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Conservation of the birds and biodiversity of the Lake Victoria Basin (the Greatest of Africa’s ‘Great Lakes’) through community-led action and

sustainable development

Annual Progress Report to the

REPORT PERIOD January – December 2013

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Contents PART 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 3

Project Background ............................................................................................... 3 Project sites ........................................................................................................... 3

Brief description of the sites .................................................................................. 4 Project Goal ........................................................................................................... 6

PART 2: MAIN ACTION AND ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD

(March – December 2013) ......................................................................................................... 6 PART 3: PROJECT PROGRESS DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD (MARCH TO

DECEMBER 2013) .................................................................................................................... 7

General ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Project Inception Regional Workshop and Planning ............................................ 7 Progress Against Strategic Objectives .................................................................. 8 Strategic Objective 1: ............................................................................................ 8 Strategic Objective 2: ............................................................................................ 9 Strategic Objective 3: .......................................................................................... 11

Strategic Objective 4 (revised): ........................................................................... 14 PART 4: PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED ............................................................................... 15

PART 5: DETAILED FINANCIAL 2013 REPORT PER ACTIVITY ................................... 16 Notes on the Financial Report ............................................................................. 17

ANNEXES: .............................................................................................................................. 17

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PART 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Background

BirdLife International has received a three year grant from the Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation (AVJCF) for the implementation of the project titled `Conservation of the birds and biodiversity of the Lake Victoria Basin (the Greatest of Africa’s ‘Great Lakes’) through community-led action and sustainable development`. Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world with a surface area of 68,800 square kilometres. The swamps, forests and islands in and around Lake Victoria are important for a diversity of wildlife, and there are at least 16 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) directly connected to the lake system within bordering countries (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) and more in the wider Lake Victoria Basin (including in Rwanda and Burundi). They provide habitat to species such as the Papyrus Gonolek Laniarius mufumbiri (Near Threatened), the Shoebill Balaeniceps rex (Vulnerable) as well as important congregations of water birds (e.g. 5,500 breeding pairs of Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo at Lutoboka Point in Uganda). The lake and its resources are economically very important to the countries that border it (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). For example, Lake Victoria supports Africa's largest inland fishery and resources and ecosystem services from the area support the livelihoods of millions of people. The Lake Victoria Basin is one of the most densely populated rural areas in the world, and high levels of poverty are a major hindrance to sustainable biodiversity management. The lake, the lakeshore and the lake basin are regarded as the engines of economic growth in countries where poverty alleviation is of the highest priority. BirdLife received funding from the AVJCF to take emergency action to halt escalating habitat destruction and pressures on the biodiversity and ecological integrity of IBAs around Lake Victoria caused by a number of factors including: a) Pollution – domestic waste and agricultural waste disposed directly into the lake, and

catchment degradation affecting the water quality flowing through the IBAs into the lake

b) Invasive species – especially water hyacinth which clogs water ways and obstructs the river bank

c) Habitat degradation – especially through frequent burning, cutting down of riparian forests, over-harvesting of Typha reeds

d) Persecution – especially through egg collection, disturbance of breeding colonies and hunting for local consumption.

Project sites

The project operates regionally (basin level), nationally and locally (at site level). The project partners and sites are:

1) Kenya: Nature Kenya - Yala swamp and Dunga swamp 2) Uganda: Nature Uganda - Lutembe bay and Mabamba wetlands 3) Burundi: Association Burundaise pour la protection de la Nature (ABN) - Mpungwe

Mountains 4) Rwanda: Association pour la Conservation de la Nature au Rwanda - Akanyaru

wetlands

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Brief description of the sites

This project is being implemented regionally (influencing policy), nationally (building conservation capacity) and locally (empowering communities at sites in the Lake Victoria basin that have been identified as priorities for conservation of birds and other biodiversity). Partners have chosen to work at six sites in total. The sites have been chosen based on the presence of Local Conservation Groups (LCGs)1, and the need (and opportunity) to build on existing relationships and work to deliver integrated livelihoods and development benefits. Between them the sites provide a range of ecosystem services, including provisioning services (fish, fertile agricultural land), regulating services (watershed protection, sequestration and storage of carbon in trees and peat deposits), and cultural services (e.g. tourism). The paragraphs below provide a brief introduction to each site. Kenya Yala and Dunga wetlands: The project area is Dunga and Yala Wetlands. The Yala swamp wetland, located along the North eastern shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya is one of the most extensive freshwater wetlands in Kenya. The wetland covers 17,500 hectares along the North eastern shore of Lake Victoria in Siaya, Bondo and Busia districts in Kenya. Three sizeable peripheral lakes, namely Kanyaboli (10.5 km2), Nyamboyo, (2.0 km2) and Sare (5.0 km2) lie within the boundaries of the Yala swamp as do at least a dozen other smaller bodies of water. Dunga swamp (KE 037), one of the 60 Important Bird Areas in Kenya, is located on the South Eastern shores of Lake Victoria at (010 10’S, 340 47’E). The swamp is predominantly Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) which forms a distinctive habitat type for papyrus specialist birds. The birds include restricted range endemics like the globally threatened Papyrus Yellow Warbler (Chloropeta gracilirostris), the near threatened Papyrus Gonolek (Linarius mufumbiri), White Winged Warbler (Bradypterus carpalis), Carruthers’s Cisticola (Cisticola carruther) and Papyrus Canary (Serinus koliensis) (IUCN RED-DATA LIST and the Kenya IBA directory). Uganda Lutembe bay and Mabamba wetlands: Lutembe Bay is globally, nationally and locally important for its biodiversity and ecological services. It is one of the 34 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and 12 Ramsar sites in Uganda.

1 Note that the terms Local Conservation Group (LCG) and Site Support Group (SSG) are used interchangeably.

LCG is the term used by BirdLife to describe the local organisations with which it works at IBAs. SSG is the

term used more specifically by Partners in the Africa region.

Yala Swamp, Jacob Owiti, Daily Nation

Dunga wetland, Venancia Wambua

Lutembe Bay, www.ramsar.org

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Mabamba is an extensive marsh stretching through a long narrow bay, fringed with papyrus towards the main body of Lake Victoria. The swamp is dominated by Miscanthus and Cyperus species. It is an IBA and a Ramsar Site. Threats at the site include pollution from domestic and agricultural waste; invasive species, especially water hyacinth, and habitat degradation from frequent burning and cutting down of riparian forest.

Mabamba wetlands. Credit: David Thomas (BL). Mabamba SSG members

Burundi Mpungwe Mountains: Mpungwe Mountain chain is located at Ruyigi Province, in the East of Burundi near the Ruvubu National Park . The main habitat type within the site is tropical savannah. The site is unprotected and is threatened by human encroachment. Even though local communities depend on catchment ecosystem services (water supply, wild harvested goods, erosion and flood control), the mountain is highly threatened by human disturbance (expansion of small-scale agriculture, over grazing following bush fires). The root of threats to the site is the high population density and persistent poverty among surrounding communities. Improving local livelihoods and increased benefits from natural resource-based development, together with a change in the site’s status (to a protected area), would improve the habitat and ecosystem goods and services from the site and help ensure connectivity with the neighboring Ruvubu National Park, an IBA hosting endangered species like the Handsome Francolin.

Rwanda Akanyaru wetlands: Akanyaru wetlands, covering an area of 30,000 ha, are located in the south of Rwanda, north-east of Butare, on the border with Burundi, and lying close to Rwihinda Lake Nature Reserve in Burundi. The vegetation consists of a variety of marshy habitats and papyrus swamp. More than 100 bird species are found here, including: Grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), Papyrus gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri, NT), Papyrus Yellow Warbler (Chloropeta gracilirostris, VU) and Madagascar Pond Heron (Ardeola idea, EN). Mammals include Sitatunga (protected under CITES), Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis dogetii) and Hippopotamus. Thousands of people depend on the wetland for their

Mpungwe mountain chains, Albert Schenk Handsome Francolin, Mickey Samuni-Blank

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livelihoods. Threats include pollution from agriculture, invasive species, especially water hyacinth, and habitat degradation from frequent burning and cutting of papyrus.

