Program Summary

This PROFOR activity aims to assess the strengths and limitations of Myanmar’s forest sector, with specific emphasis on the National Restoration and Reforestation Program and its community forestry aspects. The Government of Myanmar has issued very clear targets and actions to achieve large scale restoration and reforestation, which form the cornerstone of the national climate change response agenda and Myanmar’s contribution to global climate change mitigation. This activity will be part of a larger country analytical work, the Country Environmental Assessment (CEA), which will contribute to the development of a broad overview of the linkages between environment and development, highlighting the potential role of forestry in enhancing social inclusion and reducing conflict.

Challenge

The exceptional natural resource endowment of Myanmar – from forests, biological diversity, fisheries, and land through hydropower, oil and gas, gems, and minerals – forms the principal source of economic growth and social wellbeing in the country. Nearly 40% of its GDP comes from primary industries including agriculture, forestry and fisheries (ADB Myanmar Diagnostic 2014). However, these resources are under tremendous exploitation pressure, resulting in the highest rate of deforestation in South East Asia (ADB 2015) and loss of nearly 20% of its forest cover between 1990 and 2010 (EIU April 2017).

Myanmar’s forests have also been home to recent internal ethnic conflicts that were largely located in timber and mineral-rich areas. The underlying causes of the conflict are largely political, but access to natural resources, including timber, has been fought over and sustained Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) over the years. The ongoing peace process has brought large regions under civilian government control. This presents new opportunities for forest management to transform forests over time from a source of conflict to a platform for improving social inclusion, local cooperation and civic engagement.

Approach

The program consisted of activities grouped under two phases:

1. Forest Sector Review:

This phase consisted of a technical literature review, analyzing existing data on the social, conflict, economic and ecological dimensions and trends of forests in Myanmar, as well as on current policy and strategy. Where possible, statistics were applied to evaluate significant relationships among variables within the sector.

a) Forest contribution to rural livelihoods and national economy: This activity included a review of the importance of forests for improving livelihoods and poverty reduction, and their contributions to the economy directly, as well as through other sectors.

b) Forest Smart Interventions: The focus was on assessing the importance of forests to other sectors, and the ecosystem services they provide to contribute to economic productivity and climate resilience of these sectors. On the flip-side, the assessment also reviewed the main drivers of deforestation and aimed to identify solutions to address them and find ways to strengthen the engagement in the forest sector from a programmatic, multi-sectoral and forest smart approach lens.

2. Assessment of the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program (NRRP) (2017 – 2027) with special focus on community forestry and tenure.

a) Spatial assessment of forests, forest degradation, opportunities for restoration and poverty and conflict related data

This activity mapped the link between forests and poverty and conflict. Spatial data on national forests, historic deforestation, and opportunities for restoration were paired with national poverty data and conflict maps. This activity was executed in partnership with IUCN and other initiatives on poverty and conflicts led by the Asia Foundation and poverty data work by the World Bank.

b) Assessment of community forestry initiatives in Myanmar and its governance and policy aspects

This assessment examined ways that community forestry, non-traditional sources of timber and forest-based livelihood activities are currently recognized within the national (or state and region) policy and regulatory frameworks and identify ways to incentivize community forestry through improved commercial prospects for legally and sustainably community-produced timber and forest products.

c) Overall Assessment of the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program

1. Assessed government institutions involved in the delivery of the Restoration Program, including staffing, incentives, budgets and partnerships. Major focus was on the conflict-affected areas and where social inclusion could be promotoed. 
2. Assessed (and communicated to stakeholders in real time) actual program implementation using an innovative and cost-effective geotagging (geo-enabling) application that used open source and Android operating system and phones/tablets.
3. Analyzed three larger ongoing restoration initiatives (supported by IUCN, ADB and possibly others) related to their technical and implementation arrangements, lessons learned and approaches.
4. Prepared recommendations for the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program based on previous assessments of technical opportunities and social priorities, lessons learned and results from the overall governance assessment.

Results

This activity has concluded, with the following results:

• Findings and analysis have  fed into the Myanmar Strategic Country Diagnostic.
• World Bank Operations:
  • The analysis supported by this activity fed into design of the IDA investment project (Forest Restoration, Development and Investment Project (FREDIP) (P168254) and of the investment project targeting community forestry interventions currently under preparation by the Agence Francaise de Developpment.
  • Initial recommendations from the MRRP community forestry assessment allowed the team to propose inclusion of community forestry activities under two other IDA pipeline operations in the conflict affected areas in Myanmar (Peaceful and Prosperous Communities Project (US$200 million) and the Rakhine Development Project (US$100 million).

Program Summary

This PROFOR activity aims to assess the strengths and limitations of Myanmar’s forest sector, with specific emphasis on the National Restoration and Reforestation Program and its community forestry aspects. The Government of Myanmar has issued very clear targets and actions to achieve large scale restoration and reforestation, which form the cornerstone of the national climate change response agenda and Myanmar’s contribution to global climate change mitigation. This activity will be part of a larger country analytical work, the Country Environmental Assessment (CEA), which will contribute to the development of a broad overview of the linkages between environment and development, highlighting the potential role of forestry in enhancing social inclusion and reducing conflict.

