Project

A Circular Economy Approach to Agro-Biodiversity Conservation in the Souss Massa Draa Region of Morocco

Lead country

Morocco

Participating countries

Morocco

Project status

Under implementation

Implementing period

From June 13, 2014 to December 31, 2020

SDGs addressed by this project

SDG targets

  1. 15.2 Promote sustainable forest management, restoration, afforestation
  2. 15.5 Reduce habitat degradation, halt biodiversity loss, extinction
  3. 15.9 Integrate ecosystem values into national planning

Project ID: 5079

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Technical team

  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme

Technical area(s)

  • Ecosystem management and restoration
  • Mainstreaming biodiversity

Sub-area(s)

  • Biodiversity financing
  • Agrobiodiversity

Landscape(s)

  • Deserts
  • Conserved areas

Sub-landscape(s)

  • Sub-tropical (hot and dry) deserts
  • Key biodiversity areas (KBAs)
  • Productive landscapes/Seascapes

Transformed sector(s)

  • Agriculture
  • Retail

UNDP role(s)

  • Capacity development / Technical assistance
  • Policy advice
  • Support functions

Strategy

  • Finance economy
  • Governance
  • Management operation

Sub-strategy

  • Nature finance
  • Green economy
  • Fiscal planning
  • Institutional framework
  • Inter-sectoral coordination
  • FACS strategies for sustainable supply chain (TP 4)
  • Laws/ Policy/ Plan formulation
  • Standards/ Labeling/ Guideline
  • Sustainable land management

Social inclusion

  • Local community/CSOs
  • Private sector

Gender equality

  • Livelihoods for women
  • Women's cooperatives and groups

Gender result effectiveness scale

  • Gender targeted

Pathway(s)

  • Systems pathway

Risk reduction target(s)

  • Reduce exposure
  • Improve resilience

SDG target(s)

  • 15.2 Promote sustainable forest management, restoration, afforestation
  • 15.5 Reduce habitat degradation, halt biodiversity loss, extinction
  • 15.9 Integrate ecosystem values into national planning

Conventions and protocols

  • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
  • National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)

Private sector(s)

N/A

Hot topic

  • Public-private partnership
  • Structural/system transformation
  • Food and agricultural commodities strategy

About this project

Description

The Souss Massa Drâa (SMD) region in the southwest of Morocco represents an important and vulnerable part of Morocco's share in the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. However, in recent decades, rapid population growth and the evolving aspirations of its people have led to increasing pressure on the integrity of the region's ecosystems and their services. The unique and globally important forests of Argan tree (Argania spinosa) – the vast majority of global Argan exists in Morocco and 90 % is located in the SMD - are currently under severe threat from a wide range of human exploitation activities. Within Morocco, the overall cover of Argan forests has been reduced by an estimated 50% over the last 100 years and an average 600 ha still continue to be lost each year. The remaining forests are increasingly degraded with very little natural regeneration taking place – even though demand for the highly-valued oil from the Argan fruit has significantly increased in recent years. The long term solution that this project proposes is to introduce the payment for ecosystem services (PES) as an innovative mechanism to reverse the loss and degradation of the globally important Argan ecosystem, in combination with an enhanced valuation of key products from this ecosystem (Argan oil and honey) through improved labelling and marketing. By introducing PES for the first time to Morocco, the project would also contribute to laying a solid foundation for this strategic land-use and conservation tool in the country as a whole. The project aims to achieve its objective through four interconnected outcomes. Outcome 1 will facilitate the creation of an enabling environment for the introduction of PES in Morocco by focussing on the institutional, policy and legal changes needed to support the establishment and piloting of such a mechanism in the SMD region. Outcome 2 will strengthen technical capacities for the implementation of PES schemes in the SMD region and prepare the ground for national level up-scaling of PES concepts and tools by means of outreach, the dissemination of lessons learned and the exchange of experiences with other ongoing programs and projects. Outcome 3 will promote organic and biodiversity-friendly businesses through the improved labelling and marketing of agro-biodiversity products from the Argan ecosystem while ensuring the sustainability of related production systems. By building on the three previous outcomes, under Outcome 4 the project will make a pilot investment in PES as a means of enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and related ES in the Argan ecosystem.

Objectives

Conserver l"écosystème Arganier important à l"échelle mondiale de la région SMD grâce au paiement de services écosystémiques et à l"utilisation durable de l"agro-biodiversité qui y est associée.

USD $2,727,272

Grant amount

USD $7,595,000

Leveraged amount (co-financing)

1

Source(s) of fund

Source(s) of fund

 

Global Environment Facility – Trust Fund ($2727272.00)

Project metrics

Outcome 1:

Environnement plus propice à l'établissement et à la promotion de modèles PSE dans la région SMD et à l'intégration de l'approche au niveau national.

 Indicators:

% Increase in revenues for PES suppliers taking part in the PES schemes.
Number of hectares covered in each agro-ecological zone.
Number of hectares identified for the upscaling of PES schemes at the end of Project
Number of PES schemes
Legislation and regulations developed and proposed for the adoption, the establishment and the implementation of a national PES schemes.
Management Structure for the development of PES scheme and eco-certification of agro-biodiversity in the ABR implemented and operational
Number of local and regional institutions actually engaged and supporting the PSE schemes
Number of disseminated documents related to the capitalisation on PES at regional and national levels in Ar/ FR
number of female suppliers of ecosystem services (ES) trained in the domain of PES, particularly in relation to the Argan and honey value chains
Number of female Technicians and decisionmakers trained in the design and implementation of PES schemes.
Number of male suppliers of ecosystem services (ES) trained in the domain of PES, particularly in relation to the Argan and honey value chains
Number of male Technicians and decisionmakers trained in the design and implementation of PES schemes.
Number of NGOs/ Associations trained in the design and implementation of PES schemes.
Number of operators suppling ecosystem services (ES) trained in the domain of PES, particularly in relation to the Argan and honey value chains
Number of suppliers of ecosystem services (ES) trained in the domain of PES, particularly in relation to the Argan and honey value chains
number of Technicians and decisionmakers trained in the design and implementation of PES schemes.
% Increase in revenue for professional organizations using the dedicated space for ABRcertified products within the SMD regional logistical platform for marketing of local agricultural products.
A new protected geographical indication (PGI) label is established and implemented for honey.
An ecolabel of the ABR is established and implemented
Number of professional organizations adopt the new protected geographical indications (PGI) label for honey
Number of professional organizations certified in accordance with the ABR eco-label
Number of strategic marketing plans for certified Argan oil and honey value chains developed and adopted by responsible institutions and key stakeholders
% Of PES audits executed in accordance with the established procedures
Number of developed PES schemes .
Number of stakeholders taking part in the implementation of the PES schemes.
Outcome 2:

Renforcement des capacités pour mettre en œuvre et intégrer le paiement des services écosystémiques et l'utilisation durable de l'agro-biodiversité qui y est associée.
Outcome 3:

Renforcement des entreprises biologiques respectueuses de la biodiversité par le biais d'une amélioration de la labellisation et de la commercialisation des produits du terroir issus de l'écosystème Arganier.
Outcome 4:

Renforcement de la conservation de l'agro-biodiversité dans l'écosystème Arganier par les modèles pilotes de PSE.
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Project reports and documentation

 

Project Document (ProDoc)