocacy, science and capacity building. Several of the expected outcomes that have been set by Parties under the Operation al Objectives have direct relevance to gender aspects. The gender mainstreaming has been the principal methodology used to ensure the in tegration of a gender approach into any devel opment and/or environmental efforts. Gender mainstreaming seeks to recognize and bring the diverse roles and needs of women and men to bear on the sustainable development agenda. The enabling environment will be strengthened through the three outcomes detailed above, which include identifying institutional barriers and oppor tunities to combating desertification, integrating ac tion programs into development planning through amendment of identified policies, and creating in stitutions that can coordinate SLM interventions on the ground and at policy level. Implicit within this Operational Objective is recognition that in some cases adequate policies exist and more can be done to implement them effectively. Objective 2 will also be supported through other Objectives: Operational Objective 1: Actively influence rel evant national and local processes and actors to adequately address desertification/land degrada tion and drought related issues. aOO1 will generate wider awareness of and sensitivity towards solutions for DLDD and will mobilize a wider rangeland for stakeholders for more effective and participatory decision making. Operational Objective 3: Strengthen the collection and use of scientific evidence and knowledge on desertification, land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought. aOO3 will provide the evidence and knowledge to ensure sound decision making and to vali date those decisions through evidence-based monitoring and evaluation. Operational Objective 4: Build capacity to pre vent and reverse desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and to enable sustainable land and ecosystem management. aOO4 will strengthen capacities among public servants and their advisors to ensure that mul tiple stakeholder views can be effectively ac commodated and that the best science and technology is mobilized and used to influence policy and planning. Operational Objective 5: Increased mobilization and improved coordination of national and ex ternal financial and technological resources. aOO5 is critical to provide the financial and technological resources required to establish an enabling environment for addressing DLDD and scaling up SLM. 51 4.4. Communication and Outreach Plan As outlined in Section 2.4, 2.4. Green Economy provides an existing conceptual framework through which DLDD can be mainstreamed into Jordan’s overall economic development along with conservation of biodiversity and climate change adaptation. The green economy is explicitly re ferred to in Operational Objective 4 (Capacity building) under Outcome 4.2: “Increased capac ity of the Ministry of Environment to support the newly established Green Economy Directorate”. However, support for green economic develop ment is implicit in all work to address DLDD and further evidence is required to demonstrate the contribution of sustainable land management. Economic valuation of ecosystem services has re cently been demonstrated as an effective tool for measuring the cost and benefits of different ap proaches to sustainable land management and is an effective means of capturing the multiple envi ronmental benefits or costs of different land use practices. Capacity building for economic valuation of ecosystem services is also captured under Op erational Objective 4 under Outcome 4.3: “Stronger capacity for education and professional training in SLM, DLDD monitoring, environmental economics”. The communications strategy explicitly mentions communication as a means to ensure that econom ic valuation is better understood by target audienc es and is therefore critical to ensure that SLM is mainstreamed in green economy decision making processes. Stakeholder engagement is essential for the transition to a green economy and this is a further role for the communication strategy and Op erational Objective 1. Improved science and knowl edge are similarly essential under Objective 3. Finally, Operational Objective 5 will develop the Integrated Financing Strategy which will include a wide range of innovative financing approaches, including instruments such as “payment for eco system services (PES)” and ecotourism, which will contribute directly to integrating DLDD into the green economy, and also to wider understanding and achievement towards green growth goals. Operational Objective 1 on Advocacy, Awareness Raising and Education explicitly aims “To active ly influence relevant national and local processes and actors to adequately address desertification/ land degradation and drought related issues.” This relies on an effective communication and outreach strategy to ensure that the NAP moves from being a strategic document towards being a road map that is followed by a wide variety of stakeholders whose actions are critical to achieve DLDD objectives. It is understood that DLDD can only be addressed through partnerships with many stakeholders, from community to govern ment, and a major