Challenge

The exceptional natural resource endowment of Myanmar – from forests, biological diversity, fisheries, and land through hydropower, oil and gas, gems, and minerals – forms the principal source of economic growth and social wellbeing in the country. Nearly 40% of its GDP comes from primary industries including agriculture, forestry and fisheries (ADB Myanmar Diagnostic 2014). However, these resources are under tremendous exploitation pressure, resulting in the highest rate of deforestation in South East Asia (ADB 2015) and loss of nearly 20% of its forest cover between 1990 and 2010 (EIU April 2017).

Myanmar’s forests have also been home to recent internal ethnic conflicts that were largely located in timber and mineral-rich areas. The underlying causes of the conflict are largely political, but access to natural resources, including timber, has been fought over and sustained Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) over the years. The ongoing peace process has brought large regions under civilian government control. This presents new opportunities for forest management to transform forests over time from a source of conflict to a platform for improving social inclusion, local cooperation and civic engagement.

Approach

The program consisted of activities grouped under two phases:

1. Forest Sector Review:

This phase consisted of a technical literature review, analyzing existing data on the social, conflict, economic and ecological dimensions and trends of forests in Myanmar, as well as on current policy and strategy. Where possible, statistics were applied to evaluate significant relationships among variables within the sector.

a) Forest contribution to rural livelihoods and national economy: This activity included a review of the importance of forests for improving livelihoods and poverty reduction, and their contributions to the economy directly, as well as through other sectors.

b) Forest Smart Interventions: The focus was on assessing the importance of forests to other sectors, and the ecosystem services they provide to contribute to economic productivity and climate resilience of these sectors. On the flip-side, the assessment also reviewed the main drivers of deforestation and aimed to identify solutions to address them and find ways to strengthen the engagement in the forest sector from a programmatic, multi-sectoral and forest smart approach lens.

2. Assessment of the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program (NRRP) (2017 – 2027) with special focus on community forestry and tenure.

a) Spatial assessment of forests, forest degradation, opportunities for restoration and poverty and conflict related data

This activity mapped the link between forests and poverty and conflict. Spatial data on national forests, historic deforestation, and opportunities for restoration were paired with national poverty data and conflict maps. This activity was executed in partnership with IUCN and other initiatives on poverty and conflicts led by the Asia Foundation and poverty data work by the World Bank.

b) Assessment of community forestry initiatives in Myanmar and its governance and policy aspects

This assessment examined ways that community forestry, non-traditional sources of timber and forest-based livelihood activities are currently recognized within the national (or state and region) policy and regulatory frameworks and identify ways to incentivize community forestry through improved commercial prospects for legally and sustainably community-produced timber and forest products.

c) Overall Assessment of the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program

1. Assessed government institutions involved in the delivery of the Restoration Program, including staffing, incentives, budgets and partnerships. Major focus was on the conflict-affected areas and where social inclusion could be promotoed. 
2. Assessed (and communicated to stakeholders in real time) actual program implementation using an innovative and cost-effective geotagging (geo-enabling) application that used open source and Android operating system and phones/tablets.
3. Analyzed three larger ongoing restoration initiatives (supported by IUCN, ADB and possibly others) related to their technical and implementation arrangements, lessons learned and approaches.
4. Prepared recommendations for the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program based on previous assessments of technical opportunities and social priorities, lessons learned and results from the overall governance assessment.

Results

This activity has concluded, with the following results:

• Findings and analysis have  fed into the Myanmar Strategic Country Diagnostic.
• World Bank Operations:
  • The analysis supported by this activity fed into design of the IDA investment project (Forest Restoration, Development and Investment Project (FREDIP) (P168254) and of the investment project targeting community forestry interventions currently under preparation by the Agence Francaise de Developpment.
  • Initial recommendations from the MRRP community forestry assessment allowed the team to propose inclusion of community forestry activities under two other IDA pipeline operations in the conflict affected areas in Myanmar (Peaceful and Prosperous Communities Project (US$200 million) and the Rakhine Development Project (US$100 million).

Program Summary

This PROFOR activity aims to assess the strengths and limitations of Myanmar’s forest sector, with specific emphasis on the National Restoration and Reforestation Program and its community forestry aspects. The Government of Myanmar has issued very clear targets and actions to achieve large scale restoration and reforestation, which form the cornerstone of the national climate change response agenda and Myanmar’s contribution to global climate change mitigation. This activity will be part of a larger country analytical work, the Country Environmental Assessment (CEA), which will contribute to the development of a broad overview of the linkages between environment and development, highlighting the potential role of forestry in enhancing social inclusion and reducing conflict.

Challenge

The exceptional natural resource endowment of Myanmar – from forests, biological diversity, fisheries, and land through hydropower, oil and gas, gems, and minerals – forms the principal source of economic growth and social wellbeing in the country. Nearly 40% of its GDP comes from primary industries including agriculture, forestry and fisheries (ADB Myanmar Diagnostic 2014). However, these resources are under tremendous exploitation pressure, resulting in the highest rate of deforestation in South East Asia (ADB 2015) and loss of nearly 20% of its forest cover between 1990 and 2010 (EIU April 2017).

