UNDP Project Document

Government of Pakistan

United Nations Development Programme

Title of Project

Sustainable Land Management to Combat Desertification in Pakistan

Brief Description
The overall goal of the project is to combat land degradation and desertification in
Pakistan in order to protect and restore ecosystems and essential ecosystem services that
are key to reducing poverty. The principal objectives are to strengthen institutional
capacity, create an enabling environment, and demonstrate good practices – all in an
effort to help remove key barriers to Sustainable Land Management (SLM). The project
will depend on the strong commitment of the Government of Pakistan and the
involvement of key stakeholders, in particular those at the community level. The project
will be implemented in two phases, with the first phase focused on creating an enabling
environment for SLM and piloting innovations, and the second phase drawing on lessons
learned to deepen the policy and institutional commitment to SLM and completing
demonstration projects that can later be scaled up and replicated.
 Table of Contents
LIST OF ACRONYMS -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2
SECTION I: ELABORATION OF THE NARRATIVE ------------------------------------------------- 42
PART I: Situation Analysis ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42
Context------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 42
Land Degradation in Pakistan and its Global Significance ------------------------------------------------ 52
Barriers to Sustainable Land Management------------------------------------------------------------------122
Policy and Institutional Context ------------------------------------------------------------------------------152
Stakeholder Analysis-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------172
PART II: Strategy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------192
Project Rationale and Policy Conformity -------------------------------------------------------------------192
Fit With GEF Operational Program and Strategic Priority --------------------------------------------------192
Project Goal, Objective, Outcomes and Outputs/Activities-----------------------------------------------212
Project Approach -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------212
Benchmarks for Moving Towards Phase II -----------------------------------------------------------------222
Outcomes and Outputs of the Project------------------------------------------------------------------------242
Project Indicators, Risks and Assumptions -----------------------------------------------------------------282
Expected Global, National and Local Benefits -------------------------------------------------------------302
Country Ownership: Country Eligibility and Country Drivenness --------------------------------------302
Sustainability----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------322
Replicability-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------332
International and Bi-lateral Partners -------------------------------------------------------------------------342
PART IV: Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Budget ---------------------------------------------------372
Indicative Monitoring and Evaluation Work Plan and Corresponding Budget ---------------------------392
SECTION II: STRATEGIC RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND GEF INCREMENT --------------412
PART I: Incremental Cost Analysis ---------------------------------------------------------------------------412
Incremental Cost Matrix ((Phase – I and II) ------------------------------------------------------------------452
PART II --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------512
A: Summarized Logical Framework Analysis -----------------------------------------------------512
B: Detailed Project Logical Framework Analysis -------------------------------------------------552
SECTION III: TOTAL BUDGET AND WORKPLAN ----------------------------------------------------662
SECTION IV: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION-----------------------------------------------------------682
Part – I Endorsement Letter from GEF Focal Point ----------------------------------------------------682
PART II: Organigram of Project -----------------------------------------------------------------------------692
PART III: Terms of References for key project staff and main sub-contracts----------------------------702
PART IV: Stakeholder Involvement Plan --------------------------------------------------------------------712
PART V: Threats, Root Causes, Barrier Matrix------------------------------------------------------------742
LIST OF ANNEXURES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------952

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 LIST OF ACRONYMS
(UNDP-Pakistan)
AKRSP .............. Aga Khan Rural Support Programme PCRWR......... Pakistan Council of Research on Water
ADB ......................................Asian Development Bank Resources
ADP .........................Annual Development Programme PCUs.............................. Provincial Coordination Units
APR ...........................................Annual Project Report PEPC ..........Pakistan Environment Protection Council
AWP ................................................ Annual Work Plan PFI..........................................Pakistan Forest Institute
BAP ........................................ Biodiversity Action Plan PIRs ..........................Project Implementation Reviews
CBD........................Convention on Biological Diversity PPAF.......................Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund
CBOs........................Community-based Organisations PPU........................................ Project Preparation Unit
CCBs ................................. Citizen Community Boards PRSP .....................Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
C&I ............................................Criteria and Indicators PSC.................................. Project Steering Committee
DERA .............. Drought Emergency Relief Assistance PSDP ............ Public Sector Development Programme
DFID . Department for International Development (UK) PTC ................................ Project Technical Committee
DI Khan .............................................Dera Ismail Khan PWP ................................... Pakistan Wetlands Project
EAD ..................................... Economic Affairs Division PY .............................................................Project Year
ENERCON .................... Energy Conservation Agency QPR ................................... Quarterly Progress Report
EU ...................................................... European Union RC .............................................. Regional Coordinator
FAO ...........................Food & Agriculture Organization RCU .................................. Regional Coordinating Unit
GEF .................................. Global Environment Facility RNE.................................Royal Netherlands Embassy
GHGs .......................................... Green House Gases RS ......................................................Remote Sensing
GIS ............................ Geographic Information System SCOPE............. Society for Conservation & Protection
GoP ....................................... Government of Pakistan of Environment
GPS.................................... Global Positioning System SLM............................ Sustainable Land Management
IGF ................................. Inspector General of Forests SLMP ............. Sustainable Land Management Project
IUCN................. Intl. Union for Conservation of Nature SPO............. Strengthening Participatory Organization
IFAD .......................... Intl. Fund for Agri. Development SUPARCO .. Space and Upper Atmosphere Research
IRSA ...............................Indus River System Authority Commission
LFA.................................. Logical Framework Analysis TPR ................................................... Tripartite Review
MACP ............... Mountain Areas Conservancy Project TVO......................... Trust for Volunteer Organizations
MDGs ......................... Millennium Development Goals UNCCD ............United Nations Convention to Combat
MINFAL ..................Ministry of Food, Agri. & Livestock Desertification and Drought
MOE ....................................... Ministry of Environment UNDAF...... UN Development Assistance Frame Work
M&E........................................ Monitoring & Evaluation UNDP ......... United Nations Development Programme
MTDF ........... Medium-Term Development Framework UNFCCC ........ United Nations Framework Convention
NAP .................................. National Action Programme on Climate Change
NARC .............. National Agriculture Research Council UNEP ........United Nations Environmental Programme
NCIW......................National Commission Indus Water WAPDA ....... Water and Power Development Authority
NCU.................................... National Coordination Unit WWF ............................... World Wide Fund for Nature
NCCCD ................... National Coordination Committee
to Combat Desertification
NCCW ....National Council for Conservation of Wildlife
NDCF ................ National Desertification Control Fund
NCS............................ National Conservation Strategy
NEAP....................National Environmental Action Plan
NEAP-SP.......... National Environmental Action Plan –
Support Programme
NGO ......................... Non-Governmental Organization
NPC.................................National Project Coordinator
NPD....................................... National Project Director
NRM ........................... Natural Resource Management
NRSP ...................National Rural Support Programme
NTFP ...............................Non-Timber Forest Products
NWFP.............................North West Frontier Province
PAMP ............... Protected Areas Management Project
PARC ............. Pakistan Agriculture Research Council
P&D ...................................... Planning & Development
PDF-(B) ..... Project Development Facility - Category B
PCOM...................... Project Cycle Operations Manual

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SECTION I: ELABORATION OF THE NARRATIVE

PART I: Situation Analysis

Context

1. Pakistan occupies a land area of over 880,000 square km on the South Asian Sub-continent.
It is bordered by Afghanistan, Iran, China and India and bounded by the Arabian Sea in the
south, with a coastline that stretches almost 1000km (see location map and provinces,
Annex-A). The country consists of four largely self governing provinces – the Punjab, the
North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Sindh and Balochistan - with federal agencies
playing a largely coordinating and facilitating role.
2. While there are 11 distinct as well as overlapping climatic zones, Pakistan is predominantly
a dry land country. Eighty percent of the land is arid and semi-arid, (and therefore,
according to IUCN, vulnerable to desertification), about 12 percent is dry sub-humid, and
the remaining 8 percent is humid. Out of 79.6 million ha in the country, only about 20
million are suitable for agriculture (16 million for irrigated farming and 4 million for rain
fed, or Barani, agriculture). About 4.2 million ha are forested, while a sizeable chunk (28
million ha) are rangelands. Current land use in Pakistan is shown in Annex-B.
3. The services provided by natural ecosystems are the foundation for the rural economy,
supporting agriculture, livestock, forestry, water supply and non-renewable energy. About
two-thirds of Pakistan’s 152.53 million people depend on dry land areas for their
livelihoods, largely through agro-pastoral activities, with a growth rate of about 2 percent
per year, the population will almost double in the next 32 years. Already, estimates suggest,
55 percent of the rural population live on fragile lands that are prone to desertification,
drought and floods
4. Despite Pakistan’s recent achievements with regard to adoption of national environment
policy and legal frameworks, establishment of environmental institutions, and raising
awareness on environmental issues, environment degradation continues at a rapid rate,
affecting livelihoods and increasing vulnerability of the poor to natural calamities like
drought and flash floods. In 1995, the annual cost to Pakistan of environment degradation
(in all areas) was estimated to be US$1.7 billion per year (Valuing Environmental Costs
in Pakistan: The Economy-Wide Impact of Environmental Degradation, World
Bank, 1995). Ten years on, the current cost of degradation are obviously much higher.

5. Productivity and household incomes in dry lands are low and about a third of Pakistanis still
live in poverty. Indeed, poverty in Pakistan increased during the 1990s, rising from 26.1
percent in 1990 to 32.1 percent (38.9 percent in rural areas and 22.7 percent in urban areas)
in 2001. (Medium Term Development Framework, 2005-10) This relatively poor
performance is due to a number of factors, but among these, land degradation and
desertification have played a role through their impact on the productive capacity of
ecosystems: Population growth and existing poverty lead to an over-exploitation of
resources (cutting of trees, removal of vegetation, over-grazing, over-use of water, etc),
leading in turn to reduced productivity of land, food insecurity and further poverty.
 Land Degradation in Pakistan and its Global Significance
6. Unsustainable land management practices in Pakistan are causing significant environmental
problems, including soil erosion, loss of soil fertility and associated crop productivity, flash
floods, sedimentation of water courses, and deforestation and the associated loss of carbon
and biodiversity assets. The northern mountain regions are subject to heavy soil
erosion caused by large-scale deforestation in the catchments leading to siltation of major
water reservoirs, thus reducing the capacity of power generation and availability of
irrigation water. Dry land areas of Balochistan, Sindh, NWFP, and southern Punjab are
faced with increasing desertification, primarily due to improper land use practices, over-
grazing, and illegal removal of vegetation. Desert areas are subject to the acute problems of
shifting sand dunes. Underground water resources in the western dry mountains of
Balochistan are shrinking, due to low recharge and over-exploitation of meager water
resources. Irrigated areas are plagued with water logging, salinity and sodicity reducing the
drainage capacity of soils and consequently leading to loss of soil fertility, crop yields, and
biodiversity. Eleven million ha are affected by water logging and 3 million ha by
salinity/sodicity. There is also tremendous pressure on rangelands as a result of the
proliferation of livestock.
7. Examples of where and how current land degradation trends in Pakistan are compromising
ecosystem integrity follow:

• Deforestation in the northern mountains is causing loss of biodiversity and carbon

sequestration as well as soil erosion and increasing sedimentation of rivers, reservoirs
and canals, thus greatly reducing critical ecosystem functions. The soils in this area
have especially low infiltration rates and surface sealing as a result of heavy
trampling by livestock has led to high runoff.

• Overgrazing and loss of shrub and woodlands over millions of ha of the

Southwestern Mountains and other dry land areas of Pakistan have not only reduced
the land’s productivity but contributed to carbon emissions. Some 5,000 ha of land in
Barani (rain-fed) areas may be irrevocably damaged by erosion each year as a result
of insufficient vegetative cover to protect soils. Soil erosion is so advanced on most
mountain slopes that half of Balochistan (about a quarter of the land area of the
country) is under imminent ecological threat. (GoP, National Action Program to
Combat Desertification, NAP, 2002) The dry land areas of Pakistan are sufficiently
large that preventing vegetative loss and restoring cover could make a major
contribution to combating global warming.

• Pakistan’s Indus plain commands the world’s largest contiguous irrigation network
and is the breadbasket of the country. Crop yields, however, are some of the lowest in
the world as a result of water logging and salinity caused by poor irrigation practices
(and the subsequent rise of the water table). The deteriorated vegetative environment
which results has caused huge losses in breeding and nesting sites and significant
declines in some wildlife species1.

1
Although detailed inventories have not been drawn up, Pakistan’s semiarid, coastal, and marine, forest
and mountain ecosystems support a great wealth of flora and fauna. The 2004 IUCN Red List shows that 2
plant and 46 animal species are on the extreme vulnerability list. Six more animal species are listed as
critically endangered. Balochistan Conservation Strategy 2000, IUCN and GoP.

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• In the sandy desert areas of Thar (Sindh), Thal and Cholistan (Punjab) and Kharan,
(Balochistan) soil erosion by wind is accentuated in drought years leading to loss of
plant cover. This is further exacerbated from trampling by livestock. Furthermore,
loose sand in Thal and Kharan gathers in up to 4m high sand dunes which are
advancing on adjacent farm land.

• In the Sulaiman Rod Kohi regions, most catchments are eroded and have lost their
tree and grass cover, exposing bedrock. The water intercepting and absorption
functions of the land have been dramatically reduced. Even slight rain showers result
in high speed surface flows causing destruction in down stream ravines, often
resulting in loss of life.

• Finally, critical mangrove resources are severely threatened in the coastal areas of
Balochistan and Sindh. Between 1992 and 2000 there was a 21.4 percent decline in
dense mangrove areas (WWF, 2002). Destruction of these forests has had a
devastating impact on inter-tidal marine life and is directly undermining the
livelihoods of some 150,000 fisherman. Mangrove forests bind the soil, protecting
rivers and estuaries from siltation. They also act as important coastal shelter belts.
Reduced freshwater and sediment flows as a result of ambitious upstream irrigation
schemes have led to a decline in nutrient flows, sea water intrusion, and large-scale
die-offs of mangroves (2-3 percent per year, according to a draft GOP study).
Reduced sediment flows have also led to coastal erosion. Over the past 20 years,
freshwater flows to the Indus delta have been reduced from over 45 MAF to roughly
20 MAF.

Table 1: Concept and Principles of Sustainable Land Management (SLM)

Sustainable Land Management (SLM) can be defined as the use of land resources
such as soils, water, animals and plants for the production of goods – to meet
changing human needs – while assuring the long-term productive potential of the
these resources, and the maintenance of their environmental functions (SLM-IM
Guidelines). The International Board for Soil Research and Management
(IBSRAM) looks at SLM as “combining technologies, policies, and activities
aimed at integrating socio-economic principles with environmental concerns, so as
to simultaneously:

− maintain or enhance production/services (Productivity)

− reduce the level of production risk (Security)
− protect natural resources and prevent degradation of soil and water
quality (Protection)
− be economically viable (Viability)(if the land uses being considered
are locally viable, the use will survive), and
− be socially acceptable (Acceptability)

These five objectives are known as the basic ‘pillars’ (principles) on which SLM
depends, and must be constructed and watched against to test and monitor its
findings (IBSRAM 1997).

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 Threats, Root Causes and Barriers Analysis

8. Threats, root causes and barriers to Sustainable Land Management (SLM) have been
analyzed during project preparation through broad-based consultations with stakeholders,
meetings with line agencies and group discussions with a multi-disciplinary team of experts
involved in the design of the full-scale project. Diagrammatic analysis of threats, root
causes, and barriers is given in the Problem Tree (Annex-C.), while Annex-D provides a
Solution Tree to address threats, root causes, and barriers. Annex E illustrates the severity
of different human induced land degradation types in Pakistan.

Threats and Root Causes

9. The causes of land degradation in Pakistan include poor irrigation and drainage practices,
overgrazing, deforestation, increasing competition for water, drought, migration/permanent
settlement, intensification of agriculture, flooding, population pressures and persistent
poverty (of course some of these threats, especially poverty, are both a consequence of land
degradation as well as a barrier to SLM). Land degradation problems are often severed in
areas where there are strong interactions between different causes of land degradation. This
is especially the case between anthropogenic and natural causes (e.g. drought).

10. Furthermore, some threats are greater than others in terms of their manifestation: Water
logging and salinity as a result of poor irrigation practices affects 14 million ha, while
deforestation and overgrazing affect 11 and 24 million ha, respectively. While the former is
the cause of the most widespread land degradation in river basins (in Sindh and the Punjab),
the latter combine (mostly deforestation, water and wind erosion) to affect the greater dry
land and upland areas (Balochistan, NWFP and parts of Punjab) and do considerable
damage to the integrity of ecosystems and provision of essential ecosystem services – soils,
trees, water and biodiversity (see Table 2, below). The country’s forest area has declined
from 3.587 million ha in 1992 to 3.317 million ha in 2001- in other words the country is
losing about 27,000 ha of forest area every year. Pakistan’s rangelands have declined from
28.51 million ha in 1992 to 23.54 million ha in 2001, a 1.74 percent annual decline
(Asianics Agro-Dev, Survey to Assess Wood Vegetation and Wood Volume on Non-Forest
Areas in Pakistan, April 2005) The overall economic effect of degradation has been
estimated by IUCN (2004) to be 3 percent of GDP per year.

Table 2: Causes and Effects of Land Degradation in Barani (rain-fed) Lands

(Source: NAP)

Causes of land Effects and implications

degradation
Soil erosion Soil erosion results in siltation of rivers, irrigation systems and
small dams, debris flow and land slides on hill slopes impairing
of texture and structure of soil and loss of soil nutrients,
excessive water runoff, rise in frequency of floods decrease in
water retaining capacity of soils.
Sloping Clearing of forest land for crop cultivation, illicit cutting of trees
cultivation for firewood and agricultural implements.
Over-grazing Overgrazing, cutting and lopping of forage trees, damage to
young forest crop and nurseries, disturbance or compaction of

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 soil, increase in soil erosion. Reduction in wildlife habitat quality
and quantity, competition with livestock for forages and space,
less regeneration of natural vegetation due to compaction of soil.
Deforestation Deforestation results in excessive soil & water erosion, drying of
aquifers, reduced carbon sequestration, aridity in climate,
reduction in water retaining capacity of soil, excessive water
runoff, destruction and deterioration of wildlife resulting in lower
number of wild animals and birds.
Land tenure Fragmentation of land holdings, cutting of forest for fuel, timber
issues and lopping for forage, clearing of forest areas for crop
cultivation.
Poor Illegal cutting of trees in forests and watersheds, reduction in
management of scrub forest cover, inadequate reforestation due to insufficient
natural resources has increased soil erosion and siltation of rivers. Weak
resources/forests law enforcement to check theft and illegal removal of vegetation
quite evident.

Poor Irrigation and Drainage Practices

11. Irrigation utilizes some 90-95 percent of freshwater resources in Pakistan. The country has
one of the largest canal irrigation systems in world operating on the principles of flood
irrigation and utilizing an estimated 41.6 MAF of groundwater pumped through more than
6000,000 tube wells (mostly private). The overall poor management of irrigation, both at
the system and farm levels, is contributing to water logging and salinity in cultivated areas.
Excessive percolation of water from the canal system builds up the ground water level.
According to the World Bank (2005) by the year 2000, about 40 percent of irrigated lands
were water logged (water within 3m of the surface). Human activities such as the
obstruction of natural drainage through construction of roads, improper alignment and poor
maintenance of irrigation channels, insufficient drainage of excessive rainwater etc. all add
to water logging problems. About 11 million ha of arable land in Pakistan is affected by
water logging, with water table depth of 5-10 feet. Salinity and sodicity are often associated
with the poor management of irrigation, but these also occur as a consequence of soil
formation process. At present over 3 million ha in Pakistan are affected by salinity and
sodicity (close to 14 percent of total cropped area). Water logging, salinity, and sodicity are
major problems in the irrigated areas of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan. These have
reduced the drainage capacity of the soils resulting in low fertility of land, decline in crop
yields and loss of biodiversity.

Deforestation

12. A small proportion, 5.2 percent (4.2m ha) of Pakistan’s total area is under forests, whereas
both environment and economic considerations suggest that 20-25 percent of the country’s
land area should be forested (NAP). Pakistan is also losing forests at 3 times the rate of
other South Asian countries. About 3.1 percent of forest cover is being lost every year and
woody biomass is disappearing at an annual rate of 5 percent as the majority of households
continue to use firewood for cooking and heating (NAP). More than 50 percent of domestic
energy needs are met through fuel wood. Fuel wood consumption in 1992-93 was estimated
at 25.95 million cm3, rising to 31.52 million m3, of which 90 percent came from the
farmlands and the rest form the state forests.

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13. Forest growth has been estimated to be stagnant since 1992 and, under current trends,
overall wood consumption is expected to increase to 58.37 m3 over the next ten years
(Maanics International, Study on Supply and Demand of Fuelwood and Timber, 2005).

14. It should be noted that forest laws in Pakistan traditionally considered communities as
prime threats to forests (community participation in forest management is a relatively new
concept in the country). However, deforestation is not only the result of commercial logging
and wood harvesting by the poor. Indeed, poor communities have become increasingly
disempowered to manage forest resources as their rights to forests weakened due to
economic pressure from commercial loggers.

15. Illegal and excessive chopping of trees has resulted in severe soil erosion, flood damage and
desertification in many areas. This activity leaves the soil exposed and less able to absorb
rainfall which does occur. Water, therefore, runs off and causes soil erosion, speeding-up
the process of denudation and eventually leading to desertification. The removal of top soil
is also resulting in low production of forage, fodder, fuel wood, timber, cereal crops and
grains and, as a result, exacerbating poverty in the rural areas. Removal of vegetative cover
from steep slopes also causes flash floods and increasing sedimentation load in rivers.
About 11 million ha of northern mountain regions are affected by water erosion bringing
about 40 million tons of sediments into the Indus water basin every year. This reduces land
productivity, shortens the lifespan of major upstream reservoirs like Tarbela and Mangla,
and reduces the efficiency of hydropower generation and irrigation systems in Punjab,
NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan.

Over-grazing

16. Almost a third of Pakistan’s total area is classified as rangeland. Livestock are an important
component of Pakistan’s farming system and a major source of cash income as well as
consumption. The livestock population has doubled since 1976 and numbers exceed the
carrying capacity of most ranges. The population of buffalo has increased from 6.3 million
in 1955-56 to about 22.0 million in 1998-99. The cattle population followed a similar trend,
with sheep and goats registered 4-5-fold increases over the past 50 years.

17. Over-grazing reduces productivity of rangelands because of soil compaction, removal of

vegetation from fragile slopes and subsequent destruction through water and wind erosion.
All the major rangelands/pastures in the county are in some state of degradation. A reliable
estimate indicates that 48.3 percent of rangelands are completely eroded (Engineering
General Consultants, Land Ownership Patterns and Tenural Arrangements in Forests and
Rangelands, 2005). Many other areas are producing only 20-30 percent of their biomass.

18. Communities in dry land areas largely depend on the pastoral economy; degradation of
rangelands affects their livelihoods and increases rural poverty. Such degradation also
reduces ecosystem functions and services. For example, over grazing and the collection of
firewood in arid regions of Punjab (Cholistan and Thal), Sindh (Tharparkar) and
Balochistan (dessert areas in Chagai and Kharan districts) has led to severe wind erosion
and the deposit of sands in downwind vegetative areas, reducing ecosystem functionality.
Almost 2m ha of land are affected by wind erosion

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 Water Scarcity

19. Water is a scarce resource in Pakistan and a sensitive political issue, especially between the
provinces which compete for water in the growing seasons. It has also been a cause of
dispute between Pakistan and India (their sharing of the Indus River is governed by the
rather fragile Indus River treaty). Within the next 50 years, over 90 percent of all available
sources of water will be fully utilized. Per capita water availability is declining at an
alarming rate. In 1951 per capita availability was 5300 cubic meters. Today, this figure is
1105 cubic meters, right at the water scarcity level (Pakistan Council for Research in
Water Resources, 2004). Estimates by the International Water Management Institute
indicate that Pakistan is among the 17 countries that are likely to face the most severe water
scarcity by 2025.

20. Water resources are under threat mainly because of overuse of water in irrigation. As an
agricultural based economy, the country depends heavily on irrigation water in the growing
seasons. However, irrigation water is very poorly utilized. Inefficient water use in irrigation
occurs at three stages: water conveyance from source to fields due to poor maintenance of
water-courses and channels, unleveled fields, and over-watering, mostly due to the lack of
an assured and timely supply of water among farmers. The large amount of water that goes
to irrigation will have to be reduced if the country is to provide water for its rapidly growing
urban population. The government is now taking important steps to conserve water in
irrigation, including on-farm water management schemes, a major national program for
lining of water-courses, and the introduction of precision (lazar) leveling systems.

21. Deforestation is another cause of water scarcity, preventing adequate soil moisture retention
and contributing to loss of storage capacity.

Drought, Migration and Permanent Settlements

22. From 1997-2003, Pakistan suffered from drought, causing severe water shortages for
humans, livestock, and agriculture. Many areas of Balochistan, Sindh and southern Punjab
were badly affected, impacting some 3 million people and 7.2 million head of livestock.
Hundreds of lives were lost and thousands of livestock and wild ungulates perished.
Persistent drought has also severely affected local livelihoods (cumulative drought over the
last few years has culminated in output losses equivalent to about 12 percent of agricultural
GDP - World Bank, 2005) and forced local people to migrate toward more agricultural
productive areas as well as cities. Migration has disrupted traditional land use patterns,
resulting in loss of traditional and in many cases more sustainable, land use practices.

23. Development, too, has brought obvious pressures on the land. With the introduction of
electricity and road connections in previously remote areas of Balochistan, transhumance
practices are weakening. Many pastoral communities are now permanently settling near
roads, digging deep wells and developing new lands.

Intensification of Agriculture

24. Agriculture contributes about 25 percent of Pakistan’s GDP and 60 percent of foreign
exchange earnings (GOP, 2005). Agricultural growth will be critical in the coming years as
Pakistan will have to double its cereal production, particularly wheat, to meet the food
demands of a growing population. Sixty-eight percent of the population also depends on the
sector for their livelihoods and 46 percent of the labor force is employed directly in it.

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25. Intensification of arable land has been necessary because some 96 percent of cultivable soil
has inadequate organic matter content (GOP draft). Economic pressures leading to the
spread of commercial agriculture (cash crops) exacerbates the situation by encouraging
monoculture and short fallows. In order to boost productivity, farmers rely on heavy use of
chemical fertilizer and frequent watering. For several years, there has been no significant
increase in the cropped area due to a paucity of new water supplies and inefficient use of
available irrigation resources. However, intensification has failed to increase the
productivity of the land. As in other countries, there has been a leveling off in the crop yield
increases which took place in the 1960s and 1970s despite increases in the use of fertilizer
According to the World bank (2005), Pakistan uses about 3m metric tons of fertilizer
annually with a use intensity of 129kg/ha of crop.

26. Increasing intensification, often with the help of subsidies, is degrading agro-ecosystems,
polluting streams and rivers, reducing essential nutrients and eliminating beneficial micro-
organisms. As a result, agricultural run-off, which includes pesticides as well as nitrates, is
now the leading cause of freshwater contamination. The Indus River system, where most
sedimentation and pollutants find their way, supports a great variety of aquatic and
biological diversity, but much of it has been declining because of intensification of
agriculture and systematic loss of vegetative cover. Official figures show a marked decline
in the catch of many prized fish species and in particular the important Palla which has
dropped from 70 to 15 percent of the total fish catch over the last 20 years. (WWF-Pakistan)

27. Intensification and the production practices that go with it are also leading to the loss of
local, sustainable production systems as well as traditional and highly valuable crop
varieties.

Flash Floods

28. Flooding is a regular feature in arid and semi arid regions of the country usually caused by
heavy downpour during the monsoon season. Deforestation, soil erosion and compaction
contribute to flooding. Excessive flooding buries top soil under the infertile sediments and
inhibits cultivation, hence contributing to land degradation and loss of biodiversity. It is
estimated that between 1950 and 2001 total losses from floods have been in the order or
US$10 billion and over 6,000 lives lost (GOP Water Sector Strategy, 2002).

Population Pressure

29. Pakistan’s rapidly growing population is putting more pressure on land resources; more
people need more land to grow crops and more wood for fuel and timber. Pakistan is the 7th
most populous nation in the world and its 153 million people are growing at the rate of
almost 2 percent a year. At this rate the population will reach 217 million by 2020 and will
double in next 32 years. Such a rapidly growing population means greater fragmentation of
farmlands, greater competition for water, further pressure on fragile and marginal lands and
the denudation of natural forests and rangelands.

Poverty

30. Over the past decade, poverty levels have increased in rural areas while they declined in
urban areas. About one-third of the total households in the country were considered below
the poverty line, whereas poverty levels in rural areas remained close to 39 percent

10
 (Pakistan PRSP, 2003) Poor people tend to exploit their limited land resources more
intensively to meet immediate needs, even if exploitation compromises the long-term
stability and viability of the land and its natural resources. Of course, further degradation of
land and natural resources leads, in a vicious circle, to even more poverty.

Barriers to Sustainable Land Management

Policy Barriers

Policy Impediments

31. In the 1970s, Pakistan abolished the “Sardari System”, an indigenous system of communal
property management2 and introduced an alternate system of state ownership of un-
cultivated land. This system is based on exclusionary principles, which places restrictions
on utilization of resources by local communities. State management is weak and lack of
ownership or tenure rights leaves little incentive for communities to protect and utilize
natural resources sustainably.

In-appropriate Subsidies

32. The subsidized electricity tariff (flat rate) has been introduced nationally to encourage
farmers to increase agriculture production. This tariff promotes poor use of scarce water
resources in dry lands, especially in Balochistan where farmers do not invest in improving
irrigation efficiencies of their tube-wells. In Balochistan, poor farmers who cannot invest
heavy amounts in thatching water from lower water tables often abandon their lands. Such
land is often left open to free-grazing, removal of existing vegetation for firewood, and
removal of top soil for land development at sites where water is available. Continued
unsustainable mining of ground water and consequent abandonment of land will cause
further desertification in dry land areas.

Limited land Use Planning

33. Proper land use planning should ensure that land is allocated for those uses which best serve
the needs of people on a sustainable basis. It should prevent incompatible uses of land and
land degradation. The absence of adequate land use planning and supporting legislation is a
major barrier in sustainable management of land resources. Land use planning has never
been high on Pakistan’s agenda. In fact, there have been only a few sincere attempts for
localized land use planning. Islamabad, the capital of the country, is the only city which has
a proper land use plan.

34. The Ministry of Environment (MoE) recently launched an initiative to develop a digitized
land use database for the country that will serve to inform future programs for integrated
land use planning and management. However, the current scheme needs further work in
integrating SLM principles and more thought needs to be given to how land use planning
can be initiated in the provinces, which are the main custodian of land and its resources (see
base line discussion, below).
2
A traditional system of managing tribal lands, where grazing lands are managed under the orders of tribal
elders to avoid over-exploitation of resources (water and grazing lands) and to ensure equal access to each
tribe or clan. A system of deferred grazing was adopted under this system.

11
 Institutional Barriers

Limited Institutional Capacity and Poor Coordination

35. Provincial line agencies (Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock and Irrigation Departments) are
directly responsible for the protection and management of land resources under their
jurisdiction. Each of these agencies operate under different mandates, for example,
increasing agricultural production, managing irrigation systems, developing the livestock
industry, rehabilitating rangelands, managing watersheds, and managing national parks and
protected areas. But some have overlapping mandates. All agencies have severe capacity
limitations. As a result, policy and planning decisions are made in isolation, without proper
communication on, or knowledge of, the inter-relations between proposed sectoral
interventions, and with little understanding of the consequences on land degradation and
subsequent effects on economic development and ecosystem integrity. The situation is not
much better at the federal level, where there are no institutional arrangements for
coordination and sharing of lessons on what works, what doesn’t and why.

Knowledge Gaps

36. There is insufficient quantitative data on current land use in arid and semi-arid regions of
the country as well as status and trends of natural resources and their utilization. There are
especially severe deficiencies in knowledge related to rangeland management, rehabilitation
of degraded ecosystems, and sustainable agriculture and livestock production systems.
Information that is available is scattered across many agencies and institutions and not
readily available to researchers, planners, and policy makers, impeding the full assessment
of land degradation and desertification problems and the quantification of threats to
ecosystem functionality and services and resulting economic losses.

37. There is also no dedicated, coordinated system at the provincial or national levels to assess
the extent and impact of desertification. The absence of a comprehensive monitoring system
places serious limits on the application of sustainable and adaptive management3 practices
based on early detection and warning of drought and floods.

Lack of Awareness

38. There is very little knowledge of land degradation and desertification issues among the
general public, planners, policy makers, and even those who are directly responsible for the
management of land resources. Policy makers are unaware of how SLM can contribute to
local economic development and help in alleviating poverty in rural areas. On the other
hand, communities in dry land areas are generally aware of the impact of land degradation
but have little knowledge about how to combat it.

Difficulty in Mainstreaming NAP into Sectoral Policies and Plans

3
Adoptive Management is a cyclic, learning-oriented approach to the management of complex
environmental systems that are characterized by high-levels of uncertainty about system process and the
potential ecological, social, economic impacts of different management options (Jacobson, C. 2003.
Introduction to adoptive management).

12
39. Although the GoP has developed a National Action Program (NAP) for combating
desertification, the lack of institutional capacity has meant that the NAP is not yet being
mainstreamed in national and provisional policies and plans. Indeed, the NAP is yet to be
disseminated to provincial level planning and development departments, line agencies and
other stakeholders.

Financial Barriers

40. Historically, the government has preferred to invest in basic infrastructure, health and
education. Funding for the environment and SLM related activities has always been weak.
Also, many earlier government or donor funded projects which may have had the potential
to contribute to SLM were abandoned because the government shifted priorities or ran out
of money. Donors, too, have not been reliable, often looking for quick results.

41. Fortunately, this situation is changing. For the first time in the history of the country a
sizable allocation of Rs.28.4 billion (around US$480 million) has been made in the Medium
Term Development Framework-2005-10 for protection and rehabilitation of environment. It
is expected that as Pakistan’s economic situation improves further investments for
environment/natural resource management are likely.

Socio-Economic Barriers

Vulnerability to Drought and Loss of Traditional Knowledge Systems.

42. The vulnerability of the poor to environmental shocks such as drought threatens their
livelihood and increases pressures on natural resources. Their vulnerability was vividly
demonstrated during the recent drought cycle (1997-2003). Between the two household
surveys of 1998-99 and 2000-01, the estimated increase in poverty is attributed largely to
the increase in rural poverty. This coincides with the persistent drought that depressed crop
yields and reduced employment opportunities, particularly in non-irrigated dry mountain
and rain-fed areas (PRSP). Poor communities lost their livelihood in large numbers. Overall
losses were estimated close to US$500 million. The UN has highlighted the need in
Pakistan for putting in place systems that continuously monitor weather patterns and inform
local communities for drought preparedness. The current monitoring systems are reactive
and fail as tools for early warning.

43. Pakistan is also rapidly loosing its traditional knowledge regarding adaptation to drought.
The Green Revolution and introduction of high yielding varieties ended centuries-long
practices for adapting to drought and resolving conflicts over scarce fodder and water
resources.

Land Tenure Insecurity (also see Policy Impediments, above)

44. Dry land systems in Pakistan have for centuries been defined by family or tribal
relationships that allowed access to land on the basis of size of the household and kinship.
The increase in population and greater competition for control of land is putting enormous
pressure on these systems. New land management practices hold the promise of improving
livelihoods and addressing poverty and food security. But it is important that modern and
customary land tenure systems co-exist and are made compatible and those local
communities participate in decision making processes regarding land.

13
 Inadequacy of Safety Nets

45. Weak safety nets increases the vulnerability of the poor to shocks that threaten livelihoods
and increases pressures on natural resources. The social safety nets for the vulnerable are
weak in terms of their responsiveness and reach. There are few provisions to cover the rural
poor and marginalized who are especially dependent on natural assets (and suffer directly
from their loss). The Government intends to carry out a comprehensive profile of the poor
and vulnerable and assess the efficiency of various safety net programs.

Policy and Institutional Context

Policies

46. Pakistan signed the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought
(UNCCD) in 1994 and ratified it in 1997. It has also constituted a National Coordination
Committee to Combat Desertification (NCCCD) to facilitate and coordinate implementation
of the convention and has established a task force for creating a National Desertification
Fund (NDF).
47. Pakistan signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 and ratified it in
1994. It has developed and adopted a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to
meet the requirement of Article 6 of the convention.
48. Pakistan was also one of the first signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was signed in 1992 and ratified in 1994. To
implement the convention, Pakistan has completed a number of major studies and projects
focusing on climate change and GHG reduction. Recently, Pakistan prepared the First
National Communication for the UNFCCC, which also gives high priority to SLM
interventions.
49. A National Action Plan (NAP) to combat desertification in Pakistan has been developed
through a participatory process and with broad-based consultation involving the relevant
national and provincial government institutions/agencies, professionals, NGOs and other
civil society organizations. The NAP identifies the factors contributing to desertification in
Pakistan and suggests strategies and measures to combat desertification and mitigate the
effects of prolonged drought by emphasizing integrated and bottom-up approaches. The
NAP aims to 1) provide guidelines for sustainable management of natural resources; 2)
identify program areas for initiating projects to address desertification issues; 3) alleviate
poverty and improving livelihoods of the people living in arid lands; 4) provide institutional
mechanisms; 5) develop human resources and building capacity of the key stakeholders;
and 6) create awareness among the general public for identification and tackling of root
causes of desertification.
50. To assist the Government in meeting the global targets of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for
Pakistan has been adopted as a response to the national challenges identified in the
Common Country Assessment (CCA). UNDAF includes support for creating an enabling
policy environment, strengthening institutional capacity and promoting sustainable land
management practices.

14
51. UNDP, under the Country Programme (2004-2008) focuses on policy reforms for providing
the necessary conditions to meet the commitments under the global conventions, including
UNCCD. To contribute towards the achievement of the UNDAF outcome for the
environment, the Country Program supports the implementation of the Biodiversity Action
Plan (BAP) for Pakistan, National Action Program (NAP) to Combat Desertification, and
National Environment Action Plan (NEAP). NEAP places a particular focus on the poverty-
environment nexus and dry land management, including promotion of SLM and integrated
management of degraded ecosystems. The UNDP-funded NEAP Support Program (NEAP-
SP) provides assistance for sustainable livelihoods of poor communities in dry land areas
(especially arid and semi-arid regions prone to drought and water scarcity) through better
planning and promotion of community-based initiatives for environmental restoration and
regeneration of natural ecosystems.

Institutions

52. At the federal level, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) is the focal ministry for
implementation of the UNCCD, CBD and UNFCC. It is also responsible for mainstreaming
the implementation of the NAP for combating desertification as well the Biodiversity
Action Plan for Pakistan. It has the overall responsibility for coordinating efforts related to
natural resources and environmental management. The Ministry has two technical wings,
Forestry and Environment, and five attached departments: Pakistan Environment Protection
Agency (Pak-EPA), Energy Conservation Agency (ENERCON), Zoological Survey
Department (ZSD), Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), and the National Council for
Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW).

53. The Forestry Wing of the Ministry is headed by the Inspector General of Forests (IGF, the
source of this proposal). The IGF oversees operations for PFI, ZSD and NCCW. The main
function of the IGF is to facilitate inter-provincial and inter-ministerial coordination on the
issues related to forestry, wildlife, biodiversity conservation, and desertification control as
well as ensuring national compliance with international conventions to which Pakistan is a
party.

54. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Livestock (MINFAL) is mainly responsible for
policy formulation, economic coordination, and planning with respect to agriculture, and
livestock. It oversees the operations of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC),
National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) and many smaller attached departments.

55. The Ministry of Water and Power is responsible for overall policy maters related to the
water and power sectors. It supervises performance of several organizations under its
administrative control, including the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA),
the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), the National Commission Indus Water (NCIW)
and several other bodies.

56. The Ministry of Science and Technology is also involved in research on land resources and
oversees the operations of agencies like the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research
Commission (SUPARCO) and Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources
(PCRWR). The PCRWR has implemented several projects in water management and
research. Similarly, agriculture universities in the country under the patronage of the Higher
Education Commission are involved in research pertaining to natural resource management.

15
57. The provincial Planning and Development Departments in each province are responsible for
overseeing planning, development and coordination of all sectors.

58. The provincial Forestry Departments are responsible for sustainable management of forest
resources, regulating the commercial harvest of trees, regulating the use of rangelands and
overseeing the extraction of non-timber forest products.

59. The provincial Agriculture Departments provide agriculture extension services (including
research), while provincial Livestock Departments provide advice for raising livestock,
veterinary services, control disease outbreak.

60. The provincial Irrigation Departments are charged with managing the network of irrigation
head-works, canals, small dams and other irrigation works in the country.

61. Provincial departments of Forestry, Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation are considered the
line departments for implementation of SLM. Beside these line agencies, there are several
other organizations active in the management of land resources. These include the National
Rural Support Programs, Rural Support Programs of NWFP, Sindh, Punjab and
Balochistan. These programs provide credit and training to low income farmers and
introduce alternate livelihoods to reduce rural poverty.

62. Several NGOs and Community Based Organizations also operate on the ground and have
been active in local level land degradation and desertification control initiatives. These
include the Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE), Baahn Beli,
Sindh, Sungi Development Foundation, Agha Khan Foundation, Aurat Foundation, PPAF
partners, Trust for Volunteer Organizations (TVO), Strengthening Participatory
Organization (SPO)), and the Taraqee Foundation Balochistan.

Stakeholder Analysis

63. A wide range of stakeholders would be involved in the implementation of the project. They
will include relevant federal ministries, provincial line departments, local communities
(farmers, livestock herders, forest communities and nomad pastoralists), arid-zone research
institutions, civil society and community organizations, the private sector and the donor
community (also see discussion on linkages and partners, Part II). Detailed consultations
with the major stakeholders have been undertaken through national and provincial
consultative workshops. The purpose of these consultations was to design a full-scale
national project through a participatory approach and to introduce them to the project
concept. The consultative process also helped to obtain their feedback on the proposed
implementation arrangements and project components (see list of consultation workshop
participants, Annex-F). The participatory nature of the consultative process helped
identifying feasibility study sites, project partners, and major stakeholders. The provincial
consultations were followed by expert group discussions and individual meetings with the
federal ministries and provincial line agencies. A detailed participation plan was developed
during project preparation (see Section IV, Part IV).

Baseline Analysis

64. The recent launch of Medium-Term Development Framework (MTDF) 2005-10 sets the
stage for providing a sound baseline for the project. The strategic thrust of the MTDF is to
provide conducive environment through provision of appropriate infrastructure and

16
 strengthened intuitions. While this is promising, and while many existing and proposed
activities across a number of sectors aim to address SLM, they are not sufficient and not
adequately coordinated to have the desired effect at landscape4 and ecosystem levels.
Without an overarching intervention by the GEF to build capacity, harmonize and
coordinate efforts across sectors, and demonstrate innovative ways forward, ecosystem
functions that are of global significance will continue to deteriorate.

65. For example, the GoP recently adopted a National Environmental Policy (2005) which
provides guidelines for environment protection and sustainable management of natural
resources, and a National Forest Policy is under consideration. While combating
desertification is a listed priority, neither have been sufficiently informed by the
interventions identified in the NAP. The Government has also adopted a Biodiversity
Action Plan, which prescribes actions for maintaining biodiversity, but it is largely focused
on protected areas and reserves, open landscape and uplands, not on productive areas or dry
lands.

66. With respect to forest, rangeland and watershed development, on-going and new funding in
these sectors focus on improving tree cover in the country and rehabilitation of degraded
rangelands and watersheds. Programs like the Conservation and Rehabilitation of Indus
Delta Mangrove for Sustainable Management and Afforestation at Community Waste
Lands in NWFP provide a promising baseline for scaled up action - provided their
interventions are guided by the need to take an integrated cross-sectoral approach and that
there is adequate coordination and sharing of lessons learned.

67. Baseline actions with respect to agriculture focus on food security and maintaining
sustainable agricultural production. This sector gets high priority both at the national and
provincial levels. However, neither has incorporated the necessity of SLM in sector
planning. For example, the current National Agriculture Land Use Plan (and the National
Land Use Plan), are largely mapping exercises. To be effective with respect to SLM, they
will have to incorporate data on the extent of land degradation and involve the participation
of key stakeholders.

68. Some baseline actions like the Water Resources Development Project for Poverty
Reduction in Pakistan will need to be further guided by good practice in integrated water
management. Other baseline actions such as the pilot project for the promotion of water
conservation technology through the introduction of high efficiency irrigation systems in
Punjab, Sindh, and NWFP will need to be coordinated with activities that go beyond on-
farm water use efficiencies to consider what is happening to groundwater which supplies
water to farms. Finally, the establishment of a dry land research centre in Balochistan
(funded through ADP) will need to be supported and networked with similar activities in
other parts of the country.

4
Landscape is defined as a “delineable area of the earth’s terrestrial surface, encompassing all attributes of
ecosystems immediately above and below the earth surface. The ‘landscape’ level is usually a larger
boundary than watershed, and can comprise several ecosystems. Landscape Approach include: “integrated
land use planning, land functionality analysis, economic valuation of land use and services, land use
competition and gap analysis, multi-criteria decision making tools for solving land use competition,
conflicts and ensuring sustainability. GEF Land Degradation Strategy (Working Draft); GEF/R.4/inf.9
August 10, 2005.

17
69. Other baseline actions in water and irrigation development such as the rehabilitation of
irrigation systems in Sindh and Punjab (limited for the purpose of this project to activities in
the project site areas) can have a significant effect on reducing water scarcity and land
degradation if they are informed by SLM principles and practices and, like other initiatives
around the country, can be far more effective if there is a concerted effort to develop good
practice and share lessons learned.

70. Finally, two other important components of the baseline are the National Centre for
Drought and Environmental Monitoring - an on-going project which focuses on collecting,
processing and disseminating information on the environment – and the establishment of a
Federal Unit for Drought Emergency Relief Assistance. These will be essential partners in
the project.

PART II: Strategy

Project Rationale and Policy Conformity

71. Unsustainable land management practices in Pakistan are causing significant environmental
problems, including soil erosion, loss of soil fertility and associated crop productivity, flash
floods, sedimentation of water courses, and deforestation and the associated loss of carbon
and biodiversity assets. The northern mountain regions are subject to heavy soil erosion
caused by large-scale deforestation in the catchments leading to siltation of major water
reservoirs, thus reducing the capacity of power generation and availability of irrigation
water. Dry land areas of Balochistan, Sindh, NWFP, and southern Punjab are faced with
increasing desertification, primarily due to improper land use practices, over-grazing, and
illegal removal of vegetation. Desert areas are subject to the acute problem of shifting sand
dunes. Underground water resources in the western dry mountains of Balochistan are
shrinking, due to low recharge and over-exploitation of meager water resources. Irrigated
areas are plagued with water logging, salinity and sodicity reducing the drainage capacity of
soils and consequently leading to loss of soil fertility, crop yields, and biodiversity.

72. Land degradation will continue at an accelerated pace with adverse impacts on the structural
and functional integrity of ecosystems. Many current and proposed base line actions will
make a significant impact on land degradation at a sectoral level and in limited geographic
areas. However, GEF support is required to help remove the barriers to the implementation
of sustainable land management nationally and within and across a number of ecosystems,
specifically through integrating SLM considerations in land use planning, promoting cross
sectoral and participatory planning, and conducting feasibility studies and pilot activities
that demonstrate the benefits of good SLM practices.

Fit With GEF Operational Program and Strategic Priority

73. The project is highly relevant to global environmental concerns of the GEF and is designed
to capture benefits in other focal areas, especially conservation of dry land biodiversity and
carbon sequestration. The project objective is in conformity with the vision of GEF OP 15.
It focuses on mitigating the causes and effects of land degradation on the structure and
functional integrity of ecosystems through institutional strengthening and sustainable land

18
 management interventions while contributing to poverty alleviation and improving local
livelihoods and economic well-being. It addresses the barriers to sustainable land
management practices and proposes integration of SLM with federal and provincial
development programs and poverty reduction strategies. It promotes cross-sectoral
approaches for tackling land degradation and creation of an enabling environment for
improved policy and action at the national, provincial and district government levels as well
as ensuring effective participation of stakeholders. The project also conforms to the vision
and objectives of the NAP for combating desertification and mitigating impact of drought.
The proposed interventions have emerged from the priorities identified within the NAP.

74. The expected outcomes of the project are consistent with the expected outcomes outlined in
OP#15, namely: (i) strengthening institutional and human resource capacity, (ii) creating an
enabling environment for implementation and replication of proposed project interventions
by strengthening policy, regulatory, and economic incentive framework, and (iii) on-the-
ground investments for improvement in the economic productivity of land through
Sustainable Management and restoration of the structural and functional integrity of dry-
land ecosystems. These will be achieved by a combination of 1) capacity building for
implementation of the NAP, and on-the-ground interventions to demonstrate SLM
practices, channel resources towards sustainable agriculture practices and develop new tools
and technologies for addressing land degradation. The aim is to build on and further shape
the large baseline of on-going rural development and natural resources conservation
projects in the arid and semi-arid regions of Pakistan.

75. The project will be the first full size OP15 project in the Asia region, providing a good
example for, and complementing proposed activities in, China, Mongolia, India and Iran.

Linkages with other projects and programs.

76. Several international and bi-lateral donors, including UNDP, FAO, IFAD, ADB and World
Bank are assisting rural development in Pakistan through activities that are complementary
to the proposed project. For example, the World Bank and ADB are assisting GoP in the
“Drought Emergency Recovery Assistance” (DERA) programs, focused on Balochistan and
Sindh. ADB is also launching a new project “Balochistan Water Resources and Rural
Infrastructure Development Project” developed through a Technical Assistance package to
Government of Balochistan for rural development and drought mitigation”. Recently, ADB
initiated a new project for “Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Development Sector” to be co-
financed by the Government of Netherlands, Japan Special Fund and Cooperation Fund for
the Water Sector. This is a parallel initiative and the proposed will establish linkages and
complementarities with this project by sharing information, workplans, and progress reports
as well as participation of project managers and other staff in the seminars, workshops and
exchange visits and vice versa.

77. There are several on-going GEF funded projects in Pakistan mainly under the Biodiversity
Focal Area. These projects include Mountain Area Conservancy Project, Pakistan Wetland
Project, Conservation of Habitat and Species in Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystem of
Balochistan, NCSA, Protected Areas Management Project (PAMP), and a project for the
commercialization of wind power. UNDP is the GEF Implementing Agency for all of these
projects, except PAMP which is being implemented through the World Bank. There are two
pipeline GEF projects--Sustainable Management of the Chilghoza Forest Ecosystem and
Conservation of Juniper forests in Balochistan. The proposed project will develop linkages
with these projects where they are thematically relevant. Moreover, MoE is the Executing

19
 Agency for all GEF projects and hosts their Project Steering Committees. The central role
of MoE in policy advice and as a chair of the steering committees will help in ensuring
strong linkages and consistency among GEF projects. This will further help in avoiding
duplication of efforts and GEF resources.

78. These and other bi-lateral and multilateral partners have been consulted during project
preparation through the regular Environmental Donor Coordination Group meetings. Their
interest and possible co-financing for the project will be further explored. The Ministry of
Environment has expressed particular interest in ensuring that the project works closely
with these partners to coordinate activities and, in as much as possible, leverage resources.

Project Goal, Objective, Outcomes and Outputs/Activities

79. The overall goal of the project is to combat land degradation and desertification in Pakistan
in order to protect and restore ecosystems and essential ecosystem services that are key to
reducing poverty. The principal objectives are to strengthen institutional capacity, create an
enabling environment and demonstrate sustainable land management practices for the
restoration of degraded ecosystems – all in an effort to help remove key barriers to
sustainable land management. The project will depend on the strong commitment of the
Government of Pakistan and the involvement of key stakeholders, in particular those at the
community level.

80. It is important to note that the project will focus on arid and semi-arid areas and on, Barani
and rangeland production systems rather than sub-humid areas or irrigated agriculture. The
reason for this is that there are huge investments being made to improve irrigated
agriculture through water conservation and combating water-logging and salinity to which
this project could add only limited value. Also, while irrigated agriculture is the cause of the
most widespread land degradation in river basins (sin Sindh and Punjab), threats to the
greater rangeland and dry-land areas (in Balochistan, Sindh, NWFP and part of Punjab) do
considerable damage to riverine and non-riverine systems.

Project Approach

81. The project will require a long-term approach in order to ensue that project benefits are
sustained. Therefore, it will be implemented in two phases, stretching over a period of 7
years. Benchmarks for both phases are described below.

82. The phasing approach will provide a catalytic environment for removing SLM barriers in a
more systematic way through a chain of actions geared toward coordinated capacity
building and creating an enabling environment for introducing integrated ecosystem
management.

83. Another important reason for the phased approach is the financial constraints in the Land
Degradation Focal Area for GEF-3. It allows the project to tap both GEF-3 and GEF-4
resources as well as provide time and experience to mobilize co-financing.

84. The project strategy and approach is most cost-effective because it builds on the existing
administrative set up and infrastructure of government agencies both at the federal and

20
 provincial levels. The project has selected an innovative strategy of sub-contracting
feasibility studies/pilot testing of SLM practices to the line agencies and capable NGOs
under a proper set of ToRs (see Part III under Management Arrangements). This will save
substantial administrative costs. Moreover, Phase II will build on the lesson learned and
best practices documented during Phase I, saving resources and time.

85. Phase I (2 years) will focus on addressing policy, institutional and knowledge barriers
through targeted capacity building, and include site specific feasibility studies for testing
SLM practices and designing full demonstration investments.

86. Phase- II (5 years) will strengthen the sustainability of initial interventions and launch full
demonstration projects (targeted innovations in sustainable agriculture practices, water and
soil conservation techniques, integrated management of natural resources, sustainable
pastoral activities, and agro-forestry, etc) for promoting SLM practices, building on the
lesson learned in Phase I. Phase II will also emphasize the development of appropriate
economic and social incentives and micro-credit schemes to ensure that proper linkages are
developed with the proposed National Desertification Control Fund (NDCF). Towards the
end of the second Phase, the project will work towards refining mechanisms for economic
sustainability and replicability of best practices. Some of the project funding will be
diverted to monitoring and evaluation and to overcome any remaining barriers not
effectively tackled during Phase I.

87. Towards the end of Phase I, the achievement of the benchmarks will be evaluated and
interventions for Phase II will be developed in consultation with project partners and
stakeholders. It is expected that before embarking on Phase II the social and political
ground work will have been laid to effectively implement on-the-ground demonstrations.
Mainstreaming SLM principles into polices and plans as well as associated capacity
building will continue as needed. By Year 1.5, the Concept /PDF B for Phase II will be
developed and submitted to the GEFSEC for pipelining. The Full Sized Proposal for
Phase II is expected to be submitted to the GEF Council by the end of Year 2, so as to
avoid a rupture in operations between Phase I and II.

Benchmarks for Moving Towards Phase II

88. The purpose of the section is to identify the milestones that will have to be met at end of
Phase I in order to trigger the start of the Phase II. The elaboration of outcomes, outputs and
budget for Phase II will be designed after an independent external evaluation of Phase I by
the end of second year. The evaluation will establish whether the key benchmarks agreed
for Phase I have been met. If they have, a Phase II document will be prepared and submitted
for the endorsement of the GEF CEO. It is expected that such a submission could take place
by the end of 2007. Benchmarks for Phase I are described below.

Phase-I Benchmarks

89. Enabling Environment: Policy reforms through integration of SLM principles and
mainstreaming NAP into sectoral plans will be the key element for successful
implementation of Phase I. The development of Criteria and Indicators (C&I) for
monitoring the viability of SLM interventions and the introduction of innovative financing
mechanisms for sustainable funding will also be important. Benchmarks will include:

21
 i. Key policies of agriculture, water and environment sectors reviewed and
recommendations made for integrating SLM principles;
ii. Gap analysis of NAP conducted and recommendation adopted for mainstreaming
NAP into sectoral plans;
iii. C&I for SLM developed through a consultative process;
iv. Strategy for the creation of a National Desertification Control Fund devised.

90. Strengthening Institutional Capacity: Presently, line ministries and departments have
limited capacity to respond to land degradation challenges and effectively coordinate
implementation of the NAP. There is also limited knowledge of SLM practices. The main
benchmarks under this category include:

i. Capacity gaps assessed and training process initiated;

ii. National Coordination Committee to Combat Desertification for implementation of
NAP revived and Provincial Coordination Committees on Desertification established.
iii. National Centre for Drought Monitoring established;
iv. Outreach and awareness raising process initiated.

91. Land Use Planning: Currently, land use planning takes place in sectoral silos, with
inadequate attention to SLM and stakeholder participation. The key benchmarks in this area
are:

i. Review of national land use and agriculture land use planning process initiated by the
Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock
(MINFAL), respectively, and recommendation made for integration of SLM
principles into land use planning;
ii. Provincial land use planning process initiated; and
iii. SLM information system developed and functional.

92. Feasibility Studies: Testing of different SLM practices will be an essential milestone for
full demonstration of SLM options. These studies will set the stage for designing outcomes
and outputs for Phase II. Key achievements required include:

i. Local level site specific land use plans developed and their implementation process
initiated;
ii. Project communities and local partners participating in the feasibility studies;
iii. Lessons learned documented.

Phase II Benchmarks (to be further developed during Phase 1, following the mid-term
evaluation):

93. Enabling Environment and Coordinated Capacity Building: Some of the policy
reformulation, NAP mainstreaming, and capacity building actions initiated during Phase I
will continue as necessary during Phase II. This will include interacting with local
government institutions and communities, knowledge based advocacy and awareness
building,

94. On-the-Ground Demonstration of SLM Practices. The results of pilot testing at the
feasibility sites in different agro-ecosystems will be scaled-up, demonstrated and replicated
(through co-financing).

22
95. Establishment of National Desertification Control Fund. Activities in Phase 1 will
explore the strategy and mechanisms for the fund (e.g. targets, size, donors). The
establishment and implementation of the fund will take place by year 5 of the project.

96. Documentation and Dissemination of Lesson Learnt and Practices: The development
and dissemination of good practice and lessons learned will be an on-going high priority
exercise. Specific benchmarks will include number of technical articles and other
publications produced and widely disseminated as well as the breadth (number) and depth
(reach across the stakeholder base) of thematic seminars, workshops, and training programs
undertaken.

Outcomes and Outputs of the Project

Outcome I: Enabling Environment for Mainstreaming SLM practices

(GEF US$302,562; Co-financing US$53,503)

97. The main driving forces of desertification and land degradation are policy, institutional,
socio-economic and financial barriers. The project aims to remove these barriers by creating
an enabling environment and institutional capacity at the local, provincial and national
levels to support sustainable land management through mainstreaming SLM principles into
national policies, strategies, and action plans pertaining to agriculture, forest, and water
sectors, in order to encourage sustainable use of land resources. Detailed gap analysis will
be conducted to identify deficiencies in terms of promoting SLM practices. This analysis
will build on the preliminary study conducted during the PDF-B.

98. Criteria and indicators (C&I) is an important tool to monitor viability SLM interventions.
Criteria and indicators for SLM will be developed with the participation of key
stakeholders. The C&I will help in monitoring dry-land ecosystem stability, functions and
services as well as economic well-being of local communities. This initiative will draw and
build on work currently underway as part of the UNCCD’s Committee on Science and
Technology as well as work undertaken by UNEP and FAO.

99. The creation of a National Desertification Control Fund (NDCF), as an endowment fund,
has been envisaged under the NAP which would support innovative SLM activities on the
part of community groups as well as research and development at national, regional, and
local levels. A detailed strategy will be devised for establishment for the fund under Phase
II, including whether the fund is to be a “small grant facility” or micro-credit programme
for the grassroots level iniatives. During Phase II, part of the GEF financial assistance will
help establish the fund. The GoP has already allocated US$1.53 million under the Medium-
Term Development Framework-2005-10 to help support the fund. Multi-national and
bilateral donors will also be approached for contributions to beef up endowment fund to a
level of US$3.0 million. During phase II about 20 small grant projects will be supported
from the NDCF for the local community groups and R&D initiatives.

100. Another major hurdle in addressing land degradation issues is failure to mainstream NAP
into sectoral policies and plans. Outcome I will mainstream NAP into national and
provincial policy frameworks and development programs through establishment of
mechanisms for inter-agency communication and coordination and promotion of policy and
position papers at key policy fora. The Project Steering Committee, multi-stakeholder

23
 Technical Committee, and the National and Provincial Coordination Committees on
Desertification (established as part of the project, see management Arrangements) will be
instrumental in these efforts.

Outcome II: Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management

(GEF US$430,000; Co-financing US$652,000)

101. This component, drawing on the capacity needs identified during the National Capacity Self
Assessment, will focus on organizing training, workshops and seminars on sustainable land
use planning, rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems, and integrated management of
watersheds and rangelands. This will focus on institutional strengthening by enhancing
technical capability of line agencies, research institutes, NGO, farmer groups, community
groups, and women’s organizations in tackling land degradation and desertification as well
as create awareness about threats and consequences of unsustainable land use practices. A
full-time Coordinator for Capacity Building and Training will be hired under the project,
who will organize training workshops and seminars in collaboration with line agencies,
research institutions, district governments and NGOs. Independent consultants, familiar
with SLM practices, will be hired to ensure credibility with stakeholders. The results of the
pilot projects will be disseminated through seminars and exchange visits.

102. The existing meteorological network in the country will be strengthened by developing an
early warning and monitoring system for drought and flood preparedness as well as for
monitoring extreme climatic changes. The preliminary work for establishing a national
center in Islamabad, with nodes in the four provinces for drought and environment
monitoring, has already started (by the Pakistan Meteorological Department). This center
will be responsible for collecting, processing and disseminating information on
environmental monitoring. The Government of Pakistan will co-finance this component of
the project.

103. Increasing outreach and awareness and strengthen information management services on
SLM will be critical outputs under this component. This would involve identification and
tackling of root causes of desertification through cross-sectoral initiatives to support
decision-making at national, provincial, and local levels for encouraging integrated land use
planning and management. Best practices, technologies and lesson learned will be
documented and disseminated in local languages. The Project Steering and Technical
Committees will form the nucleus of a technical information network. The provincial
Desertification Control Units and Provincial Coordination Committees on Desertification
will also play a key role in ensuring that information and lessons on SLM comes from and
gets to people at the community level.

104. Capacity Building will also involve the promotion of public-private partnerships for
combating land degradation. For example, oil and gas industries are active in dry-land
areas. During project preparation Premier-Kufpec Pakistan (PKP) and Shell-Pakistan
expressed an interest in exploring how they could collaborate with the project to address
socio-economic concerns in their production areas. The private sector is also represented on
the project Technical Committee and in the Provincial Committees to Combat
Desertification.

Outcome III: Mainstreaming SLM into Land Use Planning Process

(GEF US$210,000; Co-financing US$350,000)

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105. The project intends to support the Government of Pakistan in mainstreaming and
harmonizing SLM principles with national development priorities, as well as integration of
desertification and deforestation control measures into national development plans that aim
to alleviate poverty among rural communities. To achieve this, the project would adopt an
integrated and cross-sectoral approach for undertaking interventions for SLM. Conservation
and sustainable use of natural resources will be integrated with local ecological, economic,
and social dimensions while addressing land degradation issues.

106. The government is implementing a National Land Use Plan (MoE, 2003), but it does not
include key SLM principles and means of implementing them. This project will work
closely with MoE to include SLM guidelines and highlight land degradation data in
mapping exercises.

107. Mapping and monitoring of the extent of desertification in Pakistan by gathering baseline
information, developing performance and impact indicators on land degradation prevention
and control, assessing and predicting sustainability of SLM interventions will be a crucial
element of this project. This will also involve the strengthening of GIS and remote sensing
to measure the incremental impacts of sustainable land management activities. This will be
partially accomplished under on-going GIS and Remote Sensing projects being
implemented by the Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI) and the GIS component of the Pakistan
Wetlands Project.

Outcome IV: Participatory Feasibility Studies (or pilot testing) for Demonstration of
SLM Practices (GEF US$568,800; Co-financing US$886,200)

108. Innovative SLM practices will be tested in Phase I (planning and implementation to start in
Phase I and full-scale demonstrations in Phase II). These include refinement and adoption
of appropriate technologies and management practices for integrated farming systems,
testing and selection of drought resistant crop varieties, and propagation of multi-purpose
tree species suitable for dry-land areas, Appropriate grazing management regimes,
improved livestock production systems, and water use efficiency and ground water recharge
techniques will also be explored. Other pilots include raising suitable forage trees, shrubs
and grasses for drought and salinity tolerance, dry-afforestation, participatory land use
surveys, developing cost-effective agronomic practices to improve soil fertility, and
integrated pest management.

109. The pilot projects will focus on demonstrating alternate SLM practices in select areas of
dry-land ecosystems. The reasoning is that there are substantially more resources being
devoted in Pakistan to irrigated agriculture and water conservation strategies in those areas.
The project can add greatest value by filling important gaps which happen to be in rain-fed,
rangelands and low mountain ecosystems.

110. The implementation of pilot project will involve participatory land use planning and
integrated management of land resources. This will require active involvement of local line
agencies, NGOs and communities. In order to achieve this, the project will work through
the recently introduced Local Government System and Citizen Community Boards (CCBs).
This will help in mobilizing local communities for undertaking desertification control

25
 measures through preparation and implementation of site specific land use plans with the
technical assistance from the project and line agencies.

111. The following projects were identified during consultations with stakeholders (principally,
provincial line agency staff) during project preparation using well defined criteria (see
Annex H) and are broadly described in the Log Frame and Annex VII. Consultants are
currently preparing these pilots in close consultation with the communities involved,
therefore a limited amount of specific information can be provided.

− Integrated management of water resources and rangelands in Chakwal & Attock

districts of Punjab.
− Poverty alleviation through soil conservation measures in District Bhakkar.
− Integrated natural resource management with the involvement of pastoralist
communities in Rakhshan Valley District Kharan, Balochistan.
− Sustainable use of Mazri Palm and NTFP with the involvement of local communities
and private sector in District Awaran, Balochistan.
− Sustainable land management by introduction of low delta and high commercial value
crops with micro irrigation in Surkhab, District Pishin in Balochistan.
− Conservation of water and soil with the involvement of local communities in Shaikh
Haider Zam, District D. I. Khan in NWFP.
− Strengthening of traditional land use practices in low productive lands in District Lakki
Marwat in NWFP.
− Water harvesting and agriculture development in Kacho Area, Taluka Johi, District
Dadu in Sindh.
− Participatory NRM for drought mitigation and food security in District Tharparkar in
Sindh.

112. Under Phase II, the results of these pilots will be closely monitored, documented and
promoted, and will be internalized in the development programs of federal and provincial
governments through the active involvement of the Provincial Desertification Control Units
in integrated planning development exercises.

Outcome V: Lessons Learned and Adaptive Management

(GEF US$488,638; Co-financing US$658,297)

113. The project will build on the lessons learned from past experiences by line agencies and
NGOs to address land degradation issues in the country. It will also complement some of
the on-going projects like Tarbela Watershed Management Project, Mangla Watershed
Management Project as well as a number of other initiatives by the Federal and provincial
governments and non-governmental organizations. The project will also benefit from
regional experiences and best practices for addressing land degradation issues, especially
from those countries which are successfully tackling desertification and deforestation.

114. Importantly, this component will also help to establish the basic infrastructure for the
creation of federal and provincial desertification units as envisaged under the NAP.
Following completion of the project The National Coordination Unit in the MoE will evolve
into a Federal Desertification Control Cell, while Provincial Coordination Units ill be
designated as Provincial Desertification Control Units. Funding for these will be
mainstreamed into federal and provincial budgets.

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Project Indicators, Risks and Assumptions

Component 1: Enabling Environment Created

Indicators

115. SLM guidelines are intergraded into sectoral polices (agriculture, forest and water) and
PRSP to remove policy barriers. Medium-Term Development Framework (MTDF) 2005-10
reflects desertification as a priority area of concern and there is rationalized government
budget allocation for NAP implementation. NAP is mainstreamed into policies and plans
during Phase I and its implementation deepened in Phase II. SLM C&I are developed in
Phase I and are being used by stakeholders for restoration of dry-land ecosystems. Strategy
and mechanism for creation of an endowment fund (NDCF) for supporting local initiatives
are devised. Project document for Phase-II prepared and submitted to UNDP-GEF.

Assumptions and Risks

116. The political situation remains conducive for policy reforms and line agencies are
collaborating for introduction of SLM practices. Enabling environment created by the
Federal ministries, provincial line agencies and district governments by removing policy,
institutional, socio-economic and financial barriers.

Component 2: Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management

Indicators:

117. Coordination mechanisms at national and provincial levels are established in Phase I and
further strengthened in Phase II. Capacity barriers among line agencies and dry-land
research institutions (see stakeholder participation plan) and local communities removed by
enhancing their capability to implement SLM practices. Early warning system and
mechanism for monitoring drought are developed. Awareness raising strategy on
desertification issues and SLM developed and implemented through print and electronic
media.

Assumptions and Risks:

118. Provincial governments are collaborating and participating in desertification control

measures. Concerned agencies are collaborating and timely sharing quality information to
develop a reliable information baseline for SLM. Pakistan’s current print and electronic
media policies continue. Pakistan’s current print and electronic media policies continue.

Component 3: Mainstreaming SLM into Land Use Planning Process

Indicators:

119. SLM guidelines are integrated in national and provincial land use plans Provincial land use
plans are developed in Phase I and implemented in Phase II. A GIS database on SLM
developed to provide comprehensive baseline information on land degradation and

27
 desertification. Relevant stakeholders have access to GIS based data for land use planning
and decision making.

Assumptions and Risks:

120. Provincial governments are willing to take up and implement land use plans. Line agencies
are willing to share information and use of GIS outputs for decision making and planning.
Data available from line agencies’ records is reliable and past satellite data for change
detection at feasibility sites is available.

Component 4: Participatory Feasibility Studies for Demonstration of SLM Practices

Indicators:

121. Feasibility studies/pilot interventions identified during project preparation are conducted in
Phase I and brought to full demonstration in Phase II. Participatory landuse planning
introduced at the pilot sites. Impact of pilot projects on local development and poverty
alleviation efforts is monitored. (e.g. number of local communities have increased
household income ).

Assumptions and Risks:

122. Line agencies, district governments and communities fully participate in implementation of
pilot interventions. Timely delivery of inputs and implementation of pilots. Local level
coordination among line agencies, NGOs and community organizations create favourable
conditions for collective planning and participation of local communities.

Component 5: Lessons Learned and Adaptive Management

Indicators:

123. Lessons learned during Phase I and best practices document are available to inform the full
demonstration projects under Phase II. Special studies are conducted to document outcomes
of the pilots. National Coordination Unit and Provincial Coordination Units are established.
Coordination with provincial and district governments as well as with CCBs and CBOs is
strengthened. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) indicators are finalized to assess progress
in implementing the annual work plan. Baseline is established and instruments to measure
progress in attaining national and global benefits are in place by the end of PY2. External
mid-term evaluation is carried by the end of Phase I. Lessons learnt and best practices
dissemination workshops are held every year. Information about SLM is disseminated
through print and electronic media.

Assumptions and Risks:

124. Provincial Planning and Development Departments are willing to house Provincial
Coordination Units and communities are cooperating with the project staff. Adequate and
reliable availability of funds are ensured. MoUs signed and adhered to by the partners.
There are mechanisms in place to address disputes should they arise. Community is

28
 effectively involved in the M&E process. Evaluation parameters are easily definable and
measurable. Dissemination of lessons learned is unhindered.

Expected Global, National and Local Benefits

125. The global, national and local benefits of the project are closely inter-linked. At the global
level, the project will result in improved ecosystem stability and productivity. The major
global benefit of the project would be restoration of degraded dry-land ecosystems for
enhancing their structural and functional stability. The cross-sectoral nature of the project
would help in meeting Pakistan’s obligation under UNCCD as well as other conventions—
CBD, UNFCC. Thus, other global benefits include improved carbon sequestration and
conservation of plant and animal species of globally significance (also see discussion of
global benefits under Situation Analysis).

126. At the national level the project will contribute to implementation of NAP and
mainstreaming SLM principles into national polices and plans. More importantly, it will
contribute to institutional strengthening and building systemic capacities. Other national
benefits will include: promotion of efficient use of water resources, introduction of soil
conservation measures, introduction of integrated management of land resources and using
innovative financial mechanisms to combat land degradation and desertification. The
project will also provide sustainable livelihoods for rural people and reduce poverty.

127. At the local level, the participatory nature of the project will ensure the involvement of local
communities in decision making process and as principal beneficiaries. Investments in
building social infrastructure will contribute to collective actions by the communities and
their improvement - benefits that go beyond the project life.

Country Ownership: Country Eligibility and Country Drivenness

a) Country Eligibility

128. Pakistan signed the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought
(UNCCD) in 1994 and ratified it in 1997, and has constituted a National Coordination
Committee to Combat Desertification (NCCCD) to facilitate and coordinate implementation
of the convention as well as established a task force for creating a National Desertification
Control Fund (NDCF).

129. Pakistan signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 at UNCED and
ratified it in 1994, and developed its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to meet
the planning requirement of Article 6 of the convention. This document was prepared
through a three-year consultative process and was adopted by the Pakistan Environment
Protection Council (PEPC) in 1999.

130. Pakistan was also one of the first signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was signed in 1992 and ratified in 1994. To
implement this convention, Pakistan has completed a number of major studies and projects
focusing on climate change and GHG reduction strategies. Pakistan has prepared the First
National Communication for the UNFCCC, which also gives priority to SLM interventions.

29
131. A National Action Plan (NAP) to combat desertification in Pakistan has been developed
through a participatory process and with broad-based consultations involving the relevant
national and provincial government institutions/agencies, professionals, NGOs and other
civil society organizations. The NAP identifies the factors contributing to desertification in
Pakistan and suggests strategies and measures to combat desertification and mitigate effects
of prolonged drought by emphasizing integrated and bottom-up approaches. The NAP aims
to do the following:

i. Provide guidelines for sustainable management of natural resources;

ii. Identify program areas for initiating projects to address desertification issues;
iii. Alleviate poverty and improving livelihoods of the people living in arid lands;
iv. Provide institutional mechanisms for SLM;
v. Develop human resources and building capacity of the key stakeholders; and
vi. Create awareness among the general public for identification and tackling of root
causes of desertification.

b) Country Drivenness

132. Pakistan has prepared Provincial Conservation Strategies for the provinces of NWFP,
Sindh, Balochistan and Northern Areas Strategy for Sustainable Development. These
highlight issues of desertification and deforestation and propose measures for sustainable
management of land resources including controlling deforestation and combating
desertification. Punjab is also considering preparation of its own conservation strategy.
Some districts have also devised their conservation strategies to address local level
environmental and sustainable development issues. These districts include: Abbotabad,
Chitral, Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP, Kalat in Balochistan and district Badin in Sindh.

133. In 2001 the Government adopted the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) with a
focus on clean air, clean water, solid waste management, and ecosystem management. To
address the poverty-environment nexus, a NEAP-Support Programme has been launched,
which proposes a wide range of technical, institutional, regulatory, social and economic
interventions grouped under the following sub-programs: (i) policy coordination and
environment governance; (ii) pollution control; (iii) ecosystem management and natural
resources conservation; (iv) energy conservation and renewable energy; (v) dry-land
management; and (vi) grassroots initiatives.

134. The Government of Pakistan realizes that natural resources conservation and land
degradation issues can not be tackled effectively unless local communities are involved in
project planning, implementation and decision making. There is considerable change in the
attitude of land managers. Most of the agriculture, forestry, livestock and irrigation projects
now encourage participation of local communities in project activities. As a result, rural
communities are being mobilized to take responsibility for projects undertaken in their area.

135. The Government has also taken steps towards affirmative action for gender equality and is
encouraging women’s participation in sustainable land management. These include social
empowerment (access to education, health and justice), economic improvement (extending
credit facilities to women for livestock development, skill development programs and
creation of job opportunities for women), and political empowerment (involving women in

30
 power and decision making by enhancing their representation in the district, provincial and
national assemblies).

136. Pakistan’ Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) also emphasizes the need to address
issues of land degradation, soil erosion, desertification, and excessive use of pesticides and
to minimize impact of these on local livelihoods and the environment. The strategies
relevant to land management include: improving access of the poor to cultivable lands,
reclamation of waterlogged and saline lands, and providing opportunities to the rural poor
for sustainable management of natural resources such as forests, rangelands and water.

137. The provinces have also initiated the preparation of PRSPs, to identify priority steps for
providing alternative economic opportunities for the rural poor focusing on agriculture,
livestock and rangeland development. The PRSP for Balochistan suggests a number of
measures for sustainable management of land resources, including increasing the cultivated
area through better water management, construction of small dams for harvesting rain
water, reclamation of waterlogged and saline areas, improvement in the marketing system
of agricultural products, rangelands rehabilitation, increased water use efficiency,
undertaking groundwater recharge measures, eliminating electricity subsidies to check over-
exploitation of groundwater and credit facilities for small farmers for promoting sustainable
agriculture practices.

138. Pakistan has recently adopted the “National Environment Policy 2005”. The policy aims “to
protect, conserve and restore Pakistan’s environment in order to improve the quality of life
of people of Pakistan through sustainable development”. The main objectives of the policy
are: 1) conservation, restoration, and efficient management of natural resources, 2)
integration of environmental considerations in policy making and planning processes, 3)
capacity building of government agencies and other stakeholders, 4) meeting international
obligations effectively, and 5) creation of a demand for environment protection through
mass awareness and community mobilization.

139. Many of the policy guidelines are in line with GEF Strategic Priorities and OP 15 as well as
requirements under the different articles of the UNCCD. For example, the policy calls for
“development of strategies and programs to tackle desertification in line with the NAP and
to establish a National Desertification Control Fund” (GoP, National Environment Policy,
2005). This recent policy was thoroughly discussed and debated among all the relevant
ministries and their commitments were solidified. In this respect the Government of
Pakistan is totally committed to the implementation and mainstreaming of the NAP through
the SLMP project.

140. Pakistan has also adopted a “Medium Term Development Framework-2005-10” (MTDF-
2005-10), which his been developed through a consultative process involving all the Federal
Ministries, provincial governments and civil society organizations. The implementation of
the MTDF constitutes the government’s next five year’s development agenda. Importantly,
for the first time, “desertification control” is considered a priority area. The document calls
for promoting SLM interventions and developing programs and strategies to tackle
desertification problems in the country. The MTDF allocates US$ 4.94 million for
combating desertification in the country, including for SLM interventions and the creation
of a National Desertification Control Fund during the next five years.

Sustainability

31
141. The project is based on the measures prescribed under the NAP to combat desertification
and land degradation in Pakistan and priorities identified by the stakeholders during project
preparation consultation. The Government of Pakistan recognizes that a cross-sectoral and
holistic approach combining indigenous agro-pastoral practices and ecologically sustainable
land use management interventions is critical for combating land degradation and
desertification. To achieve this, the project has been developed with the active participation
of the relevant federal ministries, national institutions, provincial line agencies, NGOs, local
communities and multi and bilateral donors. It is expected that the participatory nature of
the project will create a sense of ownership and contribute to social sustainability. Special
emphasis has been placed on tackling the main causes of land degradation and removing
barriers to SLM, which will ensure long-term sustainability of project activities.

142. MoE is strongly committed to supporting the cell and assisting it, politically and financially,
in mainstreaming Pakistan’s NAP at both national and provincial levels. To ensure
institutional sustainability, the project’s National and Provincial Desertification Units will
be transformed into Desertification Control Cells will be established within MoE and the
Planning and Development Department of each province.. The Desertification Control
Cells will be supported by the National Coordination Committee to Combat Desertification
(NCCCD) and the Task Force already in place to steer implementation of the NAP. At the
completion of the project, all units will be financed by shifting the recurring costs of their
operations to the normal budget of the respective national and provincial governments and
by partially linking them to the NDCF to be created under the NAP.

