Valuing Nature Campaigns Writing Terms of Reference for Implementation Luis Pabon August, 2008

More than 50% of the poor directly rely on nature for food, water and shelter 60% of the ecosystems degraded 1/3 of the land converted to cropland 3 – 6 times more water in dams than in rivers 40% of mangroves have been degraded or lost 1/2 of the original forest cover has been cleared

The impact on biodiversity

ODA in Biodiversity Total Biodiversity ODA Total ODA Thousands US dollars Total Biodiversity 700, Total ODA 106,000, Development assistance in 2005 = 106 billion US$ Only 700 million for biodiversity (0.66%) Financing biodiversity conservation

National funding for environment CountryAs a % of the GDP As a % of the Domestic Expenditure Brazil0.34%1.5% Colombia0.13%?? Mexico0.26%1.5% Costa Rica0.64%4.5% Environmental expenditure: year 2000

The Poverty Agenda

Assessing the relevance of implementing a campaign: Situational Analysis Need for an assessment? Urgency and need for action now? Consequences of not acting Impacts Intended outcome Are there other alternative actions that could achieve these objectives? Availability of technical capacity

Financial and legislative environment How are protected areas funded? What is the financial gap? New revenue streams suggested? Revenue predictions Competing needs over conservation Conflicting laws and regulations?

Assessing people’s perceptions Benefits obtained from nature Income, growth and development Taxes and fees Relationship of conservation to other public priorities and environmental issues Use of perception analysis tools

Selecting Values What values (benefits and services) have a major potential for being successfully communicated to target audiences? Is data available on the values selected? Have studies been carried out? Cultural and social arguments are very important for most societies.

The political environment Identifying government counterpart and lead Who to influence Timing of political events Position of decision makers on energy, infrastructure, growth and development policy

Coalition building Leadership Role of NGOs and other public agencies Participation by affected stakeholders Who has power to influence decisions Who has interests in the outcomes and decisions

Writing Terms of Reference 1.Background 2.Objectives 3.Scope of Work 4.Outputs/deliverables 5.Timeframes 6.Budget 7.Coordination – Institutional set up 8.Qualifications

1.Background –Justification of the campaign –Include: Trends of use of natural resources and state of conservation international commitments i.e CBD Importance of PAs Need for conducting the studies

2. Objectives Overall Objective Example: Through the identification and dissemination of benefits and services provided by protected areas; generate political will, create public awareness, and mobilize and increase funding for protected areas.

Specific Objectives/outcomes Examples Showcase the contribution of protected areas to the national and local economy and to the country’s development process. Support the creation and consolidation of the water fund for conservation of protected areas Create a fee targeted to cruises - for conservation of mangroves and coral reefs Creation of X number of MPAs

3. Scope of Work Identification of values Financial resources Time frame Geographical areas Type and intensity of consultation processes and participation

Considerations for the methodological approach –Influence in decision-making vis-à-vis development policies –Macroeconomic indicators –Current and future scenarios –Sector instead of ecosystem approaches –Link to poverty and distribution of benefits – impact on the society –Bring solutions, opportunities and alternatives –Science and robust economics, but not too academic oriented

List of main values, methodology and indicators Report on available data and information Implementation plan Comprehensive report on PA values of benefits and services including scenario analysis and alternatives Communication strategy Executive summary Communication materials designed and launched 4. Outputs / Deliverables

Develop a coordination team and build coalitions - Carry out a situation analysis - Develop objectives Identify your audience Identify and prioritize values -Define the scope of the study --Select valuation methods - Carry out a situation analysis - Develop objectives Identify your audience Identify and prioritize values -Define the scope of the study --Select valuation methods - Develop an implementation plan - Agree indicators to assess the project’s success - Carry out a literature review, data collection and analysis - Write the research report - Develop an implementation plan - Agree indicators to assess the project’s success - Carry out a literature review, data collection and analysis - Write the research report Design the communication strategy Implement the communication strategy Planning and Implementing the campaign

6. Budget Cost of the consultancy by activity, item or deliverable and by financing organization (Include in kind support) DeliverableTime (start and end)Sources of Verification Timeframe – schedule

Example: (Bolivia) Lead Organization: Ministry of Environment – Vice Ministry of Biodiversity Conservation – PAs Agency leads coordination Implementing Agency: PAs Fund – hires technical team and manages the project Technical Advisory Committee: conservation NGOs (CI, WCS, CSF, TNC), National University 7. Coordination – Institutional set up Agencies and organizations involved in the studies and in the campaign – their roles and responsibilities

8. Qualifications Economist (example) Qualifications Studies Experience Knowledge Tasks Determine the values of goods and services Design tools and instruments Support specialist from other disciplines in the application of economic tools for information Use of valuation tools and methods Analysis of micro and macroeconomic data Integration of ecosystem services to the economy, to poverty alleviation and to development objectives Produce comprehensive reports Guide and coordinate the study “An Economist is someone who spends half of his life predicting what will happen and the other half explaining why it did not happen”

Lesson’s learned from the implementation of pilots Good TORs with clear objectives, timing, budgets Hire the right consultants Involve communications from the beginning Academic vs. political objectives Simple but good implementation plan to guide you Peer-reviewed secondary information and studies Do not get overwhelmed with data Cultural values Short report that people can understand An academic study will not full fill the purpose