Project Goal

The goal of this project is to conserve the birds and biodiversity of the Lake Victoria Basin, and sustain the ecosystem benefits that its Important Bird Areas provide for human well-being, by building and strengthening a network of community-based Local Conservation Groups.

PART 2: MAIN ACTION AND ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD (March – December 2013)

1) An inception workshop, attended by representatives from the 4 project partners, was held in Uganda in March at which the overall project objectives were reviewed and detailed national implementation plans prepared.

2) Participatory analysis (with local communities) of linked livelihoods, natural resource management, climate vulnerability and governance issues at the targeted IBAs have been completed in Uganda and Kenya and are ongoing in Rwanda and Burundi. The reports show the communities‘ high dependence on their natural resources, their increased vulnerability caused by climate change and population pressure, their concerns regarding environmental degradation (e.g. clogging of waterways by water hyacinth) and their willingness to address some of these issues through collective action.

3) The 4 project partners have begun the participatory development of community plans for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources at the targeted sites using guidance prepared and disseminated earlier in the reporting period.

4) There is strong evidence that local organisations are empowered through links with national and international organisations and networks, helping to extend their influence and providing two-way flows of experience, information and resources. One of the project’s objectives is to support Local Conservation Groups (LCGs) to establish links with appropriate institutions, to support the effective (and sustainable) achievement of their objectives. During the reporting period, various new partnerships and networks have been established that will support community strategies at target IBAs. (See pages 11-12)

5) Project partners have made good progress in the analysis, priority- and objective-setting required to develop National Local Empowerment strategies to guide the development, support and networking of LCGs at their IBAs. This process has been supported by guidance produced through the project.

Papyrus Gonolek (Tom Tarrant); Akanyaru wetlands; Sitatunga (Gip Gipukan)

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6) Alongside the preliminary work required to produce National Local Empowerment strategies, an assessment of project Partners‘ capacity needs to support national networks of LCGs has also been undertaken and a synthesis report produced. The priorities identified will be used to agree training at national and regional level.

7) A capacity assessment of LCGs has been carried out by project Partners and Capacity Assessment reports submitted by Kenya, Uganda and Burundi (that for Rwanda is ongoing and expected by Quarter 1 of 2014). These reports will guide future capacity building activity.

8) The first step has been taken towards the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation between the Lake Victoria Basin Commission and BirdLife to help deliver shared objectives on bioiversity conservation and sustainable local livelihoods.

PART 3: PROJECT PROGRESS DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD (MARCH TO DECEMBER 2013) General Project Inception Regional Workshop and Planning

Birdlife International held a start up workshop for the project implementing partners, hosted by Nature Uganda from 13th-15th March 2013 in Kampala, Uganda. The meeting was attended by, the BirdLife Secretariat Regional Director for Africa, the Head of Communities and Livelihoods (BirdLife Global Secretariat), Director for Nature Kenya, Director for Nature Uganda, Director for ACNR, Director for ABN and the project officers leading implementation in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The objective of the meeting was to review the activities to ensure outputs are achieved effectively and on time. Partcipants agreed on budgetary allocations, the project management structure was reviewed, and contractual agreements agreed. At the end of the workshop, key implementation documents were developed, including a detailed project workplan, overall budget and expected deliverables. These documents informed the production and agreement of national work plans and partner budgets. A news article on the inception workshop was featured on the Birdlife International website: http://www.birdlife.org/africa/news/empowering-local-champions-africa%E2%80%99s-great-lakes and the project also compiled a project fact sheet (available at: http://www.birdlife.org/sites/default/files/attachments/Project%20factsheet.pdf) which was widely distributed at BirdLife’s World Congress in Ottawa. Identification and selection of six focal sites (IBAs) for the project took place. The Yala wetlands and Dunga Beach in Kenya; the Mabamba wetlands and Lutembe bay in Uganda; the Akanyaru wetland in Rwanda and the Mpungwe mountains chain in Burundi. All partners signed contractual agreements in March 2013 and the first financial instalment was released to each of them in April. They have since submitted two project progress reports, 2 financial reports for 2013 and supporting technical reports.

