The World Bank
CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
Project Information Document (PID)
Concept Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 16-Jun-2020 | Report No: PIDC29136
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The World Bank
CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
BASIC INFORMATION
A. Basic Project Data OPS TABLE
Country Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Project Name
Caribbean P173464 CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM
PARTNERSHIP FUND –
CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT
PROJECT (P173464)
Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Practice Area (Lead)
LATIN AMERICA AND Oct 30, 2020 Jan 29, 2021 Environment, Natural
CARIBBEAN Resources & the Blue
Economy
Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency
Investment Project Financing Conservation International Conservation International
Proposed Development Objective(s)
The project development objective (PDO) is to improve the capacity of civil society organizations to reduce threats to
globally important biodiversity in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot.
PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions)
SUMMARY-NewFin1
Total Project Cost 13.90
Total Financing 13.90
of which IBRD/IDA 0.00
Financing Gap 0.00
DETAILS -NewFinEnh1
Non-World Bank Group Financing
Trust Funds 13.90
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund 13.90
Environmental and Social Risk Classification Concept Review Decision
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CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
Substantial Track II-The review did authorize the preparation to
continue
B. Introduction and Context
Regional Context
1. The Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot is an archipelago of biodiversity-rich tropical islands that comprises 30
nations and territories and stretches across nearly 4 million km2 of ocean. The Caribbean Islands Hotspot is one of
36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. The island geography and complex geology of the Caribbean has created unique
habitats and high species diversity. The Caribbean Islands support exceptionally diverse ecosystems, ranging from
montane cloud forests to cactus scrublands. The region has exceptionally high plant diversity: of the more than 10,000
species found there, 72% are thought to be found on only one island. The islands are also very rich in reptiles, with
more than 600 species making their home among them; 82% of these reptile species are endemic. Over 95% of the
hotspot’s 200 amphibian species are unique to the region.
2. The Caribbean Islands is one of the most severely threatened hotspots in the world. There are 992 globally
threatened species in the region due to overexploitation of living resources, habitat destruction and fragmentation
due to agriculture, tourism, and urban development driven by population growth. Only 10% of the islands’ original
vegetation is in a pristine state. Waste management is a major environmental issue in the Caribbean, where growth
in urban population, industrial activity, and tourism continues to outstrip infrastructural capacity to handle waste, and
with waste often dumped in unlined land-fill sites. Riverine and coastal ecosystems are negatively affected by
untreated or partially treated sewage. Many root causes underlie these direct threats, including poor land-use
planning, inadequate financial resources, lack of awareness and political support, weak and ineffective legislation,
limited availability of information, and inefficient or inadequate institutional capacity. Improved management of the
hotspot’s landscapes, freshwater and coastal ecosystems is essential for sustainable growth and development.
3. The economies of the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot nations and the rural poor are heavily reliant on this
unique biodiversity asset. Nature-based tourism contributes 20 to 60 percent of the GDP of most countries in the
region. This sector has especially hit by the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought tourism to a halt, resulting in loss
of income, employment and tax receipts. This is anticipated to have significant implications for biodiversity
conservation in the short term as people turn to natural resources for income from poaching and deforestation and
over the medium to longer term as diminished revenues from tourism forces government budget cuts. In addition,
with most of their populations and key infrastructure in low-lying coastal areas, the small and open economies of the
Caribbean Islands are vulnerable to external shocks such as natural disasters. For 2020 hurricane season, it is expected
to be “above-normal season�? with 60 percent chances.
4. Caribbean civil society plays a crucial role in biodiversity conservation in the Caribbean hotspot. With higher
pressures on natural ecosystems and reduced funding to government agencies charged with their management, the
role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in strengthening the protection and management of biodiversity in the
Caribbean Islands is more important than ever. CSOs support management through direct conservation action (some
at a very large scale), and many have championed policy and legislative improvements in the hotspot and been drivers
of change. In some Caribbean countries, CSOs complement the limited capacity of governments and contribute
significantly to the achievement of the global agendas.