Myanmar’s forests have also been home to recent internal ethnic conflicts that were largely located in timber and mineral-rich areas. The underlying causes of the conflict are largely political, but access to natural resources, including timber, has been fought over and sustained Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) over the years. The ongoing peace process has brought large regions under civilian government control. This presents new opportunities for forest management to transform forests over time from a source of conflict to a platform for improving social inclusion, local cooperation and civic engagement.

Approach

The program consisted of activities grouped under two phases:

1. Forest Sector Review:

This phase consisted of a technical literature review, analyzing existing data on the social, conflict, economic and ecological dimensions and trends of forests in Myanmar, as well as on current policy and strategy. Where possible, statistics were applied to evaluate significant relationships among variables within the sector.

a) Forest contribution to rural livelihoods and national economy: This activity included a review of the importance of forests for improving livelihoods and poverty reduction, and their contributions to the economy directly, as well as through other sectors.

b) Forest Smart Interventions: The focus was on assessing the importance of forests to other sectors, and the ecosystem services they provide to contribute to economic productivity and climate resilience of these sectors. On the flip-side, the assessment also reviewed the main drivers of deforestation and aimed to identify solutions to address them and find ways to strengthen the engagement in the forest sector from a programmatic, multi-sectoral and forest smart approach lens.

2. Assessment of the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program (NRRP) (2017 – 2027) with special focus on community forestry and tenure.

a) Spatial assessment of forests, forest degradation, opportunities for restoration and poverty and conflict related data

This activity mapped the link between forests and poverty and conflict. Spatial data on national forests, historic deforestation, and opportunities for restoration were paired with national poverty data and conflict maps. This activity was executed in partnership with IUCN and other initiatives on poverty and conflicts led by the Asia Foundation and poverty data work by the World Bank.

b) Assessment of community forestry initiatives in Myanmar and its governance and policy aspects

This assessment examined ways that community forestry, non-traditional sources of timber and forest-based livelihood activities are currently recognized within the national (or state and region) policy and regulatory frameworks and identify ways to incentivize community forestry through improved commercial prospects for legally and sustainably community-produced timber and forest products.

c) Overall Assessment of the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program

1. Assessed government institutions involved in the delivery of the Restoration Program, including staffing, incentives, budgets and partnerships. Major focus was on the conflict-affected areas and where social inclusion could be promotoed. 
2. Assessed (and communicated to stakeholders in real time) actual program implementation using an innovative and cost-effective geotagging (geo-enabling) application that used open source and Android operating system and phones/tablets.
3. Analyzed three larger ongoing restoration initiatives (supported by IUCN, ADB and possibly others) related to their technical and implementation arrangements, lessons learned and approaches.
4. Prepared recommendations for the National Reforestation and Forest Rehabilitation Program based on previous assessments of technical opportunities and social priorities, lessons learned and results from the overall governance assessment.

Results

This activity has concluded, with the following results:

• Findings and analysis have  fed into the Myanmar Strategic Country Diagnostic.
• World Bank Operations:
  • The analysis supported by this activity fed into design of the IDA investment project (Forest Restoration, Development and Investment Project (FREDIP) (P168254) and of the investment project targeting community forestry interventions currently under preparation by the Agence Francaise de Developpment.
  • Initial recommendations from the MRRP community forestry assessment allowed the team to propose inclusion of community forestry activities under two other IDA pipeline operations in the conflict affected areas in Myanmar (Peaceful and Prosperous Communities Project (US$200 million) and the Rakhine Development Project (US$100 million).

CHALLENGE

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods, droughts, and landslides, which are exacerbated by population growth, urbanization, uncontrolled land-use change, and deforestation. The World Bank is implementing several programs to improve the government’s resilience to such natural risks. Notably, the Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) aims to reduce the immediate physical risks, such as by stabilizing hillsides with concrete, nets and drainage pipes, and to improve the understanding of disaster risks so that future investments are effectively targeted. Under CRIP-II (in preparation), basin investment plans will be developed and published on an online platform and co-financed by the Bank and other donors. There is also an ongoing technical assistance (TA) program that is supporting the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), the main organization responsible for landslide risk management in the country, on assessing landslide hazard and exposure and analyzing mitigation measures.

Even though it is recognized that deforestation and uncontrolled land-use change contribute significantly to landslide risks, forest-based solutions are generally not applied in Sri Lanka because of the government’s limited experience and expertise in such solutions. Therefore, to ensure the best results of the programs being invested in Sri Lanka, PROFOR’s activity seeks to build the NBRO’s capacity to understand and apply forest-based solutions.

APPROACH

This activity will support the Government of Sri Lanka in piloting and potentially scaling-up the use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management, through the following tasks and outputs:

1. Development of a capacity building program for NBRO to understand and apply forest-based solutions to mitigate landslide risk in selected regions of Sri Lanka. This will include a training (and the production of relevant training materials); a study tour; and a South-South knowledge exchange.  
2. Assessment of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks for the application of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in Sri Lanka. This assessment will result in the identification of opportunities and possible bottlenecks.
3. Development of a comprehensive forest-based landslide risk management plan for 1-2 selected areas. 
4. Preparation of a guidance document on the potential use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in developing countries.