effort is needed to coordinate these actors, starting with mobilizing and motivat ing key stakeholders to address desertification, land degradation and drought, through effective advocacy, awareness and education. In the 3rd Jordanian National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Desertification, communication was ab sent. The 10 year strategy recognizes the need for more effective communications that deliver effec tive change in knowledge, attitudes and practices (what actors know, what they think, and what they do). Therefore, the 4th Jordanian NAP introduces a communication plan and strategy into its effort to address DLDD. Specifically the following re quirements should be addressed: 1. Better understanding of the role of commu nication in mobilizing a critical mass in the national effort to address DLDD and im proved understanding of the different target audiences. 2. NGOs and governments alike are increasing ly engaged as stakeholders in process lead ing to the conservation of drylands by using social marketing, advocacy and awareness raising. 3. Simpler, more specific messages for com municating aspects of desertification, land degradation and drought. 4. Climate change adaptation, mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 52 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 5. More innovative communication tools are needed that are better tailored to the needs of different audiences. 6. Popularizing of knowledge on how to manage dryland ecosystems and their degradation. 7. Greater understanding of technical issues like costs and benefits of SLM options. 8. Effective monitoring of communication acti ons is required to understand changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices towards SLM and DLDD. The following graphic illustrates the key comp nents of an effective communication strategy: a detailed strategy has been developed in parallel with this NAP revision and is available online. The graphic illustrates the importance of posing four questions before communicating: what is the aim of the communication, who is the target au dience, what do you want them to change (their knowledge, their attitudes or their practices), and based on this, what is the best medium of com munication to deploy. The graphic shows that the nature of the communication tool is highly depen dent on the complexity of the issue being present ed and an effective communication strategy may be an unorthodox approach, such as working in partnership with the intended audience to joint ly learn about an issue through participatory re search or action. 53 Operational Objective 5 on Financing and Tech nology Transfer targets an “Integrated financing strategy to mobilize and improve coordination of national and external financial and technological resources”. The Objective includes four outcomes: raise national budgeting, increase resoures mo bilization from external sources, boost innovative financial sources, and expand technology transfer from other countries. Below is an illustration of the coherence of the The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertifi cation in Jordan 2015-2020 with earlier financing strategies, notably the IFS produced in 2008. The revised NAP addresses the four main elements of The IFS 2008 document includes a detailed action plan for specific activities aimed at raising different financial resources and for creating the proper en abling environment needed for easing the mobili zation of resources. The table below highlights the potential financial mechanism to support achiev ing the expected outcomes for the NAP 2015-2020 the IFS, three of which are integral to Objective 5 on Finance and Technology Transfer, and the third of which is reflected in Operational Objective 2 on the Enabling Environment. The former IFS fails to address technology transfer, which is a particularly high-value strategy for mobilizing support to Jor dan to boost efforts on DLDD and SLM. The former IFS was also unable to provide the comprehensive overview of resources required to strategically ad dress DLDD as it was developed in the absence of an updated and comprehensive NAP. As a result there is a number of strategic actions that is miss ing from the earlier IFS and further work is needed to produce a more thorough strategy, as recom mended in the above. Operational Objectives. It is highly recommended to update the outdated IFS of 2008 to reflect the actual financial resources that should be mobilized to achieve the different objectives in this strategy. The IFS should be communicated with all con cerned parties and stakeholders involved in the implementation of the NAP. 4.5. Integrated Financing Strategy Table 7. High Priority Activities for Delivering Operational Objective 5 NAP Operational Objectives’ Outcome “Financing and Technology Transfer” IFS 2008 Outcome NAP Operational Objective 2: Policy Framework (To develop an enabling environment for solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought) Enhanced enabling environment for resource mobilization in Jordan 5.1. Increase in national budgeting and budget monitoring across sectors for direct and indirect actions to combat desertification Enhanced mobilization