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CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
5. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are crucial in contributing to the effective conservation and sustainable
management of biodiversity, however, CSOs’ capacity to implement conservation actions is constrained. They are
constrained by administrative, financial and technical limitations, which in turn hinder their ability to contribute to
conservation impact due to isolation, lack of coordination and weak dissemination of good practice. Although there
are some stronger non-profits that have advanced governance and management systems in place to contribute to
their effectiveness and sustainability, the overall picture is of a sector that could benefit from further strengthening
in targeted areas to support sustainability of the CEPF investment. Many of the region’s conservation groups are small
and under-capacitated, and some are quite isolated, especially in the smaller islands of the Lesser Antilles and in Haiti.
Many have a small number of staff, and insufficient funds to hire the staff complement needed to maintain a fully
functional organization.
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) Context
6. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) was created in 2000 in response to threaten ecosystems and limited
CSOs capacity to implement conservation actions. The CEPF was established to mitigate biodiversity threats and
strengthen the capacity of CSOs to conserve critical ecosystems. The CEPF works across four pillars: biodiversity, civil
society, human well-being, and enabling conditions. The mandate of CEPF is to enable civil society to protect the
world’s biodiversity hotspots: biologically rich ecosystems that are essential to humanity yet highly threatened.
7. CEPF protects biodiversity, builds local conservation leadership and nurtures sustainable development by
supporting the development of conservation strategies driven by local, national and regional input, and by providing
grants to CSOs (i.e., nongovernmental, private sector, community-based, cooperative, academic and parastatal
organizations) to implement those strategies. Since its inception, CEPF has invested globally US$248 million in grants
in support of efforts to strengthen the capacity of civil society to conserve biodiversity in 25 biodiversity hotspots.
CEPF’s approach combines grant making with capacity building, to allow funds to reach a greater range of actors (e.g.,
grassroots NGOs, community groups, cooperatives, etc.) than conventional donors and to strengthen these actors and
create networks among them so that conservation efforts can be sustained into the long term. Providing small grants
to CSOs can be a factor to generate localized biodiversity conservation impact on the ground.
8. Between October 2010 and July 2016, CEPF has invested in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot strengthening
the capacity of local CSOs and increasing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the region. CEPF
strengthened the capacity of 58 local and regional Caribbean CSOs and contributed to bringing 111,496 hectares under
new or expanded legal protection. This was achieved through the development of strategic plans, fundraising plans
and financial manuals, communication strategies, upgraded websites and financial systems. Capacity was built in a
range of areas, including project design and proposal development, monitoring and evaluation, effective
environmental communications and engagement of the private sector. Technical skills were built in sustainable
tourism, field data collection and monitoring, and invasive species eradication and management. CEPF support
enabled grantees to build alliances, supported regional networking and consolidated multi-sectoral partnerships for
biodiversity that crossed political jurisdictions and language barriers. For example, a new regional network of nine
environmental CSOs, Nature Caribé, was created.
9. Despite progress, significant gaps remain in the Caribbean government’s ability to achieve its national biodiversity
commitments and CSOs can help them overcome critical technical issues. Policy and legislative frameworks often
lack environmental impact and strategic environmental assessments and financing mechanisms. Access to and use of
scientific data for decision-making is still limited and enforcement of existing regulations is insufficient. Greater
understanding of the economic value of ecosystem services financial support for protected area management is
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CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
stymied by lack of information and knowledge. CSOs active in the region have the technical potential to provide
support on a broad array of technical issues. What is lacking is the funding to further strengthen its capabilities and
scale efforts across geographies and emerging technical issues. This financial support is especially needed to help the
region during this critical period of COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.
Relationship to CPF
10. Seven countries have been selected as the focus for the project. Based on the analyses in the Ecosystem Profile1,
seven countries have been selected to receive investment under this project (see Table 1). These contain 32 of the 33
priority sites for investment, all 17 globally irreplaceable KBAs, and 97% of the globally threatened species found in
the eligible countries. The one priority site not covered by the project is Morne Diablotin National Park, Dominica. This
site is one of three targeted by Leveraging Eco-Tourism for Biodiversity Protection in Dominica: a US$3.65 million GEF
project, implemented by the WB, which is currently under development.
Table 1: List of selected countries
Country Priority sites Irreplaceable KBAs Globally threatened species
Dominican Republic 9 2 181
Jamaica 7 6 310
Haiti 7 3 204
Saint Lucia 3 1 61
The Bahamas 2 2 87
Antigua and Barbuda 2 2 54
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2 1 58
11. Dominican Republic. The World Bank engagement in the Dominican Republic is described in the Country Partnership
Strategy (CPS) for FY15-18. The overall strategic goal of the CPS is to support the Government’s efforts to make growth
sustainable and more inclusive. The CPS is organized around five strategic results areas: (i) improving the investment
climate and fostering private sector development; (ii) improving access to efficient and reliable electrical distribution
networks, ICT and other infrastructure; (iii) supporting the government in building resilience to external shocks;
(iv) promoting equitable, efficient, transparent and sustainable management of public resources; and
(v) strengthening social service delivery.
12. The project will contribute to results area (iii) Supporting Government in Building Resilience to External Shocks through
enhancing civil societies’ capacity to manage the destructive effects of natural disasters on ecosystems which support
the national economy.
13. Haiti. The World Bank engagement in Haiti is presented in the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for FY15-19. The
CPF is based on three priority pillars and one cross-cutting pillar on governance: (i) Promote inclusive growth by
creating greater economic opportunities; (ii) Strengthen human capital and access to services; (iii) Improve capacity
to adapt to climate shocks; and (iv) Strengthen governance to improve State effectiveness.
1
The ecosystem profile is an important, and unique, part of CEPF's strategy. Before funding projects in a biodiversity hotspot, a
participatory assessment is conducted to understand why the hotspot is biologically important, how local people interact with the
environment, what the threats to biodiversity are, and where previous donors have already made investments.
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CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
14. The project will complement pillar (iii) Improve Capacity to Adapt to Climate Shocks by investing in protecting
ecosystems and globally important biodiversity inside and outside protected areas.
15. Jamaica. The World Bank engagement in Jamaica is described in the CPS for FY14-18. The overarching goal of the CPS
is to support Jamaica in creating conditions for sustainable and inclusive growth. In line with the National Development
Plan and in close cooperation with other development partners operating in Jamaica, the strategy will provide
selective solution-oriented support in three areas: (i) Public Sector Modernization (ii) Enabling Environment for Private
Sector Growth and (iii) Social and Climate Resilience. The WBG program will help address some of Jamaica’s chronic
structural challenges, but only consistent government policies and long-term engagement with all partners would
bring growth acceleration over time.
16. The project will contribute to area the following outcomes under area (iii) Social and Climate Resilience:
Outcome 6: Strengthened social protection programs and improved institutional capacity for their management
Outcome 7: Increased opportunities for poor and vulnerable
Outcome 8: Improved institutional capacity to plan and respond to climate change events and natural disasters
17. OECS countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Dominica). For
the OECS countries, the World Bank engagement is defined through the World Bank Group FY15-19 Partnership
Strategy. The overall strategic goal is to support the OECS in laying foundations for sustainable inclusive growth. To
pursue this high-level objective, the activities are organized around three areas of engagement; all ranked as high
priorities by governments and stakeholders: competitiveness, public sector modernization, and resilience. The project
will contribute to the area of resilience.
The Bahamas is a member of the World Bank, however there is no active portfolio there.
C. Proposed Development Objective(s)
The project development objective (PDO) is to improve the capacity of civil society organizations to reduce threats to
globally important biodiversity in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot.
Key Results (From PCN)
i. Number of local/regional civil society organizations with increased organizational capacity, as measured by
the civil society tracking tool.
ii. Percentage of civil society networks or partnerships supported to improve collaboration with and
coordination among civil, public and private stakeholders.
iii. Area of priority KBAs within protected areas with improved management, as measured by the Management
Effectiveness Tracking Tool (hectares).
iv. Area of priority KBAs outside protected areas with strengthened management of biodiversity (hectares).