The above activities will leverage the lessons learned from and connect to the ongoing World Bank projects: CRIP, CRIPII (in preparation), and the TA on landslide risk management in order to contribute to the overall disaster risk management investment planning in Sri Lanka. The activity will also be linked to the PROFOR-funded Global Knowledge Management Program on Forest and Disaster Risk Management.

RESULTS

In selecting appropriate landslide stabilization measures, three dominant factors need to be considered: cost, constructability, and safety. As landslides are very localized phenomena, site specific mitigation measures are needed for slope stabilization such as geotechnical structural measures that include soil reinforcement, soil nailing, rock bolting, surface protection, slope modification, retaining walls, gabion walls, breast walls, soil removal works, steel pile works, etc. The structural measures require sophisticated designs and the costs are very high. The NBSs are an attractive option as they are low cost and can be applied to large areas.  

Almost all landslide mitigation measures in Sri Lanka have used engineered solutions, and NSBs generally have not been used in Sri Lanka until recently. The main reason for this is that the counterpart has limited experience and expertise in such solutions and therefore has relied on engineered solutions. Therefore, the NBRO capacity building program provided them with the knowledge about what plants are suitable for NBSs and how these can be applied together with engineering solutions or as stand-alone practices. NBRO now have used the hybrid solutions to improve the performance of the engineering solution in the road failures along the Kandy Mahiyangana road. Applying NBSs on top of an engineering solution will stabilize the solution more and will provide additional safety and sustainability of the structure. The NBRO engineers now work with landscape architects, botanists and other non-engineering experts to design the hybrid and integrated solutions. 

The NSBs are more suitable as a mitigation measures for shallow landslides and the hybrid solutions, where the NBSs are used in combination with structural and technological measures, are more appropriate to mitigate the deep-seated landslides. The hybrid solutions will bring down the cost significantly when compared to the structural measures that are used alone. It is useful to recognize Nature Based interventions as a cost-effective option and get more confidence in application of the same as a standalone practice or as a practice with other engineering measures. It is essential to establish a separate unit at NBRO for undertaking research and demonstration activities on nature-based solutions that will enhance the knowledge base significantly. 

The manual on “Nature Based Solutions for mitigation of Landslide risk” is serving as a guidance manual on application of nature based as well as hybrid solutions. to the manual is used by practitioners and engineers in NBRO, relevant local authorities, other practitioners to design, implement and monitor nature-based solutions for landslide and erosion risk reduction under a range of physical conditions. The nature based and especially hybrid solutions presented in this guide are chosen specifically to Sri Lanka’s need for landslide risk reduction. In addition, it is expected that the vegetation cover may make the appearance of slopes as natural as possible, and help in creating not only safer but also more visually acceptable and ecologically sustainable slopes. 

CHALLENGE

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods, droughts, and landslides, which are exacerbated by population growth, urbanization, uncontrolled land-use change, and deforestation. The World Bank is implementing several programs to improve the government’s resilience to such natural risks. Notably, the Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) aims to reduce the immediate physical risks, such as by stabilizing hillsides with concrete, nets and drainage pipes, and to improve the understanding of disaster risks so that future investments are effectively targeted. Under CRIP-II (in preparation), basin investment plans will be developed and published on an online platform and co-financed by the Bank and other donors. There is also an ongoing technical assistance (TA) program that is supporting the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), the main organization responsible for landslide risk management in the country, on assessing landslide hazard and exposure and analyzing mitigation measures.

Even though it is recognized that deforestation and uncontrolled land-use change contribute significantly to landslide risks, forest-based solutions are generally not applied in Sri Lanka because of the government’s limited experience and expertise in such solutions. Therefore, to ensure the best results of the programs being invested in Sri Lanka, PROFOR’s activity seeks to build the NBRO’s capacity to understand and apply forest-based solutions.

APPROACH

This activity will support the Government of Sri Lanka in piloting and potentially scaling-up the use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management, through the following tasks and outputs:

1. Development of a capacity building program for NBRO to understand and apply forest-based solutions to mitigate landslide risk in selected regions of Sri Lanka. This will include a training (and the production of relevant training materials); a study tour; and a South-South knowledge exchange.  
2. Assessment of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks for the application of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in Sri Lanka. This assessment will result in the identification of opportunities and possible bottlenecks.
3. Development of a comprehensive forest-based landslide risk management plan for 1-2 selected areas. 
4. Preparation of a guidance document on the potential use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in developing countries.

The above activities will leverage the lessons learned from and connect to the ongoing World Bank projects: CRIP, CRIPII (in preparation), and the TA on landslide risk management in order to contribute to the overall disaster risk management investment planning in Sri Lanka. The activity will also be linked to the PROFOR-funded Global Knowledge Management Program on Forest and Disaster Risk Management.

RESULTS

In selecting appropriate landslide stabilization measures, three dominant factors need to be considered: cost, constructability, and safety. As landslides are very localized phenomena, site specific mitigation measures are needed for slope stabilization such as geotechnical structural measures that include soil reinforcement, soil nailing, rock bolting, surface protection, slope modification, retaining walls, gabion walls, breast walls, soil removal works, steel pile works, etc. The structural measures require sophisticated designs and the costs are very high. The NBSs are an attractive option as they are low cost and can be applied to large areas.  