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Progress Against Strategic Objectives

Shortly after the project was approved, it became necessary (with AVJCF approval) to make changes to Partners participating in the project – Partners in Rwanda and Burundi were substituted for that in Tanzania. Moreover, following discussions at the inception workshop referred to above further detail was added and minor revisions were made to the wording (compared to the submitted proposal) to add clarity. Any changes are highlighted in the relevant section of the report. Strategic Objective 1: Strategies developed to address threats to key biodiversity at IBAs in the Lake Victoria basin through community-based initiatives which generate positive incentives for environmental stewardship, and new funds leveraged for projects

1.1 Work with up to six communities at priority Lake Victoria IBAs to identify key threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services and to develop clearly articulated strategies through which to link poverty reduction, development, conservation and threat reduction at each site

A guidance document titled ‘Participatory development of community plans at priority sites for biodiversity conservation’ outlining important appraisal tools and guidelines for the production of community development plans was drawn up and shared with partners in November 2013. Such community development plans can support communities in managing their resources more sustainably, help different groups in the community to understand present and past patterns of resource use and their consequences, and offer a basis for improved communication between the community and relevant decision-makers. Community plans can sit alongside any official management plans at IBAs that are also protected areas, for example, and provide a statement of the community’s own values, vision and intentions. Eleven appraisal tools were provided in the document, which is attached to this report, Annex 1. Partners started using these recommended tools from November to collect information from the communities around the sites targeted by the project. The Participatory plans are expected to be completed by the end of March 2014. 1.2 Support the development of local-level management plans on the use, conservation and

development of key natural resources at these lake shore IBAs [and community-based initiatives implemented to address priorities in community strategies]

Work is ongoing in all partner countries. Work will be based on information collected from the communities using the Particicipatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools (see above). Based on this information, on the communities’ increased understanding of their environment, and the links between livelihoods, culture, resilience and their natural resources, communities will be supported to develop local plans for the conservation of their local environment and natural resources (through improved governance, local action, enterprise development and policy-advocacy). It is expected that planned actions will be identified by April 2014, with implementation continuing to the end of the project (Dec 2015).

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1.3 Build strategic partnerships with local government and the private sector as appropriate, to support implementation of community plans

On August 28th 2013, the BirdLife secretariat team met with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) in Kisumu and presented details of the project, and a general overview of BirdLife’s programmes. The purpose of the meeting was to learn from each other and to start exploring ways of collaboration. The LVBC team shared information on ongoing projects including the Mt Elgon Regional Ecosystem Programme and the Lake Victoria Environment Management II Project. It was agreed that a discussion document proposing possible areas for collaboration would be developed. This is in the final stages of development by the BirdLife team. 1.4 Support the development and submission of funding applications to leverage at least

Euro 300,000 of new and additional funding for community-based initiatives in accordance with local-level management and development plans

Work will commence once the community plans have been put in place – and a clearer picture is available of how each community aims to address its resource management and what additional funding may be required to support this. However in anticipation of submitting funding applications, partners are preparing fundraising plans for 2014 and have already identified potential donors to apply to (at the national level). These include Conservation International (Nature Uganda); Department for International Development (DFID) (Nature Kenya); Climate and Environmental fund (FONERWA) and International Union for Conservation of Nature/NetherLands (IUCN/NL) (ACNR); and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Fonds Français pour l'Environnement Mondial) (FFEM) for ABN. The BirdLife Secretariat is also preparing to seek additional funding to expand the ongoing work of the project through various donors. Strategic Objective 2: Capacity of local organizations at IBAs on the shore of Lake Victoria built for effective management, sustainable use and monitoring of the IBAs where they live 2.1 Hold workshops to develop national Local Empowerment Plans, setting the Lake Victoria

IBAs and LCGs into the context of national strategies

A guidance note on the development of National Local Empowerment Plans for working with SSGs and LCGs was developed and shared with the 4 project partners in November 2013 (see Annex 2). Partners plan to hold workshops and conduct consultations to develop their respective plans during year 2. 2.2 Undertake capacity assessment of LCGs