D. Concept Description
18. The proposed project will contribute to addressing the threats to globally important biodiversity identified in the
Caribbean Island Hotspot Profile and build on actions, efforts and lessons learned under the phase one program that
require additional support for consolidation. It will support replication and scaling-up of good practice models
implemented during phase one. The activities and results of phase one projects have been reviewed with a view to
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CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
identifying opportunities to add value through "continuity of action," as well as based on new and pending policy and
other developments in the KBAs.
19. The Theory of Change of the project (see Annex 1) is based on the following five premises: (i) the Caribbean Islands
Biodiversity Hotspot is home to millions of people who are dependent on healthy natural resources and biodiversity
for their livelihoods; (ii) habitat protection and biodiversity conservation are important to enable post-COVID-19
economic recovery, as well as increase resilience of natural capital and the economic sectors it supports to the impacts
of climate change; (iii) engaging with and strengthening local civil society is critical to the long-term success of
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (iv) civil society groups can offer innovative ideas and practical
solutions to solving local challenges; and (v) collaborative social accountability presents a pragmatic solution for
building partnerships of CSOs for constructive engagement with public and private sector actors through information
sharing, joint capacity-building and actions for effective biodiversity conservation.
20. The project seeks to overcome two key constraints: first that CSOs’ capacity to implement conservation actions is
constrained by administrative, financial and technical limitations; and second that CSOs’ ability to deliver conservation
impact at scale is hindered by isolation, lack of coordination and weak dissemination and adoption of good practice.
21. To this end, the project will have five components, with Components 1-4 reflecting the short-term outcomes in the
Theory of Change (see Annex 1) and Component 5 providing the administrative, management and monitoring and
evaluation functions necessary for the effective implementation of the other components. The indicative value of
financing against each component is indicative and subject to change during preparation as more information
becomes available. The five components are:
a) Component 1: Increased Share of Land and Sea in and around Priority KBAs under Improved Management
(US$8.8 M)
b) Component 2: Increased Capacity of CSOs in Conservation (US$2.0 M)
c) Component 3: Increased Capacity of Regional Implementation Team (RIT) in Leadership and Coordination
of CSO Conservation Actions (US$0.7 M)
d) Component 4: Strengthened CSO Partnerships for Conservation (US$1.0 M)
e) Project Management, including M&E (US$1.4 M)
22. Components 1-4 offer potential for exchange of experience between island states in the hotspot and with countries
in other hotspots where CEPF is active, particularly ones containing Small Island Developing States, such as the East
Melanesian Islands, and the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspots. CSOs in these hotspots face similar
challenges to those in the Caribbean, and there may be opportunities to replicate good practice models, for instance
in relation to nature-based approaches to post-COVID-19 recovery.
23. Component 1: Increased Share of Land and Sea in and around Priority KBAs under Improved Management
(US$8.8M): Component 1 will support a grant mechanism that focuses on building capacity of CSOs to reduce threats
to globally important biodiversity in seven Caribbean Island countries. At the site scale, grant-making will support
conservation actions in and around 32 priority KBAs, covering a combined area of 1,171,033 hectares. Calls for
proposals will be issued in a manner to attract project ideas that will generate cumulative impacts in a clearly defined
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geographical area. For all grants that aim to strengthen the management of a protected area, the CSO will be asked
to monitor impact by means of the Protected Area Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT).
24. By applying the criteria of the new Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (IUCN 2016), the
ecosystem profile presents a portfolio of sites from among the hotspot’s KBAs with the highest biological values,
ensuring that CEPF’s investment will safeguard important, threatened biodiversity. Further site-based priority setting
ensures that they represent sites with the highest biological values that are under the most threat, and where is it
possible to work without major impediments.
25. Some priority KBAs are too small to support globally important biodiversity and the ecological processes on which
they depend into the long term. Consequently, there is a need for complementary conservation actions in the
surrounding landscape to buffer KBAs from threats, maintain ecological connectivity and facilitate gene flow essential
to ensure that species populations retain long-term viability. To this end, CEPF grant making will also target seven
priority corridors, covering 2.3 million hectares, and engage the CSOs able to work in these areas.
26. The grant mechanism will allocate resources to projects using two approaches: (i) a competitive allocation approach
based on calls-for-proposals (accounting for at least 90% of the total budget allocated to Component 1); and (ii) a non-
competitive allocation to projects under an agreed programmatic or cluster framework (to fill gaps in the portfolio
that cannot be addressed through competitive calls). Under the competitive allocation approach, applications will be
evaluated against a set of agreed criteria by the CEPF Secretariat, the RIT for Caribbean Islands Hotspot, the Caribbean
Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), and a Regional Advisory Committee comprising representatives of civil society,
governments, donors and other major conservation initiatives in the Caribbean Islands Hotspot. The non-competitive
allocation approach will explore opportunities for a programmatic approach to build synergies across grants and scale
up impact in sites and corridors. During the initial phase, there were examples of clustered grant-making, where linked
grants were made to CSOs with complementary skills to address the conservation of a single site. The development of
the programmatic frameworks will be led by the RIT (CANARI) and the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC),
as the Collaborative Social Accountability Team (CSAT), using a collaborative social accountability approach, financed
under Component 4 of the project.
27. Sub-Component 1.1. Protection and Management of Priority KBAs. Under this sub-component, the project will
finance technical and legal processes to strengthen legal protection for priority sites that are currently unprotected
or under-protected. Sites that have been identified for protection in national biodiversity strategies will be prioritized.
The project will also finance preparation and implementation of participatory management plans that support broad
collaboration among stakeholders, including protected area authorities, private landowners and local communities.
Where relevant, climate change impacts will be assessed and climate change adaptation measures will be integrated
into management plans, to protect ecosystem functions and build resilience. The project will also support targeted
activities to reduce threats to priority KBAs, especially by eradicating, controlling or preventing further spread of
invasive plants and animals that are affecting globally threatened species populations at priority KBAs. CSOs that will
receive grants under this sub-component will have to work closely together with the government authority that has
the mandate for the management of protected areas in the country.
28. Sub-Component 1.2. Increasing connectivity and ecosystem resilience in priority corridors. Under this sub-
component, the project will finance activities that contribute to the protection and sustainable management of
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biodiversity in the wider landscape around priority KBAs, in order to buffer globally important biodiversity from
threats, increase landscape-scale connectivity and enhance ecosystem resilience. Most of the activities supported will
take place within production landscapes used for agriculture, forestry or other economic activities. Eligible activities
include supporting sustainable livelihoods in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and nature-based tourism that enhance
ecosystem resilience and landscape-level connectivity and deliver gender-equitable benefits, in order to maintain the
functionality of priority KBAs. In cooperation with relevant national and local government authorities, sub-grants could
also prepare and support implementation of participatory local and corridor-scale land-use and watershed
management plans to guide future development and conservation efforts. Other eligible activities may include
promoting the adoption and scaling up of conservation best practices by private enterprises, to promote connectivity
and ecosystem services in the corridors.
29. Sub-Component 1.3. Safeguarding priority Critically Endangered and Endangered species. Under this sub-
component, the project will finance targeted activities to safeguard key populations of Critically Endangered and
Endangered species. Eleven of the priority KBAs are considered wholly irreplaceable at the global scale because they
contain the only known population of one or more Critically Endangered or Endangered species. These sites qualify as
Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites: the most urgent site-level conservation priorities at the global scale. For most
of these sites, measures to strengthen protection and management of natural ecosystems, while necessary, will not
be sufficient to avert extinction of the most critically threatened species. Consequently, the project will support
targeted activities to address threats to these species. To this end, the project will finance the preparation and
implementation of a limited number of conservation actions plans for priority Critically Endangered and Endangered
species. The project will also finance work to identify the impacts of climate change on priority Critically Endangered
and Endangered species, formulate adaption measures, and integrate them into site management plans.
30. Sub-Component 1.4. Improving the enabling conditions for biodiversity conservation. For the impacts of
conservation activities in and around priority KBAs to be sustainable, they need to take place within an enabling
environment, with favorable public policies, sustainable financing mechanisms and, crucially, support from local
communities and other stakeholders. To this end, the project will support the role of CSOs in policy dialogue and
advocacy focused on government policies that impact priority KBAs, adopting the approach of collaborative social
accountability. The project will finance activities that mainstream biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service
values into development policies, projects, and plans by government and the private sector, with a focus on addressing
major threats, such as unsustainable agriculture, mining, tourism and infrastructure development. The project will
also help to establish and strengthen sustainable financing mechanisms. Although the project budget will not be used
to capitalize trust funds, CSOs will be supported to raise financing from other sources, including the private sector.
