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Request for FY2001 Financial Assistance Awards to the East Asia and Pacific Environment Initiative (EAPEI) for the proposed project Community Participation for Conservation Success – Promoting communi[.]

Request for FY2001 Financial Assistance Awards to the East Asia and Pacific Environment Initiative (EAPEI) for the proposed project: Community Participation for Conservation Success – Promoting community participation towards effective conservation of Vietnam’s natural heritage through Community-Based Environmental Education Submitted by Xuan Mai Forestry University, Hanoi, Vietnam World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indochina Program Principal Contacts: In Vietnam: Mike Matarasso, Environmental Education Coordinator, WWF Indochina Program, PO BOX 151, 53 Tran Phu, Hanoi, Vietnam In USA: Jenny Springer, Director, Asia-Pacific, WWFUS, 1250 24 th Street, Washington DC 20037 A Project Summary The rapid and profound economic and social changes presently occurring in Vietnam are threatening the integrity of this country’s globally important biodiversity, particularly the unique and rare forest biodiversity of the Greater Annamites ecoregion As much of the country’s economic development is currently based on unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, development is often accompanied by severe environmental degradation In recognition of these issues, the Government of Vietnam (GOV) is supporting innovative initiatives that seek to balance development with the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources Two such programs are the Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program (5MHRP) and an ecoregional conservation initiative in the Greater Annamites Ecoregion The GOV recognizes that community participation in these initiatives is crucial for their success This project has been designed to increase the effectiveness of conservation programs in Vietnam by promoting community participation through CommunityBased Environmental Education (CBEE) The project will work to promote the longterm institutional capacity of the GOV to foster community participation in conservation management, as well as contribute to immediate conservation action in priority protected areas Community participation is an essential component of conservation and sustainable use strategies because local people are important and direct managers and users of the resources to be conserved As new initiatives for forest conservation and sustainable use are implemented in Vietnam, it will be critical for local communities to develop the knowledge, skills and commitment they will need to participate in these programs Community-based environmental education (CBEE) is an approach designed to build this knowledge and capacity at the local level, so that people can play an active role in conservation At present, there are few institutional mechanisms for training government forest resource managers in the skills necessary to foster local participation, and no core capacity to train staff in CBEE as a tool for promoting participation Therefore, one key objective of this project is to build this capacity by developing a training program at Xuan Mai University (Vietnam’s premier forest university) for pre-service and inservice students who work in forest protected area management At the same time, the project will contribute to concrete conservation results by integrating CBEE activities into priority field implementation sites under major GoV conservation initiatives To summarize, the overarching goal of this project is: To enhance the effectiveness of conservation action in Vietnam by promoting community participation through Community-Based Environmental Education The project’s two main objectives are: To increase the immediate and long-term capacity of government protected area managers to foster community participation in conservation and sustainable development initiatives by incorporating CBEE training into mainstream training institutions To contribute directly to successful conservation action in two priority sites in the Central Annamites by integrating community-based EE activities into the implementation of protected area conservation projects WWF, Xuan Mai Forestry University and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will work in collaboration to accomplish these objectives by developing curricula for pre-service and in-service training in Community-Based Environmental Education at Xuan Mai Forestry University, training a team of University trainers and piloting the EE training courses The second objective will be accomplished by developing and implementing innovative EE projects in cooperation with two Protected Areas (PAs) in the Central Annamites as part of the wider conservation strategy for the Central Annamites Outputs of the project will include:  Collaboratively designed and tested CBEE curricula established within preservice and in-service training programs for PA managers at Xian Mai Forest University  Handbook on CBEE produced that can be used by PA managers in forest PA’s throughout Vietnam and adapted for use in other countries  A core group of University staff trained as trainers in CBEE and providing ongoing training to all PA staff  Twenty staff members within MARD with practical training in all stages of developing EE as a critical tool for achieving effective conservation results  All new protected area managers graduating from Xian Mai receiving CBEE as part of their regular training  CBEE activities developed and implemented at two key sites, and demonstrated to have increased the effectiveness of conservation initiatives at those sites  EE demonstrated as a critical component of Protected Area management to influence government budgetary priorities  Demonstration activities and materials that can be used to magnify the results from the project to other priority conservation areas in the region undertaken Evaluation of the training course and materials and monitoring of the progress of trainees will be a critical element of the project The trainees will also evaluate the impact of EE towards direct conservation success within the field-based projects in the second year Evaluation and results will be disseminated to magnify the impact of the project This project represents the first major step in Vietnam towards institutional support for community-based participation in forest management and biodiversity conservation Direct results of the project and the various conservation actions that it will support will have a significant cumulative effect throughout Vietnam immediately and in the long-term future This project directly supports EAP-EI’s objectives in promoting rational use of forest resources in the Asia-Pacific region, increasing the capacity of both government and resource-dependent communities to manage their natural resource base now and in the future, and sharing conservation experience across the Asia-Pacific region B Project Rationale The biodiversity importance of the Greater Annamites Vietnam is a beautiful country with rich cultural and ecological diversity Vietnam’s considerable range in latitude and altitude, high rainfall, and wide variety of landforms have created a great diversity of habitats such as rainforest, deltaic mangroves, sandy coast, and high sub-alpine scrub These habitats support a rich diversity of species, of which a disproportionately high number are unique and threatened The most significant area for biodiversity in Vietnam is the Greater Annamites ecoregion, comprising the biogeographical phenomena of the Annamite Mountains which run almost the entire length of central Vietnam The Annamites have been recognized as a G200 ecoregion, based on WWF’s global assessment of areas of highest biodiversity importance Rare and endangered species found in the Greater Annamites include three large endemic mammal species, which were until recently unknown to science: the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), the Giant Muntjac (Megamuntiacus vuquangensis) and the Truong Son Muntjac (Muntiacus truongsonenis) These species were described in 1992, 1994 and 1997 respectively Additionally, seven pheasant species have been recorded recently including the endemic Edwards Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) which was thought to be extinct, and the Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata) which is also endemic to the region The ecoregion is also remarkable in supporting at least six endemic primates such as two species of gibbon (Hylobates sp.) and three species of Douc Langur (Pygathrix sp.) Also, numerous other highly threatened fauna are present in Vietnam and the Greater Annamites including wild cattle such as Gaur (Bos gaurus), Tiger (Panthera tigris), Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Loris (Nycticebus spp.) and Asian Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus) The forests also host rare and important botanical families such as Dipterocarpaceae, Fabaceae, Sapindaceae, Meliaceae and Burseraceae Problem Statement Vietnam’s economy is growing rapidly However, this growth is presently coming at the expense of the environment The country’s economy and growth is closely tied to its natural resources with agriculture, forestry and fisheries accounting for almost 26% of total GDP and 70% of total employment in the country Vietnam also has one of the highest population densities in the world (about 220 persons per km2 mean density) and a rapidly-growing population (2.3% per year) As large areas of the country have become resource-degraded, another prominent trend has been migration into higher elevations in the Annamites where natural resources are relatively abundant These trends have decreased the sustainability of traditional resource use practices in the highlands and contributed to pressures on the environment In general, over-exploitation of Vietnam’s heritage of natural wealth is leading to an increase in environmental problems such as soil erosion, catastrophic flooding and the loss of the country’s rich and unique biodiversity In response to these urgent issues, the Government of Vietnam (GOV) is presently embarked on a number of ambitious initiatives to ensure that the natural resources of the country are sustainably managed and its rich biodiversity is conserved over the long term Among these are initiatives intended to provide legal, policy and institutional frameworks, as well as economic incentives, for reforestation, creation of new protected areas and other major changes in the management of forest resources It is becoming increasingly apparent, however, that a key missing piece of these conservation efforts is capacity-building for protected area managers in practical tools for engaging local communities, as well as educational work with communities to help them to acquire the necessary knowledge, motivation and skills to participate in conservation Community participation is an essential component of conservation and sustainable use strategies because local people are important and direct managers and users of the resources to be conserved In the Greater Annamites, communities living in and around high-biodiversity sites such as protected areas depend for their livelihoods primarily on use of natural resources As new initiatives for forest conservation and sustainable use are implemented in these areas, it will be critical to ensure that local communities have the knowledge and skills they need both to influence the implementation of these programs and to successfully undertake conservationoriented changes However, community participation in conservation management is a relatively new concept in Vietnam In particular, there is very limited capacity among government forest resource managers to design and carry out communitybased environmental education (CBEE) activities which would enable them to facilitate understanding of conservation dynamics, exchange of perspectives and decision-making regarding conservation action with local communities The GoV, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as the lead agency in forest conservation and management, is highly supportive of CBEE as a tool for community participation in conservation The government also recognizes that capacity to foster local participation through environmental education is presently lacking and is concerned that major conservation initiatives will be less effective and may even fail without this critical component At present, there is little if any capacity in existing institutions to carry out CBEE training for government staff or activities with local communities While EE activities have been initiated in association with some local protected area projects, these activities have always relied on external funding and support In order to ensure that the skills and capacity to undertake EE are accessible over the long term, the Ministry and Forest Protection Department are strongly supportive of developing capacity within existing institutions to integrate EE into basic conservation training Integration with other Conservation Strategies This project has been specifically designed to complement and contribute to a number of wider GoV biodiversity conservation strategies The project is a vital component of each of these strategies and therefore is likely to have a significant cumulative impact Current GoV several initiatives aimed at establishing strong legal, policy and institutional frameworks, as well as economic incentives for forest conservation and sustainable use, include:  a major initiative involving a partnership of government institutions, NGOs and international donors to establish Five Million Hectares of additional forest land both under strict protection and for production (The Five Million Hectare Program, Decree 661)  a review of the protected area system involving the design of a representative network of protected areas and the establishment of the institutional mechanisms necessary to effectively manage these protected areas  an initiative to promote forest certification as the mechanism for sustainable forestry practices throughout Vietnam Each of these programs has identified environmental education as a fundamental tool for enhancing participation and achieving conservation success The case of the 5MHRP provides a particularly striking example This program (issued as decree 661 in 1998) seeks to reforest and rehabilitate million hectares of forestland such that by 2010 total forest cover will reach 14.3 million hectares (equivalent to 43% of total land area) The program will guide forest policy in Vietnam over the next decade and is intended to contribute to environmental security, reduce natural calamities, increase water resources capacity and protect biodiversity Decree 661 clearly states that local people will be allocated land and paid both to protect existing primary forest and to plant trees in degraded areas The identification of key areas for nature reserves as well as for forest protection and enrichment planting contracts will be more accurate, acceptable and – ultimately – effective if local knowledge of forest use can be integrated into the land use planning process A participatory approach will have the greatest potential for improving the management and protection of natural resources, while giving local people better access to resources and economic opportunities Indeed, a key to the failings of an earlier reforestation program was an ineffective land allocation process that did not involve local people It is the declared intention of Vietnam’s current policy to improve forest management and protection through a sense of ownership and responsibility, in order to benefit local farmers and the state In addition to these programs, the government is supporting a conservation initiative for the Greater Annamites ecoregion (part of the Forests of the Lower Mekong), managed by WWF and funded in part by USAID’s Global Bureau At present, this program is focusing on developing a comprehensive conservation strategy for one priority area in the ecoregion – the Central Annamites – including setting conservation priorities, identifying key opportunities and constraints and developing critical partnerships This pilot program has only recently been launched but is receiving a great deal of support and attention from all levels of government During the planning meetings for the Central Annamite Conservation initiative it was recognized that an important aim of the initiative should be to help realize the goals of the 5MHRP in key high-biodiversity sites identified through the strategy The critical importance of community-based EE for achieving conservation goals in Vietnam has also been highlighted during the on-going planning process, and this project would be implemented as a component of the Greater Annamites ecoregional program C Activity Description Goal: To enhance the effectiveness of conservation action in Vietnam by promoting community participation through Community-Based Environmental Education This project is based on the principle that conservation programs will only be successful with the active participation of people who understand the purpose of conservation-oriented actions, appreciate their importance and feel competent to undertake them successfully These understandings, values and capacities can all be enhanced through education Education cannot achieve conservation goals on its own: conservation results also depend upon effective legislation, sound policy and a well-designed and functional infrastructure However education, and the participation it fosters, remains critical for effective conservation and is too often neglected This project is therefore designed to ensure that conservation programs in Vietnam are well supported by effective community-based EE initiatives through the development of long-term training facilities and by direct support to EE activities in priority field sites in the Central Annamites Community-based environmental education (CBEE) is the term used here to describe the approach of building knowledge and capacity at the local level, so that people can play an active role in conservation Training in CBEE for protected area managers is designed to increase their awareness and commitment to the importance of community participation, while imparting practical tools to strengthen their work with communities Environmental education work with communities is intended to contribute to concrete, on-the-ground conservation results by increasing the understanding, commitment and skills of people who are directly affecting resources Environmental education in Vietnam is in an early stage of development Attitudes, however, are changing positively from an EE approach focused on information dissemination to one that is interactive Accompanying this change in attitude is a growing appreciation and recognition among government agencies and NGO’s of environmental education as an essential tool for furthering conservation goals through public participation Opportunities for community participation in conservation and natural resource management are presently severely constrained by the lack of training mechanisms Very fundamental steps are necessary to establish these mechanisms This project, as the first project to develop institutional capacity within Vietnam for community-based environmental education, would constitute a significant step forward for conservation in Vietnam Objective 1: To increase the immediate and long-term capacity of government protected area managers to foster community participation in conservation though CBEE Result 1.1: Participatory approach to CBEE institutionalized within Vietnam’s premier training facility for forest and protected area managers  Collaboratively designed and tested CBEE curricula established within preservice and in-service training programs for PA managers at Xian Mai Forest University  Handbook on CBEE produced that can be used by PA managers in forest PA’s throughout Vietnam and adapted for use in other countries  A core group of University staff trained as trainers in CBEE and providing ongoing training to all PA staff The project will institutionalize a permanent CBEE program within Xuan Mai Forestry University, Vietnam’s principle training facility for Forest Protection Department staff directly responsible for managing Vietnam’s protected areas Xuan Mai has been selected as the key partner both because its graduates take prominent positions in MARD, and will have the deepest impact on future action, and because WWF has a long history of successful cooperation with the University Xuan Mai currently offers pre-service training leading to a degree in silviculture or forest resource management and protection (a degree in social forestry is being developed) At present, the coursework for these degrees does not include training in Community-Based Environmental Education, though the University has expressed a strong interest in developing such curricula Therefore, the first activity of this project will be to develop curricula in communitybased environmental education that can be integrated into the pre-service training for all protected area managerial staff, as well as into an annual intensive in-service training for government staff who will be charged specifically with developing and implementing CBEE programs for protected areas In order for CBEE to be fully integrated into the pre-service