Almost all landslide mitigation measures in Sri Lanka have used engineered solutions, and NSBs generally have not been used in Sri Lanka until recently. The main reason for this is that the counterpart has limited experience and expertise in such solutions and therefore has relied on engineered solutions. Therefore, the NBRO capacity building program provided them with the knowledge about what plants are suitable for NBSs and how these can be applied together with engineering solutions or as stand-alone practices. NBRO now have used the hybrid solutions to improve the performance of the engineering solution in the road failures along the Kandy Mahiyangana road. Applying NBSs on top of an engineering solution will stabilize the solution more and will provide additional safety and sustainability of the structure. The NBRO engineers now work with landscape architects, botanists and other non-engineering experts to design the hybrid and integrated solutions. 

The NSBs are more suitable as a mitigation measures for shallow landslides and the hybrid solutions, where the NBSs are used in combination with structural and technological measures, are more appropriate to mitigate the deep-seated landslides. The hybrid solutions will bring down the cost significantly when compared to the structural measures that are used alone. It is useful to recognize Nature Based interventions as a cost-effective option and get more confidence in application of the same as a standalone practice or as a practice with other engineering measures. It is essential to establish a separate unit at NBRO for undertaking research and demonstration activities on nature-based solutions that will enhance the knowledge base significantly. 

The manual on “Nature Based Solutions for mitigation of Landslide risk” is serving as a guidance manual on application of nature based as well as hybrid solutions. to the manual is used by practitioners and engineers in NBRO, relevant local authorities, other practitioners to design, implement and monitor nature-based solutions for landslide and erosion risk reduction under a range of physical conditions. The nature based and especially hybrid solutions presented in this guide are chosen specifically to Sri Lanka’s need for landslide risk reduction. In addition, it is expected that the vegetation cover may make the appearance of slopes as natural as possible, and help in creating not only safer but also more visually acceptable and ecologically sustainable slopes. 

CHALLENGE

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods, droughts, and landslides, which are exacerbated by population growth, urbanization, uncontrolled land-use change, and deforestation. The World Bank is implementing several programs to improve the government’s resilience to such natural risks. Notably, the Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) aims to reduce the immediate physical risks, such as by stabilizing hillsides with concrete, nets and drainage pipes, and to improve the understanding of disaster risks so that future investments are effectively targeted. Under CRIP-II (in preparation), basin investment plans will be developed and published on an online platform and co-financed by the Bank and other donors. There is also an ongoing technical assistance (TA) program that is supporting the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), the main organization responsible for landslide risk management in the country, on assessing landslide hazard and exposure and analyzing mitigation measures.

Even though it is recognized that deforestation and uncontrolled land-use change contribute significantly to landslide risks, forest-based solutions are generally not applied in Sri Lanka because of the government’s limited experience and expertise in such solutions. Therefore, to ensure the best results of the programs being invested in Sri Lanka, PROFOR’s activity seeks to build the NBRO’s capacity to understand and apply forest-based solutions.

APPROACH

This activity will support the Government of Sri Lanka in piloting and potentially scaling-up the use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management, through the following tasks and outputs:

1. Development of a capacity building program for NBRO to understand and apply forest-based solutions to mitigate landslide risk in selected regions of Sri Lanka. This will include a training (and the production of relevant training materials); a study tour; and a South-South knowledge exchange.  
2. Assessment of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks for the application of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in Sri Lanka. This assessment will result in the identification of opportunities and possible bottlenecks.
3. Development of a comprehensive forest-based landslide risk management plan for 1-2 selected areas. 
4. Preparation of a guidance document on the potential use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in developing countries.

The above activities will leverage the lessons learned from and connect to the ongoing World Bank projects: CRIP, CRIPII (in preparation), and the TA on landslide risk management in order to contribute to the overall disaster risk management investment planning in Sri Lanka. The activity will also be linked to the PROFOR-funded Global Knowledge Management Program on Forest and Disaster Risk Management.

RESULTS

In selecting appropriate landslide stabilization measures, three dominant factors need to be considered: cost, constructability, and safety. As landslides are very localized phenomena, site specific mitigation measures are needed for slope stabilization such as geotechnical structural measures that include soil reinforcement, soil nailing, rock bolting, surface protection, slope modification, retaining walls, gabion walls, breast walls, soil removal works, steel pile works, etc. The structural measures require sophisticated designs and the costs are very high. The NBSs are an attractive option as they are low cost and can be applied to large areas.  

Almost all landslide mitigation measures in Sri Lanka have used engineered solutions, and NSBs generally have not been used in Sri Lanka until recently. The main reason for this is that the counterpart has limited experience and expertise in such solutions and therefore has relied on engineered solutions. Therefore, the NBRO capacity building program provided them with the knowledge about what plants are suitable for NBSs and how these can be applied together with engineering solutions or as stand-alone practices. NBRO now have used the hybrid solutions to improve the performance of the engineering solution in the road failures along the Kandy Mahiyangana road. Applying NBSs on top of an engineering solution will stabilize the solution more and will provide additional safety and sustainability of the structure. The NBRO engineers now work with landscape architects, botanists and other non-engineering experts to design the hybrid and integrated solutions. 

The NSBs are more suitable as a mitigation measures for shallow landslides and the hybrid solutions, where the NBSs are used in combination with structural and technological measures, are more appropriate to mitigate the deep-seated landslides. The hybrid solutions will bring down the cost significantly when compared to the structural measures that are used alone. It is useful to recognize Nature Based interventions as a cost-effective option and get more confidence in application of the same as a standalone practice or as a practice with other engineering measures. It is essential to establish a separate unit at NBRO for undertaking research and demonstration activities on nature-based solutions that will enhance the knowledge base significantly. 

The manual on “Nature Based Solutions for mitigation of Landslide risk” is serving as a guidance manual on application of nature based as well as hybrid solutions. to the manual is used by practitioners and engineers in NBRO, relevant local authorities, other practitioners to design, implement and monitor nature-based solutions for landslide and erosion risk reduction under a range of physical conditions. The nature based and especially hybrid solutions presented in this guide are chosen specifically to Sri Lanka’s need for landslide risk reduction. In addition, it is expected that the vegetation cover may make the appearance of slopes as natural as possible, and help in creating not only safer but also more visually acceptable and ecologically sustainable slopes. 

CHALLENGE

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods, droughts, and landslides, which are exacerbated by population growth, urbanization, uncontrolled land-use change, and deforestation. The World Bank is implementing several programs to improve the government’s resilience to such natural risks. Notably, the Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) aims to reduce the immediate physical risks, such as by stabilizing hillsides with concrete, nets and drainage pipes, and to improve the understanding of disaster risks so that future investments are effectively targeted. Under CRIP-II (in preparation), basin investment plans will be developed and published on an online platform and co-financed by the Bank and other donors. There is also an ongoing technical assistance (TA) program that is supporting the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), the main organization responsible for landslide risk management in the country, on assessing landslide hazard and exposure and analyzing mitigation measures.

Even though it is recognized that deforestation and uncontrolled land-use change contribute significantly to landslide risks, forest-based solutions are generally not applied in Sri Lanka because of the government’s limited experience and expertise in such solutions. Therefore, to ensure the best results of the programs being invested in Sri Lanka, PROFOR’s activity seeks to build the NBRO’s capacity to understand and apply forest-based solutions.

APPROACH

This activity will support the Government of Sri Lanka in piloting and potentially scaling-up the use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management, through the following tasks and outputs:

1. Development of a capacity building program for NBRO to understand and apply forest-based solutions to mitigate landslide risk in selected regions of Sri Lanka. This will include a training (and the production of relevant training materials); a study tour; and a South-South knowledge exchange.  
2. Assessment of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks for the application of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in Sri Lanka. This assessment will result in the identification of opportunities and possible bottlenecks.
3. Development of a comprehensive forest-based landslide risk management plan for 1-2 selected areas. 
4. Preparation of a guidance document on the potential use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in developing countries.

The above activities will leverage the lessons learned from and connect to the ongoing World Bank projects: CRIP, CRIPII (in preparation), and the TA on landslide risk management in order to contribute to the overall disaster risk management investment planning in Sri Lanka. The activity will also be linked to the PROFOR-funded Global Knowledge Management Program on Forest and Disaster Risk Management.

RESULTS

In selecting appropriate landslide stabilization measures, three dominant factors need to be considered: cost, constructability, and safety. As landslides are very localized phenomena, site specific mitigation measures are needed for slope stabilization such as geotechnical structural measures that include soil reinforcement, soil nailing, rock bolting, surface protection, slope modification, retaining walls, gabion walls, breast walls, soil removal works, steel pile works, etc. The structural measures require sophisticated designs and the costs are very high. The NBSs are an attractive option as they are low cost and can be applied to large areas.  

Almost all landslide mitigation measures in Sri Lanka have used engineered solutions, and NSBs generally have not been used in Sri Lanka until recently. The main reason for this is that the counterpart has limited experience and expertise in such solutions and therefore has relied on engineered solutions. Therefore, the NBRO capacity building program provided them with the knowledge about what plants are suitable for NBSs and how these can be applied together with engineering solutions or as stand-alone practices. NBRO now have used the hybrid solutions to improve the performance of the engineering solution in the road failures along the Kandy Mahiyangana road. Applying NBSs on top of an engineering solution will stabilize the solution more and will provide additional safety and sustainability of the structure. The NBRO engineers now work with landscape architects, botanists and other non-engineering experts to design the hybrid and integrated solutions. 

The NSBs are more suitable as a mitigation measures for shallow landslides and the hybrid solutions, where the NBSs are used in combination with structural and technological measures, are more appropriate to mitigate the deep-seated landslides. The hybrid solutions will bring down the cost significantly when compared to the structural measures that are used alone. It is useful to recognize Nature Based interventions as a cost-effective option and get more confidence in application of the same as a standalone practice or as a practice with other engineering measures. It is essential to establish a separate unit at NBRO for undertaking research and demonstration activities on nature-based solutions that will enhance the knowledge base significantly. 

The manual on “Nature Based Solutions for mitigation of Landslide risk” is serving as a guidance manual on application of nature based as well as hybrid solutions. to the manual is used by practitioners and engineers in NBRO, relevant local authorities, other practitioners to design, implement and monitor nature-based solutions for landslide and erosion risk reduction under a range of physical conditions. The nature based and especially hybrid solutions presented in this guide are chosen specifically to Sri Lanka’s need for landslide risk reduction. In addition, it is expected that the vegetation cover may make the appearance of slopes as natural as possible, and help in creating not only safer but also more visually acceptable and ecologically sustainable slopes. 