143. The National Desertification Control Fund, as envisaged under the NAP will channel
financial resources for sustainable efforts (community based innovations, research, adaptive
trials, etc) to combat desertification and SLM investments. Modalities for setting up such a
fund will be explored during the implementation of Phase I of the project and actual funding
will be put in place during the implementation of Phase II.

144. The involvement of scientific institutions, such National Agriculture Research Center
(NARC), Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), Arid-Zone Research Centers, and agriculture
universities in implementation of the project through field level innovations and revival of
indigenous land use practices will ensure sustainability of many SLM pilot and
demonstrations interventions.

145. Finally, the project will benefit farmers and pastoralists by promoting cost-saving and yield
enhancing agricultural practices and conserving natural resources. In this sense, it will
ensure sustainability at the local level.

Replicability

146. As highlighted under proposed activities, the project is designed to implement a long-term
strategy for integrated, locally adapted SLM systems that can be replicated on a larger scale
across the country through parallel and follow-up investments by the government and donor
agencies. For example, a key element to enhance replicability is the preparation and
implementation of local level land use plans with the involvement of local communities,
district governments, and line agencies.

32
147. The project will demonstrate alternate SLM practices in select areas of dry land ecosystems
in the country. Lessons learned from implementation of diverse interventions could be
applied not only to other parts of the country, but also in countries of west and central Asia
with similar agro-ecological regions. Thus, the project has the potential to have a larger
geographical impact in the sub-region.

148. During Phase I, the replicability of each intervention will be further analyzed and a strategy
will be presented for Phase II to ensure implementation of successful models in different
eco-zones. The emphasis will be on identifying and developing cost-effective ways of
managing degraded rangelands, restoring degraded watersheds, harvesting and utilizing
rainwater for dry-afforestation and adopting viable soil conservation measures.

International and Bi-lateral Partners

149. Several international and bi-lateral donors, such as FAO, IFAD, ADB and World Bank, are
assisting the Government of Pakistan in its poverty reduction efforts through rural
development and income generating activities and programs. These programs will be
complementary to the proposed project. For example, the World Bank and ADB are
supporting a “Drought Emergency Recovery Assistance” (DERA) programs, especially in
Balochistan and Sindh. ADB is also implementing a Technical Assistance package for
“Balochistan Rural Development and Drought Mitigation Project”. These programs will be
complementary to the SLMP. These international partners have been consulted during
project preparation and through Environmental Donor Coordination Group meetings. (Also
see Linkages with Other Projects and Programs, p.18.)

i. PART III: Management Arrangements

150. The Ministry of Environment (MoE, Forestry Wing) will be responsible for the execution
and implementation of the project through the former Project Preparation Unit (PPU). This
unit, established with project preparation funding will become a National Coordination Unit
(NCU) with additional professional, technical, and support staff. The NCU will act as a
National Desertification Cell as has been envisaged under the NAP. The Inspector General
of Forests (IGF) will be the National Project Director (NPD), who will oversee the NCU.
151. Project Steering Committee (PSC): The MoE will establish a PSC to provide guidance and
over-see implementation of the project as well as coordination with the concerned
ministries, provincial line departments, and relevant research institutions. The PSC will
meet at least twice a year or as needed to review the project implementation. The PSC will
have, high level, cross-sectoral representation and of civil society organizations, line
ministries, provincial Planning and Development Departments, national research
institutions, and relevant NGOs. The Secretary, MoE, will be the Chair of the PSC. The
Chair may, however, choose to co-opt additional members to the PSC to enhance its
efficacy. The NCU will serve as the secretariat of the PSC and the NPD will act as its
member/secretary and will take responsibility for organizing its meetings, documentation of
minutes and ensuring that decisions of the PSC are implemented in letter and sprit.
152. Project Technical Committee (PTC): In addition to the PSC, there will be a PTC. The MoE
will establish the PTC by inducting sectoral experts from the relevant ministries, provincial
line departments, and representatives of the leading national NGOs, research institutions
and universities. The PTC will provide technical guidance for implementation of project
interventions and will provide technical support to the NCU. In order to ensure inter-

33
 sectoral involvement in the implementation of the project, each line-ministry will be asked
to nominate a working level expert as a technical focal point for the project and member of
PTC who will provide technical support and information and facilitate participation of their
various sectoral agencies. The PTC will be an informal technical and advisory body, but
will have a crucial, consultative and coordinative role to play.
153. The PTC will provide a platform for the NCU to discuss technical matters pertaining to
SLM and obtain technical opinion on the project inputs and outputs. The project will require
continued technical support. Hence, meetings of the PTC will be organized as needed to
present technical information and discuss technical issues pertaining to implementation of
the project. The NPD will chair the PTC, while the National Project Coordinator will act as
member/secretary and will take responsibility for organizing its meetings, recording
minutes, and ensuring that technical advice of the PTC is addressed at appropriate levels of
project implementation. In addition to the PTC, a Technical Network will be established
under the SLM Information System already being established through the use of project
preparation funds. This network is being linked through an e-mail list server. Once fully
operational, it will send regular updates about the project to its members and will provide an
opportunity to contributors to post research findings and information pertaining to SLM.

154. National Coordination Unit (NCU): The NCU will be the nucleus of the project and will
be responsible for delivery of project inputs and timely achievement of project outputs (see
project organogram in Part II of Section IV). The NCU will be housed in close proximity to
the office of Inspector General of Forests. The NCU will be headed by a National Project
Coordinator (NPC), who will manage day to day operations of the NCU. The NPC will
report to the NPD, while NPC will be supported by a team of professional and technical
staff assisted by the administrative finance officer, assistants, secretaries and other support
staff. The following will be the composition of technical and support team at the NCU:
i. Coordinator, SLM Information System
ii. Coordinator, Monitoring & Evaluation
iii. Coordinator, Land Use Planning
iv. Coordinator, Capacity Building and Training
v. Coordinator, Policy Reforms
vi. Admin and Finance Officer
vii. Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
viii. Communications Officer
ix. GIS/RS Assistant
x. Database Management Assistant
xi. Support staff (including Admin Assistant, Finance Assistant, Executive Secretary,
Secretaries (2), Drivers (4), Messenger (1), Office boys (2), and a night watchman.

155. The coordinators will be responsible for their respective components of the project and will
ensure timely achievement of specific outputs under their component. All the coordinators
will report to the NPC and be supported by technical staff in their respective fields.
156. Provincial Coordination Units (PCUs): The PCUs will be established in the provincial
Planning and Development Department (P&D) of each province. The PCUs will act as the
Provincial Desertification Units as envisaged under the NAP. The operations of the PCUs
will be overseen by the Secretary, P&D , of the respective province. The PCUs will be
headed by a Regional Coordinator (RC), who will report directly to the Secretary, P&D
with additional reporting to the NPC. RCs will work closely with the Chief of Sections of

34
 the relevant sectors (like agriculture, environment, irrigation and poverty). The other
supporting staff at each PCU will be: an Admin & Finance Assistant, Secretary, driver and
an office boy. The main responsibility of the RCs will be to mainstream SLM principles
into the provincial planning process, develop provincial land use plans and
coordinate/oversee on-the-ground feasibility studies during Phase I as well as coordinate
implementation of demonstration projects during Phase II.
157. Sub-contracts/Feasibility Studies: In order to test an innovative approach for managing
SLM interventions on the ground, all the feasibility studies identified during project
preparation will be out-sourced to concerned line agencies and relevant NGOs having
experience in undertaking SLM projects. The sub-contracts will be governed under Terms
of Reference to be agreed by the implementing partner and the project. Under the authority
of the PSC/NPD, the National Project Coordinator would prepare sub-contracts in
consultation with the RCs for the feasibility studies/pilot projects to be outsourced to the
provincial technical agencies/line departments and competent NGOs in line with the Project
Cycle Operational Manual (PCOM-IV). The Project contractor/implementing partners in
each province will be required to submit Quarterly Advance Requests and Quarterly
Progress Reports (QPRs) through PCUs in each province. The PCUs will compile these
requests and progress reports for forwarding to the NCU at the MoE for onward
transmission to the UNDP. The Quarterly Progress reports will be disseminated to all the
PSC and PTC members. In addition, all the QPRs will be made be available to the general
public and professionals at the www.slmp.org.pk website, presently under construction,
which will allow the feedback on the documents and implementation of the feasibility
studies.
158. Administration, Financial Disbursements, Auditing and Procurements: PCOM-IV
procedures would be followed for staff recruitment; dealing with administrative matters,
financial disbursements to NCU and further to PCUs and to the sub-
contractors/implementing partners through the PCUs. UNDP would conduct annual
financial audits to ascertain that standard procedures are applied for disbursements and
required monitoring systems are in place for internal control and record keeping. All local
and international procurements would be carried out in accordance with the procedures
detailed in the PCOM-IV.
159. Project Inception Workshop: A project inception workshop will be held within three
months of project approval. Participants will include the full project team, the relevant
counter parts of the government at the federal and provincial levels, potential sub-
contractors, UNDP, and representatives of other key stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, research
institutions, private sector and local community representatives in the feasibility study
sites). The main objective of the workshop will be to establish ownership and understanding
of the project goal and objectives and agree on a first year work plan and timeframe.
160. Project Acknowledgements: In order to accord proper acknowledgement to GEF for
providing funding, a GEF logo would appear on all relevant GEF project publications,
including among others, project hardware and vehicles purchased with GEF funds. All
citations on publications regarding projects funded by GEF would accord proper
acknowledgment to GEF. The UNDP and GoP logo would also appear on the project
documents and correspondence to acknowledge their support for the project.

35
PART IV: Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Budget

161. Project monitoring and evaluation will be conducted in accordance with established UNDP
and GEF procedures and will be provided by the project team under the guidance of the
UNDP Country Office, with support from UNDP-GEF. The Logical Framework will form
the basis for the project Monitoring and Evaluation system.

162. The Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, including indicators and needs for baseline
information, will be refined and finalized at the project Inception Workshop (IW). The IW
will unite the principal stakeholders of the project to familiarize them with the project staff,
develop a detailed Annual Work Plan (AWP) Budget for the first year of operations, and
agree on the information and timeframes for reporting project activities to the different
levels within the governance structure, including project review meetings and national and
local provincial committee functions. Finally, the inception workshop will provide an
opportunity to inform the project team on UNDP project-related budgetary planning, budget
reviews, and reprogramming as necessary. In subsequent years, a brief annual workshop
will be held to develop AWPs and make new adjustments to the monitoring and evaluation
system as necessary.

163. An Inception Report will be prepared immediately following the Inception Workshop.
This will include a review of the project context, including any changes since the design
phase which may affect implementation, and will detail the different levels of monitoring
and evaluation that will take place throughout the project with specific information on the
roles, responsibilities, activities, and indicators to be monitored during the first year of
operations. For the benefit of all stakeholders, the following specific UNDP mechanisms
will be defined and programmed with actions included in the inception report: annual
Project Implementation Review (PIR), the Annual Project Report (APR), Tripartite
Review (TPR) meetings, as well as the nature and timing of the Mid-Term and Final
Evaluations.

164. For the purpose of informing the review stages, the original baseline will be updated and
further quantified by the project in the first year. Additional information will be needed on
specific baseline interventions that are on-going or proposed and their contribution to SLM.

165. Day to day monitoring of implementation progress will be the responsibility of the National
Project coordinator with oversight by UNDP. Based on the project's Annual Work plan and
its indicators, the Project Team will inform the UNDP-CO of any delays or difficulties
faced during implementation so that the appropriate support or corrective measures can be
adopted in a timely and remedial fashion. Targets and indicators will be based on those
agreed upon at the inception workshop and will be redefined at a new workshop to be held
at the beginning of each project year, following a similar revision as implemented at the
inception workshop.

166. Periodic monitoring of implementation progress will be undertaken by the UNDP-CO

through quarterly meetings with the project staff. This will allow parties to review and
troubleshoot any problems pertaining to the project in a timely fashion to ensure smooth
implementation of project activities. UNDP-CO, UNDP-GEF RCUs, UNCCD focal point
and national steering committee members will conduct yearly visits to field sites to assess
project progress first hand. A Field Visit Report will be prepared by the CO and circulated
to all stakeholders.

36
167. A terminal TPR meeting will be held in the last month of project operations. The MoE will
be responsible for preparing the Terminal Report and submitting it to UNDP-CO, GEF,
and the UNCCD focal point for distribution. It will be prepared in draft at least two months
in advance of the terminal TPR in order to allow review, and will serve as the basis for
discussions in the TPR. The TPR has the authority to suspend disbursement if project
performance benchmarks (developed at the Inception Workshop) are not met.

168. The National Project Coordinator will be responsible for the preparation and submission to
UNDP and UNDP-GEF the following mandatory reports: Inception Report (IR), Annual
Project Report (APR), Project Implementation Review (PIR), the Project Terminal Report.
Specifications for additional internal and external progress reports will be defined during
the IW.

169. The National Project Coordinator will submit the quarterly progress reports to UNDP, GEF
and UNCCD focal points to enhance the flow of information and feedback to and from the
NAP structure and to UNCCD through the national focal point. UNDP will be responsible
for forwarding information and feedback to and from the UNDP-GEF structure.

170. The project will be subjected to at least two independent external evaluations. The first will
be an independent Mid-Term Review (MTR), by the end of Phase I (PY2). This will
determine progress being made towards the achievement of outcomes and will identify
course correction if needed, focusing on effectiveness, efficiency and timeliness of project
implementation; highlight issues requiring decisions and actions; and present initial lessons
learned about project design, implementation and management. The timing of the mid-term
evaluation will allow coordinators to make any modifications necessary to incorporate
improvements or changes in the project’s activities for the remaining project period. An
independent Final Evaluation will take place six months prior to the terminal tripartite
review meeting.

171. Financial audits are also considered. The National Project Coordinator will provide the
UNDP-CO with certified periodic financial statements, and with an annual audit of the
financial statements relating to the status of UNDP (including GEF) funds according to the
established procedures set out in the Programming and Finance manuals. The Audit will be
conducted by the legally recognized auditor of the Government, or by a commercial auditor.

172. To facilitate the sharing of information, the project staff will identify, analyze, and share
lessons learned that might be beneficial in the design and implementation of similar future
projects, and report will be submitted to the UNDP-CO, RCU and UNCCD at the end of
each year. UNDP/GEF shall provide a format and assist the project team in categorizing,
documenting and reporting on lessons learned. If requested, the project staff will prepare
project specific technical reports and technical publications. The technical reports will
represent the project's substantive contribution to specific areas, and will be used in efforts
to disseminate relevant information and best practices at local, national and international
levels. Project publications will also be produced, including scientific or informational texts
on the activities and achievements of the project, in the form of journal articles, multimedia
publications, etc.

173. A table depicting an indicative M&E work plan and budget is provided below.

37
 Indicative Monitoring and Evaluation Work Plan and Corresponding Budget

Type of M&E Responsible Parties Budget US$ Time frame

activity Excluding project team
Staff time
ƒ Project Manager Within first two months
Inception Workshop ƒ UNDP CO of project start up
ƒ UNDP GEF
ƒ Project Team Immediately following
Inception Report None
ƒ UNDP CO IW
Measurement of ƒ Project Manager will 1. To be finalized Start, mid and end of
Means of Verification oversee the hiring of in Inception Phase and project
for Project Purpose specific studies and Workshop. Indicative
Indicators institutions, and delegate cost XXXX
responsibilities to relevant
team members
Measurement of ƒ Oversight by Project GEF 2. To be Annually prior to
Means of Verification Technical Advisor and determined as part of APR/PIR and to the
for Project Progress Project Manager the Annual Work Plan's definition of annual
and Performance ƒ Measurements by regional preparation. Indicative work plans
(measured on an field officers and local IAs cost xxxx
annual basis )
APR and PIR ƒ Project Team 3. None Annually
ƒ UNDP-CO
ƒ UNDP-GEF
TPR and TPR report ƒ Government Counterparts None Every year, upon
ƒ UNDP CO receipt of APR
ƒ Project team
ƒ UNDP-GEF Regional
Coordinating Unit
Steering Committee ƒ Project Manager 4,000 Following Project IW
Meetings ƒ UNDP CO and subsequently at
least once a year

Periodic status reports ƒ Project team 4,000 To be determined by

Project team and
UNDP CO
Technical reports ƒ Project team 8,000 To be determined by
ƒ Hired consultants as needed Project Team and
UNDP-CO
Mid-term External ƒ Project team 20,000 At the mid-point of
Evaluation (Phase-I) ƒ UNDP- CO project implementation.
ƒ UNDP-GEF Regional
Coordinating Unit
ƒ External Consultants (i.e.
evaluation team)
Terminal Report ƒ Project team At least one month
ƒ UNDP-CO before the end of the

38
 ƒ External Consultant project
Publication of Lessons ƒ Project team Yearly
learned ƒ UNDP-GEF Regional
Coordinating Unit 4,000 (average 2,000
(suggested formats for per year)
documenting best practices,
etc)
Audit ƒ UNDP-CO 0 (Cost to borne by Yearly
ƒ Project team CO)
Visits to field sites ƒ UNDP Country Office Yearly
(UNDP staff travel ƒ UNDP-GEF Regional
costs to be charged to Coordinating Unit (as 10,000
fees) appropriate)
ƒ Government representatives
Final Evaluation six months prior to the
terminal tripartite
ƒ Independent Consultants 50,000
review meeting.

TOTAL indicative COST US$ 100,000

39
SECTION II: STRATEGIC RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND GEF
INCREMENT

PART I: Incremental Cost Analysis

Project Background

174. Pakistan is predominantly a dry land country. Eighty percent of the country is considered
arid or semi-arid. Two-thirds of Pakistan’s rapidly growing population of 153 million
people depends on dry land for their livelihoods through agro-pastoral activities. The
productivity and sustainability of these activities in turn depends on critical ecosystem
services – provided by rivers, ground water, trees, soils, etc. – which in turn depend on the
structural and functional integrity of the river basins, watersheds and rangelands that
comprise the country’s ecosystems.
175. This project aims to combat land degradation and desertification in Pakistan in order to
protect and restore ecosystems and essential ecosystem services that are key to reducing
poverty. The principal objectives of the project are to strengthen institutional capacity. ,
create an enabling environment and demonstrate sustainable land management practices for
the restoration of degraded ecosystems – all in an effort to remove key barriers to
sustainable land management.. The project will depend on the demonstrated growing
commitment of the Government of Pakistan and the involvement of key stakeholders, in
particular those at the community level. The project will be implemented in two phases. The
first phase will focus on creating an enabling environment for SLM, overcoming key policy
and institutional barriers, and launch pilot innovations. The second phase will draw on
lessons learned to deepen policy commitment, strengthen coordination and develop full-
scale demonstrations that can, in future, be scaled up and replicated.

Incremental Cost Assessment

Baseline

176. The recent launch of Medium-Term Development Framework (MTDF) 2005-10 sets the
stage for providing a sound baseline for the project. The strategic thrust of the MTDF is to
provide a conducive environment through provision of appropriate infrastructure:
intellectual, physical, technological, financial, legal and regulatory, along with strengthened
institutions. Combating desertification is listed as a priority, and, for the first time, large
amount of funds are allocated to the effort. This is promising, and there are a number of
activities in key sectors that address or have the potential to address sustainable land
management issues. Nevertheless, current and planned interventions are inadequate for
achieving the overarching goal of addressing land degradation within entire ecosystems,
thus maintaining ecosystem integrity and assuring that essential ecosystems services will be
available over the long-term. That can only be achieved through a fully holistic, landscape-
wide, cross-sectoral approach promoted by (i) ensuring that SLM principles and practice are
mainstreamed in policy and planning, (ii) coordinating actions across sectors, institutions
and projects, and (iii) instilling an appreciation and demand for developing and
disseminating innovative technologies and management practices. Utilizing relatively
modest resources, this project seeks to act as a catalyst in shifting the already substantial
ground that has been laid and, in so doing, overcome barriers to SLM.

40
177. With respect the policy and legal framework, the GoP recently adopted a National
Environmental Policy (2005) which provides guidelines for environmental protection and
sustainable management of natural resources. It has also adopted a Biodiversity Action
Plan. A National Forest Policy is under consideration. And the NAP for Combating
Desertification has been developed and endorsed. These are important steps, but more needs
to be done to provide the sound baseline for an enabling environment for SLM. With the
exception of the NAP, policies lack specific measures for controlling land degradation and
desertification. There is insufficient attention given for local communities to manage their
land resources sustainability. The policies do little to overcome perverse incentives (such as
electric subsidies for groundwater pumping). And policies have not been fully informed by
the needed activities or even thematic and ecosystem focus identified by the NAP.
For example, the Biodiversity Action Plan prescribes actions for maintaining
biodiversity, but is focused largely on protected areas and reserves, not on
productive areas or dry-lands.

178. With respect to forest, rangeland and watershed development, there are several on-going
and new federal and provincial projects which focus on improving tree cover in the country
and rehabilitation of degraded rangelands and watersheds. These could make important
baseline contributions to the project. Programs like the Conservation and Rehabilitation of
Indus Delta Mangrove for Sustainable Management and Afforestation of Community Waste
Lands in NWFP provide a vehicle for coordinated, scaled up action which is guided by an
integrated cross-sectoral approach and continually developing and adapting to lessons
learned..

179. Baseline actions with respect to agriculture focus on food security and maintaining
sustainable agriculture production. This gets high priority both at the national and provincial
levels. However, neither has incorporated the necessity of SLM in sector planning. For
example, the current National Agriculture Land Use Plan is largely an agricultural sector
mapping exercise at the national level which does not yet incorporate data on the extent of
land degradation or involve the participation of local communities in the development of
land use plans.

180. Some baseline actions like the Water Resources Development Project for Poverty
Reduction in Pakistan will need to be further guided by good practice in integrated water
management. Other baseline actions such as the pilot project for the promotion of water
conservation technology through the introduction of high efficiency irrigation systems in
Punjab, Sindh, and NWFP will need to be coordinated with activities that go beyond on-
farm water use efficiencies to consider what is happening to groundwater which is supplied
to farms. Baseline actions in water and irrigation development such as the rehabilitation of
irrigation systems in Sindh and the Punjab (limited for the purpose of this project to
activities in the project site areas) will be spending large sums of money. Informing these
projects through integrating SLM principles and practices will have a significant effect on
reducing water sacristy and land degradation.

181. The establishment of a dry-land research centre in Balochistan (funded through ADP) will
need to be supported and networked with similar activities in other parts of the country. The
National Centre for Drought and Environmental Monitoring - an on-going project which
focuses on collecting, processing and disseminating information on the environment – and

41
 the establishment of a Federal Unit for Drought Emergency Relief Assistance are an
important part of the baseline and will be essential partners in the project.

182. The GoP has also created “Pakistan Poverty Reduction Fund”. This is a multi-donor
assisted programme implemented in the country through national and local non-
governmental organizations. The main objective of this programme is to make different
grassroots level interventions to alleviate poverty. The project will explore how it might
help direct resources from the fund towards SLM.

183. Finally, the GoP recognizes the importance of knowledge enhancement and mass awareness
pertaining to environmental protection and conservation of the biological wealth of the
country. The baseline scenario includes several on-going initiatives that directly or
indirectly contribute to capacity building and creating an enabling environment in the
country. One important program is a proposed national awareness campaign for
environment protection which will be influenced by close coordination with the project..

Global Environmental Objectives

184. Global benefits of the project will include: i) sustainable use of land, focused on adopting
sustainable and innovative pastoral and agriculture practices, ii) mainstreaming SLM
principles into land use planning, iii) enhanced knowledge and awareness of SLM through
information sharing and networking, iv) conservation of biological diversity of global
significance, v) increased storage of greenhouse gases in agro-ecosystems and vi)
restoration and long-term protection of critically degraded ecosystems.

GEF Alternative

185. The GEF alternative scenario will build on the baseline actions by promoting integrated ,
cross-sectoral management of natural resources, mainstreaming SLM into policy and land
use planning, strengthening institutions and removing barriers. The alternative approach
will help introducing incentive measures to encourage local communities to adopt
sustainable livelihood options. It will enhance the knowledge base and raise awareness
among policy makers and the general public. The GEF-alternative will also enhance
innovation and the scaling up of good practice through participatory, replicable on the
ground pilot projects, and it will explore innovative financial mechanisms for promoting
SLM through the National Desertification Control Fund as envisaged under the NAP.

186. It is important to recognize that the success of the GEF alternative depends heavily on the
creation of new and viable institutional structures that have strong political and financial
backing by the GoP and the provinces, and so can be expected to succeed (where GoP has
not yet succeeded) in mainstreaming Pakistan’s NAP. These structures – which include the
revival of the National Coordination Committee on Desertification, Provincial Coordination
Committees on Desertification, the National Coordination Unit, Provincial Coordination
Units, Project Steering Committee, and Project Technical Committee – have strong buy-in
and participation from senior political and technical staff at all levels of government as well
as the private sector, NGOs and the donor community. Utilizing these bodies, the National
Project Coordinator promoting cross sector commitment and coordination. Critically, the
Project Coordinator for this project is well connected in policy circles, including in the
provinces, and has the full trust and support of MoE.

42
Summary of Costs

187. The baseline and incremental costs of the proposed project are summarized in the
incremental cost matrix. The total budget for Phase I, US$4,600,000, is required to achieve
global environmental objectives. Of this amount US$2,000,000 is requested from GEF,
while the remainder will come from UNDP (US$1,350,000) and Government of Pakistan
(US$1,250,000). The estimated budget needed for Phase II will be US$ 12,500,000:
US$5,500,000 will be requested from the GEF, while co-financing for US$7,000,000 will
be mobilized during implementation of Phase I from donors, GoP and the principal
governments, making the total cost of the project to US$17,440,000 (US$340,000 for PDF-
B, US$4,600,000 for Phase-I, and US$12,500,000 for Phase-II). Donors who may be
interested in further supporting the project and, in particular Phase II, have been contacted
and their interest will be further assessed during Phase I.