Other eligible activities will include targeted communication and information dissemination to build stakeholder and
constituency support for the conservation of priority KBAs and priority species.
31. Where necessary to guide conservation planning and action, the project will support CSO efforts to fill critical gaps in
knowledge and information, including through field surveys of sites and selected species, baseline monitoring
assessments, and the preparation of community assessments or socioeconomic surveys.
32. Component 2: Increased Capacity of CSOs in Conservation (US$2.0M): This component will further strengthen the
capacity of local, national and regional civil society in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity through
targeted capacity development activities (such as classroom-based trainings in proposal design, project cycle
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management, gender mainstream, and managing environmental and social risks, hands-on mentoring, and
development of online training materials) and dedicated knowledge exchanges.
33. This component will be executed through a combination of sub-grants to CSOs, to build local, national and regional
institutional capacity and foster stakeholder collaboration, and direct training and mentoring of CSOs by the RIT
(CANARI). The RIT (CANARI) has administrative and technical functions, and provision of capacity building to CSOs is
one of its technical functions.
34. Sub-Component 2.1. Sub-grants for capacity building. Using a similar grant-making mechanism to that described
under Component 1, the CEPF Secretariat and the RIT (CANARI) will solicit and award sub-grants to increase the
capacity of Caribbean CSOs in conservation. In this way, the project will strengthen CSOs’ technical knowledge and
skills to implement practical, applied biodiversity conservation actions through short-term training in topics that will
advance implementation of projects under Component 1. The project will also strengthen the administrative, financial,
fundraising and project management capacity of strategic CSO partners to implement conservation activities.
Moreover, the project will support local, national and regional information exchange, networking, mentorship, and
coalition building among CSOs.
35. To ensure that sub-grants are accessible to lower capacity organizations, which have the greatest need for capacity
building but also the least capacity to write competitive proposals, the project will ensure that: (i) a small grant
mechanism is established under the direct management of the RIT (CANARI), with a simplified proposal template; (ii)
the Regional Advisory Committee is requested to evaluate small grant applications based upon the potential of the
work to contribute to the capacity building of Caribbean CSOs rather than the quality of the proposal; and (iii)
proposals will be accepted in English, French and Spanish. Moreover, in the first year of the project, one or more
grants could be awarded to higher capacity organizations to mentor very low capacity CSOs and strengthen their
capacity in proposal writing, among other things. These CSOs could then go on to apply for sub-grants directly during
subsequent years.
36. Sub-Component 2.2. Direct training and mentoring. Under this sub-component, the RIT will undertake an assessment
of the institutional landscape and capacity development needs in each target country. Based on this, it will develop
and deliver a comprehensive capacity development program during the lifetime of the project. Participants will include
sub-grantees and CSOs that have potential to become sub-grantees or have expressed interest in conserving island
biodiversity. Training sessions will be held in various formats, including workshops, lectures or hands-on activities in
the field. The RIT (CANARI) will organize grantee knowledge exchange workshops at project mid-point and end, to
facilitate exchange of experience practice among sub-grantees that implement or have implemented projects in
similar thematic areas, and to document and disseminate good practice.
37. Component 3: Increased Capacity of RIT in Leadership and Coordination of CSO Conservation Actions (US$0.7M).
This component will strengthen the role and widen the responsibilities of the RIT (CANARI) in the Caribbean Islands
Hotspot vis-à-vis the CEPF Secretariat. The RIT is central to the delivery of Components 1, 2 and 4, because it provides
strategic leadership and local knowledge to build a broad constituency of CSOs working across institutional and
political boundaries toward achieving the conservation goals described in the ecosystem profile. The RIT’s major
functions and specific activities will be based on approved terms of reference.
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38. This component will be executed by the CEPF Secretariat. The CEPF Secretariat has both administrative and technical
functions; provision of capacity building to the RIT is one of its technical functions.
39. Sub-Component 3.1. Technical assistance program for the RIT. This sub-component will finance a RIT needs
assessment based on which a technical assistance program for the Caribbean Islands RIT will be developed to improve
its capacity to manage the grant portfolio and provide technical backstopping to all sub-grantees. The program will
include training workshops on assessing the feasibility of proposed projects, identify technical and fiduciary risks of
proposals and sub-grantees; and provide refresher courses on biodiversity conservation and share newest
developments in the field.
40. Component 4: Strengthened CSO Partnerships for Conservation (US$1.0M). This component will apply social
accountability methodologies and tools to facilitate partnerships for conservation. These partnerships will bring
together central and local-level public sector institutions, CSOs, local communities and, where relevant, private sector
actors, to co-create analyses of conservation problems and develop joint solutions. This recognizes that successful,
sustained conservation actions depend upon good coordination among multiple actors, which leverage
complementary skills, experience, networks and authority.
41. In the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and Saint Lucia, this component will be led by the INTEC,
the Collaborative Social Accountability Team (CSAT). In The Bahamas, Haiti and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, this
component will be led by the RIT (CANARI), learning from the experience of INTEC. The Global Partnership for Social
Accountability (GPSA) will provide co-financing support and oversight to INTEC. This arrangement will allow the project
to learn from global good practice developed under the GPSA, which was established by the WB in 2012 to promote
constructive engagement between governments and civil society in order to create an enabling environment in which
citizen feedback is used to solve fundamental problems in service delivery and to strengthen the performance of public
institutions.
42. The CSAT (INTEC) and the RIT (CANARI) will work together to implement the following set of main activities:
i. Develop and execute a harmonized capacity development plan aimed at providing training to CSOs on
addressing conservation challenges through social accountability mechanisms. The social accountability
mechanisms will be tailored to the contexts, capacities and needs identified collaboratively between local
communities, CSOs, private and public sector stakeholders. They will be geared towards generating feedback
on the status of problems and issues, and identifying actions to address them through joint problem-solving
at both local and central levels through clearly defined commitments, coordination and cooperation across
stakeholders. The mechanisms thus have a twofold aim: (1) to strengthen public sector institutions’ capacity
to respond to issues, problems and solutions over which they have primary responsibility and accountability,
and (2) to strengthen civil society's capacity for co-producing (taking part in) the execution of such solutions
and increasing their civic oversight capacities to hold public sector institutions' accountable for their
commitments.
ii. Create continuous collaborative spaces for bringing together CSOs, public bodies and other stakeholders to
build partnerships for conservation at a sub-set of priority KBAs and/or corridors in each country. The focus
of the conservation challenges to be addressed will be guided by the sub-projects led by CEPF grantee CSOs
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as laid out in Components 1, 2 and 4. In each target area, INTEC and the RIT will guide grantee CSOs to facilitate
the establishment of collaborative frameworks spelling out the terms of cooperation across stakeholders,
including (i) information sharing, (ii) actions to be jointly addressed, and (iii) joint capacity-building and
technical assistance activities that will enable such actions to be effectively executed.
iii. Design and implement knowledge-sharing and learning activities related to the experience with use of social
accountability methodologies generated under the project. Specifically, INTEC and the RIT will collaborate to
(i) develop K&L products tailored to their primary and secondary beneficiaries, that will help stakeholders to
learn about the use of social accountability mechanisms for biodiversity conservation and management, and
(ii) jointly design a common monitoring, evaluation and learning system to assess and adjust progress using
adaptive management and learning approaches. The system will be developed as part of an independent
evaluation of the social accountability activities to be implemented under the common GPSA-CEPF agreed
upon activities.
43. Project Management, including M&E (US$1.4M). All activities related to administration and supervision of the
project, communication, procurement and financial management as well as monitoring and reporting will be covered
under this component. The Project Management Unit (PMU) will be the CEPF Secretariat, working in partnership with
the RIT hosted at CANARI, and in close collaboration with INTEC, the lead implementer of the GPSA-supported
activities under Component 4. The PMU and the RIT will be staffed with experts on technical and fiduciary matters,
monitoring and evaluation and environment and social standards. Under this component, communication on the
project, including gathering lessons learned from the implementation will be financed.
