1.2 Coordonnées des personnes-ressources et des institutions impliquées dans l'évaluation et la documentation de l'Approche

Nom du projet qui a facilité la documentation/ l'évaluation de l'Approche (si pertinent)

Integrated Biodiversity Management, South Caucasus (IBiS)

Nom du ou des institutions qui ont facilité la documentation/ l'évaluation de l'Approche (si pertinent)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

1.3 Conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées

Quand les données ont-elles été compilées (sur le terrain)?

01/02/2016

Le compilateur et la(les) personne(s) ressource(s) acceptent les conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées:

Oui

1.4 Références au(x) questionnaire(s) sur les Technologies de GDT

2.1 Courte description de l'Approche

The unsustainable use of pastures and forest areas has led to soil erosion, degradation, desertification and loss of biodiversity in the high mountain areas of the South Caucasus. The development of pasture passports is part of a broader approach to a strategic pasture management plan for Tusheti. This showcase includes results from the spatial planning process applied in a pilot programme for Akhmeta municipality.

2.2 Description détaillée de l'Approche

Description détaillée de l'Approche:

Project area and purpose
The project area comprises the Tusheti Protected Areas (PAs) on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. This group of protected areas consists of a strict nature reserve, a national park and a protected landscape with about 40 villages and settlements. Together they form a total protected area of approx. 114,000 ha. In Tusheti, overgrazing has led, especially in the eastern part with a higher number of villages and roads, to soil erosion and biodiversity loss. Especially the intensive use of summer pastures during the Soviet period resulted in a severe deterioration of the mountain slopes. So far, there are no standards or guidelines for the elaboration of sustainable pasture management plans in Georgia. Pasture passports, as a first step towards sustainable pasture management, document the actual grazing capacity for each pasture unit and serve as a guiding document for shepherds and local stakeholders and as a basis to prepare lease contracts.
Data gathering
As a prerequisite for the development of pasture passports and the calculation of grazing capacity, the type of land cover, the erosion risk and the biomass of the pastureland had to be assessed for each pasture unit. This was done using remote sensing tools in combination with data collected in the field for calibration.
The details on the methodology of the Land Cover & Biomass as well as the Erosion Risk Assessment can be found in the WOCAT technology on "Remote Sensing as a Tool for Land Degradation Neutrality Monitoring" (see link).

Evaluation and Ground Truthing
All interim results have been checked and evaluated by local stakeholders, national experts and experts from local administrations. It was important not only to conduct workshops in seminar rooms but to meet the local stakeholders in the field and to discuss the problems and challenges of pasture management on place in the field. At this workshops all levels of decision makers were included (Ministries, Donor organisations, international and national experts, local administrations and land users). This was important to create a common understanding of the current situation from different perspectives (nature conservation, administration, shepherds ...). The combination of remote sensing with calibration data from the field can be summarised as a very effective method to assess the erosion state in large areas. Neither of the two instruments would be able to provide results in this spatial dimension and quality alone.

Pasture Passports
As part of the spatial planning of Akhmeta municipality, pastureland that can be leased to shepherds was separated from land used as hay meadows, farmland or pastures belonging to the villagers. The resulting map shows land available to the village and land available for lease. To understand the current use of pastureland, farms, livestock numbers and pasture units were assessed. In workshops with the local stakeholders and potential users of the results (shepherds, Tusheti Protected Landscape Administration, Tusheti NP Administration, APA), the design of the pasture passports was developed. Each pasture unit is described on four pages in the pasture passport.

Each pasture unit is described on four pages in the pasture passport: Header: the number (code), total area; content: map of the land cover types, the area of each land cover type, map of available biomass and carrying capacity, name of farmers/shepherds and their livestock numbers using the pasture unit

Spatial Planning Department and Construction Policy (within the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure MRDI), and the Agency of Protected Areas APA (within the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture MEPA), are key stakeholders to use the pasture passports and to further develop and upscale this approach to other protected areas in Georgia. Beside APA, the Tusheti Protected Landscape Administration (TPLA), located within the Akhmeta municipality administration, is the second important user of pasture passports.
The pasture passports are showing not only the boundaries of each pasture unit, but also those areas that must not be grazed because this lands are part of strict protected areas or areas of high erosion risk. This helps shepherds to guide their flocks to the right places and the park rangers to check, if the regulations are respected correctly.