and allocation of internal resources 5.2. Increase in targeted resource mobilization from multilateral and bilateral donors and International Finance Institutions Enhancing resource mobilization from external sources 5.3. Identify and mobilize innovative sources of finance, including private sector investments, specific investments from the banking sector, corporate social responsibility, and voluntary contributions Enhanced mobilization of innovative sources of financing Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 54 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 Table 8. Potential Financing Mechanism for NAP Operational Objectives (Based on IFS 2008) NAP 2014 Operational Objective Potential Financing Mechanism Internal External Innovative OO1. Advocacy, Awareness Raising and Education; to actively influence relevant national and local processes and actors in adequately addressing desertification/land degra dation and drought related issues 1. Private sector through promoting the concepts of corporate social responsibility 2. Private-public partnerships (PPP) 3. Nonprofit organizations (NGOs, conservation foundations, and academic institutions) 4. prioritising activities within departmental budgets 1. International NGOs international/multinational partnership cooperation (i.e. GEF) OO2. Policy Framework; to support the creation of enabling environments for promoting solutions to combat desertification/ land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought 1. General budget (parliament, councils, municipalities, ministries, budget reserve) 2. Treasury operations (trust funds/guarantees, national funds, eco-tourism charges, etc.) 3. Local credit unions, banks, and private investments 4. Private sector local markets 5. Nonprofit organizations (NGOs, conservation foundations, and academic institutions) 6. Endowment vs. revolving funds 7. Special taxation, fees, and royalties imposed on practices that interfere with SLM 8. Community employment schemes 1. Aggregated financial flows (i.e. ODA-bilateral & multilateral) 2. Regional development banks (The World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) 3. Private sources (foreign direct investment (FDI), commercial green loans, etc) 4. International NGOs 5. International/multinational partnership cooperation (i.e. GEF) 6. Expatriate funds 7. International p hilanthropic organizations 8. Sector-wide approaches (SWAps) 9. Debt relief instruments 10. Common, pooled, or basket funding arrangements 11. South-South and North South cooperation 12. The Fair Trade Movement 13. CDM afforestation projects 1. Environmental fiscal reform removing environmentally harmful subsidies offering soft credits/waivers 2. SLM offsets (compensatory conservation) One-off approach, in-lieu arrangement & bio banking. i.e., tradable quota systems Tradable development rights 3. Markets for green products (organic, gluten-free, eco labeling) 4. SLM in climate change funding Global Climate Change Alliance UN-REDD Programme Forest Investment Program (FIP) Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Amazon Fund International Climate Initiative BioCarbon Fund ICFI Green Climate Fund 5. SLM within financial international development (solidarity public-private partnership, and catalytic mechanisms) 55 NAP 2014 Operational Objective. Potential Financing Mechanism Internal External Innovative Green bonds Conservational leasing/ trusts Public-private partnerships Long term concessional contracts Removing investment barriers Grants, loans, and equity investments (i.e. microfinance loans) 6. Environmental bond schemes 7. Salinity credit trading schemes OO3. Science, Technology and Knowledge; to integrate the scientific and technical knowledge pertaining to desertifica tion/land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought 1. Private sector through promoting the concepts corporate social responsibility 2. Private-public partnerships (PPP) 3. Academic institutions 1. Regional research centers (ICARDA) and other international foundations R (ACSAD), AOAD CSR funds - Participatory action-research funded by private sector OO4. Capacity Building; to build capacity needed to prevent and reverse desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought 1. Private sector through promoting the concepts of corporate social responsibility 2. Private-public partnerships (PPP) 3. Academic institutions 1. Aggregated financial flows (i.e., ODA-bilateral & multilateral) 2 . Regional development banks (The World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) 3. Private sources (foreign direct investment (FDI), commercial green loans, etc) 4. International NGOs 5. International/multinational partnership cooperation (i.e. GEF) 6. Expatriate funds 7. International philanthropic organizations 8. Sector-wide approaches (SWAps) 9. Debt relief instruments 10. Common, pooled, or basket funding arrangements 11. South-South and North South cooperation 12. The Fair Trade Movement 13. CDM afforestation projects As above Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 56 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 NAP 2014 Operational Objective. Potential Financing Mechanism Internal External Innovative OO5. Financing and Technology Transfer; increased financial resource mobilization mechanisms and frameworks necessary to fund the NAP, in addition to the improved coordination of national and external financial and technological resources 1. General budget (parliament, councils, municipalities, ministries, budget reserve) 2 .Treasury operations (Trust funds/guarantees, national funds, Eco-tourism charges, etc.). 