Below, please find the non-technical summary of the ESDD carried out in Iona and an update of the progress and impacts achieved in safeguards implementation.
Background
First proclaimed as a reserve in 1937 and upgraded to a national park in 1957, Iona National Park (INP) spans 15,150 km2 of the Namib Desert in south-western Angola. Despite its arid environment, INP hosts significant biodiversity, with many endemic species occurring only in this ecoregion. Semi-nomadic and sedentary Indigenous peoples and local communities live within INP and move across the landscape with their livestock.
From June 2021 to March 2022, MFC Social and Environmental Performance Ltd. (MFC) conducted environmental and social due diligence (ESDD) for Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) in the Iona landscape, Republic of Angola. The assessment was conducted on behalf of Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) development bank. At the point of engaging MFC, African Parks (AP) had been in Iona for just over a year, following the commencement of a 20-year co-management agreement with the Government of Angola becoming effective in January 2020. The agreement encompasses the promotion of restoration and sustainability within the park, focusing on its wildlife and local communities.
In the first years, the park’s operations were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This disrupted initial efforts in establishing a solid foundation for effective park management, due to lockdowns, travel restrictions, and insufficient local capacity. In addition to pandemic-related hurdles, administrative challenges plagued AP’s initial years, including delays in implementing the Public Private Partnership (PPP) that included delays in committee meetings, and registration of the local entity. These challenges negatively impacted governance, operational independence, and decision-making processes. For further details on Iona legacy landscape (LL), managed by African Parks, please consult the program page.
Methodology
The due diligence was therefore carried out in a context where the park was not yet fully operational. The process started with a standardized main program-related document review. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, an approach focused on remote research, remote interviews, and virtual workshops was adopted. Nevertheless, a field visit advanced by national technical experts assessed key stakeholders’ views on the program, verified the accuracy of initial observations, and collected on-the-ground program risk information between August and September 2021. The stakeholder assessment included community walk-throughs and observations, interviews with African Parks staff and key stakeholders, and focus group discussions, including Indigenous Peoples, traditional leaders, NGOs, community-based organizations, and local government.
Main Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
The program’s most significant risks are related to inadequate stakeholder coordination and engagement which could hinder community support and, consequently, the program management strategy. Other significant risks include potential access restrictions of Indigenous and local people within the park, including their free transit and the development of economic activities, and the potential damage or loss of cultural heritage.
The program faces legacy and contextual risks related to conflicts, that may emerge from the historical impacts of the park’s creation. These impacts include the territorial overlap between Iona National Park, Iona commune, and Tombwa municipality, which result in uncertainty regarding hierarchies and jurisdiction between local and national entities, as well as the lack of land tenure rights to Indigenous Peoples, and the historic absence of management plan implementation or environmental law enforcement.
ESDD Categorization
Iona LL was classified as B (moderate risk) category based on the findings of the ESDD, reflecting the state of the park at the time of the assessment. African Parks is committed to its conservation mandate and has systems in place to successfully manage risks, particularly those related to human rights, security, and the environment. African Parks is using existing policies, plans, and procedures to build a site-specific approach that coordinates efforts and meets international standards. Other compliance gaps identified were the absence of a training plan for staff, a stakeholder engagement plan still under development, including the lack of a free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) protocol, non-compliance of the grievance mechanism with international standards, the absence of a community health and safety assessment, and no formal identification or assessment of vulnerable people.
Foreseen Mitigation Measures as per ESAP
Iona’s environmental and social action plan (ESAP) was designed to tackle the program’s significant risks. The main ESAP recommendations were the development of an actionable stakeholder engagement plan, including an FPIC protocol, the update of the park’s population census including baseline information, the establishment of an environmental and social management framework (ESMF), which encompasses relevant risk assessments and plans, including an emergency and response plan, a human wildlife conflict policy, a process framework with regards to access restrictions, and the creation of a grievance resolution mechanism in compliance with LLF’s standards.
For more information, please consult the following links: