The project is aimed primarily at improving internal understanding, and a consistent and coherent approach to biodiversity in DFID. The project will:

• clarify linkages between biodiversity and development;
• improve coherence and consistency between policy formulation and project implementation levels, and between geographical and advisory departments;
• achieve a higher level of understanding and clarity, on DFID’s approach to ‘biodiversity’ in country programmes, hence leading to improved project design and implementation;
• help minimise adverse impacts on biodiversity by other sector programmes and projects;
• mainstream biodiversity concerns into DFID procedures.

The target group are Natural Resources Advisors, but the process will involve other advisors (Social Development, Health and Population, Education), and country desk officers, as far as possible. This will, in turn, equip them with the necessary skills for improved project selection, design and review, and negotiation in country donor fora. It is envisaged that, the written outputs will also be published and made widely available outside DFID.

The LPPB project will maintain links to the Environmental Policy Department and their responsibilities under the CBD, the Biodiversity Strategy process, the Biodiversity In Development Project in the EU DGVIII, and other related departments, e.g. Social Development Division, and activities, e.g. Sustainable Livelihoods Review.

0. An Historical Perspective

The Natural Resources Division has promoted a number of initiatives which sought to guide DFID in its dealings with biodiversity at both bilateral and international levels (the latter principally through involvement in the Convention on Biological Diversity and GEF). These were important and timely activities which guided DFID thinking, and include the following

• DFID’s Biodiversity Strategy - Environmental Policy Department - 5/1998
• Linking Policy and Practice in Biodiversity - co-ordinated by the Natural Resources Policy and Advisory Department - 1/98 - 3/99 - with supplementary funding provided by the Environmental Policy Department.
• Intellectual Property Resources - International Economic Policy Department - ongoing
• Indigenous People - Social Development Department - it is likely they will adopt the
• EU/IUCN DGVIII - Biodiversity In Development project - 5/98 - 5/2000
• Previous initiatives: 1991 Biodiversity in Developing Countries - Issues and Options Paper; 1993 Biodiversity Strategy; 1994 Whose Eden? A Review of Community-Based Approaches to Wildlife Management; 1995 Africa Wildlife Policy Consultation.

It is now opportune to review our approach towards biodiversity in the context of the White Paper, and NRPADs associated approach to sustainable rural livelihoods.

The following activities are envisaged as part of the project process.

• Clarification of the range of concepts associated with biodiversity, focusing particularly on the linkages between biodiversity and poverty eradication;
• Learning from field experience through a review of lessons learnt from projects;
• Wide consultation on related issues internally, and externally, through existing networks, and regional consultation visits (November 1998), with a special emphasis on encouraging feedback from partner countries;
• Compilation of a series issues papers that discuss policy, institutional and practical concerns relating to the integration of biodiversity concerns into sectors.
• Integration of information gathered during the course of developing the Framework Paper, the Issues Papers into a series of key sheets and summary paper. Other forms of information presentation may also be used, such as CD Rom;
• A series of dissemination workshops in the UK and overseas in April - June 1999.

These activities will contribute to the development of an initial Framework Paper (FP) which will scope out the following:

1. What is biodiversity, clarifying the relationship between biodiversity and biological resources, across the different spectra:

• wild/capture - domesticated/managed
• genetic - species - ecosystem levels;
• agro-ecological zones (dry-wet, cold-hot, low-high)

1. What are the broad patterns of change in biodiversity? What are the key uncertainties (e.g. time, space) in defining biodiversity, and these patterns of change?
1. What does biodiversity per se offer to different people (poor - richer) and the development process? What are the key trade-offs, conflicts and synergies, between development and biodiversity - encompassing the range of perspectives:

• biological, social and economic sciences;
• landless - smallholder - commercial operator;
• indigenous knowledge - ‘modern’ science and technology;
• long - short term;
• spatial - geographical scale.

1. What are the range of biodiversity values, from local to global, and which are particularly important to poorer countries? How can these values be used and realised, particularly in contributing to sustainable rural livelihoods (SRLs) in poorer countries?
1. What are the effects of changes in biodiversity on people, development and SRLs (+/-)?
1. What are the causes of changes in biodiversity: policy, economic, legal, institutional, ecological, in different contexts?
1. What actions are currently being undertaken in biodiversity? How appropriate are they? What effects have they had on (I) biodiversity (ii) poverty? E.g. policies and laws that relate to biodiversity conservation, use and management, i.e. MAI, TRIPS, Rio Agreements, Ramsar, protocols and undertakings, property rights etc; management methods: conservation, sustainable use etc.
1. What sort of

• policy
• social relations
• legislation and institutions
• incentives; are necessary to maximise sustainable rural livelihoods through sustainable management of biodiversity?