43
 Sustainable Land Management to Combat Desertification
Incremental Cost Matrix ((Phase – I and II)

Benefits/Costs Baseline (B) Alternatives (A) Increment (A-B)

Domestic Benefits − Outdated policy and legal frameworks. − Policy barriers removed − Enabling policy and framework
− Poorly defined land tenure. − In-appropriate subsidies barrier removed or recommended.
− Limited institutional capacity. altered to ensure SLM practices. − Ecosystem stability and integrity
− Poor coordination among sectoral − Mainstreaming SLM principles into restored at the feasibility study
agencies. national policies and plans, such as PRSP, sites.
− In-compatible land uses. MTF-2005-10, and provincial PSDPs. − Knowledge and awareness
− Unsustainable natural resources harvest − Proper land use planning at the local level. barrier overcome to thatch local
practices. − In-appropriate subsidies removed or altered benefits.
− Uncontrolled soil and water erosion. for SLM practices. − Innovative funding mechanism
− Prevailing poverty. − Incentive measures encourage local devised.
− Loss of land productivity and household communities to pursue sustainable − Enhance individual and
income. livelihood options. institutional capacity.
− Breakdown of traditional land − Integrated management of land resources − Improved decision support
management systems e.g. transhumant & promoted. system.
rotational use of rangelands. − Indigenous resource management practices − Alternate livelihood introduced
− Continued degradation of plant cover. strengthened. for poverty reduction.
− In-efficient use of water resources. − Public-private partnership promoted. − Mainstreaming SLM into land
− Poor understanding of anthropogenic on − Efficient use of water resources. use planning.
land & natural resources. − Soil conservation measures introduced. − Integrated NRM promoted.
− Unsustainable financial mechanism. − Land degradation and
− Line agencies are not collaborating in desertification mapped.
integrated management of natural
resources.

Global Benefits − Current land management practices are − Enabling environment for SLM provided. − Local communities and private
unsustainable. − Improved Carbon sequestration. sector become active partners.
− Existing sectoral policies and laws do not − Restoration of degraded ecosystems. − Participatory management
provide enabling environment for SLM. − Conservation of biological diversity of regimes introduced at local
− Degradation of dry -and ecosystems. global significance. levels.
− Rapid loss of globally threatened species. − Local communities adopt alternate − SLM interventions provide
− Loss of vegetative cover. sustainable livelihoods. demonstration value for
− Limited understanding of land − Enhanced technical capacity and financial replication of best practices to
degradation and desertification process resources. other regions of the world.
and their consequences. − Improved international
 − Limited human and institutional capacity. − SLM principles integrated into land use coordination.
− NAP not yet mainstreamed into sectoral planning. − Lesson learnt and best practices
polices and − Enhanced knowledge and awareness. documented and disseminated.
− No public and private partnership for − Global and regional network on
SLM. SLM promoted.
− Lack of funding and sustainable financial − Enhanced carbon sequestration.
resources. − Indigenous knowledge and land
− High incidence of rural poverty. use practices documented and
− Senior policy and decision makers and strengthened.
local communities are unaware of − Conservation of globally
consequences of land degradation. significant plant and animal
− No incentive for SLM practices. species.

Costs Baseline (B) GEF Alternatives (A) Increment (A-B)

Outcome 1: − National Policies: − Sectoral policies provides SLM
Enabling ƒ Agriculture guidelines/principles for creating enabling GEF: $302,562
Environment for ƒ Livestock environment
SLM Created ƒ Forest, and − Policy barriers removed. Co-financing: $53,503
ƒ Water − Land management policies provide
− National Action Plan (NAP) to combat incentives for local people to manage and
desertification & mitigate drought sustainably use land resources.
− Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) − In-appropriate subsidies are removed or
− NWFP Forest Policy modified to ensure SLM practices.
− Punjab Forest Policy (Draft) − Mainstreaming NAP into national strategies
− Pakistan PRSP and plans to achieve Millennium
− Balochistan PRSP Development Goals.
− Pakistan Water Sector Strategy 2002 − Innovative mechanisms for financing land
− National Water Policy (draft) degradation and desertification control
− MTDF 2005-10 measures explored and a strategy
− National Task Force for creation of recommended for adoption by the GoP.
NDCF

$550,000
$906,065

45
Outcome 2: − National Center for Drought/Environment − Barriers removed to enhance capacity and
Capacity Building Monitoring & Early Warning (Rs.164.80 coordination. GEF: $430,000
for Sustainable Land m)5 − Enhanced individual and institutional
Management − Restructuring & Strengthening of capacity for SLM Co-financing: $ 652,000
National Agri. Research System (phase-I) − Substantial improvement in ability of
(Rs.614.1 m) relevant agencies to meet global
− Technical Assistance for capacity environmental commitments.
building for implementing (Drought − Enhanced capacities of the land
Emergency Relief Assistance) DERA management agencies will help in
Programme (Rs.38.4 m) protecting ecosystem integrity.
− Establishment of Dry Land Research − Enhanced inter-agencies and inter-sectoral
Centre at Kharan, Balochistan (Rs.43.39 collaboration to address land degradation
m) issues.
− Raising nurseries and research on various − Enhanced capacity in targeted research and
drought resistance species (Rs.8.84 m) monitoring ecosystem health.
− Up-gradation of Sohawa and Fateh Jang − Awareness among general public and policy
Research Stations and strengthening makers created.
SAWCRI, Chakwal, Punjab (Rs.18.77 m) − Improved decision support system.
− Strengthening of laser land leveling − Early warning system for drought
services in Punjab (Rs.267.28 m) monitoring contributing to drought
− Strengthening agriculture publicity preparedness.
through mass media (Rs.7.57 m) − Public-private partnerships promoted to
− Introduction of high yielding fodder combat desertification in the country.
varieties through public private − Enhanced understanding of ecosystem
partnership (Rs.100.0 m) integrity and services.
− Research and studies for integrated water − Global and regional knowledge networks
resources management (Rs.10.0 m) strengthened
− Technical Assistance for development − Awareness raising strategies around
renewable energy and institutional national, regional and global events e.g.
capacity building of the Alternative 2006 International Year for Desertification.
Energy Board (Rs.15.32 m) − Reduced pressure on globally significant
dry land ecosystem.
− Improved protection of globally and
regionally significant ecosystems.
− Behavior change toward land resources.
− Increased understanding for controlling land
degradation and desertification.

5
One US$ = Rs.58.71 (UNDP’s August 2005 exchange rate)

46
 $21,946,,000 $23,028,000
Outcome 3: − Preparation of national land use plan − Mainstreaming SLM principles into sectoral
Mainstreaming SLM (Rs.33.0 m) planning. GEF: $210,000
principles into Land − National agriculture land use plan − Participatory land use planning
Use Planning (Rs.136.9 m) − GIS and RS capabilities strengthened. Co-financing:$ 350,000
Process − Land use planning in NWFP (Rs.30.32 − SLM practices integrated into provincial
m) land use planning.
− Establishment of agriculture marketing − Sustainability of SLM interventions at
information system (AMIS) Punjab feasibility study.
(Rs.190.067 m) − Decision support system improved through
− Establishment of management introduction GIS tools.
information system (MIS) in Irrigation − Data on extent of land degradation and
Department of Punjab (Rs.5.0 m) desertification readily available.
− SLM information system established.

$6,733,000 $7,293,000
Outcome 4: − Rehabilitation of Rangelands of Pothwar − Biodiversity conservation values enhanced
Participatory Tract of Punjab through Participation of − Enhanced carbon storage capacity through GEF: $568,800
feasibility studies Local Communities (Rs.24.8 m) improving vegetative and soil cover.
demonstrated SLM − Pilot project for promotion of water − Improved functional integrity of dryland Co-financing:$ 886,200
practices conservation technology through ecosystems.
introduction of high efficiency irrigation − Reduction in rural poverty
system in Punjab, NWFP and Sindh − Sustainable use of natural resources
(Rs.497.4 m) introduced to eradicate poverty.
− Pilot project for promotion and expansion − Vulnerability to climate change impacts
Of trickle irrigation programme in reduced.
Balochistan (Rs.219.7 m) − Integrated management of natural resources
− Construction of small dams on Daraban, introduced at provincial and local levels.
Chaudwan, and Sheikh Haider Zam in − Involvement of private sector in
D.I. Khan and Tank, NWFP (Rs.30.98 m) desertification control measures.
− Feasibility study of small dams & delay − Water conservation promoted through
action dam in southern area of NWFP micro irrigation measures.
(Rs.43.98 m) − Strengthening indigenous land use
− Afforestation over state land in southern practices.
districts of NWFP (Rs.33.85 m) − Participatory drought mitigation and local

47
 − Environment rehabilitation around small livelihoods enhancement measures
dams in southern districts of NWFP − Alternate livelihoods identified to reduce
(Rs.10.0 m) pressure on degraded ecosystems.
− Increasing rangelands (Barani lands)
productivity through range improvement
and mitigation of poverty alleviation
(Karachi, Thatta and Thar) (Rs.7.23 m)
− Revamping rangelands with participation
stakeholders in Punjab (Rs.72.81 m)
− Construction of small dams in district
Attock (Rs.300.0 m)
− Construction of small dams in district
Chakwal (Rs.500. m)

$29,649,974 $31,104,974
Outcome 5: Lessons This includes staff time and existing facilities − Capable staff in place to manage and GEF: $488,638
learnt & adaptive at: coordinate project impact.
management − Effective monitoring and evaluation system Co-financing:$ 658,297
− Planning Commission in place
− MINFAL staff − National Desertification Control Units
− MoE staff established at national and provincial levels
− Provincial Planning and Development as envisaged under NAP.
Departments − Efficient coordination mechanism in place.
− Project Steering Committee − Lesson learnt and best practices
− Project Technical Committee documented and disseminated at regional
and global level.

$500,000 $1,646,935
Total Phase I US$59.379 million US$63.979 million US$4.6 million
Phase II Forestry, Rangeland and Watershed Add on demonstration of innovations in GEF: $5,500,000
(Demonstration of Development; Agriculture and Livestock sustainable agriculture practices, water and soil
activities that can Development; Water and Irrigation conservation techniques, integrated management Co-financing:$ 7,000,000
directly address Development schemes; Poverty Reduction of natural resources, sustainable pastoral
socio-econ and projects/programmes activities, and agro-forestry so as to address
behavioral barriers These programmes will not be integrating socio-economic and behavioral barriers to SLM.
to SLM) SLM principles and the estimated Strategy for integrating the lessons of these
expenditures on them are US$ 133.15 million. demonstrations into relevant government

48
 (During Phase I, these baseline estimates will development schemes (internalizing the
Note: The precise be further refined) demonstrations), so as to be able to replicate this
Outcomes of Phase upon project completion
II will be developed
during Phase I.
Total Phase II US$ 133.153 million US$ 145.65 million US$ 12.5 million

Total:
Phase I + Phase II= US$ 192.532 million US$209.629 million US$17.1 million

49
 PART II

A: Summarized Logical Framework Analysis

Project Summary Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks

Goal Combat land degradation and desertification in Pakistan

Objective: − National Desertification Cell and − 0 − 1 National and 4 Provincial − Progress reports − Current political and
Provincial Desertification Units Coordination Units established − Independent evaluation report economic stability
Strengthening institutional established and functioning by the by PY1 and converted into − Country report to UNCCD continues to hold in the
capacity, creating end of PY7 respective desertification − Project Termination Report country.
enabling environment, and cells/units by PY7
− Prevailing climate
demonstrating Sustainable change impact (i.e.
Land Management (SLM) − Enabling environment created by − National and − NAP mainstreamed into − Progress reports drought cycle) in south
practices to remove key mainstreaming NAP and SLM provincial sectoral sectoral policies − Federal sectoral policies and and south-western part
barriers for restoration of
guidelines into sectoral policies and policies and − SLM guidelines developed by next 5-years plan of the country ends.
developing integrated land use plans development plans PY2 and integrated into next − Integrated site specific land use
degraded ecosystems, in − Political situation in the
5-years development plan plans
the context of sustainable neighboring countries
− 10 integrated site specific land
remains stable and there
development and poverty use plans developed by PY2
is no further influx of
reduction. and implemented by PY7
refugees.
− SLM practices introduced at − 0 − SLM practices introduced at − Independent evaluation at the − Co-financing is secured
feasibility study sites in Phase-I and 10 feasibility study sites by end of PY 2 and 7. from Government
up-scaled to larger geographic area PY2 and up-scaled to larger − Monitoring/Progress reports allocations and other
through demonstration of best demonstration sites by PY7 − Impact assessment reports donors.
practices under Phase-II for − Desertification and land − Change detection maps/reports
combating desertification and land degradation controlled by 20% using GIS/RS tools − Government
degradation at feasibility study sites by PY willingness to accept
3 and 50% by PY 7 and implement policy
reforms and
mainstreaming SLM
− Project communities are − To be determined by − 50% of households benefiting − Poverty related studies and
into sectoral policies
participating in SLM interventions PY1 directly from the project and household surveys at project
and have increased their average their income increased by sites − Sustained funding
household income as compared to 20% by PY 5 and 30% by − Socio-economic survey reports commitment from GEF
baseline. PY7 and other donors

50
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Outcome 1: Enabling − Number of sectoral polices that − National sectoral − 2 national studies conducted − Study reports − Political situation
environment created incorporate SLM guidelines policies on by PY2 to recommend SLM − Reformed sectoral policies remains conducive for
environment, guidelines for sectoral policies − PRSP containing SLM policy reforms.
agriculture, forest and − SLM guidelines integrated guidelines − Federal ministries,
water into sectoral policies and PRSP secretariat,
− Pakistan-PRSP PRSP by PY5 provincial line agencies
and district
− NAP mainstreamed into sectoral − NAP Document − Conduct participatory − Consultative workshop governments are
policies and development plans and review/gap analysis of NAP proceedings collaborating and
its implementation facilitated by PY1 − Sectoral polices reflecting receptive for
− NAP mainstreamed into recommendation of NAP introducing SLM
sectoral plans by PY2 and practices.
50% of its measures − Long-term financial
implemented by PY7 support by the
Government and donors
− SLM Criteria and Indicators (C&I) − 0 − C&I for SLM developed by − C &I background paper to arrest land
developed and adopted PY2 and used by the − Stakeholders consultations degradation
stakeholders by the end of report − Govt. and donor
Phase-II (PY7) − SLM C&I document community is willing to
− Progress reports contribute to NDCF
− Transparent distribution
of funds based on local
needs and extent of
desertification problem
Outcome 2: Capacity − Institutional capacity and − Relevant federal − NCCD revived and PCCDs − Progress reports − Provincial governments
Building for coordination mechanisms at ministries and established by PY1 − Evaluation reports are collaborating and
Sustainable Land national, provincial and local levels provincial P& D − National and provincial − Minutes of NCCD, PCCD and participating in
Management strengthened Depts. coordination units established CBOs meetings desertification control
− NCCD by PY1 (Outcome 5) measures.
converted to desertification − Line agencies and
cells by PY7 communities are
− CBOs established at pilot committed to enhance
project sites by PY1 their capabilities
− Technical capacity of relevant − Relevant line − Capacity gaps of line agencies − Capacity gap analysis report − District government’s
ministries, line agencies, dry-land agencies, dry-land and local communities − Training plans available cooperation is available.
research institutions and local research institutes, identified and training plans − Training material − Coordination among
communities enhanced to and local developed by PY1. − Number of staff of line research institutions
implement SLM practices. communities − 4 training workshops agencies trained maintained
conducted by PY2 − Number of training workshops − Local communities are
organized receptive to new

51
 − Existing research institutes oriented − Existing dryland − At least 3 dry-land research − Research study reports techniques
toward targeted research on SLM research institutions institutes participating and − Field visits − Concerned agencies are
conducting targeted research − Project progress reports collaborating and timely
studies by PY2 & 5 by PY7 − Evaluation reports sharing information
− Early warning system and − Existing drought − National center for drought − Annual report of National − Govt. is willing to
mechanism for monitoring drought monitoring and monitoring strengthened by Center for Monitoring Drought commit resources for
supported warning system PY2 − Revised contingency plan the early warning
− Existing drought − Revised drought contingency − Progress reports system and contingency
contingency plan plan prepared by PY4 plans
− Awareness on desertification issues − Existing agriculture − Awareness raising strategy on − Strategy document − Pakistan’s current print
and SLM raised and livestock SLM developed by PY1 and − Print and electronic media and electronic media
extension services implemented by PY2. campaigns policy continues.
and their awareness − SLMP Web site maintained − # of visitors to the web site
campaigns − 5 posters, 5 leaflets and 1 − Number of posters, and leaflets
documentary prepared by PY prepared and distributed among
2 in national and local project partners and local
languages. communities
Outcome 3: − SLM guideline integrated into − National land use − SLM guidelines integrated − National land use plan/maps − Provincial Governments
Mainstreaming SLM national and provincial land use planning process into national land use plans by − Consultative land use planning are willing to take up
into Land Use plans PY2 workshop reports and implement land use
Planning Process − 2 provincial land use plans − Provincial land use plans/maps plans.
developed by PY2 and − Willingness to share
remaining 2 by PY4 Information and use of
− GIS based SLM Information − Existing database − Baseline at 10 feasibility study − Interactive database available at GIS outputs by the line
System (SLMIS) developed for with stakeholders sites established by PY1 SLMP website agencies
monitoring impact and periodic − A comprehensive GIS − Local land use plans developed
changes at feasibility/demonstration database on SLM available by based on information from GIS
sites PY2 data sets
− Performance indicators for − Annual progress reports
each study site identified by − Performance indicator
PY1 and integrated into document
SLMIS − Change detection maps/reports

Outcome 4: − Feasibility studies/pilot testing − 0 − 9 participatory feasibility − Progress reports − Government is

Participatory feasibility conducted in Phase-I and up-scaled studies conducted at 10 pilot − Field visit reports committed to
studies for to full demonstration in Phase-II sites by PY2 and up-scaled by − Independent evaluation mission community
demonstration of SLM PY7 reports participation in natural
practices − 10 participatory land use plans − Site specific land use plans resources management
developed by PY2 and − Line agencies, district
implemented by PY5 governments and
− Number of local communities − 0 − CBOs and 10 cluster − Progress reports communities are
mobilized for implementing SLM organizations established by − Number of CBOs organized/ participating in
interventions PY2 strengthened planning and

52
 − CBOs meeting records implementation of pilot
projects.
− Timely delivery of
− Impact of feasibility studies/pilot − 0 − 50% of participating − Independent mission reports inputs
testing on poverty reduction households at feasibility study − Socio-economic survey reports − No major climatic
monitored. sites have increased their incidents
income by 20% by PY 5 and
30% by PY7
Outcome 5: Lessons − National and Provincial − 0 − National and Provincial − Project progress reports − Funding available on
Learnt & Adaptive Coordination Units converted into Coordination Units established − Independent mission report time
Management respective desertification control by PY1 (Outcome 2) − Follow up funds are
cells. converted into respective sustaining
desertification cells by PY7 desertification cells
− Monitoring and evaluation − 0 − M & E strategy developed by − Quarterly progress reports after the project life
mechanism developed and PY1 and implemented − Annual progress reports − MoUs signed and
implemented throughout the project life − List and description of adhered to by the
− External evaluation of Phase-I monitoring indicators partners and if a issue,
conducted by the end of PY2 − Minutes of the PSC obstacle arise there are
− Project impact study − Minutes of the PTC mechanisms in place to
conducted by PY6 − External evaluation report address them
− Final independent evaluation − Field visit reports − Dissemination of
by PY7 − Impact study reports lessons learned
− Project termination report unhindered
− Lessons learnt and best practices − 0 − 3 lessons learnt report − Baseline study reports
documented and disseminated prepared by PY2, PY4 and − Evaluation reports
PY6 − Field visits & surveys
− 1 best practices report − 1 best practices report prepared
prepared by PY2, PY4 and by PY2, PY4 and PY6
PY6 − Study reports
− Socio-economic impact study − News/articles and technical
conducted at feasibility study papers
sites by PY6

53
 B: Detailed Project Logical Framework Analysis

Project Summary Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Goal Combat land degradation and desertification in Pakistan
Objective: − National Desertification Cell and − 0 − 1 National and 4 Provincial − Progress reports − Current political and
Strengthening Provincial Desertification Units Coordination Units established − Independent evaluation economic stability
institutional capacity, established and functioning by the by PY1 and converted to report continues to hold in
creating enabling
end of PY7 (Tranche-I). respective desertification − Country report to UNCCD the country.
cells/units by PY7 − Project Termination Report − Prevailing climate
environment, and
− Enabling environment created by − National and − NAP mainstreamed into sectoral − Progress reports change impact (i.e.
demonstrating mainstreaming NAP and SLM provincial policies − Federal sectoral policies drought cycle) in
Sustainable Land guidelines into sectoral policies and sectoral − SLM guidelines developed by and next 5-years plan south and south-
Management (SLM) development plans policies and PY2 and integrated into next 5- − Financial reports regarding western part of the
development years plan (2010-15) NDCF country ends.
practices to remove
plans − National Desertification Control − Political situation in
key barriers for the neighboring
Fund (NDCF) established by
restoration of countries remains
PY5
degraded ecosystems, − Integrated land use plans developed − In-process − 10 integrated site specific land − Integrated site specific land stable and there is no
in the context of and implemented for restoration of National land use plans developed by PY2 and use plans further influx of
sustainable degraded ecosystems use plan implemented by PY7 − Provincial land use plans refugees.
− In-process − 4 provincial integrated land use available − Co-financing is
development and
National plans developed by PY5 and − Minutes of the Provincial secured from
poverty reduction. Government
agriculture implemented by PY7 Project Coordination
land use plan Committee allocations and other
donors.
− SLM practices introduced at − 0 − SLM practices introduced at 10 − Independent evaluation at
feasibility study sites in Tranche-I feasibility study sites by PY2 the end of PY 2 and 7. − Government
willingness to accept
and up-scaled to larger geographic and up-scaled to larger − Federal and provincial 5-
area through demonstration of best demonstration sites by PY7 and implement
years plans
policy reforms and
practices under Tranche-II − Impact assessment reports
mainstreaming SLM
− Desertification and land degradation − To be − Desertification and land − Monitoring/Progress into sectoral policies
reduced at all the project sites as determined by degradation controlled by 20% reports.
− Sustained funding
compared to baseline. PY1 at feasibility study sites by PY 3 − Field visit reports
commitment from
and 50% by PY 7 − Change detection GEF and other
maps/reports using GIS/RS donors
tools
− Project communities are participating − To be − 50% of households benefiting − Poverty related studies and

54
 in SLM interventions and have determined directly from the project and household surveys at
increased their average household during PY1 their income increased by 20% project sites
income as compared to baseline. by PY 5 and 30% by PY7 − Socio-economic survey
reports

Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Outcome 1: Enabling − Number of sectoral polices that − Existing sectoral − SLM Guidelines integrated − Reformed sectoral − Political situation
environment created incorporate SLM guidelines policies into national agriculture, policies remains conducive
− − Pakistan-PRSP forest and water policies as − PRSP for policy reforms.
well as PRSP by PY7 − Federal ministries,
− NAP mainstreamed into sectoral − NAP Document − NAP mainstreamed into − Sectoral polices reflect provincial line
policies and development plans by and sectoral policies i.e. recommendation of NAP agencies and district
its implementation facilitated agriculture, forestry and governments are
water by PY2 and 50 % of collaborating and
its measures implemented receptive for
by PY7 introducing SLM
− SLM Criteria and Indicators (C&I) − 0 − SLM C&I developed by − SLM C&I document practices.
developed and adopted PY2 and used by the − Special study report
stakeholders by PY7. − Progress reports
Output 1.1: − National sectoral polices harmonized − National Policies − 2 national studies conducted − Guideline and policy − Government
Appropriate policy for adoption of SLM practices on Environment, by PY2 for making review papers available committed to SLM
reforms for SLM Forest, and recommendations for − Revised sectoral policies interventions
recommended Water inclusion of SLM guidelines − Minutes of the − Coordination
into forest, agriculture and stakeholders consultative between sectoral
water polices by PY 2 meetings agencies exists at
− One study conducted to − Study reports federal and provincial
identify in-appropriate levels
subsidies/ incentives
Output 1.2: − Gap analysis of NAP conducted − NAP Document − One national study for gap − Review report − Government
NAP mainstreamed into analysis of NAP conducted − Quarterly/Annual committed to adopt
sectoral planning by PY1 Progress report NAP
−
− NAP mainstreamed into sectoral − NAP Document − 1 National and 4 provincial − Consultation workshop
planning and sectoral workshops held by PY2 proceedings.
plans − NAP mainstreamed into − NAP document and
sectoral plans by PY2 and revised sectoral plans
50% of its measures
implemented by the end of
Phase-II

55
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Output 1.3: − C&I for SLM developed and adopted − 0 − 1 Background Paper − Background Paper − Stakeholders are
National Criteria & prepared by PY1 − Workshop reports willing to participate
Indicators (C & I) − 2 stakeholders consultation − C&I document in C&I development
Developed for SLM workshops held by PY2 − Progress reports and their
− C & I for SLM developed & implementation
adopted by PY2 and
implemented by PY7
Output 1.4: − Project document for Tranche II − Project − 5 Consultative Workshops − Stakeholders consultation − Continued political
Project Document for prepared and submitted to the GoP and Document for held by PY1.5 reports commitment to
Tranche-II developed UNDP-GEF Tranche-I − Project Document for − Project document SLMP and its
− Quarterly and Tranche-II prepared and − Co-financing commitment interventions
annual progress submitted by PY 2 letters − Long-term financial
reports of − Co-financing secured for support by the
Tranche-I Tranche-II Government and
donors to arrest land
degradation
Output 1.5: − Feasibility study for establishment of − Recommendatio − Feasibility study for − Feasibility study report − Govt. and donor
National Desertification NDCF conducted n for NDCF establishment of NDCF − Local stakeholders’ have community is willing
Control Fund (NDCF) under NAP completed by PY2 and access to NDCF to contribute to
established NDCF established in PY5 NDCF
− Transparent
− Funding for NDCF secured − 0 − Funds of ~US$ 3 million − PC-I (standard Govt. distribution of funds
secured from donors/GoP document) based on local needs
by PY5 − Donor commitments/ and extent of
financial statements desertification
− National Task Force on NDCF revived − National Task − Task force revised/revived − Minutes of the task force problem
Force on NDCF by PY 2 meetings
− 20 small grant projects − Number of small-grant
reviewed and approved by projects reviewed and
PY 7 endorsed
Outcome 2: Capacity − Coordination mechanism at national − Relevant federal − 1 National and 4 Provincial − Annual progress reports − Provincial
Building for and provincial established ministries and Coordination Units − Evaluation mission report governments are
Sustainable Land provincial P& D established by PY1 and − Minutes of the collaborating and
Management Depts. converted to respective NCCD/PCCD meetings participating in
desertification cells/units by desertification control
PY7 measures.