Birdlife shared with its partners the Site Support Group (SSG) capacity assessment tool that was compiled by Nature Kenya. This tool was recommended to be used for SSG capacity assessment during the project. The tool clusters capacity assessment aspects into four broad categories: (i) Aspirations and Strategy; (ii) Organisational Skills; (iii) Human Resources; and (iv) Systems, Infrastructure and Organisational Structure. Weighting enables the assessors to identify clear and targeted areas of capacity building based on the four broad categories. In Kenya, six SSGs were assessed in Yala and Dunga. The groups in Yala were Yala Wetland Environment Volunteers (YWEV), Kinda Youth group and Uranga Youth forum. The groups in

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Dunga beach that were assessed were Ecofinder Kenya, Hippo Focus and Lake Victoria Sunset Birders (LVSB). The assessment indicated that all the groups in Kenya have a base level of capacity across all four categories, but that project implementation would benefit if they received training on publicity and advocacy. (See 2.5 below for details of some initial training provided) In Uganda, 2 SSGs of Lutembe and Mabamba were assessed on 19th and 20th September 2013. From the assessment scores, it was apparent that the SSGs would benefit from capacity building in management and community leadership. 2.3 Assess core capacities needed by national NGOs (BirdLife Partners) to support local

organisation networking, advocacy etc.

A capacity assessment framework to assess partner capacity needs was prepared and shared with partners who completed the assessment form. The form was completed by project officers in the respective partner countries in order to reflect the capacity needs of this project. Out of the assessment, a regional synthesis report with conclusions on priorities for partner capacity development was produced and shared with partners (see Annex 3). The areas which partners identified that they would most value training in, to work effectively with SSGs were:

Planning and management

Participatory approaches to working locally

Policy and Advocacy / Advocacy pertaining to rights of locals over local resources

Communication and networking

Fundraising for local empowerment Partner capacity to successfully conduct Participatory Rural Appraisals and develop community development plans were identified as a priority by all Partners. A two-day workshop was planned (and took place) from 22nd to 23rd January 2014. This will be reported on in the next Annual Report (Year 2). 2.4 Develop capacity-building tools, guidelines and training materials to address common,

shared capacity issues of LCGs and supporting national Partners

Following this capacity assesment process, Partners will work with SSGs to identify appropriate ways to address some of the capacity gaps (2.4 and 2.5) – this work will commence in year 2. 2.5 Hold a series of workshops to strengthen grassroots organisations at IBAs, facilitate their

legal registration, and build their capacity for resource management, sustainable use and monitoring

Through their participation in the project, the Lutembe SSG is seeking legal registration as a Civil Society Organisation. This will give them a stronger voice when liaising with local authorities, will enable them to access funding and will encourage greater co-operation from local communities.

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Strategic Objective 3: Local organisations in the Lake Victoria Basin that are effectively networked for sharing of experience and good practice

3.1 Assess existing civil society networks and communications approaches and technologies being used by communities in the LVB area

An analysis of existing local networks that could work and collaborate with SSGs was undertaken by partners, who have begun to identify networks that they could collaborate with to support the project. Examples are summarised in the table on the next page.

At the regional level, a framework for review of existing networks within the LVB area was developed and a web-based review of existing regional networks undertaken, with a total of 7 institutions identified:

Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) - formed in 2011 and mandated to promote, facilitate and co-ordinate the activities of different actors in the basin.

Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation (LVRLAC) - a network organization of local authorities around Lake Victoria with its regional secretariat in Entebbe, Uganda.

OSIENALA (Friends of Lake Victoria) - established in 1992 as a national NGO with its head office in Kisumu City in Nyanza province, Western Kenya. It started as a membership organization by local communities who live and derive their livelihoods from the resources of Lake Victoria and its environs.

Lake Victoria Children and Youth Network (LVCYN) - an International Network founded in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda which is working on issues of children and youth rights.

Abertine Rift Conservation Society/Societe de Conservation du Rift Albertin - a regional conservation organisation with the sole focus on conserving the biodiversity of the Albertine Rift. Its overall goal is to enhance conservation of critical ecosystems and promote sustainable development in the Albertine Rift through collaborative actions.

The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization - an Institution of the East African Community, responsible for coordinating and managing the fisheries resources of Lake Victoria.

