Below, please find the non-technical summary of the ESDD carried out in Madidi and an update of the progress and impacts achieved in safeguards implementation.
Background
From March to June 2021, Insuco, a consulting firm specializing in social sciences and sustainability, conducted environmental and social due diligence (ESDD) for Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) in the Madidi landscape, encompassing Madidi National Park, other protected areas (Madidi Natural Area of Integrated Management, Apolobamba National Area of Integrated Management, Alto and Bajo Madidi Municipal Reserves, Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve) and several Indigenous lands (Lecos Apolo, Lecos Larecaja, Tacana I and San José de Uchupiamonas). The assessment was conducted on behalf of Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) development bank. For further details on Madidi legacy landscape (LL) please consult the program page.
Methodology
The ESDD included desk-based reviews, virtual interviews, and fieldwork with a multi-disciplinary team led by national and international consultants. The team engaged with key stakeholders including WCS, the national protected area service SERNAP (Servicio Nacional de Areas Protegidas), local governmental institutions, tourism and coffee farmers associations, and Indigenous and local communities and organizations (amongst them members of the Central de Pueblos Indígenas de La Paz, and the Tupak Katari Franz Tamayo Federation of Agricultural Workers).
Main Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
The risks identified in the ESDD are divided into two categories: contextual risks and program-funded activity risks. The most significant risks identified were weak management of Madidi landscape, due to an ineffective management plan and deficient management committee, and the absence of a formal up-to-date stakeholder engagement plan, that is inclusive and provides for active participation of a wide range of stakeholders. Deficiencies in ranger working conditions, and the possibility of program staff or people working within the program area contacting isolated indigenous peoples were also noted. The highlighted contextual risks are gender–based violence linked to the tourism sector, bypassing environmental licensing in the gold mining sector, unregulated law enforcement by Indigenous communities within their territories, and disagreement or misunderstanding on land limits and zoning.
ESDD Categorization
Madidi Legacy Landscape has been classified as category B (moderate risk) based on the findings of the ESDD carried out by Insuco.
Foreseen Mitigation Measures as per ESAP
Madidi’s environmental and social action plan (ESAP) is an instrument to continually improve management of the program’s environmental and social risks and impacts, and its alignment with LLF’s environmental and social standards. The main ESAP measures are related to updating the Madidi National Park management plan, development of a stakeholder engagement plan, including a grievance redress mechanism and a gender action plan, improvement of rangers’ working conditions, and definition and communication of procedures related to voluntary isolated Indigenous peoples. Other foreseen measures are the integration of cultural heritage management procedures into the management plan, as well as training on human wildlife conflict and coexistence.
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