training, and for the specialist in-service training course to be a permanent service offered by the University, permanent University staff will be trained to run the EE course These trainees will be responsible for running the training courses after their initial training and evaluation Specific activities will include:        Establish a curriculum development working group comprising staff of Xuan Mai (particularly those staff who will be future CBEE Trainers) WWF EE Unit staff and the Curriculum Specialist Conduct a training needs assessment and review of existing CBEE materials in Vietnam and internationally Develop course materials including a training manual for use in the courses and handbook for future reference in the field Develop comprehensive curricula for pre-service and in-service trainings Identify trainers from among the staff of Xian Mai University and develop ToR for EE responsibilities Design and conduct three-week training course for Trainers Undertake evaluation of training program The University will participate by dedicating staff for the development of the curricula and a handbook, and for conducting the course (once they themselves have been trained) The project will provide the technical assistance necessary to develop the course and CBEE handbook as well as the funds necessary to pilot and evaluate the training course Performance Indicators:  Curriculum development working group comprising staff of Xuan Mai (particularly those staff who will be future CBEE Trainers) WWF EE Unit staff and the Curriculum Specialist and counterpart established to advise the development of the curricula and to take the lead role in monitoring and evaluating progress  Course materials and field handbook completed  A comprehensive intensive curriculum developed with associated materials for inservice training for future staff dedicated to CBEE  A curriculum developed, based on the content and materials developed for the inservice training, to integrate CBEE modules into existing pre-service training courses at Xuan Mai for all future protected management staff  On-going review of the curricula development and the handbook developed as part of the detailed performance measuring plan  Staff of Xian Mai with full TOR dedicated to CBEE training (full-time and part-time) assigned by the University  Active participation in three-week training course for the Trainers and training highly rated in follow-up evaluation  Curricula and training material revised following evaluation of the training  Initiatives for promoting continued practice of CBEE by trainees developed Result 1.2: Core group of CBEE professionals established and increasing  Approximately twenty staff members within MARD with intensive and practical training all stages of developing EE as a critical tool for achieving effective conservation results  All new protected area managers graduating from Xian Mai receiving CBEE as part of their regular training Materials developed in the first phase will be used to run two curricula A two-month in-service training course will be run for staff dedicated to undertake the role as Environmental Educators in protected areas Approximately twenty trainees will undertake this course, selected using carefully defined criteria to encourage trainees from a wide variety of sources and backgrounds This course will be completed when an intensive evaluation of the course and the materials has been conducted The results of this evaluation will be used to refine the course and the materials used Following the in-service training, each trainee will be appointed a supervisor from the Xuan Mai Trainers for one year to support, motivate and advise the implementation of CBEE in the field CBEE modules will also be incorporated into the basic pre-service training curricula in order that all protected area managers will graduate with a basic understanding of the role of EE in promoting community participation in conservation and methodologies for implementing CBEE Performance Indicators:  Twenty staff selected for the intensive in-service training course of which at least six will be selected specifically to undertake CBEE in the Central Annamites  Selection criteria developed for the in-service training participants  A two-month intensive in-service training course in CBEE completed and evaluated  In-service trainees successfully complete examination and assessment by the end of year one  CBEE modules integrated into pre-service training for all graduates during year two Objective 2: To contribute directly to successful conservation action in two priority sites in the Central Annamites by integrating community-based EE activities into the implementation of protected area conservation projects Result 2.1: Enhanced conservation action through local participation at two priority field sites  CBEE activities developed and implemented at key sites, and demonstrated to have increased the effectiveness of conservation initiatives at those sites  EE demonstrated as a critical component of Protected Area management to influence government budgetary priorities Six graduates of the in-service course will assisted by the project to develop and implement innovative CBEE projects in cooperation with two Protected Areas (PAs) in the Central Annamites as part of the wider conservation strategy developed for that area These activities will be targeted to support the implementation of Five Million Hectare Forest Restoration Program goals of improved management of existing forests and replanting on degraded forest lands The two most likely implementation sites are Song Thanh Nature Reserve and Dakrong Nature Reserve (proposed) Other potential sites are Bach Ma National Park, Saola Nature Reserve (proposed), and Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve A team of three trainees will work in each site Critical issues to be addressed in Song Thanh reserve are development and implementation of a management plan for the reserve forests and protection of endangered species such as elephants, tigers and endemic primates In Dakrong Nature Reserve, considerable work with the local communities will be required to ensure that the creation of a new reserve is accepted and encouraged by the local people and that local people are able to participate in the demarcation of the reserve and in its management (However, the specific location of the CBEE field initiatives will be determined as part of the conservation strategy for the Central Annamites over the next several months.) 10 The recently graduated technical EE officers, together with the technical staff of the Pas and with direct support from the project, will refine the selection of urgent conservation issues that require community participation for success such as sustainable forestry practices in the buffer zone, anti-poaching enforcement and biodiversity monitoring The teams within the PA’s will then design and implement a comprehensive community based field program that supports direct action to mitigate an urgent conservation issue The criteria for selecting the projects will be based on practical and effective actions that will achieve tangible results within the lifetime of the project While specific strategies will be determined by the EE trainees, activities may include:  community meetings, led by EE staff, where local people’s perceptions of nature can be explored, and community resource use documented  Performance of traditional folklore, stories and music highlighting indigenous traditions (e.g beliefs, management practices, ceremonies) that teach stewardship of nature and relating these to current conservation issues  meetings to introduce and build relationships between forest guards/other reserve staff and communities in order to cultivate the personal relationships necessary for trust and cooperation in conservation  development and distribution of public awareness materials – including posters, calendars, a brochure on the reserve, etc., explaining forest and wildlife regulations, how they would affect local activities and how people can become involved in developing regulations for the reserve  school-based activities regarding nature reserve and its purposes – for example, “forestry knowledge” contests among the students led by reserve staff and teachers  Performances of theatre, puppet shows, and stories illustrating how people analyze and adopt conservation-oriented changes in behavior Effort would also be devoted to encouraging wider attention to the initiative – for example through media coverage – in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of CBEE specifically and participation in general, and to magnify the results           Performance Indicators: Six trainees identified to undertake the CBEE activities in the Central Annamites Identification of two protected areas and two issues related to community participation and the effective implementation of the 5MHFP Two CBEE projects identified and designed by the two trainee teams with the technical staff of the PA under the supervision of the project staff and the Xuan Mai Trainers to promote community participation in the management of the selected protected areas Two CBEE projects designed with clearly indicated objectives and activities Baseline data on conservation issue documented and evaluation methodology designed Two examples of innovative, high profile CBEE activities undertaken Two written reports and presentations on the design, implementation and impact evaluation produced from the two CBEE activities produced Local press and television coverage of the activities conducted in the two protected areas within the Central Annamites On-going evaluation of EE projects and final evaluation of the conservation impact of the CBEE activities in the Central Annamites 11 This project will meet the USAID objectives in funding activities under EAPEI by supporting and creating opportunities to increase the long-term capacity of the GoV to undertake effective conservation action based on the sustainable use of natural resources within the Greater Annamites Ecoregion Not only will the project aim to increase the long-term capacity to undertake more successful conservation, it will also strive to undertake direct conservation action as part of a number of interacting conservation strategies to achieve real conservation results within the lifetime of the project The project is based on the principle that long-term sustainable conservation is best achieved by developing the capacity of existing institutional mechanisms rather than establishing new unsustainable initiatives The lessons learnt from this project will provide valuable information for other similar initiatives in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region Performance Measurement Plan Monitoring and Evaluation of the project will be built into all stages of the project in order to provide opportunities to adapt the training course and methodologies and to monitor and evaluate the success of the project Each activity has been developed with critical performance indicators that will be used to monitor progress towards each objective Furthermore, a detailed performance monitoring plan will be developed within the first quarter of each year using more specific criteria and indicators to measure the achievement of detailed aspects of each activity such as specific chapters of the handbook and—especially specific objectives of the CBEE activities in the Central Annamites The Terms of Reference for the curriculum design working group will include directions for this group to act as evaluators throughout the project The WWF EE coordinator will have a specific responsibility for ensuring that the project meets each of the project’s performance indicators and reporting on progress to the working group, the GOV and the EAP-EI While the activities under this project are aimed to establish the institutional capacity for training in CBEE and to undertake CBEE to promote community participation to meet actual urgent conservation needs, the project also has an important value as a pilot and demonstration activity The lessons learnt from the development of the curricula and handbook and the Training of Trainers to the implementation of CBEE in a very real situation will provide added value for future development of related projects in Vietnam and in the Asia-Pacific region Therefore, the final months of the project will be dedicated to a thorough evaluation of how the project succeeded or failed to meet the objectives of the project Particular emphasis will be placed on evaluating the methods for using CBEE as a tool for promoting community participation in conservation actions vital to a wider conservation strategy Final reports and other communication materials will be prepared by the project team, based on the evaluations and experiences particularly of the trainers and trainees that can be used to pass the lessons learned on to other related projects C5 Partners and co-financing Project partners: Xuan Mai Forestry University, Government of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and World-Wide Fund for Nature Indochina Program (WWF ICP) Xuan Mai Forestry University will be the principal partner for executing the project The University will cover the costs and managerial responsibilities involved with the 12 provision of the training staff and facilities throughout the project as their contribution to the project As noted above, the project has been designed as part of the conservation strategy for the Greater Annamites ecoregion program The project will be implemented to complement and integrate with other activities under the ecoregion program Thus, the field-based EE initiatives in the second year of the project will be closely linked to a broader range conservation activities undertaken in the two focal protected areas and across the Central Annamites, which will serve to leverage the EE activities Complementary with other USG efforts: USAID’s Global Bureau is presently providing generous support (matched by WWF) for WWF’s program in the Forests of the Lower Mekong, including the Greater Annamites ecoregion This support is increasing the likelihood of success of this project by helping to develop the conservation strategy for the Central Annamites, and building the partnerships necessary to accomplish this and other project components Indeed, one lesson learned from earlier EAP-EI support has been the importance of integrating this project support into a broader overall program, instead of creating stand-alone projects With the strong program foundation provided by USAID and other investments, EAP-EI support can fill critical program gaps and achieve results quickly A key feature of this project is also its potential to integrate with other conservation initiatives by providing a basic foundation of capacity that will contribute to a wide range of conservation actions The funds and resources available to each program therefore will have a cumulative effect and a greater impact than the sum of the many activities run separately C6 Sustainability Plan The project has been designed to generate immediate conservation results in the two year time period while providing the sustainable framework to continue achieving conservation results in the long term by developing a training capacity in environmental education By training existing staff of an existing training facility, presently lacking in the skills and experience in training of EE, the project will establish a long-term facility rather than one that will end with the cessation of the project The project will produce curricula documents to ensure that the knowledge and resources are immediately available for staff to develop the courses in the future In addition, a training manual for the course participants will be produced that can be used in the field to train other staff and provide a source of inspiration and methodologies past the lifetime of the project The aim of the project is to create a significant array of multipliers that will be able to undertake EE with limited additional resources in the future Community-based EE projects will be initiated in field projects under the program and these projects are intended to act as both pilots and demonstrations on the application of EE to conservation action It is planned that these projects will help to ignite similar activities throughout the country The budget has been carefully designed to ensure that inputs are relevant and not encouraging dependency, which ensures that the project activities can continue The project will ensure that the results and lessons learnt are clearly disseminated and demonstration potential of the project is maximized to promote on-going and extra activities 13 14 D Project Workplan Activity Activity 1.1 Project Curriculum Specialist in post Working group established Introduction and input workshop Review of existing materials (national and international) CBEE training needs assessment Development of a course outline Training Handbook developed Course materials produced Activity 1.2 Trainers identified Training course for the Trainers undertaken ToT Evaluation completed Activity 1.3 Pre-service training completed Selection criteria identified for pilot in-service training participants Two-month in-service training course completed Curricula and Handbook Evaluation and Revision Workshop for Trainees and Trainers Activity 2.1 Identification of focal PA’s and staff from the Central Annamites Design of EE projects Implementation of EE projects Report on the progress of the pilot EE projects Activity 3.1 Detailed performance measuring plan developed Evaluation meeting following the Training of the Trainers End of in-service training course evaluation (mid term review) and exams Evaluation of EE project pilot sites in the Central Annamites Final project evaluation workshop Final report and presentations from the project Final Project presentation Workshop Year Q1 Q2 X Q3 Q4 X X X X Year Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 15 E Letters of commitment Letters of commitment from the two key government partners (Xuan Mai Forestry University and the Forest Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are provided in the Appendix F Organizational Capability Statement WWF – World Wide fund for Nature was officially formed and registered as a charity on 11 September 1961 (WWF is known as World Wildlife Fund in Canada and the United States) WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature is the world’s largest and one of the most experienced independent conservation organizations It has a global network of offices in over 60 countries consisting of programme offices, national organizations, and associate organizations with 2,700 full time professional staff The WWF International secretariat is based in Gland, Switzerland Since its founding in 1961, WWF has supported and implemented over 11,000 conservation projects in 130 countries around the world At present, there are active WWF projects in 96 countries, and total expenditures for the WWF International network was US$ 265 million in 1996 Half of the WWF budget for nature conservation activities are received in the form of donations from 4.7 million individuals around the world who support conservation and join WWF as voluntary members An additional 18% of WWF’s budget is received from governments and aid agencies Globally, WWF concentrates its effort in three main areas to conserve our earth’s precious biodiversity: forests, oceans, and coastal and fresh water ecosystems WWF’s mission is to conserve nature and ecological processes by:    Preserving genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable now and in the longer term, for the benefit of all life on Earth Promoting actions to reduce to a minimum pollution and the wasteful exploitation and consumption of resources and energy WWF’s ultimate goal is to stop, and eventually reverse, the accelerating degradation of our planet’s natural environment, and to help build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature In Vietnam, the WWF Indochina Programme has been supporting conservation activities since 1985, when it worked in association with IUCN to provide technical assistance in developing the National Conservation Strategy A few years later, in 1991, a representative office was opened in Hanoi with the twin aims of establishing ties with the various government institutions involved in conservation, and providing technical and financial support Currently, the WWF mission in Vietnam is to assist the government in developing a network of well-managed protected areas, to promote the sustainable use of natural resources, to reduce the negative environmental impacts caused by rapid economic growth, to increase awareness on conservation and environmental issues, and to build capacity among those working for the benefit of nature 16 Two national program officers one with a B.A in education and the other with a BSc in biology and one international coordinator with an MSc in international forest conservation and rural development currently staff the environmental education unit These staff have a cumulative experience of fourteen years in implementing these types of projects Successful ongoing projects include school-based EE programs, teacher training and material development; community-based material development and training; and training of rangers These projects include:    Cat Ba National Park  Sustainable Use of Marine Resources in Hon Heo, Khanh Hoa Province    Cat Tien National Park Vu Quang Nature Reserve Tiger Conservation Project in Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Kon Tum LINC Project at Phong Nha - Ke Bang - Hin Namno PARC Project at Yok Don National Park WWF Indochina program will also draw on the considerable Environmental Education skills and experience of the entire WWF global network for advisory support Xuan Mai Forestry University established in 1964 is the primary institute in the country for training of park staff and managers Training is conducted in forest resource protection, silviculture, forest economics and a social forestry major is being introduced There are facilities including 400 of forestland to undertake research and training Currently there are 2500 students trained per year of which the majority go to work in the technical and managerial fields of protected area management of PA’s There are 220 lecturers at the University, 40 of whom are professors and Master lecturers The University has trained over 10,000 students throughout the country since 1964 Every student is required to pass a national entrance exam according to the Ministry of Education and Training standards G Budget See Appendix H Budget Explanation 1.1 Personnel Salaries and Benefits WWF EE Coordinator The WWF EE coordinator, based in the WWF Indochina office, will be responsible for the overall management of the project The budget ($3,500/month for 12 months=$42,000) covers all employment costs for the coordinator for an estimated 50% of the Coordinators time which is anticipated will be required to coordinate this project UNV Curriculum Development Project Officer A United Nations Volunteer will be hired to provide the key technical assistance to the project A volunteer will act as part of the EE Unit and Xuan Mai Faculty team to develop the curricula and handbook, train the Faculty, and implement the 17 community-based EE program $3,400 per month for 24 months has been budgeted to cover all the employment costs of the volunteer Project Officer A project officer to support the management of the project and act as immediate assistant to the technical staff of the project will be based in the WWF Indochina office The project officer has been budgeted at $600/month for 24 months Allowance for Xuan Mai Faculty (5 staff) Five key faculty members will work together with the WWF EE unit on the development of the curricula and handbook The trainers will be trained to be the key trainers on the course An small additional allowance to compensate for their time and efforts working on this project will be provided fixed at $50/month for five staff for 24months=$6000 Allowances for EE field staff (6 persons) Ten staff will be chosen to study in the in-service training course from protected areas in the Central Annamites These same staff after the course will be responsible for starting community based EE programs in the field and managing the programs as well To implement this program the salaries for these staff will be supplemented by the project in its first year =6 people at $50/month for 12 months=$3,600 Subtotal $147,000 1.2 Sub-Contract Artist An artist will be hired to develop the graphic design for the community-based EE handbook =$800/month for months=$4,800 Subtotal $4,800 1.3 Equipment Several pieces of equipment will be purchased to facilitate the work of faculty at Xuan Mai to develop the curricula and handbook and for course implementation Two desktop PC’s will be bought for the use of staff at Xuan Mai University and one laptop for the use of the WWF EE unit One color printer will be purchased for printing of materials to develop the handbook and one black ink printer will be purchased for regular use of Xuan Mai staff Desktop PC =$1,500*2=$3,000 Laptop=$2,750 Printer=$400 Color Printer=$800 A slide projector, overhead projector, and screen will be purchased for use in the classroom at Xuan Mai to implement the pre-service and in-service regular training courses for students as well as the three month training for faculty Slide Projector=$800 Overhead Projector=$600 Screen=$300 A camera, books, videos, journal orders, art materials will be used to assist in the development of the field handbook in its research and design 18 Camera=$600 Video, Books, and Journal Orders=$300*2 orders/year for years=$1,200 Art Materials=$400 Other Equipment=$500 Subtotal $11,350 1.4 Travel Program staff (national trips) The Program Coordinator and two program staff from the EE Unit will travel to the field in the second year to supervise community based EE project activities being implemented in the protected areas and for monitoring purposes =$290 * people * trips =$2,610 WWF Supervision and Monitoring trips This budget has been included to cover the travel costs of WWF Indochina senior management for project supervision and monitoring people * trips =$1,160 Subtotal $3,770 1.5 Training and Meetings Introduction and input workshop A workshop will be held before the main project activities begin to develop in a participatory process the plan for designing the curricula and handbook The costs cover rental of the hall, refreshments, and other materials used to properly carry out a workshop such as paper, white boards, and pens =$2,150 Task force and workgroup meetings A task force and workgroup will be established to participate in the process of curricula and handbook development Several National and International professionals in community-based education will be asked to participate in the workgroups Workgroup meetings will be held bimonthly =$300 per meeting * meetings/year=$3,600 Teacher's Training A training will be held for the key faculty and staff to lead the pre-service and in-service training course This course will be intensive during school break and will last 1.5 months =$6,000 Community Based Activity Testing The handbook for community-based education will be tested in protected areas with local communities The costs will cover travel to and from the commune sites, food and lodging costs in the field, as well as materials needed to train the communities with =$1000/site * sites=$2,000 Special EE Events (plays, puppet shows, contests) In the five pilot sites different fun activities will be carried out with the communities with an environmental message These activities are directly tied to the community based activity testing and contribute to its successful implementation These activities will be carried out directly by the community for the community Funds will cover costs associated with organizing the event and to design materials such as puppets or costumes =$1,000 * sites=$5,000 Curricula and Handbook Evaluation and Revision Workshop A workshop will be held to evaluate and revise the curricula and the handbook based on the surveys and 19 tests given to the students and staff and review by the workgroup and other stakeholders =$2,150 Final Workshop A final workshop will be held to officially present the results to different institutions and other parties involved in conservation Lessons learned will also be presented to participants =$6,000 Subtotal $31,900 1.6 Project Running Costs Different costs will accrue to the project to pay for office use and other office logistics Office Equipment Maintenance =$300/month for 24 months =7,200 Office Supplies, Stationery and other Utilities =$250/month for 24 months =6,000 Photocopies, Printing, Postage =$200/month for 24 months =4,800 Bank Charges =$100/month for 24 months =2,400 Phone, Email, Fax =$300/month for 24 months =7,200 Subtotal $27,600 1.7 Media Costs In order to produce the handbook there will be costs associated with printing and translation into Vietnamese Draft of handbook=$10*25 copies=$250 Translation to Vietnamese=$8/page *200 pages=$1600 Final Publish=$10*1000 copies=$10,000 Subtotal $11,850 ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY STATEMENT Overview World Wildlife Fund, Inc., (WWF) uses generally accepted standard budgeting and accounting procedures and abides by the standards set forth in OMB Circulars A-122 and A-110 Since 1985, WWF has been awarded over $268 million in U.S Government contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, with individual projects ranging from $5,000 to over $6,000,000 annually WWF's fiscal year is July to June 30 Annual budgets are presented to and reviewed and approved by the WWF Board of Directors Government grants and contracts are signed and accepted by the Chief Financial Officer in accordance with established WWF program and budget priorities and guidelines WWF is audited annually under OMB Circular A-133 20 Indirect Costs The indirect cost rate for WWF is calculated at 15.12% as based on WWF's last approved rate The indirect cost rate has two components WWF uses a Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) methodology for the allocation of Facilities indirect pool expenses, and of General and Administrative indirect pool expenses MTDC consists of all direct salaries, allocated fringe benefits, direct materials supplies, staff travel, workshops, grants and consultancies, etc The only modifications to the base are the exclusion of in-kind contributions, equipment and vehicle purchases Facilities rent; janitorial and utility services; depreciation and use allowances on furniture and equipment; repairs and ordinary alterations of buildings, furniture and equipment; maintenance and operation of buildings, liability and other insurance related to property, and facility, planning, and management 7.14% General and Administration expenses that are incurred for the overall general executive and administrative offices of the organization and other expenses of a general nature which not relate solely to any major function of the organization .7.98% Matching Contributions WWF provides matching contributions from non-USAID sources on government projects when required, as the activities funded by the project provide an opportunity for WWF to further its commitment to conservation and the environment The matching share is documented and reported quarterly at the required rate of costsharing Documentation for these funds is subject to the same internal financial procedures and government requirements as the project expenses Travel All WWF staff travel is authorized prior to travel All travel funded under USG grants and contracts is subject to federal travel regulations, with documentation provided for exceptions as necessary Costs for travel and the reasonable cost of subsistence and other allowances are reimbursed in accordance with WWF's established policies and practices, which are uniformly applied to all activities of WWF Procurement WWF's procurement policies abide by OMB Circular A-110 for purchasing, use, determination of ownership, and disposition of property obtained with USG funds WWF submits an Annual Certificate of Compliance to USAID, confirming the awareness of and compliance to the requirements placed on the organization by OMB Circulars, and Federal and USAID regulations with respect to the management of, among other things, personnel policies (including salaries), travel and procurement Letter of Credit WWF has an established letter of credit with USAID (LOC No 72001464) administered through the Department of Health and Human Services LOC transactions are reported monthly through the Federal Cash Transactions Report (SF-272) This report is supported and reconciled quarterly with the Financial Status Reports (SF-269) which are prepared and submitted by contract or cooperative agreement 21 Audits WWF has an annual external audit performed by Arthur Andersen & Company in July and presented to the WWF Board at its fall meeting In addition to the regular audited financial statements, the CPA prepares a supplementary financial report to assure compliance with OMB Circulars A-110, A-122, and A-133 in accordance with the terms of government grants and contracts This report includes the basis for indirect rate computations Audits are submitted to USAID, the cognizant government agency for WWF Field Representatives and Offices WWF has twenty field and project offices and over fifty representatives in the field Systems are in place for the transfer of funds, accounting at the field level, management of personnel, procurement, and reporting Subcontracting and Subrecipient Agreements WWF enters into subrecipient agreements, either as subgrants, subcontracts, or consultant agreements, when it is deemed technically and/or financially beneficial to the project The subrecipient services are performed by either U.S or in-country NGOs, universities, or private consultant groups or individuals Selection of the subrecipients is based on their qualifications and past experience related to the scope of work of the project All subrecipient agreements are processed according to WWF internal procedures, which are subject to applicable IRS and in-country regulations and require management approval and concurrence Subrecipient agreements are approved after having a detailed budget analyzed by WWF program officers with rates compared to market value for similar services For in-country agreements, field representatives and WWF program officers compare proposed costs and consultant rates to current market values in that region Subrecipient agreements are monitored through the submission and review of technical and financial reports, and on-site visits by WWF program officers As part of the subrecipient agreements, all US-based subrecipients receiving funds in excess of $50,000 are required to provide assurance that they are in compliance with OMB Circular A-133 Financial Management Separate fund source numbers are established for each government grant or contract Project expenses as authorized by the contract are approved by the project manager and division vice president and submitted to accounting for payment These expenses are tracked by fund source number and compared to the approved budget All WWF employees record their time on individual time sheets by project number on a bi-weekly basis, which are approved by their supervisors Financial reports are prepared by the GAA Financial Coordinator and submitted to the USG funding source in accordance with OMB Circular A-110 or the USG Agreement All expenses are processed through WWF's established computerized accounting system 22 23