Project

Conservation of globally significant biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services in Algeria’s Cultural Parks – Phase 2

Lead country

Algeria

Participating countries

Algeria

Project status

Under implementation

Implementing period

From October 24, 2012 to April 30, 2021

SDGs addressed by this project

SDG targets

  1. 15.3 Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil
  2. 15.5 Reduce habitat degradation, halt biodiversity loss, extinction
  3. 15.a Mobilize resources for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use

Project ID: 4153

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Technical team

  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme

Technical area(s)

  • Ecosystem management and restoration
  • Strengthening conservation areas

Sub-area(s)

  • Biodiversity financing
  • Ecosystem-based mitigation

Landscape(s)

  • Deserts

Sub-landscape(s)

  • Sub-tropical (hot and dry) deserts

Transformed sector(s)

  • Tourism

UNDP role(s)

  • Optimising financing
  • Capacity development / Technical assistance

Strategy

  • Finance economy
  • Management operation
  • Capacity building

Sub-strategy

  • Nature finance
  • Sustainable land management
  • Research
  • Technical capacity building

Social inclusion

N/A

Gender equality

  • Women decision making
  • Women park rangers

Gender result effectiveness scale

  • Gender responsive

Pathway(s)

  • People pathway
  • Systems pathway
  • Sci-tech pathway

Risk reduction target(s)

  • Hazard control/mitigation
  • Reduce exposure
  • Improve resilience

SDG target(s)

  • 15.3 Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil
  • 15.5 Reduce habitat degradation, halt biodiversity loss, extinction
  • 15.a Mobilize resources for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use

Conventions and protocols

N/A

Private sector(s)

N/A

Hot topic

N/A

About this project

Description

The Ministry of Culture of Algeria is developing an important national network of cultural parks, presently covering an impressive 937,430 km2. During a first phase intervention the UNDP/GEF targeted the Tassili N'Ajjer and Ahaggar Cultural Parks. Due to its vast size and relative integrity, the Tassili - Ahaggar complex, represents a key biodiversity site in the central Saharan ecosystem and one of the prime sites in the world for desert biome conservation. With their legally protected status and official governance and management structure, there is good potential for cultural parks in Algeria to form a cohesive conservation network that will provide an effective buffer against threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, a number of systemic, operational and institutional barriers are hindering the Ministry of Culture's efforts toward improving the management effectiveness of the cultural park system. The first phase of the project had been designed to implement a comprehensive package of measures to enable an effective country-driven conservation initiative that secures global environmental benefits. In its second phase, the project has been revised to reflect emerging realities, incorporate lessons from the first phase, and align with the dual priorities of the Biodiversity and Land Degradation focal areas. The long-term solution proposed by this project is a strengthened network of cultural parks with adequate systemic, institutional and operational capacity to: (i) effectively plan and manage the cultural parks based on scientific data and information; (ii) mitigate the threats to, and pressures on, the biodiversity and ecosystem services contained within the cultural parks; (iii) effectively plan sustainable financing for cultural park management and improve cost effectiveness; and (iv) ensure better integration of the socio-economic development priorities of local resource users in the management of the cultural parks. The project will focus on improving capacities at central level in the Ministry of Culture and in two demonstration sites, the Tassili N'Ajjer and the Ahaggar Cultural Parks

Objectives

The national system of cultural parks in Algeria is managed to secure the conservation of globally significant biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services.

USD $5,387,142

Grant amount

USD $21,325,910

Leveraged amount (co-financing)

1

Source(s) of fund

Sources of fund

 

  • Global Environment Facility – Trust Fund ($5,387,142)

Implementing partner(s)

  • Ministry of Culture

Project metrics

Outcome 1:

The expanding national system of cultural parks manages ecosystems and biodiversity assets in a systematized, inclusive and efficient way over 850.670 km2.

 Indicators:

1. Ecological sustainability. Elaboration, ratification and implementation of the general management plan for cultural parks, based on the principle of ""inseparability of bio-cultural heritage"" [including globally important biodiversity and ecosystem services].
2. Institutional sustainability. A permanent body is established to supervise the management of the national system of cultural parks in Algeria.
3. Sociocultural sustainability. Capitalisation of traditional knowledge cycles, particularly ecological know how within the PCs.
4. Changes in capacity assessment scorecard for the national system of cultural parks.
5. Financial Sustainability Scorecard
6. Dissemination of the CP concept among the target audience, measured through a system of periodic polling surveys.
7. The overall score of the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT).
8. Distribution of the cheetah population and density of key prey species.
10. Rate of loss of tree cover in priority biodiversity sites (N. of trees / ha).
11. Water quality on Rasmsar sites.
9. The level of poaching recorded in priority sites.
12. Number of collaborative management (CM) agreements covering priority biodiversity sites in the CPs [Taessa 494 km2, Tefedest 6.085 km2, Imidir 11.160 km2, Serkout – Anhef, 19,600 km2, Tihodaí¯ne 1.404 km2, Meddak 2.445 km2].
13. Number of proposals originating from women that are integrated in the CM agreements.
14. Codification and capitalization of traditional ecological knowledge associated with adaptation to climate change.
15. Co-financing mobilized for the implementation of eco-development actions and the fight against land degradation.
16. % of tour operators adopting the sustainable tourism charter developed for the Tassili-Ahaggar region.
Outcome 2:

Public support for cultural parks expands the stakeholder base contributing to their conservation and management.
Outcome 3:

Management effectiveness at the Tassili N'Ajjer and Ahaggar Cultural Parks is enhanced.
Outcome 4:

Conservation of flagship species in the Tassili - Ahaggar region is enhanced.
Outcome 5:

Threats and degradation of priority biodiversity conservation and Ramsar sites of the Tassili N'Ajjer and Ahaggar Cultural Parks are reduced. .
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Project reports and documentation

 

Project Document (ProDoc)

FEATURED STORY

Conservation of globally significant biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services in Algeria’s Cultural Parks – Phase 2

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