56
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
− Technical capacity of relevant − Relevant line − 80 staff members of line − Number of training − Local communities
ministries, line agencies, dry-land agencies, dry- ministries/departments, workshops organized are participating in
research institutions and local land research research institutions and − Number of targeted the project.
communities enhanced to implement institutes, and 250 community activists research initiatives
SLM practices. communities trained by PY2
Output 2.1: − National and provincial desertification − 0 − 1 National and 4 provincial − Progress reports − Line agencies and
Institutional capacity at cells/units established desertification cells/units − Evaluation reports communities are
National, Provincial and established by PY7 − Mission reports committed to enhance
Local levels their capabilities
− Capacity gaps of provincial and local − 0 − 4 Training plans developed − Capacity need assessment
strengthened regarding SLM
agencies identified and training plans by PY2 based on capacity reports
practices
developed. gaps identified PY 1 − Training plans available
− − District government’s
80 staff members from − Training material
cooperation is
provincial line agencies − Number of staff of line
trained for SLM available.
agencies trained
− Community representatives trained and − 0 − 100 Community − Number of community
certified to facilitate SLM interventions representatives trained and representatives trained
certified by PY2 and 150 by
PY5
Output 2.2: − National Coordination Committee on − NCCD and NAP − 2 meetings of NCCD held − Minutes of NCCD − Provincial
Apex bodies for Desertification (NCCD) revived to by PY2 meetings governments agreed
coordination of implement UNCCD and NAP − 20 SLM projects/ − Project to establish PCCDs
desertification control interventions recommended concepts/documents − Government agreed
measures formed for NDCF support by PY7 to support priority
− Provincial Coordination Committees − 0 − 4 PCCDs established by − Notification by P&D projects
on Desertification (PCCDs) established PY1 Depts.
− Bi-annual meetings of − Minutes of the PCCD
PCCD held meetings
− Project
concepts/documents
Output 2.3: − Key dry land research institutions are − Existing Dry − At least 3 dry-land research − Research study reports − Coordination among
Orientation of research participating in targeted research land Research institutes participating in the − Field visits research institutions
institutes towards Institutes project activities by PY2 & − Mission reports maintained
targeted SLM 5 by PY7 − Donor commitment is
activities − Targeted research studies conducted − 0 − 3 targeted research studies − Project progress reports maintained
and findings implemented conducted by PY2 and 5 by − Evaluation reports − Local communities
PY7

57
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
− Networking of dryland research − 0 − One national seminars − Seminar/convention are receptive to new
institutes and mechanism to implement arranged on Dry Land reports techniques
research findings by the management by PY 2 − Targeted research findings
farmers/pastoral communities − 4 farmers/pastoral
developed communities conventions
held by PY4
Output 2.4: − Willingness of private sector’s − 0 − Meetings/dialogues with − Assessment reports − Private sector is
Public – Private participation in dry-land management private sector willing to invest in
partnership promoted assessed. SLM promotion
− Public-private partner investment plans − 0 − 2 programs designed PY2 − Minutes of the meetings
designed and implemented and implemented by PY7 − Partnership agreements
− Progress reports
Output 2.5: − Early warning system and mechanism − Existing drought − National center for drought − National Center for − Concerned agencies
Knowledge generated for monitoring drought supported contingency plan monitoring strengthened by monitoring drought are collaborating and
for sustainable land − at the Planning PY2 − Early warnings issued timely sharing
management Commission − Drought contingency plan − Contingency plan information
revised by PY4 document − Co-financing is
− Number of climate change impact − 0 − 2 studies conducted by PY4 − Study reports available
studies conducted − Progress reports − Govt. is willing to
− Evaluation report commit resources for
contingency plans
Output 2.6: − Awareness raising strategy on SLM − Existing − Awareness raising strategy − Strategy document − Pakistan’s current
Outreach & Awareness developed and implemented agriculture and on SLM developed by PY1 − Print and electronic media print and electronic
raised livestock and implemented by PY2 campaigns media policy
extension continues.
services
− Mass awareness messages through − Existing mass − SLMP Web site maintained − Number of visitors to the
print and electronic media media − 5 Posters, 5 leaflets and 1 web site
campaigns of documentary prepared by − Number of posters, and
agriculture, PY 2 leaflets prepared
forestry and − Profession/expert server list − Server list and number of
livestock depts. developed/maintained by members
PY2

58
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Outcome 3: − SLM guideline integrated into national − National land − SLM guidelines integrated − National and provincial − National land use
Mainstreaming SLM and provincial land use plans use planning into national land use plans land use plans/maps planning project are
into Land Use − process by PY2 − Consultative land use willing to collaborate
Planning Process − 4 provincial land use plans planning workshop − Provincial
developed by PY3 reports Governments are
− Provincial land use plans willing to take up and
− GIS database on SLM developed − Existing − A comprehensive GIS − Interactive database implement land use
− database with database on SLM available available at SLMP plans.
stakeholders by PY2 website
Output 3.1: − National land use planning process − On-going − National land planning − Minutes of the meetings − Effective
National and provincial harmonized to SLM practices national land use process harmonized toward with national land use collaboration of
land use plans planning SLM practices by PY2 planning agencies provincial P&D
developed/harmonized projects − National land use Depts.
to SLM principles plans/maps
− Provincial land use plans developed − 0 − 2 provincial land use plans − Minutes of the provincial
developed in PY2 and stakeholders’ meetings
remaining 2 by PY3 − Provincial land use
plans/maps
Output 3.2: − Baseline at feasibility study sites − 0 − Extent of desertification at − State of the art GIS/RS − Willingness to share
SLM Information established all 10 feasibility study sites section Information and use
System based on GIS mapped by PY2 of GIS outputs by the
database developed − GIS database on land degradation and − Data at PFI, − Existing data accumulated − SLM plans developed line agencies in
desertification developed WWF, IWMI, and incorporated in SLM based on information from planning and decision
ADPB, and information system by PY2 GIS data sets making
other
organizations
− Gaps analysis of GIS database − 0 − Field surveys conducted to − Field Survey reports
conducted fill gaps in the GIS − SLM Database
database/SLM information −
system by PY2
− Use of GIS based data in decision − 0 − Decision Support System − DSS software/model
making process introduced (DSS) for SLM by PY4 − Records of relevant line
agencies showing use of
information based on GIS
outputs and data
Output 3.3: − Periodic changes monitored − 0 − Performance indicators − Study reports − Appropriate
Sustainability of SLM identified by PY1 and − Change detection maps performance
practices at feasibility monitored throughout − M & E reports indicators defined
study/demonstration project life

59
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
sites assessed − Change detection studies − Performance indicator
conducted at 10 sites document

Outcome 4: − Number of feasibility studies/pilot − 0 − 9 feasibility studies − Progress reports − Active participation
Participatory testing conducted and up-scaled to full conducted at 10 sites by − Field visit reports of local community
feasibility studies for demonstration PY2 and up-scaled by PY7 in site specific
demonstration of SLM − Site specific land use plans developed − 0 − 10 participatory land use − Local land use planning planning
practices plans developed by PY2 reports − Line agencies, local
and implemented by PY5 − Site specific land use govt. and
plans communities fully
− Number of local communities − 0 − 100 CBOs and 10 cluster − Progress reports participating in
mobilized for implementing SLM organizations established by − Number of CBOs and implementation of
interventions PY2 WOs organized/ studies.
strengthened − Timely delivery of
− CBOs meeting records inputs and
− Impact of feasibility studies/pilot − 0 − 50% of participating − Independent mission implementation of
testing on poverty reduction monitored. households have increased reports studies
their income by 20% by PY − Socio-economic survey
5 and 30% by PY7 reports
Output 4.1: − Community mobilized and site specific − 0 − 10 CBOs formed by PY1.5 − SLM Plan − Government is
Integrated management SLM plans prepared and one local land use plan − Quarterly and annual committed to
of water resources and − Capacity of local communities in SLM prepared by PY2 progress reports encourage local
rangelands in Chakwal built − 20 community activists − Field visit reports community
& Attock districts of − Indigenous water harvesting and dry trained by PY2 − Minutes of project staff participation and
Punjab land agriculture practices improved − 20 water harvesting and CBO meetings decentralize
− Depleted rangelands rehabilitated structures constructed − Independent mission management of
− Innovative rain water harvesting − 1000 ha of depleted reports natural resources.
techniques tested and introduced rangelands rehabilitated − Tranche-I evaluation
− Low delta cash crops introduced − 2 low delta crops/ tree report − Local communities
species introduced are actively

60
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Output 4.2: − CBO established and site specific Soil − 0 − 10 CBOs formed by PY2 − Soil Conservation plan participating in SLM
Poverty alleviation Conservation Plans prepared and one land use plan − Field visit report practices
through soil − Capacity of local communities in SLM − 20 community activists − Progress reports
conservation measures − Shelterbelts/wind breaks established trained by PY2 − Minutes of project staff − Local level
in District Bhakkar, − High efficiency irrigation system − 10 shelter belts established and CBO meetings coordination among
Punjab (HEIS) introduced by PY2 − Tranche-I evaluation line agencies, NGOs
− Dry afforestation promoted − HEIS introduced at 5 acres report and CBOs create
− Wind erosion controlled by PY4 favorable conditions
− 5000 trees/shrubs planted for collective
− Rate wind erosion reduced planning
by % 30
Output 4.3: − Pastoral communities organized and − 0 − 10 pastoral communities − Integrated Management − No major climatic
Integrated Natural integrated NRM plan developed organized by PY2 Plan incidents that disrupts
Resource Management − Transhumant and nomadic system of − One integrated NRM plan − Field visit report local agriculture and
livestock production
with the involvement of range utilization revived developed by PY2 − Quarterly and annual
pastoralist communities − Stock water ponds constructed to − 10 community activists progress reports
in Rakhshan Valley harvest rain water trained by PY2 and 10 by − Minutes of project staff
District Kharan, − Indigenous horticulture practices PY4 and CBO meetings
Balochistan strengthened − 20 stock water ponds − Special study reports
− Dry-land afforestation introduced − 5 acre plots of indigenous − Evaluation report of
− Sustainable use of medicinal plants fruit trees established by tranche I
explored PY3
− 2000 trees/shrubs planted
− Medicinal plants study
conducted by PY3
Output 4.4: − Local community moblized − 0 − 10 CBOs formed by PY1.5 − Resource Assessment
Sustainable use of − Sustainable use plan developed − One sustainable use plan report
Mazri Palm and NTFP − Depleted sites rehabilitated developed by PY2 − Progress reports
with the involvement of − Number of nurseries established for − 10 community activists − Sustainable use plan
local communities and propagation and regeneration Mazri trained by PY 2 and 15 by − Regulatory framework
private sector in District Palm by PY2 PY5 in making value added − Independent mission
Awaran, Balochistan − Local community trained to make products reports
value added products of Mazri Palm − 200 acres of depleted sites − Field visit reports
and NTFP by PY2 rehabilitated by PY4
− Number of households directly − 2 nurseries established PY 2
benefiting from sustainable use of − 50% households receiving
NTFP increased income by 20%
by PY3

61
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Output 4.5: − Number of communities moblized − 0 − 10 CBOs formed by PY2 − Field visit report
Sustainable Land − Socio-economic study conducted − 1 study conducted by PY1.5 − Quarterly and annual
Management by − Number of demonstration sites of − 5 demonstration sites progress reports
introduction of low HEIS developed developed − Independent mission
delta and high − Number of farmers trained in operation − 10 community activists reports
commercial value crops and maintenance of micro irrigation trained by PY2 − Minutes of project staff
with micro irrigation in systems − Water erosion reduced by and CBO meetings
Surkhab, District − Water erosion control measures 20% by PY5 − Special study reports
Pishin, Balochistan introduced − 4 low delta/high
− Native low delta – high commercial commercial value
value crops and fruits varieties crops/fruits varieties
introduced introduced by PY5
Output 4.6: − Number of communities mobilized − Existing project − 10 CBOs formed by PY1.5 − Progress reports
Conservation of water − Indigenous irrigation system (Rod for livelihood − Rod kohi system revived − Field visit report
and soil with the Kohi) revived improvement over 400 acres − Independent mission
involvement of local − Plant nurseries established − Natural resource − 6 nurseries established by reports
communities in Shaikh − Dry land afforestation promoted management PY4 − Minutes of project staff
Haider Zam, District D. − Depleted rangelands rehabilitated project − 500 acres rangelands and CBO meetings
I. Khan in NWFP. − Water harvesting structure/bunds rehabilitated
constructed − 8 water harvesting
− Alternative livelihood devices/bunds by PY4
(Apiculture/horticulture) introduced − 8 acres of horticulture plots
established PY5
Output 4.7: − Number of communities moblized − Barani area − 8 CBOs formed by PY1.5 − Assessment reports
Strengthening of − Land use plan developed by PY2 development − One land use plan − Land use plan
traditional land use − Rain water harvesting promoted project developed by PY2 − Progress reports
practices in low − Range condition and carrying capacity − Forestry Sector − 4 water ponds constructed − Independent mission
productive lands in assessed in PY1 development by PY2 and 4 by PY4 reports
District Lakki Marwat − Degraded rangelands rehabilitated Project − 500 ha of rangelands
in NWFP − Number of households directly rehabilitated PY5
benefiting from project − 20% households directly
benefiting and increase their
income by 30% by PY5

62
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Output 4.8: − Number of CBOs established − 0 − 10 CBOs formed by PY2 − Progress reports
Water harvesting and − Number of small dams and water − 5 water harvesting − Field visit report
agriculture development harvesting structure constructed structures constructed by − Independent mission
in Kacho Area, Taluka − Number of drinking water supply PY3 reports
Johi, District Dadu, schemes established on small dams − 5 drinking water supply − Minutes of project staff
Sindh with integration of bio sand filters schemes developed by PY4 and CBO meetings
(BSF) − 2000 m water courses
− Water courses rehabilitated rehabilitated by PY3
Output 4.9: − Number of CBOs established − 0 − 10 CBOs formed by PY2 − Progress reports
Participatory NRM for − Number of agro-forestry farms − 2 agro-forestry farms − Field visit reports
drought mitigation and developed developed − Independent mission
food security in District − Water lifting techniques introduced − Water lifting techniques reports
Tharparkar, Sindh − Number of micro irrigation systems introduced at 5 sites by PY3 − Minutes of project staff
installed − HEIS installed on 4 acres by and CBO meetings
− Vegetables and arid land crops raised P3
− Number of acres planted with fodder − Vegetables and arid land
trees and grasses to mitigate drought crops raised on (10) acres
impact and supplement livestock feed by PY2
requirements. − 10 acres planted with fodder
trees by PY2
Outcome 5: Lessons − National and Provincial Coordination − 0 − 1 National and 4 Provincial − Project progress reports − Funding available on
Learnt & Adaptive Units (NCU & PCUs) established Coordination Units time
Management established by PY1
− NCU/PCUs converted to
respective desertification
cells/units by PY7
− Lessons learnt documented and best − 0 − 3 lessons learnt report − Baseline study reports
practices recommended prepared by PY2, PY4 and − Evaluation reports
PY6 − Field visits & surveys
− 3 best practices reports − 1 best practices report
prepared, one each by PY2, prepared by PY2, PY4
PY4 and PY6 and PY6
− Impact studies conducted to document − 0 − 3 impact studies conducted − Study reports
outcomes of feasibility studies by PY6 − Workshop proceedings
− News/articles and
technical papers

63
 Purpose Performance Indicators Baseline Target Means of Verification Assumptions & Risks
Output 5.1: − NCU established − 0 − 1 NCU established in the − Quarterly and annual − Follow up funds are
National & Provincial MoE by PY1 and converted progress reports sustaining
Coordination Units to National Desertification − Independent Evaluation desertification
(NCU & PCU) Cell by PY7 mission reports cells/units after the
established − PCUs established − 0 − 4 PCUs established in the − QPRs and APRs project life
provincial P&D − Independent Evaluation
Departments and converted mission reports
to Provincial Desertification
Units by PY7
Output 5.2: − M & E strategy developed and − 0 − M&E indicators finalized − Quarterly progress reports − Adequate and reliable
Monitoring and implemented by PY1 − Annual progress reports availability of funds
Evaluation − Bi-annual evaluation of − List and description of − MoUs signed and
project by PSC indicators adhered to by the
− Minutes of the PSC partners and if a
− External evaluation of Tranche-I − Annual Progress − External evaluation of − External evaluation report issue, obstacle arise
conducted reports Tranche I benchmarks − Field visits & surveys there are mechanisms
− TPR reports carried out in PY2 in place to address
− Final (project termination) evaluation − Midterm − Socio-economic impact − Impact study reports them
conducted evaluation report study conducted by PY6 − Project termination report
− Progress reports − Final independent
− TPR reports evaluation by PY7
Output 5.3: − Lessons learned documented and − 0 − 3 lessons learnt report − Lesson learned reports − Dissemination of
Lessons learned disseminated prepared by PY2, PY4 and − Dissemination workshop lessons learned
document and PY6 proceedings unhindered
disseminated − 3 biannual dissemination − Annual progress reports
workshops held by PY7
− Best SLM practices documented and − 0 − 3 best practices reports − Study reports
disseminated at provincial, national prepared, one each by PY2, − Best practices workshop
and regional levels PY4 and PY6 proceedings

64
 SECTION III: TOTAL BUDGET AND WORKPLAN

Award ID: 00038828

Project Title: PIMS 3129, Sustainable Land Management for Combating Desertification in Pakistan

Detailed Budget (Phase - I)

Total
S.No. Category Codes Description Activities Units Rate Qty GEF UNDP GoP
budget
Equipment, Vehicles
1 EQUIP 72200
& Furniture
Vehicle, 4x4, Heavy No. 20,000 3 60,000 30,000 30,000 -
Vehicle 4x4 Medium No. 15,000 5 75,000 37,500 37,500 -
Fax Machine No. 500 5 2,500 1,250 1,250 -
Photocopier No. 1,800 4 7,200 3,600 3,600 -
Telephone Desk Sets No. 50 27 1,350 675 675 -
Telephone Mobile No. 500 11 5,500 2,750 2,750 -
Telephone Switch Board
(PABX) (NCU) No. 1,500 1 1,500 750 750 -
Computers Desktop P4 No. 1,200 23 27,600 13,800 13,800 -
LAN Server No. 6,000 1 6,000 3,000 3,000 -
Computers, Laptop No. 2,000 3 6,000 3,000 3,000 -
Printer Laser Jet Colour
(A3 size) No. 6,000 1 6,000 3,000 3,000 -
Printer Laser Jet (A4
Size) No. 400 12 4,800 2,400 2,400 -
Plotter A0 Size No. 10,000 1 10,000 4,000 6,000 -
Scanner A3 size No. 800 1 800 400 400 -
UPS No. 200 15 3,000 1,000 2,000 -
Air conditioners No. 500 12 6,000 3,000 3,000 -
Heaters No. 200 20 4,000 2,000 2,000 -

65
 Furniture, National
Coordination Unit
(NCU) Set 7,000 1 7,000 3,000 4,000 -
Furniture Provincial
Coordination Unit
(PCU) Set 4,000 1 4,000 2,000 2,000 -
GPS Receivers with
accessories No. 500 6 3,000 1,200 1,800 -

Sub Total 241,250 118,325 122,925 -

Rental,
Maintenances,
Agreements,
2 EQUIP 73400 Operational cost
Supplies, Consumable Annual 3,000 2 6,000 - 6,000 -
Maintenance and
Running Expenses,
Vehicles Annual 9,600 2 19,200 - 19,200 -
Maintenance, Office
Equipment Annual 5,000 2 10,000 - 10,000 -
Operation &
Maintenance Annual 5,000 2 10,000 - 10,000 -
Rental Equipment Annual 1,100 2 2,200 - 2,200 -
Sub Total 47,400 - 47,400 -
Communications &
3 MISC 72400 AV Equipment
Boards, White No. 40 12 480 480 -
Projectors Overhead No. 400 5 2,000 - 2,000 -
Projectors Multimedia No. 4,500 1 4,500 - 4,500 -
Tape recorders No. 60 6 360 - 360 -
Television Sets, 28" No. 800 1 800 - 800 -
First-aid-Kit No. 200 14 2,800 - 2,800 -
Camera, Digital No. 500 6 3,000 - 3,000 -
Video Camera Digital No. 2,500 1 2,500 - 2,500 -

66
 Tripods, Heavy Duty No. 50 2 100 - 100 -
Utilities - Electricity /
Gas / Water Annual 3,000 2 6,000 - 6,000 -
Communication Annual 3,000 2 6,000 - 6,000 -
Postage and Courier
services Annual 2,000 2 4,000 - 4,000 -
Sub Total 32,540 - 32,540 -
Premises Rental and
4 MISC 73100 Maintenances Rental Premises Annual 16,000 2 32,000 16,000 16,000 -
Sub Total 32,000 16,000 16,000 -
5 MISC 74100 Professional Services
Annual Audits Annual 4,000 2 8,000 4,000 4,000 -
Monitoring and
Evaluation, External Lump sum 50,000 1 50,000 25,000 25,000 -
Reporting costs Annual 1,500 2 3,000 1,500 1,500 -
Sub Total 61,000 30,500 30,500 -
6 PERADM 71400 Admin Personnel
Admin & Finance Man
Officer Months 1,034 24 24,817 10,408 14,408 -
Man
Administrative Assistant Months 425 24 10,200 - 10,200 -
Man
Finance Assistant Months 425 24 10,200 5,100 5,100 -
Man
Secretaries (7 Nos.) Months 2,181 24 52,353 26,177 26,177 -
Admin & Finance Asst Man
(4 Nos.) Months 1,700 24 40,799 20,400 20,400 -
Admin Support Staff
(Drivers, Office Boys, Man
etc.) Months 3,039 24 72,924 36,462 36,462 -
Sub Total 211,293 98,546 112,746 -
7 PERLOC 71300 Local Personnel
National Project Man
Coordinator Months 3,017 24 72,404 30,000 42,404 -

67
 Coordinator SLM Man
Information System Months 2,273 24 54,559 20,000 34,559 -
Man
Coordinator M & E Months 2,273 24 54,559 20,000 34,559 -
Coordinator Land Use Man
Planning Months 1,530 24 36,714 14,360 22,354 -
Coordinator Capacity Man
Building & Training Months 1,530 24 36,714 14,360 22,354 -
Coordinator Policy Man
Reforms Months 1,530 24 36,714 14,360 22,354 -
Provincial Coordinator Man
(4 Nos.) Months 5,128 24 123,061 61,231 61,830 -
Man
Communication Officer Months 1,034 24 24,817 10,000 14,817
Man
M & E Officer Months 896 24 21,511 10,755 10,755 -
Man
GIS/RS Assistant Months 425 24 10,200 5,100 5,100 -
Database Management Man
Assistant Months 425 24 10,200 5,100 5,100 -
Sub Total 481,452 205,266 276,186 -
Services
8 SERCT 72100 Contracts/Sub-
contracts - Activities
Appropriate legal and
policy reforms
recommended Output 100,000 1 100,000 100,000 - -
Mainstreaming the NAP
into sectoral planning Output 76,065 1 76,065 72,562 3,503 -
National Criteria &
Indicators (C & I)
Developed for SLM Output 70,000 1 70,000 70,000 - -
Implementation strategy
for Phase-II designed
and agreed among all
stakeholders Output 70,000 1 70,000 20,000 - 50,000

68
National Desertification
Control Fund (NDCF)
strategy devised Output 40,000 1 40,000 40,000 - -
Institutional capacity at
National, Provincial and
Local levels
strengthened Output 150,000 1 150,000 100,000 50,000 -
Apex Bodies for
monitoring Land
degradation and
Desertification formed Output 27,000 1 27,000 10,000 17,000 -
Orientation of Research
Institutes towards
targeted SLM Output 200,000 1 200,000 100,000 100,000 -
Public – Private
partnership promoted Output 125,000 1 125,000 75,000 50,000 -
Knowledge generated for
sustainable land
management Output 500,000 1 500,000 100,000 - 400,000
Outreach & Awareness
raised Output 80,000 1 80,000 45,000 35,000
Provincial Land Use
Plans developed Output 320,000 1 320,000 120,000 200,000
SLM Information
System Developed Output 240,000 1 240,000 90,000 150,000
Integrated management
of water resources and
rangeland in Chakwal &
Attock districts of
Punjab Output 170,000 1 170,000 80,000 25,000 65,000
Poverty alleviation
through soil
conservation measures in
District Bhakkar Output 160,000 1 160,000 60,000 25,000 75,000

69
Integrated natural
Resource Management
with the involvement of
pastoral communities in
Rakhshan Valley Distt
Kharran, Balochinstan Output 175,000 1 175,000 80,000 20,000 75,000
Sustainable use of Mazri
Palm and NTFP with the
involvement of local
communities and private
sector in Distt Awaran,
Balochistan Output 160,000 1 160,000 55,000 30,000 75,000
Sustainable land
management by
introduction of low delta
and high commercial
value crops with micro
irrigation in Surkhab,
Distt Pishin in
Balochistan Output 170,000 1 170,000 73,800 46,200 50,000
Conservation of water
and soil with the
involvement of local
communities in Shaikh
Haider Zam, Distt D. I.
Khan in NWFP Output 155,000 1 155,000 55,000 25,000 75,000
Strengthening of
traditional land use
practices in low
productive lands in
District Lakki Marwat in
NWFP Output 160,000 1 160,000 60,000 40,000 60,000
Water harvesting an
Agriculture
Development in Kacho
Area, Taluka Johi, Distt
Dadu in Sindh Output 150,000 1 150,000 50,000 50,000 50,000

70
 Participatory NRM for
drought mitigation and
food security in Distt
Tharparker in Sindh Output 155,000 1 155,000 55,000 25,000 75,000
Sub Total 3,453,065 1,511,362 691,703 1,250,000
Travel: Within and
9 TRAV 71600
outside country
Duty travel Lump sum 20,000 2 40,000 20,000 20,000 -
Sub Total 40,000 20,000 20,000 -
Grand total 4,600,001 2,000,000 1,350,000 1,250,000

71
 Pakistan - Sustainable Land Management Project
Project Budget Summary

Total Donor Contributions

S.No. Category Code Description % age
Budget %age GEF %age UNDP %age GoP
1 EQUIP 72200 Equipment, Vehicles & Furniture 5.24% 241,250 49% 118,325 51% 122,925 0% 0
Rental, Maintenances,
2 EQUIP 73400 Agreements, Operational cost 1.03% 47,400 0% 0 100% 47,400 0% 0
Communications & AV
3 MISC 72400 Equipment 0.71% 32,540 0% 0 100% 32,540 0% 0
Premises Rental and
4 MISC 73100 Maintenances 0.70% 32,000 50% 16,000 50% 16,000 0% 0
5 MISC 74100 Professional Services 1.33% 61,000 50% 30,500 50% 30,500 0% 0
6 PERADM 71400 Admin Personnel 4.59% 211,293 47% 98,546 53% 112,746 0% 0
7 PERLOC 71300 Local Personnel 10.47% 481,452 43% 205,266 57% 276,186 0% 0
Services Contracts/Sub-contracts
8 SERCT 72100 - Activities 75.07% 3,453,065 44% 1,511,362 20% 691,703 36% 1,250,000
Travel: Within and outside
9 TRAV 71600 country 0.87% 40,000 50% 20,000 50% 20,000 0% 0
Total 4,600,001 2,000,000 1,350,000 1,250,000
Overall Contribution 43.48% 29.35% 27.17%
Total - Phase-I 4,600,000
Expected GEF Funding - Phase-II 5,500,000
Expected Co-financing - Phase-II 7,000,000
Expected Total - Phase-II 12,500,000
PDF-B Contribution 340,000
Grand Total 17,440,000

72
 Sustainable Land Management Project
Indicative Workplan for Phase – I

Project Years and Quarters

S.No. Outcomes Outputs/Sub-Outputs 1 2
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

1.1: Appropriate policy reforms for SLM recommended XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
1.2: NAP mainstreamed into sectoral planning XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
Enabling Environment 1.3: National Criteria & Indicators (C & I) Developed for
1
Created SLM XXX XXX XXX XXX
1.4: Project Document for Phase-II developed XXX XXX XXX
1.5: National Desertification Control Fund (NDCF)
established XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
2.1: Institutional capacity at National, Provincial and Local
levels strengthened XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
2.2: Apex bodies for coordination of desertification
control measures formed XXX XXX XXX
Capacity Building for 2.3: Orientation of research institutes towards targeted
2 Sustainable Land SLM activities XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
Management
2.4: Public – Private partnership promoted XXX XXX XXX XXX
2.5: Knowledge generated for sustainable land
management XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
2.6: Outreach & Awareness raised XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
3.1: National and provincial land use plans
developed/harmonized to SLM principles XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
Mainstreaming SLM
3.2: SLM Information System based on GIS database
3 into Land Use Planning
developed XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
Process
3.3: Sustainability of SLM practices at feasibility
study/demonstration sites assessed XXX XXX XXX
Participatory feasibility 4.1: Integrated management of water resources and
4
studies for rangelands in Chakwal & Attock districts of Punjab XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
demonstration of SLM 4.2: Poverty alleviation through soil conservation measures
practices in District Bhakkar XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

73
 4.3: Integrated Natural Resource Management with the
involvement of pastoralist communities in Rakhshan
Valley District Kharan, Balochistan XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
4.4: Sustainable use of Mazri Palm and NTFP with the
involvement of local communities and private sector in
District Awaran, Balochistan XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
4.5: Sustainable Land Management by introduction of low
delta and high commercial value crops with micro
irrigation in Surkhab, District Pishin in Balochistan XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
4.6: Conservation of water and soil with the involvement
of local communities in Shaikh Haider Zam, District D. I.
Khan in NWFP. XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
4.7: Strengthening of traditional land use practices in low
productive lands in District Lakki Marwat in NWFP XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
4.8: Water harvesting and Agriculture Development in
Kacho Area, Taluka Johi, District Dadu in Sindh XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
4.9: Participatory NRM for drought mitigation and food
security in District Tharparkar in Sindh XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX
5.1 National & Provincial Coordination Units (NCU &
PCU) established XXX XXX
Lessons learnt &
5
adaptive management 5.2: Monitoring and Evaluation XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

5.3: Lessons learned document and disseminated XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

74
SECTION IV: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Part – I Endorsement Letter from GEF Focal Point

Separate File

68
PART II: Organigram of Project

69
PART III: Terms of References for key project staff and main sub-contracts

- This is prepared after GEF Council has approved the submission

70
PART IV: Stakeholder Involvement Plan
Sustainable Land Management Project (Phase-I)
Stakeholders Participation Plan

Outputs/Sub-outputs Government International Agencies/NGOs Private Sector Local Communities

Outcome 1: Enabling Environment Created
1.1: Appropriate policy reforms for SLM Ministry of Environment United Nations Development
recommended (MoE), Planning Commission, Programme (UNDP), Royal Small and Medium
Ministry of Food, Agriculture Netherlands Embassy (RNE), Enterprise
& Livestock (MINFAL)' IFAD, DFID, World Bank, Development
Provincial P&D Depts., Power European Union (EU), Asian Authority
Farmers Organizations,
& Irrigation Ministry, Development Bank (ADB), (SAMEDA), First
CCBs
Provincial line agencies, & FAO, WWF-P, IUCN, SCOPE, Micr Finance Bank,
District Governments, Zarai Rural Support Programmes First Women
Taraqiati Bank Ltd. (ZTBL) (RSPs), AKRSP, LEAD Pakistan Development Bank,
Khushali Bank
1.2: NAP mainstreamed into sectoral MoE, MINFAL, NARC, UNDP, ADB, FAO, & WWF-P,
planning Provincial line agencies, IUCN, SOPE _ CCBs
Research Institutions
1.3: National Criteria & Indicators (C & I) MoE, MINFAL, NARC, UNDP, ADB, FAO, & WWF-P,
Developed for SLM Provincial line agencies, PFI, IUCN _ _
Research Institutions
1.4: Project Document for Phase-II MoE, MINFAL, Provincial UNDP & GEF
developed line agencies, & P&D Depts. _ _
1.5: National Desertification Control Fund MoE, MINFAL, and Planning UNDP, IFAD, FAO
(NDCF) established Commission _ _

Outcome 2: Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management

2.1: Institutional capacity at National, Planning Commission, MoE, UNDP, World Bank, ADB CBOs, Village
Provincial and Local levels strengthened MINFAL, Provincial P&D Organizations
Depts., and District _
Governments

71
2.2: Apex Bodies for coordination of MoE UNDP, WWF-P, IUCN
desertification control measures formed _ _
2.3: Orientation of Research Institutes MoE, MINFAL, Water & UNDP, FAO
towards targeted SLM activities Power Ministry, NARC, AZRI,
PFI, SWCRI, Cholistan _ _
Institute of Desert Studies
2.4: Public – Private partnership promoted MoE, MINFAL, Provincial UNDP, FAO Oil & Gas CBOs and Citizen
line agencies, & P&D Depts. Companies, Leather Community Boards
Industries & Textile (CCBs)
Industries, Banks,
Chambers of
Commerce and
Industries, Agro-
based industries,
One-Village-One
Enterprise Project

2.5: Knowledge generated for sustainable Ministry of Environment United Nations Development CBOs, VOs, Area Water
land management (MoE), Planning Commission, Programme (UNDP), World Boards and CCBs
Ministry of Food, Agriculture Bank, European Union (EU),
& Livestock (MINFAL)' Asian Development Bank
Provincial P&D Depts., Power (ADB), FAO, WWF-P, IUCN,
_
& Irrigation Ministry, SCOPE, Rural Support
Provincial line agencies, & Programmes (RSPs)
District Governments

2.6: Outreach & Awareness raised MoE, Planning Commission, UNDP, World Bank, EU, ADB, CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
MINFAL' Provincial P&D & FAO, WWF-P, IUCN,
Depts., Power & Irrigation SCOPE, Rural Support
Ministry, Provincial line Programmes (RSPs)
agencies, & District _
Governments

72
 Outcome 3: Mainstreaming SLM into Land Use Planning Process
3.1: National and provincial land use plans MoE, Planning Commission, UNDP, World Bank, EU, ADB,
developed/harmonized to SLM principles MINFAL' Provincial P&D & FAO, RSPs
Depts., Power & Irrigation
Ministry, Provincial line _ _
agencies, & District
Governments
3.2: SLM Information System based on GIS MoE, Planning Commission, UNDP, World Bank, EU, ADB, Oil & Gas CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
database developed MINFAL' Provincial P&D & FAO, WWF-P, IUCN, Companies
Depts., Power & Irrigation SCOPE, Rural Support
Ministry, Provincial line Programmes (RSPs)
agencies, & District
Governments, PFI,
SUPARCO, NESPAK, Soil
Survey of Pakistan, Survey of
Pakistan, and Geological
Survey of Pakistan, Met
Department

3.2.3: Sustainability of SLM practices at MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP, World Bank, EU, ADB, CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
feasibility study/demonstration sites assessed Commission, Provincial P&D & FAO, RSPs
Depts.
Outcome 4: Participatory feasibility studies demonstrated SLM practices
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
4.1: Integrated management of water Commission, Provincial P&D
Depts. Line Departments, _
resources and rangelands in Chakwal &
Attock districts of Punjab district governments, PPAF
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
Commission, Provincial P&D
Depts. Line Departments, _
4.2: Poverty alleviation through soil
conservation measures in District Bhakkar district governments, PPAF

73
 MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
4.3: Integrated Natural Resource
Commission, Provincial P&D
Management with the involvement of _
Depts. Line Departments,
pastoralist communities in Rakhshan Valley
district governments, PPAF
District Kharan, Balochistan
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
4.4: Sustainable use of Mazri Palm and
Commission, Provincial P&D
NTFP with the involvement of local _
Depts. Line Departments,
communities and private sector in District
district governments, PPAF
Awaran, Balochistan
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
4.5: Sustainable Land Management by Commission, Provincial P&D
introduction of low delta and high Depts. Line Departments,
commercial value crops with micro _
district governments, PPAF
irrigation in Surkhab, District Pishin in
Balochistan
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
4.6: Conservation of water and soil with the Commission, Provincial P&D
Depts. Line Departments, _
involvement of local communities in Shaikh
district governments, PPAF
Haider Zam, District D. I. Khan in NWFP.
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
Commission, Provincial P&D
4.7: Strengthening of traditional land use _
practices in low productive lands in District Depts. Line Departments,
Lakki Marwat in NWFP district governments, PPAF
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
4.8: Water harvesting and Agriculture Commission, Provincial P&D
Depts. Line Departments, _
Development in Kacho Area, Taluka Johi,
District Dadu in Sindh district governments, PPAF
MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF, RSPs CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
4.9: Participatory NRM for drought Commission, Provincial P&D
mitigation and food security in District Depts. Line Departments,
Tharparkar in Sindh district governments, PPAF
_

74
 Outcome 5: Lessons learnt & adaptive management
5.1 National & Provincial Coordination MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF
Units (NCU & PCU) established Commission, Provincial P&D _ _
Depts. Line Departments,
district governments
5.2: Monitoring and Evaluation MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP-GEF
Commission, Provincial P&D
Depts. Line Departments, _ _
district governments, PPAF
5.3: Lessons learned document and MoE, MINFAL, Planning UNDP, World Bank, EU, ADB, Oil & Gas CBOs, VOs, and CCBs
disseminated Commission, Provincial P&D & FAO, WWF-P, IUCN, Companies, Leather
Depts. Line Departments, SCOPE, Rural Support Industries & Textile
district governments, PPAF Programmes (RSPs) Industries

75
PART V: Threats, Root Causes, Barrier Matrix

Problem Causes of LD Intermediate and Root Barriers to SLM Solutions

Causes to LD
Unsustainable land Poor Irrigation and Drainage: • The overall poor Policy Barriers: • National sectoral
management practices Irrigation utilizes some 90-95 management of irrigation, • Policy Impediments: polices harmonized
are causing enormous percent of freshwater resources both at the system and farm The policy of state ownership for adoption of SLM
environmental problems, in Pakistan. Pakistan has one of levels, is contributing to encouraged land degradation principles (Output
including land the largest canal irrigation water logging and salinity in because government control 1.1)
degradation, loss of soil systems in the world. cultivated areas. over land resources was weak
fertility, flash floods, loss • Excessive percolation of and, more importantly, the • National and
of biodiversity, reduced water from the canal system lack of ownership or tenure provincial land use
carbon sequestration builds up the ground water rights kept local communities plans
capacity, reduction in level. from active management of developed/harmonize
land productivity, soil • Human activities such as the uncultivated land. d to SLM principles
erosion and many other obstruction of natural (Output 3.1)
associated problems • In-appropriate Subsidies:
drainage through
The subsidized electricity tariff
construction of roads,
(flat rate) has been introduced
improper alignment and locally/nationally to encourage
poor maintenance of
farmers to mine groundwater
irrigation channels,
for increased agriculture
insufficient drainage of production
excessive rainwater etc. all
add to water logging
problems.

74
 Deforestation: • Majority of households Limited land Use Planning:
About 3.1% forest cover is continue to use firewood for • Land use plans exist neither at
shrinking annually and cooking and heating. More the national, provincial or
woody biomass by 5% than 50 percent of domestic district levels
annually due to energy needs are met
indiscriminate cutting. through fuel wood Institutional Barriers:
• Deforestation is the direct • Limited Institutional Capacity
result of unsustainable and Poor Coordination:
commercial logging and • Most of the line agencies have
wood harvesting by the poor severe capacity limitations. As
for fuel. Indeed, poor a result, land use planning
communities have become decisions are made in silos,
increasingly dis-empowered without proper communication
to manage forest resources on, or knowledge of, the inter-
as their rights to forests relations between proposed
weakened due to economic sectoral interventions, and with
pressure from commercial little understanding of the
loggers. consequences on land
degradation and subsequent
effects on economic
development and ecosystem • Institutional capacity
integrity at National,
Provincial and Local
• The livestock population in • Knowledge Gaps: levels strengthened
Pakistan has doubled since • There is insufficient (Output 2.1)
• Overgrazing quantitative data on current
1976 and livestock numbers
Livestock raising is an land use in arid and semi-arid • Outreach &
exceed the carrying capacity
important component of regions of the country as well Awareness raised
of most ranges
Pakistan’s farming system as status and trends of natural (Output 2.6)
• Over grazing and the
and a major source of cash resources. There are especially
collection of firewood in
income as well as severe deficiencies in • NAP mainstreamed
consumption of vegetative arid regions of Punjab,
knowledge related to rangeland into sectoral planning
Sindh and Balochistan has
cover. management, rehabilitation of (Output 1.2)
led to severe wind erosion
and the deposit of sands in degraded ecosystems, and
downwind vegetative areas, sustainable agriculture and
reducing the ecosystem livestock production systems.

75
 functionality of these areas. There is also no specific and
coordinated system at the
• Water resources are under
provincial or national levels to
threat mainly due to overuse
assess the extent and impact of
of water in irrigation.
desertification.
• Inefficient water use in
irrigation occurs at three
• Lack of Awareness:
stages: water conveyance
Scarcity of water:
from source to fields due to • There is very little knowledge
• Pakistan is mainly a dryland of land degradation and
poor maintenance of water-
country and water availability desertification issues among
courses and channels, un
is often scarce in arid and the general public, planners,
leveled fields, and over-
semi-arid regions. policy makers, and even those
watering (including over-
pumping of groundwater), who are directly responsible
mostly due to the lack of an for the management of land
assured and timely supply resources
of water among farmers.
• Difficulty in Mainstreaming
• The drought also severely
NAP into Sectoral Policies and
affected local livelihoods
Plans:
and forced local people to
migrate toward cities. • Although the GoP has
developed NAP for combating
• This disrupted traditional
desertification, the lack of
land use patterns, resulting
institutional capacity has meant
Drought: in the permanent loss of
that the NAP is not yet being
• Pakistan suffered severe traditional management
mainstreamed into national and
drought from 1997 to 2003, practices and exacerbating
provisional plans and policies.
causing severe water the trends toward land
shortages for humans, degradation and
Financial Barriers:
desertification.
livestock, and agriculture. • The government has preferred
• Development often brings
to invest in basic infrastructure
social and economic
development and provision of
pressures on the local
basic needs (health, education
people and forces them to
and communication means).
change their lifestyle. For
The level and sustainability of
Migration & Permanent example, with the arrival
financial resources for the
settlements electricity and road National Desertification
environment and SLM related
• The major anthropogenic connections in previously Control Fund (NDCF)
activities have always been

76
 impacts of prolonged drought remote areas of Balochistan issues. established (Output 1.5)
especially in the dryland transhumance practices are
areas of Sindh and weakening. Many pastoral Socio-Economic Barriers:
Balochistan were communities have now • Vulnerability to Drought and
malnutrition, higher animal started permanently settling Loss of Traditional Knowledge • Participatory
sales, and significant increase near roads and digging deep Systems: feasibility
in migration to irrigated wells to irrigate their newly • The vulnerability of the poor to studies/pilot projects
areas. developed agriculture lands. environmental shocks such as for demonstration of
As a result traditional use of drought threatens their SLM practices
rangelands is dying out, livelihoods and increases (Outcome 4)
leading to their degradation pressures on natural resources
because the land is left
fallow or people are • The Green Revolution and
changing land uses towards introduction of high yielding
permanent settlements with varieties ended centuries-long
more intensive resource practices for adapting to
uses. drought and resolving conflicts
• Pakistan will have to double over scarce fodder and water
its cereal production, resources
particularly wheat, to meet
food demands of its • Land Tenure Insecurity:
growing population. • Dry land use systems in
• 68% of the population also Pakistan have for centuries
depends on agriculture been defined by family or
sector for their livelihoods tribal relationships that allowed
and 46 percent of the labor access to land on the basis of
force is employed directly size of the household and
Agriculture intensification: in it. kinship. The increase in
• Agriculture contributes about • 96 percent of cultivable soil population and greater
25 percent of Pakistan’s GDP has inadequate organic competition for control of land
and 60 percent of foreign matter content. is putting enormous pressure
exchange earnings • No significant increase in on these systems. New land
the cropped area. management practices hold the
• Agricultural subsidies are promise of improving
also contributing to livelihoods and addressing
increasing agriculture poverty and food security. But
intensification. it is important that modern and

77
 • Deforestation, soil erosion customary land tenure systems
and compaction contribute co-exist and are made
to flooding. compatible and those local
communities participate in
decision making processes
regarding land.

• Inadequacy of Safety Nets:

• Population growth rate of • Weak safety needs also
2 percent a year increases the vulnerability of
Flash Floods: • Rapidly growing population the poor to shocks that threaten
• Flooding is a regular feature means greater fragmentation livelihoods and increase
in arid and semi arid regions of farmlands, greater pressures on natural resources.
of the country usually caused competition for water and The social safety nets for the
by heavy downpour during further pressure on fragile vulnerable currently available
the monsoon season and marginal lands and the in Pakistan are weak in terms
denudation of natural of their responsiveness and
forests and rangelands reach
• Poor people tend to exploit
Population Pressure: their limited land resources
• Pakistan is the 7th most more intensively to meet
populous nation in the world immediate needs
• Poverty compels dryland
farmers to degrade their
land in order to produce
more food and meet their
material needs
Poverty Stress:
• One-third of the total
households in the country
were considered below the
poverty line

78
 PART VI: Detailed baseline analysis

For detailed baseline analysis see Section-II; Part-1 under Incremental Cost Analysis. Baseline matrix is given below:

Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
Pakistan Establishment of a The overall goal of National Environment 4 years The main outputs include: 164.800
Metrological National Centre for the project is to Monitoring
• Prepare and issue weekly drought monitors
Department drought/environme establish a national
and moisture stress in different regions of
nt monitoring and center at Islamabad
country.
early warning at for drought and
• Establish one drought center in each
Islamabad. environment
province for storing, processing, and
monitoring.
transmitting data to the national center in
the desired format.
• Establish research unit in the main center
to carry out research on drought related
issues such as climatologically conditions,
including formulation of statistical models
for improved drought forecast.
Pakistan Restructuring & The main purpose Balochistan Capacity 5 years • Improved productivity of livestock sector. 614.100
Agriculture Strengthening of of the project is to Province Building • Alleviate problems faced by the farmers in
Research Council National strengthen national arid and semi-arid regions of Balochistan.
(PARC ) Agriculture agriculture research • Improved different ecological zones
Research System system in • Develop and transfer improved
Balochistan Balochistan. technologies through demonstration and
(Phase-I) training
• Improve and upgrade rangelands and
forestry
• Human resource development through
short and long term trainings.
Ministry of Food, National To upgrade land National Land use 3 years • Preparation of pilot agriculture land use 136.900
Agriculture and Agricultural Land resource planning and development plans for seven districts.
Livestock Use Plan inventories and • Updating land resource inventory covering
(MINFAL) (Phase-I) land evaluation 30 million hectares and 10 district maps.
research in the • Land evaluation research through grouping
country in order to farm lands in 100 major types on the basic
provide scientific soils and land capability.

79
Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
base agriculture • Preparation of legal documents to provide
land use planning legal cover to land use plan.
to achieve
maximum
agriculture
production.
Federal Water Pilot Project for To demonstrate Punjab, Water 3 years • Farmer’s capability for efficient use and 497.442
Management Cell, promotion of water and test high NWFP and conservation management water resources in dryland
MINFAL, & conservation efficiency Sindh areas enhanced.
Provincial technology through irrigation Provinces • Micro/high efficiency irrigation system
Agriculture Depts. introduction of technologies for (including drip, bubbler, and sprinkler)
high efficiency enhancement of installed of 3,600 acres of farmers’ lands.
irrigation system in agriculture • Eighty units of these systems installed at
Punjab, NWFP and productivity and Federal and provincial research and
Sindh conservation of academic institutions
scarce water • 720 water storage tanks constructed
resources. • Capacity of On Farm Water Management
Staff built through a training programme
• Mass awareness raised through print and
electronic media
Federal Water Pilot Project For To save and use Balochistan Water 3 years • Bring 1418 ha under Trickle / Bubbler 219.700
Management Cell, Promotion and irrigation water Province conservation irrigation in seven districts of Balochistan
MINFAL, & Expansion Of efficiently by • Train local farmers in management and
Agriculture Dept. Trickle Irrigation introduction of maintenance of Trickle Irrigation System
Balochistan Programme in high efficiency • Research and develop on micro irrigation
Balochistan irrigation methods. system conducted.
Ministry of Preparation of To develop GIS National Land use 7 years • National Land use Plan developed to 33.000
Environment National Land Use based land use planning manage land in more environmental
Plan maps at the scale of friendly manners.
1:50000 for • Provide database to planners, managers
planners and and researchers.
managers in • Create GIS lab at Ministry of Environment
various line • Prepare a baseline to monitor changes in
agencies at the land use systems
national and • Develop an atlas of land use maps.
provincial levels.

80
Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
Punjab Forest Rehabilitation of Rehabilitation of Pothwar Rehabilitation 3 years • Local communities mobilized for 24.802
Department/MoE Rangelands of Rangelands of Tract of of rangelands/ participatory management of rangelands
Pothwar Tract of Pothwar Tract of Punjab natural • Rangelands rehabilitated through manual
Punjab through Punjab through (Dist. resources reseeding/planting of native forage grasses,
Participation of improved Chakwal) management dry afforestation, and developing water-
Local Communities management and harvesting devices
involvement of • Appropriate grazing management tools
local communities introduced
• Livestock quality improved through
extension services
• Range studies through participatory
learning and research conducted
• Participatory monitoring of range
conditions introduced
Alternative Energy Technical The purpose of the Punjab/ Renewable One year • Analysis of the renewable energy 61.302
Development Assistance for Technical whole Energy and requirement of each province conducted.
Board development of Assistance (TA) is Pakistan Capacity • Feasibility studies of selected sample sub-
renewable energy to identify and Building projects for financing through loans
in Pakistan carry out detailed conducted.
feasibility studies
for developing
renewable energy
resources to meet
the power
requirements of far
flung areas of the
country
Federal DERA Technical Field monitoring All Drought 3 years • Field monitoring reports with visuals 38.400
Unit, Islamabad Assistance for for quality provinces mitigation pictures
capacity building assurance of • Monitoring Proforma for each drought
of Federal DERA schemes mitigation scheme developed
Unit, Islamabad to implemented under • Dissemination of monitoring reports to
implement DERA DERA and donors and district level partners
Programme. DIMRC • Database on DERA projects developed
• Site/scheme specific documentation
containing fixed and targeted information

81
Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
introduced
• Effective coordination at different tiers of
DERA Programme
NWFP
Small Dams Feasibility Study To carry out Daraban, Water 2 years • Feasibility study conducted for 13.110
Organization, For Construction of detailed feasibility Chaudwan, conservation construction of small dams
NWFP Irrigation Small Dams on study for And Sheikh • Geotechnical investigations and lab tests
and Power Daraban, construction of Haider In conducted
Department Chaudwan, and small dams D.I. Khan • PC-I document and cost estimates prepared
Sheikh Haider and and Tank
Tank Zam in D.I. Districts,
Khan and Tank NWFP
Small Dams Feasibility study of To carry out Southern Water • Reconnaissance survey of catchment area 43.980
Organization, small dams & feasibility study for area of conservation conducted
NWFP Irrigation delay action dam in small storage dams NWFP and controlling • Geological and hydrological investigations
and Power southern area of and delay action soil/water conducted
Department NWFP dams in the erosion • Contour survey of dam site and reservoir
southern part of area completed
NWFP • Land resources development survey of
command area conducted
Forest Department, Afforestation over To control soil NWFP Afforestation 3 years • Plantations raised to meet fuel-wood and 33.853
NWFP state land in erosion in the Province timber requirement of local people
southern districts catchment areas of • Conserve biodiversity
of NWFP. mini dams • Improve local landscape
• Promote ecotourism
Forest Department, Environment To rehabilitate NWFP Environment 5 years • Forest nurseries raised 10.000
NWFP Rehabilitation denuded hill-sides Province Management • Establish 400 km of linear plantation
around small dams and river banks for • Conserve local biodiversity
in southern districts improvement of • Create awareness among local
of NWFP. local environment communities
• Increase forest cover in the province
Local Government Land use planning To develop NWFP Land use 3 years • Digital base map for entire NWFP 30.321
and Rural in NWFP comprehensive Province planning developed
Development, land use maps of • Existing land use assessed
Dept., NWFP NWFP Province • Existing land use map developed

82
Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
• Develop land use plans for select districts
and tehsils
• GIS &RS facilities for land use planning
established.
Punjab
Soil and Water Up-gradation of To boost District Capacity 5 years • Farm water control structures with 18.771
Conservation Sohawa and Fateh agricultural Chakwal, Building different variable such as soil type, crop
Research Institute, Jang Research production and Jhelum cover, slope gradient and intensity of rain
Chakwal Stations and improve living fall developed.
strengthening standard of the • Profitable use of gullied land
SAWCRI, farming introduced
Chakwal, Punjab communities of • Efficient use of stored rainwater for
rainfed tract high value crops introduced
through • Conservation of moisture through
conservation and green manuring and gypsum
optimum use of • Soil erosion control measures taken
water and
controlling soil
erosion.
Directorate General Strengthening of Promote efficient Punjab Sustainable 3 years • Increased agriculture productivity through 267.280
of Agriculture laser land leveling use of irrigation Province Land efficient use of land and water resources
(Water services in Punjab water by Management • Private enterprise for providing LASER
Management), strengthening of land leveling developed
Punjab LASER land • Cultivated area enhanced by reducing
leveling services in dikes and ditches
Punjab • Production cost reduced by increasing
cultivation efficiency and reducing labour
cost
Directorate of Strengthening Improve extension Punjab Public 2 years • Quality and speedy production of video 7.570
Agriculture agriculture services through Province awareness documentaries, advertisements, radio talks
Information, publicity through use modern and interviews improved through use of
Punjab mass media technologies and modern technologies.
creating awareness • Modern information dissemination
among farming facilities established at Research
communities. Information Unit.

