ALM UNDP

Common goals bridging initiativesThe identification of the increasing threat posed by wildfires as well as the shortcomings of wildfire management has led to the establishment of projects and initiatives in Armenia and the larger South-Caucasus region with common objectives addressing national capacities in fire management and wildfire disaster risk reduction, as well as the national capacity to moderate, cope with and take advantage of the consequences of climate change. In 2011 the United Nations Development Programme, the Armenian Rescue Service, the OSCE office in Yerevan and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (Germany) decided to jointly organise a series of wildfire management events in Armenia to efficiently advance and fulfill shared objectives of their respective initiatives.Partnership is creating changeFollowing the jointly organised training, command-staff field exercise, conference and national round table, the consensus on the need to further develop stakeholder co-operation and enhance national capacities in forest and grassland fire management led to the formation of a permanent National Task Force to continue the progress initiated with the established partnerships.

1. Engage a range of stakeholders (from regional, national and community levels) throughout the project planning cycle based on assessment of their needs, role and capacity: During the project preparatory and initiation phases, a stakeholder analysis (including face-to-face discussions, interviews with questionnaires, and seminars) facilitated identification of stakeholder need, roles and capacity. This analysis resulted in a summary matrix of stakeholders and their relevance to the project, including the interests and possible functions of government and non-government entities, community-based organizations and other concerned groups in project implementation. Throughout the development and implementation of the project, various stakeholders at regional, national and community levels have filled a specific niche. Stakeholders have participated in discussions about project ideas and have provided background information during early stages of project planning. Regional-level stakeholders have served as the main authority over planning activities linked to the forest sector (i.e. related to land management, agriculture and economic development) in cooperation with national authorities. National-level stakeholders have also been well positioned to provide forest-sector education on multiple levels. Local specialists have provided important data and technical expertise, and community-level stakeholders have served as primary partners in organizing activities intended to promote community awareness and mitigate anthropogenic pressure on forest ecosystems.
2. Evaluate the project at different stages of the project cycle - preparation, initiation, life time: The team realized that project evaluation provides key inputs and is therefore a very important element in the project preparation cycle. Two expanded seminars were organized by the Climate Change Program Unit for evaluating the project at its different stages: one during the project’s inception, and the second in the presentation of findings and fine tuning of the planned measures. In these evaluation meetings, current climate change variability and risks, as well as future scenarios of climate change, were discussed along with suggested mitigation measures that pose a challenge and require the collaborative action of different project partners.
3. Bring in international experience to improve forest management and response to climate change risks: During a workshop, International Technical Advisors shared their experiences with implementation of approaches to assess forest vulnerability to climate change impacts and European forest adaptation initiatives. It was found that the project needed to incorporate more international knowledge and experience, including modern concepts of adaptive forest management, as well as early warning and response system to climate change risks, into adaptation measures.
4. Develop institutional capacities and policy frameworks at national and local levels: Recognizing that effective local and national government leadership and institutional and legal framework are needed to coordinate and guide adaptation, the project has prioritised building institutional capacity. A public outreach and advocacy strategy has been developed to raise awareness and build capacities for sustainable management of forests vulnerable under forecasted climate change. Specifically, community representatives have been active in designing, planning and implementation project’s initiatives in reforestation, pest outbreak and forests fire monitoring and mitigation.

This project will focus on; (i) strengthening monitoring and surveillance capacity, (ii) development of the necessary institutional and regulatory framework for safe use of wastewater; and (iii) increasing the capacity related to health protection measures and pilot testing these in the field.  To achieve this goal, several adaptive capacity issues will be addressed:

• Standards and criteria - The use of treated water in agriculture and points of monitoring treated wastewater effluent is currently unregulated there is also no reuse criteria related to hygiene, public health and quality control or  irrigation techniques, degree of wastewater treatment, and choice of areas and types of crops to be irrigated.
• Monitoring - The lack of efficient control and monitoring on safe practices of wastewater reuse in agriculture.
• Capacity - The lack of trained personnel both in the competent authorities and the treatment plants.
• Communication - The low level of awareness of the farmers and the public at large and the lack of communication and information dissemination between different parties involved.