Development of safeguards and gender documents as part of the IKI project proposal for the Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Conservation Network for Nature, Communities, and Climate Resilience (LaTaBioCoN) project

The Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Conservation Network for Nature, Communities, and Climate Resilience (LaTaBioCoN) Project is a collaborative initiative led by the Nature Conservancy (TNC) in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature - Democratic Republic of the Congo (WWF-DRC) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Zambia. The project seeks to support Lake Tanganyika Basin (LTB) stakeholders (primarily in Tanzania and Zambia - with potential expansion into conflict-free geographies of DRC) by strengthening protection and management capacity and local rights to co-develop an innovative network of protected areas (PAs) and community-conserved areas that improve fishing, agriculture, and forest livelihoods for climate adaptation while also leading to the identification and recognition of other effective conservation measures (OECM).

Given the complexities in the LTB, a structured approach to stakeholder engagement, human rights, and environmental and social risk management is crucial. As part of the consultancy, AAE conducted a human rights, environmental, and social impact assessment (HRESIA), and developed a detailed Gender Analysis and Gender Justice Framework, based on both a desk review and information obtained from field visits in both Zambia and Tanzania as well as remote consultations in the DRC. The activities then informed the development of a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for the LaTaBioCon project.

Main activities:

• Stakeholder mapping
• Consultation planning
• Field visits in Tanzania and Zambia and remote consultations in the DRC
• Development of products

Main products:

• Stakeholder Engagement Plan
• Human Rights, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (HRESIA) Report
• Merged Gender Analysis for the LaTaBioCon Project (aligned with IKI requirements)
• Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF)
• Gender Justice Framework, including Gender Action Plan (aligned with IKI requirements)
• Project-level Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM)