Turkey - Anatolia Watershed Rehabilitation Project

Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet (Updated) Report No: AC140 Section I - Basic Information Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 03/03/2004 A. Basic Project Data (from PDS) I.A.1. Project Statistics Country: TURKEY Project ID: P070950 Global Supplemental ID: P075094 Project: ANATOLIA WATERSHED Task Team Leader: Peter A. Dewees REHABILITATION PROJECT Authorized to Appraise Date: June 17, 2003 IBRD Amount ($m): 20.00 Bank Approval: June 1, 2004 IDA Amount ($m): Global Supplemental Amount ($m): 7.00 Managing Unit: ECSSD Sector: General agriculture, fishing and forestry sector Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan (SIL) (100%) Status: Lending Theme: Other environment and natural resources management (P); Other rural development (P); Pollution management and environmental health (S); Water resource management (S) I.A.2. Project Objectives (From PDS): The project's overall development objective is to support sustainable natural resource management practices in 28 microcatchments in Anatolia and Turkey's Black Sea Region and thereby raise incomes of communities affected by resource degradation. In support of this objective, the project will: (a) encourage local communities to take responsibility for planning and implementing an integrated approach to sustainable natural resource management in selected microcatchments; (b) introduce communities to more environmentally-friendly farming and forestry production practices to raise land productivity, to reduce pressures on marginal lands, and to improve household income; (c) help reduce nutrient discharge from agricultural sources into the Black Sea; (d) strengthen the policy formulation and regulatory capacity towards meeting European Union (EU) standards for agricultural nutrient pollution control; (e) improve the overall framework for river basin planning and management in the context of EU directives on water; and (f) strengthen institutional capacity to promote sustainable natural resource management and to raise public awareness about resource degradation issues. I.A.3. Project Description (From PDS): The project will have five components. Costs are indicative and include physical and price contingencies, as well as counterpart and beneficiary contributions. Component 1: Rehabilitation of Degraded Natural Resources (US$ 23.5 million). This component will provide support for the planning and implementation of a menu of activities to be implemented by village communities under the direction of the MEF and MARA, in partnership with communities. The component's primary objective is to protect degraded areas from further degradation, erosion and pollution. Rehabilitation interventions are focused around four sub-components as outlined below and will be implemented in 28 micro-catchments and in 6 provinces. The activities include a specific program for piloting actions on reducing nutrient discharge to the water bodies that will be implemented in the lower  2 ISDS parts of watersheds of four participating Black Sea provinces using GEF funds. The main sub-components are as follows: (a) rehabilitation of forest land including soil conservation by afforestation, protection and improvement of poor & degraded soils, gallery plantation, rehabilitation of oak coppices and of degraded high forests, participatory replanting and inventory of non-wood forest products; (b) rangeland rehabilitation, including improved management of forest rangelands under MEF and rehabilitation activities on rangeland outside the forest land by MARA; (c) rehabilitation of agricultural land, including: fallow reduction, appropriate use of marginal agricultural land, wild tree grafting, river bank protection, and construction and production on agricultural terraces; (d) environment-friendly agricultural practices, including demonstrations of improved crop production practices, organic farming and Integrated Pest Management by MARA and nutrient reduction activities. With regard to the environment-friendly practices, implementation of selected activities to reduce nutrient discharge into the water bodies in the lower watersheds of participating Black Sea provinces will be financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant, by Government and by beneficiaries. Component 2: Income Raising Activities (US$ 17.57 million). Under this component target communities would be offered a menu of activities designed to raise household incomes in return for participation in conservation activities supported under Component 1. Income generating activities are designed to provide participating communities with the incentives to undertake conservation efforts even if they incur short or medium term costs (e.g. short term closure of range lands, closure of forest land) or if benefits can only be reaped in the long run (afforestation). The menu offered will vary in accordance with agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions in each village, as well as with farmers' resources and needs. The approach will be flexible so as to be able to respond to the needs of the villagers and flexibility will be maintained during project implementation. The main income generating activities which will be financed by the project include small scale irrigation including creation of small irrigated perimeters and farm ponds; investments in livestock improvement, greenhouses and small-scale freshwater fisheries; and farm and crop enterprise diversification (including rainfed and irrigated horticulture, irrigated forage crops, vegetable production, planting trees on field boundaries, agricultural processing and beekeeping). Component 3: Strengthening Policy and Regulatory Capacity Towards Meeting EU Standards (US$0.28 million). This component will provide support for implementing the following three sub-components which emphasize participatory approaches to sustainable natural resource management, corresponding to locally expressed priorities: (a) Support for the Application of the EU Nitrates Directive through the monitoring of nitrate levels at selected sites in the four Black Sea provinces, as first step in implementing the nitrates directive; (b) Development and Promotion of a Code of Good Agricultural Practices based on on-farm trials, demonstrations and training; and (c) Institutional Support for Organic Farming: to provide technical assistance to strengthen the institutional capacity in support of producing and marketing organically produced farm products. Component 4: Awareness Raising, Capacity Building and Replication Strategy (US$ 1.06 million): This component, implemented jointly by MEF and MARA) will have the following sub-components: (a) Public Awareness in Micro-catchment Development: to raise awareness amongst target beneficiaries and other stakeholders about the program approach and terms of participation in Micro-catchment development. The goal will be to increase transparency in program implementation and empower beneficiaries to demand program services; and (ii) Public Awareness, Capacity Building and Replication Strategy: with regard to the four Black Sea provinces, to provide capacity building and public awareness activities at the local, national and regional level, for the training of beneficiaries and participating institutions as well as for the future replication of similar activities in Turkey and other Black Sea riparian countries.  3 ISDS Component V: Project Management and Support Services (US$ 2.5 million): This component will have the following sub-components: (a) Project Administration: to support the technical assistance, financial services, logistical and operational requirements necessary to ensure the appropriate and efficient administration of project activities and resources by central and provincial project management units; (b) Support Services: to fund extension, technical assistance and some study tours for project managers, technical project staff and farmers; (c) Monitoring & Evaluation System: for the upgrading of the present Monitoring and Evaluation system; and (d) Fund for applied research and technology dissemination: to finance short-term, small scale applied research on soil, water, crop, natural resource management, agricultural pollution, livestock and forestry focusing on MC environment. I.A.4. Project Location: (Geographic location, information about the key environmental and social characteristics of the area and population likely to be affected, and proximity to any protected areas, or sites or critical natural habitats, or any other culturally or socially sensitive areas.) The project will be implemented six provinces: (Samsun, Tokat, Sivas, Kayseri, Corum, and Amasya provinces) covering: i) two main ecological regions, namely the Black Sea and Continental ecological regions; and ii) three of Turkey's 26 major river basins, the Kizilirmak and Yesilirmak basins (which drain into the Black Sea) and the Seyhan basin (which drains into the Mediterranean Sea). The project will rehabilitate 28 MCs in 5 of the 6 provinces (Tokat, Sivas, Kayseri, Corum, and Amasya provinces), and will reduce agricultural based nutrient discharge into the Black Sea, through GEF supported activities, in four of the provinces (Samsun, Tokat, Corum and Amasya). Each of the 28 MCs to be rehabilitated by the project will cover between 5,000 and 15,000 hectares and the total area under development will be in the order of 202,000 hectares, out of which about 30,000 ha will be the physical implementation area. Detailed information on each MC will be gathered and analyzed during the MC planning process. Of the 8 million ha of land in the project provinces about 45 percent is agricultural land, 19 percent is gazetted forest (comprising both forest and brush land) and 29 percent is rangeland. Although there are significant differences among provinces, the principal land use in the project MCs is rangeland. Rangeland conditions vary from moderately productive but overgrazed to severely degraded and eroded. Agriculture is generally limited to small scale, often subsistence production, except in the Black Sea provinces. Due to limited land availability, crops are often planted on fragile slopes. The type of crop rotation is determined by ecological characteristics of the production area as well as socio-economic conditions of farmers. Generally, wheat and barley are rotated with fallow, rarely with pulses. Due to land constraints, continuous cereal production which leads to significant soil degradation is also common in many MCs. Only about one quarter of agricultural land is irrigated, although small scale irrigation is possible in MCs with perennial streams and springs. In lower irrigated parts of MCs, cereals are rotated with sugarbeet, oil crops, beans, maize or horticultural crops. Rural Population: With the exception of MCs in the lower watersheds in the four Black Sea Provinces, MCs to be included in the project are primarily located in rural mountainous areas. The rural population in these watersheds is around 2 million. Many of the 400 or so villages in the project area are classified as "forest villages" with limited access to proper agricultural and range land. Most households in the project area rely on crop and livestock production as their main source of income, with forest villagers supplementing their income with forestry based work. As a result of the significantly degraded natural resource base and limited access to infrastructure, household incomes in the MC area are significantly below the average rural household income in Turkey. Many households in the project area remain largely in the subsistence economy. A survey in four project provinces showed that (excluding subsistence  4 ISDS consumption) average household cash income ranged from between US$ 100 to $750 per year in mountainous areas, while average household income in rural areas in the Black Sea provinces varied between US$ 100 per year in mountainous MCs and $ 1300 per year in the more commercialized farming areas of Corum. Due to low incomes and a degraded natural resource base, there is significant outmigration. B. Check Environmental Classification: B (Partial Assessment) Comments: A draft Regional Environmental Assessment has been commissioned by Government, to provide the analytical framework better to address environmental concerns in the design, implementation, and monitoring of project interventions. The project is designed to bring about environmental improvements, however, improper planning and implementation may result in some negative impacts. The Regional Environmental Assessment (REA) was prepared and disclosed in country and in Infoshop prior to project appraisal departure. C. Safeguard Policies Triggered (from PDS) (click on for a detailed desciption or click on the policy number for a brief description) Policy Triggered Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01, BP 4.01, GP 4.01) Yes No Natural Habitats (OP 4.04, BP 4.04, GP 4.04) Yes No Forestry (OP 4.36, GP 4.36) Yes No Pest Management (OP 4.09) Yes No Cultural Property (OPN 11.03) Yes No Indigenous Peoples (OD 4.20) Yes No Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12) Yes No Safety of Dams (OP 4.37, BP 4.37) Yes No Projects in International Waters (OP 7.50, BP 7.50, GP 7.50) Yes No Projects in Disputed Areas (OP 7.60, BP 7.60, GP 7.60)* Yes No Section II - Key Safeguard Issues and Their Management D. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues. Please fill in all relevant questions. If information is not available, describe steps to be taken to obtain necessary data. II.D.1a. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts. The project is expected to have overall very positive environmental impacts. It will contribute to reduced erosion, increased vegetative and forest cover, improved land management, and will reduce the discharge of polluting nutrients into waterways. Broader positive environmental impacts include the institutional measures to support application of the EU Nitrates Directive and public awareness building in this regard. A Regional Environmental Assessment was commissioned by Government, to provide the analytical framework to better address environmental concerns in the design, implementation, and monitoring of project interventions. The Regional Environmental Assessment confirmed that the project is not expected to result in any significant environment risks or negative environmental impacts. A range of potential minor negative impacts are, however possible. They include; i) potential impacts resulting from poorly  5 ISDS designed soil erosion control measures such as terracing; ii) potential impacts resulting from rehabilitation or construction of access roads, iii) potential impacts on forest villages which may find traditional access to forests restricted, iv) potential impacts associated with the possible use of pesticides in the production of tree seedlings for afforestation and microcatchment rehabilitation may involve pesticide use, and v) concerns about dam safety, resulting from the construction of numerous small farm ponds. II.D.1b. Describe any potential cumulative impacts due to application of more than one safeguard policy or due to multiple project component. The project will support a range of activities related to forestry, irrigation, land rehabiliation, erosion control etc in selected microcatchments, which will result in cumulative impacts. No significant negative cumulative impacts are envisaged. II.D.1c Describe any potential long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area. No long term negative impacts are anticipated due to future activities in the project area. II.D.2. In light of 1, describe the proposed treatment of alternatives (if required) n/a II.D.3. Describe arrangement for the borrower to address safeguard issues Environmental Assessment: A Regional Environmental Assessment (REA) to address the potential environmental impacts of the project was prepared and reviewed by the Bank prior to appraisal. The REA includes a review of national laws and regulations relevant to the project. The project comprises a series of sub-projects, which are to be defined during project implementation as a result of the participatory microcatchment planning process. The REA describes a methodology for screening MC plans for environmental impacts, and for proposing and introducing mitigating steps, which will be handled as part of the regular criteria-based MC selection process. When microcatchment plans are prepared, particular mitigating steps may be triggered. The project will support the establishment of capacity within the implementing agencies to ensure that subprojects are assessed for their potential impacts, and environmental management plans are prepared and implemented in compliance with the national requirements as well as Bank policy on environmental assessment (OP 4.01). The REA describes the procedures and arrangements between the implementing agency, the environmental authority and the borrower entities for subproject environmental screening, assessment, consultations and disclosure. Generic EMPs for investments in different subsectors (farm ponds, feeder roads etc.) are provided as examples. EMP recommendations are incorporated into the Project Implementation Plan and describe screening standards, mechanisms, examples, and procedures related to Safeguards issues. Pest Management: The only sub-component