83
Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
Livestock and Introduction of To increase per Okara, Fodder 3 years • Sufficient quantity of approved varieties of 100.000
Dairy Development high yielding acre yield of Kharif Punjab production fodder crops produced and replicated by
Dept., Punjab fodder varieties and Rabi fodders farmers
through public and their seed • Latest technology of seed production
private partnership production through demonstrated and disseminated to farmers
promotion of • Farmers guided for producing quality
improved varieties fodder crops
and crop • Livestock production system improved
production
technologies.
Irrigation & Power Research and Develop and Punjab Water resource 5 years • Sustainability of ground water availability 50.000
Department/ studies for manage integrated Province management investigated
Irrigation Research integrated water water resources • Quantum of salts pumped to the surface
Institute, Lahore resources through research and their effects on land productivity
management and and special studies studied.
development • Intensities and water/crop management
studies
• Quantum of water available from rivers or
harvested from rains for storage at suitable
sites studied.
• Options for utilizing flood water explored.
Directorate of Establishment of Enhance efficiency Punjab Agriculture 3 years • Information system for all market 190.067
Agriculture agriculture of marketing Province marketing/ functionaries developed
(Economics and marketing system through information • Regularly collect, process and disseminate
Marketing), Punjab information system provision of timely, management information on prices, including trends and
(AMIS) Punjab reliable and volume
useable • Market and market committees linked
information to through up-gradation/modernization
growers, traders, electronic facilities
consumers and • Early warning system on supply and
policy makers demand and price fluctuations developed
• Market news and bulletins provided on
regular intervals
• Capacity of staff built for collection and
dissemination of market information

84
Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
Irrigation Establishment of Develop a database Punjab Irrigation and 2 years • Computerized database on canals, 5.000
Department, management and information Province Information channels, and water courses developed.
Punjab information system management management • Mapping and documentation of water
(MIS) in Irrigation system for outlets
Department of improving • Irrigation Information and Management
Punjab irrigation system in system developed to provide a tool for
Punjab decision makers
• Gather and disseminate water flow
capacity and timing of canals, channels and
water courses
Punjab Forest Revamping To rehabilitate Districts of Rehabilitation 3 years • Rehabilitation of 10,000 acres of depleted 72.813
Department rangelands with depleted Chakwal, of Rangelands/ rangelands through re-seeding of grasses
participation of rangelands of Bhakkar, Natural and dry-afforestation.
stakeholders in Punjab D.G. Khan, Resource • Water harvesting devices constructed
Punjab and Management • Local communities mobilized
Bahawalpur • Deferred and rotational grazing system
of Punjab introduced
Province • Poverty reduced through job opportunities
and increase in household income
Irrigation & Power Construction of Develop water Haji Shah Sustainable 2 years • Small water storage dam constructed to 300.000
Dept./Small Dam small dams at resources by Area of management provide irrigation water for 1520 acres
Organization, District Attock construction of District of water through gravity flow
Punjab storage dam in the Attock, resources • Provide drinking water to local
Barani area Punjab communities
Irrigation & Power Construction of Develop water Dharabi and Sustainable 3 years • Provide irrigation water for 7150 acres of 508.280
Dept./Small Dam Small Dams in resources by Minwal management Barani areas through gravity flow and
Organization, District Chakwal constructing areas of of water water lift
Punjab storage dams in the District resources • Provide direct benefits to local
Barani areas of Chakwal communities through fish culture, livestock
District Chakwal development and soil conservation
• Provide drinking water to local
communities
BALOCHISTAN • •
Agriculture Establishment of To establish dry Kharan Dryland 5 years • To increase crop yield under salaba 43.390
Research Dry Land Research land research research irrigated areas.
Department Centre at Kharan centers at Kharan

85
Agency Institution Initiative/Project Goal/Purpose Geographic Thematic Duration Expected Outputs Total Budget
or Focus Focus (Million Rs.)
Program Title
Balochistan in order to enhance • Construction of center
research activities • Land acquired and developed.
at dry land areas of • Slaba Irrigation System developed
Balochistan
Balochistan Forest Raising of Develop local Quetta, Propagation 5 years • Established and maintained 3 nurseries one 8.837
Department Nurseries and capabilities and Khuzdar and and research each at Quetta, Khuzdar and Zhob have
Research on facilities for Zhob on drought capacity of 50,000 plants.
various Drought improving nursery districts of resistance • 300,000 plants raised
Resistant Species. raising techniques Balochistan species • Six adaptive research trial plots of drought
and identifying and resistant species established for
introducing demonstration
drought resistant • Capacity of field staff and community
species representatives built in raising nurseries of
drought resistant species
• One research center at Quetta and 2 sub-
stations at Khuzdar and Zhob established.
SINDH • •
Forest Department Increasing Rehabilitation of District Rangeland 5 years • Range productive increased through 7.228
Rangelands (Barani Barani rangelands Karachi, rehabilitation introduction of local forage varieties
lands) productivity increase Thatta and and poverty • Carrying capacity of rangelands increased
through Range productivity to Thar alleviation • Local environment improved
Improvements and alleviate poverty • Water conservation measures adopted
Mitigate poverty among rural • Applied research conducted
alleviation communities
Total (million Rs.) 3500.94
Total (million US$) 59.63

86
PART VII: Detailed Site Description

187. The detailed description of sites where the feasibility studies will be conducted during the Phase-
I is as follows:

Chakwal & Attock

188. The first study i.e. “Integrated management of water resources and rangelands in Chakwal
and Attock districts of Punjab will be conducted at one site each in Chakwal and Attock
districts of Punjab Province.”

189. Ecologically the area is classed as the subtropical semi-arid and sub-humid zone and sub-
mountainous in character. The rain fall varies from 400 mm in the southern areas to 750 mm in
the north. The major land use in the area is rangelands and the economy of the area is mainly
pastoral. The livestock owned by the rural population is the backbone of the rural economy.

190. The rangelands in these districts are severely depleted due to soil erosion, which is a widespread
problem. Rainwater readily runs off in the streams soon after downpours. The carrying capacity
of grazing areas has been reduced drastically and most of the rangelands have been invaded by
the unpalatable weeds such as sariala (Heteropagan contrortus), khawi (Cymbopogan
jwarancusa), karir (Capparis aphylla), mesquite (Persopis juliflora) and cacti. Removal of
vegetation and un-sustainable use of Barani (rain fed) lands has severely declined the vegetation
cover. Agriculture is limited to rain fed area only by harvesting rainwater. Cultivation is
practiced on traces and flat land at valley bottoms only.

Bhakkar

191. The study to be conducted in the area is “Poverty alleviation through soil conservation
measures in District Bhakkar, Punjab”. The district is mainly consisted of sandy desert. In the
north it is bounded by the piedmont of Salt Range and by the Indus river flood plains in the west.
Jhelum and Chenab river flood plains are in the east. Ecologically, the area is classified as arid
sub-tropical sandy plain. Mean maximum and minimum temperatures are about 44˚C and less
than 5˚C, respectively. The wind movements affect the amount and distribution of the rainfall in
the desert areas. Most of the rains are received during monsoon and varies from 133 mm in the
southern areas to 300 mm in the north-eastern regions.

192. The soils are alluvial with sandy textured dunes covering 50 to 60% of the area. Heavy grazing
and ruthless cutting of trees and shrubs has resulted in complete disappearance of several
desirable species. Top soil has been eroded by wind and sand dunes have become unstable. The
vegetation and forage production has declined substantially.

193. Livestock grazing is the main occupation of the people. With the construction of the Thal
irrigation canal, about 1 million ha desert areas have been converted into highly productive
cultivated areas. However, still about 1.6 million ha are used as grazing land. In a normal rainfall
year, dryland cultivation is done on sand dunes. Gram, watermelon, and millet are grown on
large scale.

Kharan

194. The Kharan district has been selected for the feasibility study on “Integrated Natural Resource
Management with the involvement of pastoralist communities in Rakhshan valley, District

87
 Kharan.” The climate of Kharan is dry. Dust storms are common throughout the year. These
storms become very severe during the period of summer from June to September. People call
these storms "Livar". They are described as scorching and destructive, killing every thing.
During this period traveling becomes impossible. During the summer season, days are hot but
nights are very pleasant and cool. The winter is dry and cold.

195. The soil of the area is alluvial and extremely fertile. The best type is called "Matt". It requires
less water and retains moisture for longer periods and is suitable for all crops. There are no
forests in the district. Trees are few and scanty. The date palm is the most common fruit in
Mashkhel, Washuk and Basima. Few wild fig trees and tamarix also exist in the hills. Willows
also grow in the Nullahs. Pistachio is occasionally found. Wild vine is found in sheltered spots
and in lower slops of the hills. Grass and bush known as "Alony" is fairly abundant.

196. Wheat is the principal crop. In fruits, almond, apples, apricots, grapes, peaches, plums, pears,
pomegranates and mangoes are produced. Mashkhel is famous for dates. The major Rabi crops
include wheat, barley and vegetables. Kharif crops in Kharan comprise fruit, vegetables, and
fodder. Pulses and oil seed are also cultivated in a limited area

197. Livestock is the second most important sector in the district. It is not only a source of income but
provides nutrition also. Livestock is a source of milk, wool, hides and skins. Although the
livestock sector has developed, it is constrained by insufficient and low quality of feed and
fodder. In the past, livestock production was not considered a high priority activity, which
caused overgrazing of rangelands and created environmental problems. The nomadic inhabitants
of the district take their animals to hilly areas and other places in search of grazing lands.

Awaran

198. The second feasibility study in Balochistan province will be conducted in the district of Awaran.
The title of the study is “Sustainable use of Mazri Palm and NTFP with the involvement of
local communities and private sector in District Awaran, Blachistan.”

199. The climate of Awaran is hot in summer and cool in winter. Dust storms are experienced
throughout the year. The storms become very severe from June to September. Summer days are
hot but nights are cool. The winter is cool. Awaran is an area of extremely limited rains. The rain
falls mostly during the months of April, May, June, and July. On the basis of meteorological data
available, the district can be placed in "semi-arid hot summer and mild winter" climatic category.

200. The district is mountainous, intersected by broad valleys. The soil of the district is fertile both in
irrigated and un-irrigated tracts. But due to non-availability of water, most of the area is
permanently barren. The soil of Mashkai, Jhal Jhao, and surrounding areas of Awaran is very
fertile.

201. The total arable area of the district is 71,520 hectares which is merely 3.3 percent of the whole
geographical area. The irrigated area is 57,932 hectares and un-irrigated is 13,588 hectares.
Culturable waste is 16,092 hectares which is a challenge for the Agriculture Department.
According to the statistics, the majority (72%) of the arable land is irrigated by flood water. Tube
wells irrigate only 2 percent of the arable land.

202. Wheat is the principal crop on which population of the district depends. The major Rabi crops of
the district include wheat and barley. Kharif corps of the area are mainly fruit and pulses. Fodder

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 and vegetables are cultivated in the area throughout the year. The agricultural production in the
district is very limited due to which the level of income is minimal.

203. Compared to other districts there is less vegetation in the Awaran district. There are no forests,
and trees are few and scanty, with date-palm trees being most common. A few wild fig trees
exist here and there in the hills; tamarix and willows are found in the Mashkai tehsil. The plants
of the lower region are Otostegia Auohesi and Pyonotheco Spinosa. A spiny bush, Convolvulus
Spinosus is very common in the district.

204. In Awaran only a few big land owners possess agricultural land. They give the land on lease or
on contract for cultivation on the basis of equal distribution of crops to the tenants. Small land
owners cultivate the land by themselves with the help of their family members. The women also
assist the men in harvesting activities. Some land owners hire the labourers on permanent basis
for cultivation, but they pay very small wages to these labourers.

205. In Awaran, land is cultivated by using old traditional methods. However, mechanical cultivation
and the use of fertilizers and better seeds are becoming popular. The use of these modern
techniques is still limited. Tractors are being used by the big land owners. The entire families of
the farmers get involved in agricultural activities. The women and children work for instance
during the processing, cleaning, and packing of dates.

Pishin

206. The third feasibility study in Balochistan will be conducted in district Pishin. The title of the
study is “Sustainable Land Management by introduction of low delta high commercial value
crops with micro irrigation in Surkhab”. The climate of Pishin is generally dry and on the whole
temperate. None of the different parts of the district present any marked variations. Quetta and
Qila Abdullah, two adjoining districts, owing to their higher elevation are cooler than Pishin.

207. The climate of Pishin valley is eminently suitable for the growing of fruits. The summer is the
most delightful time of the year; winters can be bitterly cold. Like other parts of Balochistan,
Pishin lies outside the sphere of monsoon currents. Rainfall is irregular and scanty. In winter the
district is affected by storms. The dry climate is favourable for fruit production. However, the
dry weather is not favourable for livestock, because in the absence of rains vegetation does not
grow. Further, owing to irregular rainfall farmers of rain-fed areas cannot plan their crops
properly.

208. There are four types of soils in the district of Pishin: piedmont plains; piedmont basins (playas),
gravely piedmont fans and aprons bordering the mountains and loess plains. The soils are
differentiated by their respective colours, which reflect differences of parent material.
209. Piedmont plain areas have potential for livestock grazing, due to its loose material. This land
enhances the recharging capacity of ground water. Barshore and Khanozai have this type of soil.
Piedmont basins are particularly suitable for permanent agriculture/horticulture. This type of soil
is found adjacent to Bund Khushdil Khan and Batezai. Since this type of soil is situated in the
middle of the valley, it has high potential for irrigation. The piedmont fans are not suitable for
cultivation. Bostan and Gowal are an example of such soils. They are suitable for grazing. The
soils of the loess plains are traditionally used for agriculture and grazing. Soil erosion takes place
in the vicinity of Karbala, Batezai, Jlogir and the areas near Pishin lora.

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 210. There are two cropping seasons in Pishin valley: Kharif and Rabi. Kharif crops are sown in
summer and harvested in late summer or early winter, while Rabi crops are sown in winter, or
during early summer and harvested in summer. Important Rabi crops are wheat, barley, cumin,
vegetables and fodder. Crops grown during Kharif are fruits, melons, vegetables, tobacco,
potato, fodder, onion etc. It is interesting to note that almost all the crops grown during Kharif
season are cash crops. This indicates that the farmers of Pishin are commercial minded. It is
worth mentioning that fodder and melons are the only crops which are sown both on irrigated
and unirrigated plots. The farmers use scarce water resources in an efficient and effective
manner.

Dera Ismail (D.I.) Khan

211. The feasibility study on “Conservation of water and soil with the involvement of local
communities in Shaikh Haider Zam, District DI Khan in NWFP” will be conducted in D.I.
Khan. It is the southern most district of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The total
population of the district is more than 900,000. The rural population constitutes 81% of the total.
The district has boundaries with river Indus in the east and in west lies the tribal area and in
south it is bounded by Punjab.

212. The socio-economic condition of the district is not at par with other developed districts of the
province. Poverty is prevalent and the district has always remained neglected. The district wise
socio-economic database of Pakistan shows that D.I. Khan has shown decline in key-areas
relating agriculture, health and education. For example the irrigated fell from 121,000 ha in
1990-91 to 89,000 ha in 1994-95.

213. The local inhabitants having no optimum irrigation source are poor and their livelihood depend
on subsistence farming and livestock depending upon the availability of agricultural and grazing
land. The agriculture in the local area depends on the hill torrents, which are not regular and
hence the crop production through water spreading is not an annual feature.

Lakki Marwat

214. Lakki Marwat district of NWFP has been selected for the feasibility study of “Strengthening of
traditional land use practices in low productive lands”. Lakki Marwat is the southern district
of NWFP. It is bounded on the north by Bannu and Karak districts, on the east by Mianwali, on
the south East by the D.I. Khan and on the southwest by Tank ditrict. To the west is the Tribal
area of Tank and South Waziristan Agency.

215. The topography of the district is a combination of hills and plains. The hilly areas are along the
boundaries of the district especially in the east, southeast, southwest and northwest. The general
elevation of these hills ranges from 500 to 1000 meters above sea level. The land beyond these
hills gradually slopes to the central part, which looks like a basin. It is a flat sandy area. The
southern part comprises of undulating sand dunes, furrowed at regular intervals by deep torrent
beds which carry the drainage of the Marwat and Bhittani area to the Gambila. In the western
portion of the district, the soil is fairly stiff clay covered by a layer of stones at the foot of the
hills. The whole district is intersected by numerous hill torrents and deep ravines.

216. The area as a whole is arid, with annual rainfall ranging between 400-500 mm. The bulk of the
rainfall occurs in winter and monsoon season. In summer, during daytime, the temperature even
touches 50 C, but drops sharply after sunset, due the sandy nature of the terrain. The ground
water recharge is very low and the water table is at about 150 m depth.

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 217. As water is the most limiting factor in the agriculture production system, therefore in the rainfed
areas, crops are entirely dependent on rain. Wheat and gram are the major rabi crops. Most
farmers do not grow kharif crop, except those farmers who are able to divert flood water by
constructing high bunds around their fields, utilize this water to their advantage during the
monsoon and plant mainly fodder crops.

218. The socio-economic picture of the area does not portrait a sound setting. People are mostly poor
and joint family system is predominant in the whole area. Extended family system ensures
family’s security and pooling of human and financial resources for the social and economic
needs of the area. Poor hygienic and health conditions prevail in the area.

219. The second source of income is from the fruits. Among fruit crops, scattered trees of date palms
are visible in a number of locations. These are mostly local varieties, and no major break through
has been made so for the introduction and adaptation of improved high yielding varieties.

220. The third source of income is from livestock. Due to the shortage of fodder, people prefer to
keep goats and cattle. Goats are reared for cash income. Milk is not marketed and is invariably
consumed at home. Though the number of animals is more, but the overall products and income
is low. The farmers also purchase fodder for their animals. This is an additional burden on the
poverty-inflicted farmers. Women are associated with the livestock rearing and management.

Kachho, District Dadu

221. The last two studies will be conducted in Sindh Province. One of the studies i.e. Water
harvesting and agriculture development in Kacho Area, Taluka Johi, District Dadu will
conducted in Kachho. It is situated at dry land region of Kachho at Deh Pat Suleman, Union
Council Sawro, Taluka Johi of District Dadu.

222. The area is 43 Km away in the west of Johi Town. Kachho is located between 67-68 degree East
and 26-27 degrees North, and situated between Balochistan border in the west and Dadu in the
east, a barren area with sparsely scattered forest is called Kacho. Kacho is derived from Sindhi
language that means area situates besides the hills. It’s a long belt of plain land near the Kirthar
hilly range. It ranges from District Jacobabad in North to the Manchar Lake in the East. The total
area of Kacho is 342,889 acres.

223. According to the 1998 census population of Kachho is 108,766 with approximately 21,452
households. The 52% population of Taluka Johi lives in Kachho and 75% of the population
depends upon agriculture and livestock. Kachho is a rain fed area and its agriculture productivity
heavily depends on rainfall. The area of Kachho experienced the drought situation in 1995 which
proved horrific due to its impact on various social and economical aspects of locale.

224. Kachho region has no canal irrigation system and mainly depends upon rainfall and irrigation
through hill torrent's run-off. The average annual rainfall in 'kacha' area is about 4.75 inches and
the rainfall frequency is also not constant. People of Kachho also make diversions for flowing
water from natural streams to their fields. These field diversion channels are prepared,
excavated, and de-silted at their own. The livelihood system in the area totally depends on these
flows and rains, as crops are cultivated on spate and natural vegetation for survival of livestock
also depends on this water. So only the crops needing single irrigation such as sorghum, millet,

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 melons, mustard and sesame could be grown. Apart from agriculture, people raise goats and
sheep for meeting economic and food related needs.

Thakparkar

225. The last feasibility study on “Participatory NRM for drought mitigation and food security in
district Tharpakar in Sindh” will be conducted in the district Tharparkar of Sindh province.
Tharparkar spreads over 19,637 km2. It is situated between 24° and 27° North latitudes and 69°
and 72° east longitudes. The landscape includes sand dunes, sand valleys, Karoonjhar hills and
Rann of Kutch. The boundaries of Tharparkar are dividing India and Pakistan in the southeast.
According to 1998 census, the population of the district was about 907,000 persons.

226. The population comprises on 60% Muslims and about 40% non Muslims (mostly Hindus). Most
of the population in Tharparkar lives below poverty line. About 92% of people depends on
livestock and barani (rain fed) agriculture which solely depends on monsoon rains. However,
over last two decades or so monsoon rains are either absent or erratic which leads to low
productivity. Due to fragile nature of agro ecosystem, even a minor drought causes heavy
damages in terms of crop failure and livestock losses and results into further deepening of
poverty. There is no long term drought mitigation strategy in place, and in the event of drought
relief measures, no matter at how large scale, can not meet the demand of huge population of
humans and animals.

227. The main land use in Tharparkar is grazing forest or rangeland, barani agriculture and perennial
agriculture, besides housing and other uses. Livestock and seasonal crops (with some perennial
cropping on well water) is basic production base in Tharparkar. Cows, sheep and goats are kept
for meat, wool and milk. The males are sold for meat purposes. Donkeys and camels are used as
work animals–for ploughing of cultivated land, transport and drawing water from the wells.

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PART VIII: Sustainability and Replicability

Note: See Section I, Part II under Strategy

PART IX: Lessons learnt and applied to project design

228. Lessons learned during the PDF (B) phase and from other similar projects implemented or being
implemented in Pakistan and other countries have been instrumental in guiding the project
design. The flowing are the few lessons, which directly relates to project design:

’ Effective involvement of local communities in planning, implementation and monitoring of

integrated NRM projects is crucial for the success of on-the-ground interventions. Therefore,
SLMP gave high priority to the participatory identification of feasibility studies/pilot test of
SLM interventions through pre-feasibility surveys at the pilot sites and incorporated the
recommendation of the local communities in designing of the pilot interventions. Community
involvement in site specific land use plans during the phase-I of the project will ensure their
effective involvement in implementation of the project and promote local ownership of the
SLM interventions. Moreover, important community concerns and indigenous solutions to local
problems are often overlooked in the project design and implementation. The SLMP is
cognisant of this short-coming, hence local land use planning has been considered as a prime
activity under the project.

’ Several NRM projects that have been implemented in Pakistan in the past have undertaken
community participation without an adequate gender framework. As a result, women’s roles in
NRM and conservation have been ignored or, at best, marginally addressed. The SLMP will
give a special emphasis on the integration of women into Project activities wherever feasible.

’ Participation of stakeholders during project designing and implementation of the project is

critical for sustainability. In order to achieve this, a rigorous consultation process was adopted
during the PDF-B for involving national, provincial and local levels stakeholders in designing
of the project interventions. The project will follow a participatory approach for implementation
of the project interventions. It is also important to understand local power structures, especially
in tribal communities in NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan, and the way in which they influence the
local use and distribution of land resources. The pilot studiess have been designed after
thorough investigation of the existing social, economic and ecological conditions prevailing at
the proposed project sites. This aspect will be further looked into during the local land use
planning and designing of the phase-II interventions.

’ Project success corresponds with ownership by the government and beneficiary communities.
The government ownership of the project is ensured at all levels of the government, including
federal, provincial and local government agencies through establishment of project
“coordination units” in the MoE and provincial Planning and Development departments as well
as their representation in the PSC, NCCD and PCCDs. The participation of local communities
in development and implementation of site specific land use plans will stimulate local
ownership, contribute to cost-effectiveness and support sustainability of SLM interventions on
the ground.

’ Sustainable land management requires both technical capacity for spatial and resource planning,
and strong institutional coordination involving several ministries at the federal level and many
line agencies at provincial and local levels. To ensure effective coordination among the relevant

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 ministries and line agencies, the project designing has specifically addressed institutional
barriers, through a mechanism for coordination and cooperation among the key partners, and
capacity building through both technical and institutional strengthening interventions.

’ Project outcomes, outputs and assumptions must be realistic, and take into account national,
provincial and local needs. The project has carefully considered this lesson by focusing
mainstreaming of the NAP into sectoral planning process both at national and provincial levels
as well as designing the pilot projects based on the priority issues or desertification control
measures identified in the NAP.

’ Demonstration of good SLM practices to achieve global environment benefits not only require
integrated management of land resources by adopting landscape (ecosystem) approach, but also
their social and economic viability through provision of alternate livelihoods. The project is
designed on the basis of “integrated ecosystem approach” for sustainable use of natural
resources through a combination of SLM interventions geared toward: i) capacity building, ii)
institutional strengthening, creating enabling environment, iv) and demonstration of SLM
practices to support local livelihoods for on the ground changes in land use practices aimed at
rehabilitation of degraded lands and adopting sustainable agriculture practices.

’ Knowledge gaps and lack of awareness about the consequences of land degradation often hinder
success of SLM interventions. The project is designed in a way to: i) increase awareness and
knowledge on the land degradation and desertification as well as linkage between poverty
reduction and combating desertification, ii) promoting multi-stakeholders’ involvement in the
project implementation, and iii) support establishment of favourable institutional, fiscal, and
financial mechanisms to enable smooth implementation of community-driven SLM practices.
This approach will contribute to achieving social and economic viability. Furthermore,
geographic up-scaling of on the ground demonstrations provide an opportunity to achieve the
global environmental benefits envisaged under the project.

’ For continuity of efforts and associated institutional memory the Project recommends the
appointment of a quorum of senior staff of the relevant ministries and from appropriate
departments as permanent members of the PSC for the entire duration of the Project.

’ Earlier NRM projects have been hampered by a lack of technical capacity to implement
activities and an inadequate knowledge of local conditions by the line ministries and partner
organizations. To overcome this limitation, the Project provides for an inception period prior to
commencement of any major interventions. This will enable staff in government and partner
agencies to acquire a modicum of local knowledge and appropriate skills before the pace of the
Project picks up. Additionally, the Project will involve a range of partners – NGOs, CBOs,
research institutions and others - during implementation in order to benefit from the relevant
capacity of various organisations.

’ Contracting out the implementation of feasibility studies/pilot projects by the line agencies,
NGOs, dryland research institutions and other partner organization will ensure that the technical
capacities of various organisations are used under the Project. This will also serve to transfer
skills to and strengthen technical capacity of line agencies in the provinces.

229. Lessons learnt during the implementation of phase I of the project will be documented and applied
for designing and implementation of the phase II interventions demonstrating SLM practice and
geographic up-scaling of the project. Furthermore, any gap remained to be filled during the phase- I
for effective coordination of the project activities will be strengthened during the phase –II.

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LIST OF ANNEXURES

ANNEX-A: Map - Location of Pakistan and Provinces

ANNEX-B: Map – Land cover of Pakistan
ANNEX-C: Problem Tree
ANNEX-D: Solution Tree
ANNEX-E: Map – Land Degradation Types in Pakistan
ANNEX-F: List of Consultative Workshops Participants
ANNEX-G: Outputs and Co-financing arrangements.
ANNEX-H: Criteria for Selection of Feasibility Studies/Pilot Testing Sites
ANNEX-I: Map - Feasibility Study Sit

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