3. Local credit unions, banks, and private investments 4. Private sector local markets 5. Nonprofit organizations (NGOs, conservation foundations, and academic institutions) 6. Endowment vs. revolving funds 7. Special taxation, fees, and royalties imposed on practices that interfere with SLM 8. Community employment schemes 1. Environmental fiscal reform Removing environmentally harmful subsidies offering soft credits/ waivers 2. SLM offsets (compensatory conservation) One-off approach, In-lieu arrangement, & bio banking. i.e. Tradable quota systems Tradable development rights 3. Markets for green products (Organic, gluten-free, eco-labeling) 4. SLM in climate change funding; Global Climate Change Alliance UN-REDD Programme Forest Investment Program (FIP) Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Amazon Fund International Climate Initiative BioCarbon Fund ICFI Green Climate Fund 5. SLM within financial international development (solidarity, public–private partnership, and catalytic mechanisms) Green bonds Conservational leasing/ trusts Public-private partnerships Long Term concessional Contracts Removing investment barriers Grants, loans, and equity investments (i.e. microfinance loans). 6. Environmental bond schemes 7. Salinity credit trading schemes 57 4.6. Monitoring and Evaluation The UNCCD Strategy calls upon parties to incor porate a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system during the alignment of the NAP to guide its imple mentation (Decision 3/COP.8). The M&E is a tool for planning, tracking progress, and measuring impact of the NAP on SLM and local livelihoods. In addition, the generated knowledge of M&E pro cesses can be shared locally and globally. The M&E system builds on the Operational Objec tives and the outcomes, which include indicators for monitoring, as well as some specific outcomes related to establishing monitoring systems. This section provides a narrative summary of the M&E strategy based on the five Operational Objectives. n Actively influence relevant national and local processes and actors to adequately address desertification/land degradation and drought related issues. aObjective 1 will contribute to monitoring and evaluation through increased awareness of DLDD and SLM issues and mobilization of mul tiple actors to contribute to national reporting processes. SLM actions outside government, and in multiple government institutions, will therefore be better coordinated and reported providing improved insight into current DLDD threats and progress towards SLM and resto ration. n Develop an enabling environment for solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought. aObjective 2 will strengthen institutional mandates to address DLDD and to collaborate across sectors, further increasing the scope to track multiple actors and mobilize multi-sec toral engagements. In addition this objective will prioritize policies for implementation and monitoring. n Strengthen the collection and use of scientific evidence and knowledge on desertification, land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought. aObjective 3 will provide targeted actions for improved data collection including establish ment of DLDD monitoring methodologies and systems. This is the key objective for strength ening evidence-based monitoring as well as building on indigenous and local knowledge and perspectives on degradation and sustain able management. n Build capacity to prevent and reverse desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and to enable sustain able land and ecosystem management. aObjective 4 will strengthen capacities of graduates and professionals to build a platform for monitoring country-wide. This will support institutional building (Objective 2) and will in crease the caliber of professionals available to fill posts in newly formed institutions as well as staffing existing institutions with increased mandates for monitoring DLDD. n Revised Objective 5: Increased mobilization and improved coordination of national and ex ternal financial and technological resources. aResource mobilization is critical for effective M&E, particularly to institutionalize M&E sys tems and routine data collection. Financial re sources must be identified urgently for institu tional development and to expedite the process of agreeing and establishing M&E systems, in dicator development and data collection. Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 58 The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 References Al-Bakri JT, Suleiman A, Abdulla F and Ayad J. 2010. Potential impacts of climate change on the rain fed agriculture of a semi-arid basin in Jordan. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth (Available online Doi:10.1016/j.pce. 2010. 