which may involve the use (but not the purchase with IBRD or GEF funds) of abiotic pesticides is the component which results in the production of tree seedlings. The project will not be directly financing the purchase of pesticides, but the agents contracted for nursery production may use pesticides in conjunction with tree seedling production. The Regional EA reviewed current practice in the use of pesticides for tree seedling production in Turkey. The REA describes 'best practice' pesticide handling in tree seedling production, and recommends that these practices are incorporated into the contracts of sub-contracted agents. Farmers in microcatchments will be encouraged to reduce the use of pesticides and to adopt Integrated Pest Management approaches. Forestry: The project fully complies with OP 4.36 on Forests as it aim to "reduce deforestation, enhance the economic contribution of forested areas, promote afforestation, reduce poverty and encourage economic  6 ISDS development". It supports an integrated and participatory approach to MC natural resource management, particularly through activities aimed at rehabilitating degraded forest lands and income generation activities geared towards compensating communities for short term costs associated with afforestation. Dam Safety: Under the income generation component, the project will finance small scale irrigation, including construction of concrete ponds, diversion weirs and small dams. Highest priority will be given to irrigation ponds at strategic places throughout the MC areas as this will allow to reach the largest number of beneficiaries. Construction of dams will only occur in MCs with extreme water shortage. Based on the experience with EAWP, these dams are expected to be less than 15 m high. The implementing agency for this component, KHGM, has a long experience with the design, construction and maintenance of over 600 small dams throughout the country. During project preparation and appraisal, it was determined that KHGM has the relevant knowledge and experience to design, construct and maintain small dams and that it has proper design standards to guarantee the safety of small dams. Generic dam safety measures are being designed by qualified engineers. Operation and routine maintenance of irrigation infrastructure will be the responsibility of beneficiary communities under the supervision and guidance of KHGM. Under the project KHGM will provide relevant local communities with training on dam surveillance, operation and management to assure that they can effectively carry out their responsibilities. Although it is unlikely that the project will include construction of dams higher than 15 meters, a panel of independent experts, consisting of a dam engineer and a hydrologist with qualifications satisfactory to the Bank, has been designated who would be called upon to carry out an independent review of the investigation, design, and construction of the dam and the start of operations, as spelled out in OP 4.37. Independent experts shall ensure compliance with the large dams reporting requirements. No private land will be acquired for the construction of dams and resettlement is therefore not an issue. Involuntary Resettlement: This OP does not apply to the project because all dams to be built under the project will be very small and be constructed on public land located in the mountainous upper part of watersheds. No private land will be acquired for dam construction and the dam location will be selected such that the reservoirs will only flood rocky, barren land. No grazing or other public land from which communities might derive a livelihood will be affected. The loan agreement will include a covenant to this effect. Projects in International Waterways: This OP does not apply because the MCs in which the project will provide for small scale irrigation are located in the upper mountainous areas of the five major watersheds and water for irrigation purposes will be taken from springs or small streams in the MCs. The springs from which water will be diverted into small concrete ponds are not directly linked to the five national rivers in the project provinces that flow into the Black Sea or Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, many of the springs which will be used for diversion are in fact already used by farmers and the project will improve the storage and water use efficiency in these areas. The small streams are third or fourth level tributaries of these five national rivers. About 15 diversion schemes, irrigating about 20 ha each, will be constructed along these small streams in each of the five national river catchments. The project's emphasis on extension will result in reduced agriculture-based pollution of ground and surface water. II.D.4. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The "Farmer Centered-Problem Census-Problem Solving" (FCPCPS) approach is central to the planning of microcatchment rehabilitation activities, and was proven to be effective during implementation of the East Anatolian Watershed Project. Once the priority problems are  7 ISDS determined by the community, target groups will be identified and will start working with the corresponding implementing agencies. The Regional Environment Assessment was reviewed in draft and revised based on the comments from the client and the Bank. The final Regional Environmental Assessment was translated into Turkish, was made widely available in Turkey. A consultation on the revised draft was held on February 20, 2003 and involved project agencies and NGOs. E. Safeguards Classification (select in SAP). Category is determined by the highest impact in any policy. Or on basis of cumulative impacts from multiple safeguards. Whenever an individual safeguard policy is triggered the provisions of that policy apply. [ ] S1.