The Nile Basin Initiative - a regional inter-governmental partnership led by 10 Nile riparian countries which provides an all-inclusive regional platform for multi stakeholder dialogue, information sharing as well as joint planning and management of water and related resources in the Nile Basin.

Birdlife has held meetings with 2 of these institutions, namely the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) and the Nile Basin Initiative, with avenues for collaboration identified. A discussion paper on collaboration avenues with LVBC is currently being developed, as a precursor to agreeing an MOU on collaboration, and will be finalised by March, 2014. The Nile Basin Initiative has requested to attend one of the regional meetings or workshops relating to the project so that they can better understand it and discuss possible ways of collaboration. Plans will be put in place to invite them to an appropriate project meeting by the end of the 2nd quarter of 2014. Meetings and discussion with the other regional bodies will take place as appropriate, during the remainder of the project.

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NETWORK ISSUES ON WHICH LOCAL COMMUNITY CAN ENGAGE

ENTRY POINTS (meetings, processes, dates)

EXPECTED OUTCOMES FROM ENGAGING IN THE NETWORK

WHO (EXACTLY) WILL ENGAGE FROM THE COMMUNITY / SSG

COUNTRY/ PARTNER (OR REGIONAL)

Uganda Community Tourism Association (UCOTA)

Effective marketing of community tourism; advocacy for tax incentives to support community-based tourism

Annual UCOTA meetings Regional UCOTA representative (at her office)

Greater profile for Lutembe & Mabamba Bay in national advertising

SSG focal point on ecotourism

Uganda

Uganda Water & Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET)

Water and Sanitation Annual meetings, and joint implementation of projects

Better sanitation and water access for lake-shore communities

SSG or focal person

Uganda

Poverty & Conservation Learning Group (U-PCLG)

Promotes dialogue on the links between conservation and poverty reduction

Meetings to share information

Learning from other CBOs – lessons relevant to Akanyaru LCG applied at the local level

SSG or focal person

Rwanda

County & Sub- County Environmental Committee

Lobby for implementation and inclusion/ representation on environmental issues

Quarterly meetings

Effective representation of local communities within decision-making forums

SSG education department

Kenya

OSIENALA (Friends Of Lake Victoria)

Awareness creation Meeting Greater area of coverage/ number of people reached by the LCG’s education and awareness activities

SSG department of education and exhibition

Kenya

Ruvubu Network Conservation

Capacity building Development process for Ruvubu manage-ment plan

Improved conservation of Ruvubu National Park

SSGs, will cover 4 provinces

Burundi

Climate Change Network

Ruvubu National Park conservation

Workshop Strategies for conservation of biodiversity in Ruvubu NP

SSG Burundi

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3.2 Produce a networking and communications plan appropriate to needs, capacities, technologies and resources.

Having identified the networking avenues through the networking analysis both at regional and national levels, networking plans are currently being developed. 3.3 Support networking activities and exchange of experience (e.g. through twinning

programmes and exchanges; bilateral mentoring frameworks; newsletters) according to need and using appropriate technologies

In Kenya, two members of Yala Wetland Volunteers (YWEV) and one site conservation officer attended the National Site Support Group Workshop in Machakos, Kenya in September 2013. The theme was climate change and adaptation. The meeting supported sharing of lessons between members of the 18 SGGs in attendance. The National Site Support Group Workshop takes place annually and attracts SSGs from all regions in Kenya. The aim of the workshop is for SSGs to exchange ideas and learn from the success and failures of each others’ initiatives. The Workshop is usually also an opportunity for SSGs to receive training on their identified areas for improvement. Training on advocacy, communications, social media and biodiversity monitoring was conducted at the 2013 workshop. Whilst this example from Kenya provides an excellent model for SSG networking, additional resources (beyond those available to the current project) would be required to replicate it more widely. The project will therefore be seeking and adopting other ways of supporting exchanges and lesson learning between SSGs (e.g. through exchange visits, newsletters etc.). These networking activities will be rolled out from the 2nd quarter of the project in 2014. 3.4 Establish a Lake Victoria Basin LCG Forum, to meet on an annual basis to facilitate

information flow; and underpin coordinated advocacy and campaigning

At the inception workshop it was decided that rather than create a dedicated [BirdLife] forum for LCGs, it would be better (more sustainable, of greater benefit) to focus effort and resources on supporting LCG networking more widely and including with other institutions, such as those identified under activity 3.1. Therefore it was agreed at the workshop that this activity be changed to: 3.4 Networking and exchange/lesson-learning activities by SSG / community members, regionally and nationally, which increase awareness and lead to replication of good practice.

Such networking activities will be rolled out during the 2nd quarter of the project in 2014.

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Strategic Objective 4 (revised): Local and national governments, regional and international forums informed of the importance of local organisations for the sustainable management of environmental services

Original Output 4: Local and national governments, regional and international forums informed of the importance of the environmental services provided by IBAs in the Lake Victoria Basin to the livelihoods and wellbeing of local people Explanatory note: At the inception workshop it was discussed and concluded that, in line with the project’s main strategy, the project’s communications and policy actions should be more focused on advocating the role of local organisations in sustainable resource management, rather than (only) on the value of natural resources to local communities (though this will continue to be part of communications). This messaging is more targeted, and complements the work of many other local and national NGOs in the region. The wording of the Strategic Objective (Output) 4 has been adjusted to reflect this, however, the sub-activities 4.1 to 4.3 remain as per the original proposal.

4.1 Support communities to develop and implement advocacy strategies at the appropriate levels, in support of their objectives for the sustainable use of resources at IBAs

Partners are in the process of developing advocacy plans with activities planned to be rolled out from the 2nd quarter of 2014.

4.2 Based on community needs and priorities, support communities to advance common

agendas with relevant forums at local, district, national and regional level

Partners are in the process of developing advocacy plans with activities planned to be rolled out from the 2nd quarter of 2014.

4.3 Promote analysis and sharing of lessons and best practice between local communities and policy-makers, and influence policy and practice at local, national, regional and international level.

At the regional level, the BirdLife project manager and advocacy team reviewed key advocacy opportunities for 2014, and drew up an initial advocacy calendar for 2014, targeting available resources on two key advocacy events during the year. The two events are the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) that will occur in September http://www.unep.org/roa/Amcen/default.asp and the Convention on Biological Diversity Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (CBD SBSTTA) 18 http://www.cbd.int/meetings/ that will take place in June 2014. These meetings provide opportunities to advocate the project’s approach of empowering local community organisations, and supporting initiatives which link local livelihoods and resilience to climate change to the sustainable use of natural resources. AMCEN targets African ministers responsible for the environment (and who are members of the AMCEN Conference). AMCEN’s mandate is to provide advocacy for environmental protection in Africa; to ensure that basic human needs are met adequately and in a sustainable manner; to ensure that social and economic development is realized at all levels; and to ensure that agricultural activities and practices meet the food security needs of the region. This overall agenda is relevant to the objectives of this project, and we will be

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seeking to communicate key lessons from the first 18 months of project implementation to decision-makers at this forum. The CBD SBSTTA meeting has agenda items on invasive alien species (relevant to problems of water hyacinth on Lake Victoria); integration of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity into climate-change mitigation and adaptation activities; and the sustainable use of biodiversity (bushmeat and sustainable wildlife management). All are issues relevant to this project. At these events, the project’s activities and experience will be showcased through appropriate media (e.g. side events, project presentations, poster displays). Other communications regarding the project include:

A project factsheet has been prepared (see Annex 5). This has been distributed widely at conferences, workshops and other meetings. (http://www.birdlife.org/sites/default/files/attachments/Project%20factsheet.pdf)

The project is featured on the project-pages of the BirdLife website: http://www.birdlife.org/africa/projects/empowering-local-champions-africas-great-lakes

Nature Uganda featured various articles on Lake Victoria, among them one on ‘Promoting Ecotourism at Mabamba Bay’ in their E-bulletin (October 2013 issue). (See Annex 4)

ABN featured the launch of the project as a news item in the ‘Inyomvi’ newsletter of 2013 which has a wide national coverage (full article attached with this report, Annex 4)

A news article covering the inception workshop was featured on the BirdLife International website: http://www.birdlife.org/africa/news/empowering-local-champions-africa%E2%80%99s-great-lakes

For year 2 of the project, Partners have each identified communications opportunities, including through TV, radio, national newspapers and regional conferences.

PART 4: PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

This project, like any other project, has had its share of challenges during implementation and efforts have been made to deal with such challenges to realise the planned objectives.

Below is a summary of the major problems encountered:

Rwanda partner (ACNR) has quite limited staff to effectively handle the implementation of this project, which requires skills in quite diverse areas (community livelihoods, policy advocacy, communications, capacity building) making it challenging for a small NGO. However ACNR expects to recruit a project implementing officer for the project in 2014 (within the envelope of existing resources) which should help address this capacity shortfall.

Poor communication technology and breakdown of communication connections (emails and telephones) in some partner countries have made it difficult to monitor project progress.

Despite these setbacks, we do not expect the time table of project activities or the overall budget to be significantly affected.

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PART 5: DETAILED FINANCIAL 2013 REPORT PER ACTIVITY

Summary budget by activity Spend 2014 3 year Budget

Balance remaining

% remaining

Output 1: Community-based initiatives which generate positive incentives for environmental stewardship

1.1 Threats analysis and livelihoods-conservation strategy development 4,931 22,691 17,760 78%

1.2 Local-level management plans 5,000 26,699 21,699 81%

1.3 Strategic partnerships with local government and the private sector 2,579 9,016 6,437 71%

1.4 Development and submission of funding applications for leverage of new and additional funding 4,685 17,033 12,348 72%

1.5 Seed funding for community-based conservation-livelihoods projects 3,474 31,692 28,218 89%

Output 2: Capacity built of local organizations

2.1 Develop national Local Empowerment Plans 3,105 14,020 10,915 78%

2.2 Capacity assessment of LCGs 4,350 13,691 9,341 68%

2.3 Assess core capacities needed by national NGOs 2,052 7,012 4,960 71%

2.4 Develop capacity-building tools, guidelines and training materials 5,472 26,198 20,726 79%

2.5 Workshops and training to strengthen grassroots organisations 6,671 38,030 31,359 82%

Output 3: Local organisations networked

3.1 Assess existing civil society networks 2,254 7,679 5,425 71%

3.2 Produce a networking and communications plan 1,580 6,013 4,433 74%

3.3 Support networking activities and exchange of experience 6,835 34,690 27,855 80%

3.4 Establish a Lake Victoria Basin LCG Forum 4,734 25,356 20,622 81%

Output 4: Local and national governments, regional and international forums influenced

4.1 Support communities to develop advocacy strategies 3,420 16,186 12,766 79%

4.2 Support communities to advance common agendas 3,789 25,358 21,569 85%

4.3 Influence policy and practice at local, national, regional and international level. 5,787 25,964 20,177 78%

TOTAL 70,715 347,328 276,613 80%

Updated: February 2014 P a g e | 17

Notes on the Financial Report

Project expenditure during the first year was lower than expected for a number of reasons, including:

The project inception workshop could not take place until mid-March owing to the need to fit within the schedules and work commitments of the senior staff at each of the Partner organisations. This essentially meant that the project did not get actively underway until this time.

In Burundi, the appointment of a new CEO and a significant reorganisation (including renaming of the organisation) led to delays at national level. However, they are now established in post and very supportive of the implementation of the project.

A decision was made to focus on careful planning during the first year of the project – concentrated on understanding capacity needs and participatory planning with communities. Therefore many of the more input-intensive activities have not yet started.

Costs of attendance at BirdLife’s World Congress were lower than anticipated as some participants did not get visas to enter Canada. (Notes from the relevant sessions have been shared with those who were unable to attend in person.)

Some significant (and resource intensive) activities, such as national workshops on development of national LCG strategies, were delayed (by all Partners) until the first quarter of 2014.

Despite these factors the project is making good progress, and we do not, at this stage, expect any significant change in the project plan and schedule. Despite the low expenditure in year 1, Partners anticipate that they will be in line with the disbursement plan by the end of 2014.

ANNEXES:

1. Guidance note on production of Community Development Plans 2. Guidance note on development of National Local Empowerment strategies 3. Partner capacity assessment synthesised report 4. Various news articles from project partners 5. Project fact sheet