06.001. Banadda N. 2010. Gaps, barriers and bottlenecks to sustainable land management (SLM) adoption in Uganda. African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 5(25), pp. 3571-3580, Special Review. EC. 2006. The Monitoring and Evaluation of National Action Programs to Combat Desertification. Imple mentation of NAP/ CD Monitoring-Evaluation Systems in Mediterranean North African Countries Project funded by the European Commission’s Small and Medium Action Program (SMAP). GEF. 2006. Removing barriers to sustainable land management. Global Action on Sustainable Land Management. GM. 2007. Building an Enabling Environment for Increasing Investment in SLM through Market Access and Trade. Groot Rand, van der Molen P. (Eds) 2001. Workshop on capacity building on land administration for developing countries. JNGC (Jordan National Geographic Centre). 1984. National Atlas of Jordan, Part 1: Climate and Agro-cli matology. First ed., JNGC (Currently RJGC), Amman, Jordan. Khresat S A, Rawajfih Z and Mohammad M. 1998. Land degradation in northwestern Jordan: causes and processes. Journal of arid Environments 39:623-629. Kusek J and Rist R. 2004. Ten Steps to a Results-based Monitoring and Evaluation System. World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA. Mudabber M A K. 2007. Jordan Country Paper Land degradation Drought and Desertification. National Center for Agricultural Research (NCARE), Ministry of Agriculture, Jordan. National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global Environmental Management (NCSA) – Jordan. (2007). Ministry of Environment. Amman, Jordan. Telahigue T and Abdouli A. 2001. Strategies for Institutional Options for Rangeland Management in the NENA Region: IFAD Experience. International Conference on Policy and Institutional Options for the Management of Rangelands in Dry Areas, Hammamet, Tunisia, May 7-11, 2001. TNC. Jordan’s Third National Communication to the UNFCCC 2014. Prepared by the Ministry of Environment. Amman, Jordan. UNCCD. 2013. Improving knowledge management in the UNCCD. Conference of the Parties Committee on Science and Technology. Windhoek, Namibia, 17–20 September 2013. UNCCD. 2010. Comprehensive Communication Strategy, Drylands: Global Assets. Bonn, Germany. UNCCD. 2013. Refinement of the set of impact indicators on Strategic Objectives 1, 2 and 3. Recom mendations of the ad hoc advisory group of technical experts. Conference of the Parties, Committee on Science and Technology. Windhoek, Namibia, 17–20 September 2013. UNCCD. 2013. The Economics of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought: Methodologies and Analysis for Decision-Making, Background Document. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference on Economic assessment of desertification, sustainable land management and resilience of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, 9-12 April 2013-Bonn, Germany. 59 Useful Web Links http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/conventionText/conv-eng.pdf http://www.unccd.int/en/about-the-convention/Action-programmes/Pages/default.aspx National Strategy and Action Plan to Combat Desertification 2006 http://www.moenv.gov.jo/En/EnvImpactAssessmentStudies/Documents/Desertification%20strategy.pdf Jordan Poverty Reduction Strategy www.jo.undp.org/.../jordan/docs/Poverty/Jordanpovertyreductionstrategy.pdf National Climate Change Policy for Jordan. www.jo.undp.org/.../jordan/.../Climate%20change%20policy JO.pdf Jordan integrated financing strategy for sustainable land management. www.moenv.gov.jo/En/.../Jordan%20IFS%20Final%20Report.pdf National Capacity Self Assessment for. Global Environmental Management. (NCSA) - Jordan. Ministry of Environment. Amman- Jordan. January 2007 www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/documents/.../544.pdf CBD Fourth National Report - Jordan https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/jo/jo-nr-04-en.doc Jordan Biodiversity strategy and Action Plan http://www.moenv.gov.jo/En/EnvImpactAssessmentStudies/Documents/biodiversity%20strategy%20 and%20action%20plan%20pdf.pdf Maps Map 1: Aridity Index (Emberger Classification) in Jordan (Source: JNGC, 1984) Map 2: Existing Land Use/Cover of Jordan (Al-Bakri et al., 2010) Tables Table 1: Land Degradation State According to Ecosystem Type Table 2: Operational Objective 1: Advocacy, Awareness Raising and Education Table 3: Operational Objective 2: Policy Framework Table 4: Operational Objective 3: Science, Technology and Knowledge Table 5: Operational Objective 4: Capacity Building Table 6: Operational Objective 5: Financing and Technology Transfer Table 7: High Priority Activities for Delivering Operational Objective 5 Table 8: Potential Financing Mechanism for NAP Operational Objectives (based on IFS 2008) Maps and Tables 60 Ministry of Environment Om Uthaina, King Faisal Bin Abd Al Aziz street, #83 P.O. Box 1408, Amman 11941, Jordan Tel.: +962 6 5560113 Fax.: +962 6 5560288 Email: info@moenv@gov.jo Website: www.moenv.gov.jo Th e A ligned N ational A ction Plan to C om bat D esertification in Jordan 2015 - 2020 Th e A ligned N ational A ction Plan to C om bat D esertification in Jordan 2015 - 2020 Comprehensive Communication Strategy Published by: International Union for Conservation of Nature, Regional Office for West Asia Copyright: © 2014 IUCN Available from: International Union for Conservation of Nature, Regional Office for West Asia Hasan Baker Al Azazi Street #20 Sweifiyeh, Amman Jordan Tel: +96265546912-3-4 Fax: +96265546915 www.iucn.org/westasia COMMUNICATION STRATEGY TOWARDS EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY, AWARENESS RAISING AND EDUCATION CONVERGING COMMUNICATIONS TO THE JORDAN NAP As part of the new 10 strategic goals for the UNFCCC, this communication strategy will act as a national roadmap to effectively influence different key stakeholders to address desertification, land degradation and drought through effective advocacy, awareness and education. In the 3rd Jordanian National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Desertification, communication was absent. As part of the new UNCCD strategy, it was found that communications that help achieve effective advocacy and behavioral change is needed. Therefore, the fourth Jordanian NAP converges’ a communication plan and strategy into its effort to address desertification, land degradation and drought. To overcome the persistent challenges of DLDD stakeholders from different sectors and local communities themselves will need to change their behavior to create effective partnerships that aim at reversing and preventing desertification, land degradation and efficiently mitigate effects of drought. This requires a sophisticated communication strategy that considers all the steps from communication to sustained action and behavioral change. From a communications perspective this presents some challenges:  It is evident that there is a gap in communications between the local community and government bodies. This poses as challenge when taking advocacy and social marketing into consideration, especially that local knowledge is not incorporated in local policies and plans  There is a weak institutional imperative; weak active roles of the National Desertification Committee which therefore affects the link between strategies and operational aspects as well as coordination with climate change and CBD national committees for alignment actions and interests.  Having a weak link between operational/implementation and strategies directly affect the sustainability of initiatives on land management causing huge gaps between awareness and behavioral change.  The image of drylands is still somehow seen as unproductive land with no economic and/or social value. AIM This communication strategy will act as a national roadmap to effectively influence different key stakeholders to address desertification, land degradation and drought through effective advocacy, awareness and education. It plans to produce high quality technical assistance in advocacy and social marketing to contribute to progress towards long term goals with clear objectives and indicators to assess outcomes and the effectiveness of actions.  Raising the understanding of desertification, land degradation and drought across sectors  Create synergies between desertification, land degradation and drought, and climate change adaptation, mitigation and biodiversity conservation.  Increase governments capacity and capability for monitoring sustainable dryland management and desertification  Increase local community and government knowledge of cost effective sustainable land management solutions  National policies better integrate local knowledge of dryland restoration  Increased mobilization of multiple stakeholders in addressing desertification, land degradation and drought  Effectively monitor the efficiency of communication and the role of different stakeholders in improving sharing knowledge and information. TARGET AUDIENCE It is important to note that creating a plan for behavioral change can only be sustainable if proper incentives are created. Change in behavior can only be possible if awareness is combined with incentives and alternatives. This section outlines the communications objectives by target group. Group Description Government ‐ Policy makers ‐ Ministries ‐ Municipalities Local ‐ Local communities ‐ CBOs ‐ NGOs (local) Key professionals ‐ Universities ‐ Research institutions ‐ Professionals International Organizations ‐ Donors ‐ Research organizations ‐ International organizations ‐ Implementing organizations Media ‐ Local media channels ‐ Social media ‐ Online blogs etc. Ministers, high-ranking government officials and parliamentarians Objectives:  Jordan aligned NAPS and SLM and DLDD issues integrated into developing plans and relevant investment plans and policies  Effective communication of DLDD synergies with climate change and biodiversity conservation  Establish or update an existing data base and information unit about DLDD and other collaborating sectors Desired Change:  Integration of Local knowledge including women and economic benefits in policies and plans.  Establishing a committee to help initiate the integration of SLM, and green technologies in national policies taking into consideration the gender representation and needs  Establishing a scientific body that monitors and assesses biophysical and socio-economic trends and having a communication expert on board.  