CHALLENGE

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods, droughts, and landslides, which are exacerbated by population growth, urbanization, uncontrolled land-use change, and deforestation. The World Bank is implementing several programs to improve the government’s resilience to such natural risks. Notably, the Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) aims to reduce the immediate physical risks, such as by stabilizing hillsides with concrete, nets and drainage pipes, and to improve the understanding of disaster risks so that future investments are effectively targeted. Under CRIP-II (in preparation), basin investment plans will be developed and published on an online platform and co-financed by the Bank and other donors. There is also an ongoing technical assistance (TA) program that is supporting the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), the main organization responsible for landslide risk management in the country, on assessing landslide hazard and exposure and analyzing mitigation measures.

Even though it is recognized that deforestation and uncontrolled land-use change contribute significantly to landslide risks, forest-based solutions are generally not applied in Sri Lanka because of the government’s limited experience and expertise in such solutions. Therefore, to ensure the best results of the programs being invested in Sri Lanka, PROFOR’s activity seeks to build the NBRO’s capacity to understand and apply forest-based solutions.

APPROACH

This activity will support the Government of Sri Lanka in piloting and potentially scaling-up the use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management, through the following tasks and outputs:

1. Development of a capacity building program for NBRO to understand and apply forest-based solutions to mitigate landslide risk in selected regions of Sri Lanka. This will include a training (and the production of relevant training materials); a study tour; and a South-South knowledge exchange.  
2. Assessment of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks for the application of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in Sri Lanka. This assessment will result in the identification of opportunities and possible bottlenecks.
3. Development of a comprehensive forest-based landslide risk management plan for 1-2 selected areas. 
4. Preparation of a guidance document on the potential use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in developing countries.

The above activities will leverage the lessons learned from and connect to the ongoing World Bank projects: CRIP, CRIPII (in preparation), and the TA on landslide risk management in order to contribute to the overall disaster risk management investment planning in Sri Lanka. The activity will also be linked to the PROFOR-funded Global Knowledge Management Program on Forest and Disaster Risk Management.

RESULTS

In selecting appropriate landslide stabilization measures, three dominant factors need to be considered: cost, constructability, and safety. As landslides are very localized phenomena, site specific mitigation measures are needed for slope stabilization such as geotechnical structural measures that include soil reinforcement, soil nailing, rock bolting, surface protection, slope modification, retaining walls, gabion walls, breast walls, soil removal works, steel pile works, etc. The structural measures require sophisticated designs and the costs are very high. The NBSs are an attractive option as they are low cost and can be applied to large areas.  

Almost all landslide mitigation measures in Sri Lanka have used engineered solutions, and NSBs generally have not been used in Sri Lanka until recently. The main reason for this is that the counterpart has limited experience and expertise in such solutions and therefore has relied on engineered solutions. Therefore, the NBRO capacity building program provided them with the knowledge about what plants are suitable for NBSs and how these can be applied together with engineering solutions or as stand-alone practices. NBRO now have used the hybrid solutions to improve the performance of the engineering solution in the road failures along the Kandy Mahiyangana road. Applying NBSs on top of an engineering solution will stabilize the solution more and will provide additional safety and sustainability of the structure. The NBRO engineers now work with landscape architects, botanists and other non-engineering experts to design the hybrid and integrated solutions. 

The NSBs are more suitable as a mitigation measures for shallow landslides and the hybrid solutions, where the NBSs are used in combination with structural and technological measures, are more appropriate to mitigate the deep-seated landslides. The hybrid solutions will bring down the cost significantly when compared to the structural measures that are used alone. It is useful to recognize Nature Based interventions as a cost-effective option and get more confidence in application of the same as a standalone practice or as a practice with other engineering measures. It is essential to establish a separate unit at NBRO for undertaking research and demonstration activities on nature-based solutions that will enhance the knowledge base significantly. 

The manual on “Nature Based Solutions for mitigation of Landslide risk” is serving as a guidance manual on application of nature based as well as hybrid solutions. to the manual is used by practitioners and engineers in NBRO, relevant local authorities, other practitioners to design, implement and monitor nature-based solutions for landslide and erosion risk reduction under a range of physical conditions. The nature based and especially hybrid solutions presented in this guide are chosen specifically to Sri Lanka’s need for landslide risk reduction. In addition, it is expected that the vegetation cover may make the appearance of slopes as natural as possible, and help in creating not only safer but also more visually acceptable and ecologically sustainable slopes. 

CHALLENGE

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods, droughts, and landslides, which are exacerbated by population growth, urbanization, uncontrolled land-use change, and deforestation. The World Bank is implementing several programs to improve the government’s resilience to such natural risks. Notably, the Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) aims to reduce the immediate physical risks, such as by stabilizing hillsides with concrete, nets and drainage pipes, and to improve the understanding of disaster risks so that future investments are effectively targeted. Under CRIP-II (in preparation), basin investment plans will be developed and published on an online platform and co-financed by the Bank and other donors. There is also an ongoing technical assistance (TA) program that is supporting the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), the main organization responsible for landslide risk management in the country, on assessing landslide hazard and exposure and analyzing mitigation measures.

Even though it is recognized that deforestation and uncontrolled land-use change contribute significantly to landslide risks, forest-based solutions are generally not applied in Sri Lanka because of the government’s limited experience and expertise in such solutions. Therefore, to ensure the best results of the programs being invested in Sri Lanka, PROFOR’s activity seeks to build the NBRO’s capacity to understand and apply forest-based solutions.

APPROACH

This activity will support the Government of Sri Lanka in piloting and potentially scaling-up the use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management, through the following tasks and outputs:

1. Development of a capacity building program for NBRO to understand and apply forest-based solutions to mitigate landslide risk in selected regions of Sri Lanka. This will include a training (and the production of relevant training materials); a study tour; and a South-South knowledge exchange.  
2. Assessment of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks for the application of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in Sri Lanka. This assessment will result in the identification of opportunities and possible bottlenecks.
3. Development of a comprehensive forest-based landslide risk management plan for 1-2 selected areas. 
4. Preparation of a guidance document on the potential use of forest-based solutions for landslide risk management in developing countries.

The above activities will leverage the lessons learned from and connect to the ongoing World Bank projects: CRIP, CRIPII (in preparation), and the TA on landslide risk management in order to contribute to the overall disaster risk management investment planning in Sri Lanka. The activity will also be linked to the PROFOR-funded Global Knowledge Management Program on Forest and Disaster Risk Management.

RESULTS

In selecting appropriate landslide stabilization measures, three dominant factors need to be considered: cost, constructability, and safety. As landslides are very localized phenomena, site specific mitigation measures are needed for slope stabilization such as geotechnical structural measures that include soil reinforcement, soil nailing, rock bolting, surface protection, slope modification, retaining walls, gabion walls, breast walls, soil removal works, steel pile works, etc. The structural measures require sophisticated designs and the costs are very high. The NBSs are an attractive option as they are low cost and can be applied to large areas.  

Almost all landslide mitigation measures in Sri Lanka have used engineered solutions, and NSBs generally have not been used in Sri Lanka until recently. The main reason for this is that the counterpart has limited experience and expertise in such solutions and therefore has relied on engineered solutions. Therefore, the NBRO capacity building program provided them with the knowledge about what plants are suitable for NBSs and how these can be applied together with engineering solutions or as stand-alone practices. NBRO now have used the hybrid solutions to improve the performance of the engineering solution in the road failures along the Kandy Mahiyangana road. Applying NBSs on top of an engineering solution will stabilize the solution more and will provide additional safety and sustainability of the structure. The NBRO engineers now work with landscape architects, botanists and other non-engineering experts to design the hybrid and integrated solutions. 

The NSBs are more suitable as a mitigation measures for shallow landslides and the hybrid solutions, where the NBSs are used in combination with structural and technological measures, are more appropriate to mitigate the deep-seated landslides. The hybrid solutions will bring down the cost significantly when compared to the structural measures that are used alone. It is useful to recognize Nature Based interventions as a cost-effective option and get more confidence in application of the same as a standalone practice or as a practice with other engineering measures. It is essential to establish a separate unit at NBRO for undertaking research and demonstration activities on nature-based solutions that will enhance the knowledge base significantly. 

The manual on “Nature Based Solutions for mitigation of Landslide risk” is serving as a guidance manual on application of nature based as well as hybrid solutions. to the manual is used by practitioners and engineers in NBRO, relevant local authorities, other practitioners to design, implement and monitor nature-based solutions for landslide and erosion risk reduction under a range of physical conditions. The nature based and especially hybrid solutions presented in this guide are chosen specifically to Sri Lanka’s need for landslide risk reduction. In addition, it is expected that the vegetation cover may make the appearance of slopes as natural as possible, and help in creating not only safer but also more visually acceptable and ecologically sustainable slopes. 

A Review of Conceptual Understandings and Practical Experiences

CHALLENGE

While many international agreements, governments, private sector companies and civil society organizations have committed to implement both an ecosystem approach and sustainable forest management (SFM), there is a general lack of clarity on how these two concepts relate to each other. As a result, delegates to international fora on forest and forest-related issues have many different interpretations as to whether and how an ecosystem approach and SFM relate to each other.

APPROACH

In response to challenges arising from this definitional problem, recommendations were made to take necessary actions to clarify the conceptual basis of the ecosystem approach in relation to sustainable forest management at both the sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Resolution 3/4 of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF). Based on the request made by the CBD and UNFF, the objective of this study was to evaluate the link between the concepts of an ecosystem approach and SFM and, using case studies, to review the differences and similarities in the application of these approaches with a view to improve the conservation of biological diversity and sustainable use.

Specifically, the study sought to:

• Outline the historical evolution and key operational features of the ecosystem approach and of contemporary SFM concepts.
• Review practical experiences in the application of SFM and the Ecosystem Approach.
• Explore how spatial and temporal perspectives inherent in the ecosystem approach and SFM can contribute to how we understand and address the economic, environmental and social trade-offs involved in land-use policy and practice.
• Suggest key policy and institutional interventions for operationalizing these concepts, and optimizing synergies between them, in contemporary resource management and planning.