2.3 Photos de l'approche

2.5 Pays/ région/ lieux où l'Approche a été appliquée

2.6 Dates de début et de fin de l'Approche

2.7 Type d'Approche

• fondé sur un projet/ programme

2.8 Principaux objectifs de l'Approche

Support land use planning and decision-making processes for better management of natural resources, especially pastures.

2.9 Conditions favorisant ou entravant la mise en œuvre de la(des) Technologie(s) appliquée(s) sous l'Approche

3.1 Parties prenantes impliquées dans l'Approche et rôles

3.2 Participation des exploitants locaux des terres/ communautés locales aux différentes phases de l'Approche

	Participation des exploitants locaux des terres/ communautés locales	Spécifiez qui était impliqué et décrivez les activités
initiation/ motivation	passive
planification	passive
mise en œuvre	interactive	Organized meetings, workshop where stakeholders, local communities discussed different technical methodologies, visited the project communities and evaluated the preliminary result maps of erosion risk in the field.
suivi/ évaluation	passive

3.3 Diagramme/ organigramme (si disponible)

3.4 Prises de décision pour la sélection de la Technologie/ des Technologies

Indiquez qui a décidé de la sélection de la Technologie/ des Technologies à mettre en œuvre:

• principalement les spécialistes de la GDT, après consultation des exploitants des terres

Spécifiez sur quelle base ont été prises les décisions:

• l'évaluation de connaissances bien documentées en matière de GDT (prises de décision fondées sur des preuves tangibles)?

4.1 Renforcement des capacités/ formation

Une formation a-t-elle été dispensée aux exploitants des terres/ autres parties prenantes?

Oui

Spécifiez qui a été formé:

• personnels/ conseillers de terrain

Formats de la formation:

• zones de démonstration

Formats de la formation:

• workshop with field mission

Thèmes abordés:

Evaluation of model results, preliminary result maps of erosion risk in the field, technical implementation of the sensitivity model in Georgia.

Commentaires:

The workshops were combined with field missions to evaluate model results directly in the field. The expert teams went into the project communities and evaluated the preliminary result maps of erosion risk in the field together with local stakeholders.

4.2 Service de conseils

Les exploitants des terres ont-ils accès à un service de conseils?

Oui

Spécifiez si le service de conseils est fourni:

• dans des centres permanents

Décrivez/ commentez:

Located on district level in Telavi

4.3 Renforcement des institutions (développement organisationnel)

Des institutions ont elles été mises en place ou renforcées par le biais de l'Approche?

• oui, modérément

Spécifiez à quel(s) niveau(x), ces institutions ont été renforcées ou mises en place:

• local
• régional
• national

Décrivez l'institution, ses rôles et responsabilités, ses membres, etc.

The results of the approach implementation in Georgia has been summarized by the Programme ”Integrated Biodiversity Management, South Caucasus” and distributed to the experts in Azerbaijan for the further implementation.
Approach and results have been handed over to the local municipality responsible for the lease contracts in the Protected Landscape and to APA, which is responsible for the land use in the national park to integrate them into their pasture management plans.

Précisez le type de soutien:

• financier
• renforcement des capacités/ formation

• sharing the concept, approach

Donnez plus de détails:

The concept and approach has been shared with local municipalities and other related experts.
Pilot study financed by GIZ.

4.4 Suivi et évaluation

Le suivi et l'évaluation font ils partie de l'Approche? :

Oui

Commentaires:

Within the project a basline was drawn with the current livestock numbers, the current available fodder biomass and the current state of erosion.

Si oui, ce document est-il destiné à être utilisé pour le suivi et l'évaluation?

Oui

Commentaires:

The remote sensing technology enables a sound methodology to compare the state of erosion and the biomass volume based on satelite data after some years with the baseline values from 2017.

4.5 Recherche

La recherche a-t-elle fait partie intégrante de l’Approche?

Oui

Spécifiez les thèmes:

• technologie

Donnez plus de détails et indiquez qui a mené ces recherches:

National and international ecologists did research on vegetation details and biomass as well as on the remote sensing technology.

5.1 Budget annuel de la composante GDT de l'Approche

Si le budget annuel précis n'est pas connu, indiquez une fourchette:

• 10 000-100 000

Commentez (par ex. principales sources de financement/ principaux bailleurs de fonds):

The funds came from the Integrated Erosion Control project which aas launched as part of the Integrated Biodiversity Management, South Caucasus (IBiS) Programme of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

5.2 Soutiens financiers/ matériels fournis aux exploitants des terres

Les exploitants des terres ont-ils reçu un soutien financier/ matériel pour la mise en œuvre de la Technologie/ des Technologies?

Non

5.3 Subventions pour des intrants spécifiques (incluant la main d'œuvre)

• aucun

Si la main d'œuvre fournie par les exploitants des terres était un intrant substantiel, elle était:

• volontaire

Commentaires:

There was a questionnaire and land-users shared their information on land-use practice.

5.4 Crédits

Des crédits ont-ils été alloués à travers l'Approche pour les activités de GDT?

Non

5.5 Autres incitations ou instruments

D'autres incitations ou instruments ont-ils été utilisés pour promouvoir la mise en œuvre des Technologies de GDT?

Oui

Si oui, spécifiez:

The Agency of Protected Areas (APA) thinks about upscaling the pasture passport method on a national level and establish the approach also in other protected areas of Georgia.

6.1 Impacts de l'Approche

6.2 Principale motivation des exploitants des terres pour mettre en œuvre la GDT

6.3 Durabilité des activités de l'Approche

Les exploitants des terres peuvent-ils poursuivre ce qui a été mis en œuvre par le biais de l'Approche (sans soutien extérieur)?

• oui

Si oui, décrivez de quelle manière:

The remote sensing technology is not available to the land users, but the results (pasture passports) can be used by shepherds and local authorities to adjust the grazing intensity to the maximum carrying capacity of each pasture unit.

6.4 Points forts/ avantages de l'Approche

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue de l'exploitant des terres
The pasture passports are describing each pasture unit available for lease not only by size but also by the amount of available fodder biomass. This is representing the productivity and the maps are showing the accessibility of the fodder biomass to the livestock. This is essential for a more accurate prize estimation on the value of each pasture compared to old data just giving the size of the pasture unit.
The pasture passports are improving the legal basis for the lease contract. Areas that should not be grazed (strict protected areas, forests, areas of high erosion risk) are clearly shown on the map.
During the preparation process the village related areas and the pastures for lease have been defined and mapped. This leads to clear responsibilities for the different pasture lands.

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé
Contribution to the work by local municipalities - the overall results have been handed over to the municipality, responsible for the lease contracts in the Protected Landscape and to APA, responsible for the land use in the National Park.
The remote sensing technology is an objective method to assess the state of the pasture land and can be reproduced at any future time or in other areas of the Caucasus.
The GIS data and databases can support the administrative process of preparing lease contracts and can additionally be used for further research activities.

6.5 Faiblesses/ inconvénients de l'Approche et moyens de les surmonter

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue de l’exploitant des terres	Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
Informal land use practises are now documented and fixed in lease contracts. That might lead to higher costs (lease) and reduce the profit of the shepherd/livestock owner.	It needs to be communicated that long term lease contracts guarantee the shepherds/livestock owner grazing rights for several years. Investments into pasture quality and infrastructure become more meaningful.

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé	Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
The preparation process includes high investment of resources in the first setup of the remote sensing data, field evaluation and database development. It needs special experts and know how.	Remote sensing becomes cheaper when applied on large areas. A distribution of field samples across the whole Caucasus range would enable to upscale from the pilot area to a much wider range with less costs per hectare pasture land.

7.1 Méthodes/ sources d'information

7.2 Références des publications disponibles

Titre, auteur, année, ISBN:

Kirchmeir H. 12/2018: Implementation of an Erosion Risk Assessment tool on pilot regions in the Southern Caucasus. The Programme „Integrated Biodiversity Management, South Caucasus”

7.3 Liens vers les informations pertinentes disponibles en ligne

Titre/ description:

The European GeoNode system

URL:

http://pegasosdi.uab.es/geoportal/

Titre/ description:

Monitoring Manual for Highland Pastures in the Caucasus

URL:

https://biodivers-southcaucasus.org/uploads/files/Monitoring%20Manual%20Draft%20ENG_new%20%20amendments%20for%20Georgia_v9_acc.amend.pdf