Smart Green Infrastructure in Tiger Conservation Landscapes: Practitioners Workshop Background, Objectives, Outcomes, Agenda Andrey Kushlin, Program Coordinator, Global Tiger Initiative Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, 2011

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, The Crisis “Without the breath of a tiger, there will be no wind, only clouds, and certainly no rain”. The I Ching Wild tigers plummeted from 100,000 in 1900 to 3,200 in 2008 Range-wide collapse: occupy only 7% of former range in Asia (13 countries) Poaching & illegal trade, habitat destruction (habitat declined by 40% in last decade) Business-as-usual will result in tiger extinction within 10 years Tigers as a face of biodiversity and an iconic indicator of integrity of broader ecosystem services Reflection of a wider crisis with biodiversity conservation: underfunded sector, depletion of human capacity at frontlines, climate change agenda “sucked out all oxygen”

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, St. Petersburg Tiger Summit (November 2010) Unique culmination of the highest-level political will around the fate of a single species Convened five Prime Ministers, 13 TRC ministers, heads of international organizations Hosted by Prime Minister of Russia and co-chaired by World Bank President Adopted the Heads’ of Government Declaration on Tiger Conservation Endorsed the 12-year Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) estimated cost $350M for the first 5 years

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, Key Element of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) Smart Green Infrastructure (SGI) – a key concept for habitat management in Tiger Conservation Landscapes, also important for other elements of GTRP implementation.

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Why the Urgency? To sustain growth in Asia and the Pacific, infrastructure investments in the next 10 years will reach an estimated USD 4.7 trillion Traditional project-based mitigation approaches have proven insufficient to halt habitat fragmentation and tiger population declines Infrastructure is but one of the causes of tiger decline but a major factor in habitat loss and habitat fragmentation Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, Infrastructure Impacts on Tigers and Other Wildlife Infrastructure can have serious direct and cumulative impacts, if poorly planned, including: Affecting tiger & prey movement Population fragmentation Human access to wildlife

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Smart Green Infrastructure (SGI) Concept For tigers, SGI is defined as infrastructure that: – avoids tiger habitats, – minimizes and mitigates adverse impacts through tiger- friendly design, and – compensates for any remaining damage to have a net positive impact Based on a practical experience collected worldwide. Examples exist also in some Tiger Range Countries, e.g. Malaysia, India, Lao PDR, Vietnam Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Mitigation Hierarchy – Multi-Level Approach Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Mitigation at the project level, although necessary, is not sufficient.. Projects are the result of policies, plans, programs.. These decisions affect where, when, and how infrastructure projects are conceived, planned, built and operated Individual project approach fails to assess cumulative impacts (fragmentation of habitats, induced/long term changes of landscapes) Policies need to be in place to ensure adequate mitigation, compensation, offsets Knowledge of tiger/tiger areas is needed to guide infrastructure development Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Levels of Decision-Making Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, Sectoral andmulti-sectoral actionLevel of govern- ment Land-use plans (SEA) Policies (SEA)Plans (SEA)Programs (SEA)Projects (EIA) Inter- national National/ Federal Regional / State Sub- regional Local National Land-use plan Regional Land-use plan Sub- regional land-use plan Local land use plan International transport policy (EU) National transport policy National economic policy Long-term National roads plan Regional strategic plan Int’l integration program 5-year road building program Sub-regional Investment Program Construction of motorway section Local infrastructure project

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop National Level National Tiger Action Plans to include specific actions related to infrastructure Implementing Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) regulations - Fragmentation analysis Strengthening Environmental Impact Assessment regulations - Stakeholder engagement - Monitoring and compliance Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop National Level Biodiversity Offset mechanisms -Transfer of funds from infrastructure to conservation -Payment for Ecosystem Services Landscape approach to conservation Land use planning along transport corridors Mapping wildlife/tiger corridors, and mandatory analysis of impacts on these areas in all EIAs Alternate livelihood schemes Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Sectoral Level Avoid development in priority Tiger Conservation Landscapes particularly corridors & core habitat Develop sectoral plans based on Strategic Environmental Assessments SEAs to be biodiversity inclusive (fragmentation analysis) Develop best practices manual for construction in or near tiger habitats Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Sectoral to Project Level – Road Planning Example Need for: more roads or more mobility? What kind of roads and how much new roads? Where should new roads be built? Project: How to design and construct new roads? Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Project Level Large intact habitat block avoidance Restrictions on ancillary infrastructure development Early stakeholder engagement – Benefit sharing – Informed consent Tiger-friendly design & engineering – Road signs, culverts, underpasses – Minimize fragmentation by proper siting Conduct baseline studies & monitoring Develop site specific mitigation measures Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Project Level Minimize ancillary infrastructure & cluster development Construction protocols Tiger education programs for community and workers Construction and post-project monitoring Tiger patrols & hunting restrictions on workers and during operation Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Features of SGI Approach Tigers need immediate action from decision-makers in charge of environment protection and infrastructure development A multi-level approach to infrastructure development has the best chance of success – Policy level: to ensure mitigation, compensation, off-set mechanisms are in place – Sector level: strategic environmental planning to ensure cumulative impacts, fragmentation and best options are decided upon – Project level: to ensure that the best engineering in design, construction, and operation is in place But, implementation of options is mid- to long-term Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Three Pillars for Promoting Green infrastructure Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, Strategic Sector and Land Use Planning Policy Framework Green Infrastructure

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop SGI Recommended Principles 1. No infrastructure development in core tiger habitats and protection of integrity of TCLs—No-Go Areas 2. Where avoidance is not possible, minimize and mitigate impacts via improved design and then compensate for any remaining impacts through biodiversity offsets or financial transfer mechanisms 3. Mainstream natural habitat conservation into infrastructure development at all levels: national policy, sectoral planning & project life cycle Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Concluding Messages GTI raised global awareness, however we need local actions on the ground Infrastructure and urbanization will continue, need new paradigm: major commitment is required not only from conservation but also from industry Direct benefits for local communities, payments for tiger ecosystem services The key to success is integrated land use: ecosystems are valued and master plan for each of 76 TCLs Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Workshop Technical Sessions Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31, Day One: #1. Land Use #2. Ecotourism Day Two: #3. Roads #4. Hydro

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Technical Sessions – Organization Moderator and Co-Moderator Resource Persons – International and National Discussants – from various sectors and TRCs Working Groups / Subgroups around Key Questions Note-Taker and Rapporteur Key Recommendations (2-3) from each group Workshop evaluation Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop Objectives of Working Group Discussions Recognize where good practices exist, compare efforts and what is needed to scale up Identify gaps in implementation, policy and investment requirements Think of building blocks on which they would focus to implement best practice, analyze where they are now and where they want to be and to determine what is needed to address the gaps Look more into what could be accomplished based on participants’ roles in different government offices, include discussion on how to work through the political system (e.g. how could the forestry people talk and work with the planning people) Final outcome should be 2-3 recommendations from each group including steps for implementation. Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,

Smart Green Infrastructure in TCLs – Practitioners Workshop LET’S START OUR WORK ! Taj Tashi Hotel Thimphu, Bhutan May 30-31, 2011 Taj Tashi Hotel · Thimphu, Bhutan · May 30-31,