1. Thus, what are the key principles (e.g. policy, social/cultural, ecological) that DFID should follow in its bilateral programmes to ensure biodiversity values are realised and maximised for the benefit of poorer countries and poor people.

This will involve a summary desk review a range of DFID projects which fall into different categories identified by the project classification. A standard set of criteria will be developed for review, and using project documentation and interviews with key persons, lessons learnt will be extracted from each project. Lessons learnt from similar reviews conducted by other institutions will also be included, where relevant. The material collated in this paper will be verified, and use to illustrate salient points at the regional workshops, and case study material will feed into the issues papers. Action: sub-contract to IIED.

The management of each issues paper will be as follows:

• An issues co-ordinator, supported where necessary by one/two others, will be assigned to co-ordinate the compilation of each issues paper.
• The TORs will be agreed at a meeting where all issues co-ordinators are present to be held on 18^th June.
• The first draft of the issues papers will be submitted by end-September - it will scope out key principles, arguments and issues - but not detailed text.
• The Project Manager will also tap into various other networks, e.g. Sustainable Use Initiative, and feed any information emerging to issues papers co-ordinators.
• Each issue paper may be developed into a stand-alone reference paper.
• Finally, the issues papers, workshop proceedings, framework paper and lessons learnt review will be used to compile a series of reference sheets, or guidelines for advisors.

Issues papers are spilt along sectoral lines, to enable (i) more effective uptake by sector specialists; (ii) to follow the nature of DFID’s funding arrangements, and management structure in partner countries; and (iii) to allow more in-depth treatment of the effects of an economic activity arising from a biological resource on the diversity of that resource.

The project will, however, ensure that the multiple resource use strategies of poor people are not neglected in adopting such a ‘sectoral’ approach.

An information strategy will be developed during the course of the project, that identifies a process for longer term dissemination of the project recommendations within DFID and amongst partners.

In the interim, the Project Manager will send basic details concerning the project around various networks to solicit comments, particularly from southern partners, that can feed into the review.

The issues papers and lessons learned review will act as detailed reference texts, and source documents for the final information product, e.g. key sheets. There will be two products, one aimed at NR advisors, field managers and TCOs, the other aimed at other advisors and desk officers.

It is envisaged that these papers will be published, at a later date, and after summary versions have been extracted. All individual inputs will be fully acknowledged.

All information will be designed primarily to support advisors and managers in their regular decision-making processes. It will be concise, relevant and, where possible, text will be replaced by diagrams, tables, flow charts. Promotion, as well as dissemination, of the information, will be prioritised at all stages of the project.

In support of DFID’s overall aim and objectives, as articulated in the White Paper, our long-term GOAL is the elimination of poverty in poorer countries. The means by which we achieve this goal is through poverty reduction. The goal is underpinned by a series of internationally-agreed targets. DFID is to make every effort to work in partnership with others who have signed up to these targets which include:

• Reducing by one half the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015 (OECD/DAC)
• Implementing national strategies for sustainable development to ensure that current trends in the loss of environmental resources are reversed at global and national levels by 2015 (OECD/DAC)
• Reducing by one half the number of undernourished people by 2015 (World Food Summit, Rome, November 1996 - agreed after the DAC targets were set)

This means lifting 450 million rural people out of poverty over the next 20 years.

Our PURPOSE is to enable poor people who depend on the natural environment for livelihoods, incomes and food security to realise their rights to human development and achieve sustained improvement in their living standards.

OUTPUTS and ACTIVITIES will be designed to create more and better opportunities for poor people to improve their incomes and livelihoods which in turn will enable them to get full benefit from improved social services such as education and health.

Priorities, as identified in the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods approach, include:

• more secure access and better management of natural resources;
• more supportive and cohesive social environment;
• more secure access to financial resources;
• improved access to high quality education, information, technologies and training and better nutrition and health;
• better access to facilitating infrastructure;
• policy and institutional environment which supports multiple livelihood strategies and promotes equitable access to competitive markets for all.

The following aspects are significant in our approach to addressing DFID’s priorities:

• building partnerships between the government, civil society and the private sector; and,
• consistency and coherence between DFID policies, those of developing countries and other Whitehall Departments which might impinge on the development programme, and policies and programmes of the multilateral agencies.