Raising awareness on threats of land related issues, living conditions, food security and others.  Raising awareness on the link between DLDD and climate change and biodiversity conservation  Enriching the knowledge of ambassadors on the conditions and mechanisms of DLDD  Engaging the local community ; including women and youth as main stakeholders in all communication plan processes to address their needs and knowledge  Investing in public funds for developing supportive local policies that include awareness raising and social marketing and the use of green technologies  Improving knowledge on biophysical & socio-economic data to help in improving decision making.  Using positive models from local traditional knowledge to showcase achievements  Developing a framework with clear and effective mechanisms to mobilize resources across institutions  Collecting sufficient data collected nationally for baseline data and M&E  Creating a robust baseline with data about socio-economic and biophysical trends What can be done?  Exposure to best practices, positive local community (users groups and their local knowledge including women) activity models.  Using economic valuation studies  Produce gender sensitive local community awareness plans.  Integrate DLDD issues within educational curriculums.  Increased exposure to best practices, positive local community activity models.  Produce a social marketing and awareness plan targeting behavioral change aimed at decreasing human influenced effects.  Design and implement training workshops to enhance capacities of monitoring units on data storage, analysis and reporting  Design and implement a set dissemination plan  Design and implement a M&E plan International organizations Objective: Creating an effective strategy towards SLM projects Desired Change:  Setting implementation strategies that target DLDD and related issues  Diverting financing and funds towards new approaches (green technologies)  Increasing the capacity of local communities and government institution about DLDD, SLM ensuring gender equity and mainstreaming issues. What can be done?  Use annual national studies to support.  Include national experts in the field  Use needs assessments for local communities including women, Pastoralists, farmer, youth, local CBOs and different land users groups  Conduct training and capacity building workshops  Be part of any DLDD and SLM scientific body The media Objective: DLDD and relevant issues like climate change and biodiversity conservation are highlighted in the news, stories and have a bigger audience Desired Change  Writing positive stories about dryland restoration and local community engagement  Writing stories to increase awareness about DLDD effects on other sectors  Creating a solid rationale and information behind dryland restoration and local community engagement  Highlighting that dryland in Jordan as an opportunities for improving affected population livelihoods. What can be done?  Increase awareness about dryland issues by showing interest and attending national and local initiatives  Helping locals in advocating for their rights and showcase positive local models including a unique local knowledge in addressing impacts of DLDD including women, Pastoralists, farmer, youth, local CBOs and different land users groups  Greater interest in addressing positive outcomes rather than tragedies Key Professionals Objective Data and case studies produced for effective dissemination (showcasing DLDD effects and synergies) Desired Change  Annual case studies produced show casing specific area DLDD effects  Annual case studies produced and allowed for dissemination locally/nationally  Produced cases analyzing the drivers of (policy, institutional and financial and socio-economic) of land degradation from different stakeholder perspectives including local communities indicators in dealing with DLDD What can be done? Being part of governmental scientific bodies Non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations Objective Individual ability to manage and protect their environment Desired Change  Increasing the ability to manage grazing as a pest practice for SLM..  Increasing the ability towards sustainable Dryland management.  Increasing awareness and capacity towards DLDD and SLM and related issues  Increasing local community ownership  Increasing coordination and collaboration among CBOs and municipalities and women groups at local level.  Increasing the use of greener and newer technologies on the ground to support SLM. What can be done?  Advocate & lobby for local interests while capturing indigenous knowledge.  Participate in and get involved in local initiatives.  Be part of the change process and planning process  Attend capacity building and training workshops  Attend TOT workshops to widen capacity building in local areas TOOLS  Through proper dialogue with line institutions  Through participatory engagement.  Documenting local knowledge for sharing and builds on.  Through proper dialogue with local community reps including women, Pastoralists, farmer, youth, local CBOs and different land users groups  Through participatory engagement.  