Legal Operational Policies Triggered?
Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No
Projects in Disputed Areas OP 7.60 No
Summary of Screening of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
.
The Environmental and Social Risks Classification (ESRC) for this Project is Substantial.
The environmental risk is expected to be Moderate. The Project aims to improve the capacity of civil society organizations
in the conservation and management of globally important biodiversity in selected Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) in the
Caribbean Biodiversity Hotspot, and will support conservation actions in and around 32 priority KBAs, covering a combined
area of 1,171,033 hectares and target seven priority corridors to maintain ecological connectivity, covering 2.3 million
hectares in seven Caribbean countries. Activities proposed are related to conserving biodiversity and strengthening
protection of identified priority conservation sites and thus not likely to have significant or irreversible environmental
impacts. No major civil works are anticipated. Moving towards sustainable practices in agriculture, fisheries and forestry in
the landscapes around KBAs, will help maintain the integrity of the landscape (such as through maintaining soil quality,
reducing soil degradation and conserving water) thereby enhancing landscape-scale connectivity and ecosystem resilience.
The Project is expected to have positive environmental outcomes.
The social risk is expected to be Substantial. Some of the areas that will be included for protected area status and
conservation are located on land that is currently used for agriculture and/or forestry by local populations. Consequently,
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CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
restrictions of use could result in loss of access to these lands, and potentially have some impacts on livelihood insecurity
for the populations, albeit on a local scale. There is also some concern about the capacity of the sub-grantees to manage
social risks in terms of exacerbation of existing patterns of social exclusion, participation, elite capture. With respect to
labor, the main risk will be related the labor practices of the Regional Implementation Team, and the sub-grantee Civil
Societies Organizations (CSOs). There is also some implications for project impacts on vulnerable groups, related to inclusive
and significant participation, and including, but not limited to, households that depend on agriculture within the project
area, and vulnerable people (women, single parent female headed household, the poorest, people living in slums, disabled,
LGBT, youth at risks, the Windward and Leeward Maroons in Jamaica.) Consequently, the project will carry out a
participatory and inclusive approach to improve collaboration with and coordination among civil, public and private
stakeholders. The project will also further strengthening its social communication processes, citizen engagement, gender
approach, and beneficiary feedback mechanisms, to ensure inclusion and active participation of beneficiaries from
disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and to avoid any kind of discrimination and exclusion that might be present in the
current system in participant countries, as well as at the regional level.
To avoid, minimize or mitigate the risks mentioned above, the grantee will prepare an Environmental and Social
Management Framework (ESMF) which will cover integrated pest management prior to Project approval. A Labor
Management Procedure (LMP), a Process Framework (PF), a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) and an Environmental and
Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) will need to be prepared prior to appraisal. The ESMF, will also address the organizational
structure capacity to support the management of environmental and social risks. The process framework will contain
measure to mitigate potential impacts deriving from access restrictions in relation to legally designated parks, protected
areas, or other common property in participant countries.
Eight Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) are considered relevant to the proposed operations at this stage. These
are: ESS1-ESS6, ESS8 and ESS10.
.
CONTACT POINT
World Bank
Juan Jose Miranda Montero
Environmental Economist
Borrower/Client/Recipient
Conservation International
Dr. M Sanjayan
Chief Executive Officer
msanjayan@conservation.org
Implementing Agencies
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The World Bank
CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
Conservation International
Dr. M Sanjayan
Chief Executive Officer
msanjayan@conservation.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
The World Bank
1818 H Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20433
Telephone: (202) 473-1000
Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects
APPROVAL
Task Team Leader(s): Juan Jose Miranda Montero
Approved By
APPROVALTBL
Environmental and Social Standards
Juan Jose Miranda Montero 16-Jun-2020
Advisor:
Practice Manager/Manager: Valerie Hickey 17-Jun-2020
Country Director: Kathryn Ann Funk 09-Jul-2020
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CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND – CARIBBEAN HOTSPOT PROJECT (P173464)
Annex 1: Theory of change for the project
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