Use: field visits, interviews, workshops, problem analysis tools, showcasing positive models and alternative benefits, local media  Through proper dialogue with local community reps including women, Pastoralists, farmer, youth, local CBOs and different land users groups  Through participatory engagement.  Through collaboration with different research institutions and departments of statistics  Being part of local/national and global conferences and workshops  Strong participatory approach in all local initiatives (national or local) through implementing agencies  Annual conferences and workshops aiming at disseminating valuable information  Interviews, video, workshops and being part or attending local initiatives and conferences  Newspaper , Celebrating World Earth Day, Combat Desertification day ..... The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertification in Jordan 2015-2020 5. More innovative communication tools are needed that are better tailored to the needs of different audiences. 6. Popularizing of knowledge on how to manage dryland ecosystems and their degradation. 7. Greater understanding of technical issues like costs and benefits of SLM options. 8. Effective monitoring of communication acti ons is required to understand changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices towards SLM and DLDD. The following graphic illustrates the key comp nents of an effective communication strategy: a detailed strategy has been developed in parallel with this NAP revision and is available online. The graphic illustrates the importance of posing four questions before communicating: what is the aim of the communication, who is the target au dience, what do you want them to change (their knowledge, their attitudes or their practices), and based on this, what is the best medium of com munication to deploy. The graphic shows that the nature of the communication tool is highly depen dent on the complexity of the issue being present ed and an effective communication strategy may be an unorthodox approach, such as working in partnership with the intended audience to joint ly learn about an issue through participatory re search or action. Operational Objective 5 on Financing and Tech nology Transfer targets an “Integrated financing strategy to mobilize and improve coordination of national and external financial and technological resources”. The Objective includes four outcomes: raise national budgeting, increase resoures mo bilization from external sources, boost innovative financial sources, and expand technology transfer from other countries. Below is an illustration of the coherence of the The Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Desertifi cation in Jordan 2015-2020 with earlier financing strategies, notably the IFS produced in 2008. The revised NAP addresses the four main elements of The IFS 2008 document includes a detailed action plan for specific activities aimed at raising different financial resources and for creating the proper en abling environment needed for easing the mobili zation of resources. The table below highlights the potential financial mechanism to support achiev ing the expected outcomes for the NAP 2015-2020 the IFS, three of which are integral to Objective 5 on Finance and Technology Transfer, and the third of which is reflected in Operational Objective 2 on the Enabling Environment. The former IFS fails to address technology transfer, which is a particularly high-value strategy for mobilizing support to Jor dan to boost efforts on DLDD and SLM. The former IFS was also unable to provide the comprehensive overview of resources required to strategically ad dress DLDD as it was developed in the absence of an updated and comprehensive NAP. As a result there is a number of strategic actions that is miss ing from the earlier IFS and further work is needed to produce a more thorough strategy, as recom mended in the above. Operational Objectives. It is highly recommended to update the outdated IFS of 2008 to reflect the actual financial resources that should be mobilized to achieve the different objectives in this strategy. The IFS should be communicated with all con cerned parties and stakeholders involved in the implementation of the NAP. 4.5. Integrated Financing Strategy Table 7. High Priority Activities for Delivering Operational Objective 5 NAP Operational Objectives’ Outcome “Financing and Technology Transfer” IFS 2008 Outcome NAP Operational Objective 2: Policy Framework (To develop an enabling environment for solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought) Enhanced enabling environment for resource mobilization in Jordan 5.1. Increase in national budgeting and budget monitoring across sectors for direct and indirect actions to combat desertification Enhanced mobilization and allocation of internal resources 5.2. Increase in targeted resource mobilization from multilateral and bilateral donors and International Finance Institutions Enhancing resource mobilization from external sources 5.3. Identify and mobilize innovative sources of finance, including private sector investments, specific investments from the banking sector, corporate social responsibility, and voluntary contributions Enhanced mobilization of innovative sources of financing Chapter Four: Aligned NAP 2015 - 2020 53 54