Healthy Ecosystems for Rangeland Development (HERD)

Rangelands that are subject to land degradation are the object of management interventions under this project. The concept of HERD – Healthy Ecosystems for Rangeland Development – is being consolidated through this project on the back of numerous projects, programs, initiatives, studies, scientific articles and policy papers. The current GEF intervention focuses on Jordan and Egypt and on the specific issue of desertification (or land degradation in drylands), which affects pastoral rangelands in these two countries. In addition, the project also proposes serve as a ‘catalyst’ for scaling-up of HERD, both regionally and globally. HERD builds on the sustainable management of pastoral rangelands for the provision of ecosystem services and protection of biodiversity. The project’s objective is to strengthen restoration and sustainable management of pastoral rangelands for the provision of ecosystem services and protection of biodiversity in Egypt and Jordan and catalyzing scale up regionally and globally. This will be achieved through the delivery of six results-oriented project Outcomes, grouped under four Components that focus on the following: (1) Provision of evidence-based technical assistance; (2) Institutional strengthening for rangeland governance; (3) Up-scaling of good practices in Sustainable Rangeland Management (SRM); and (4) Promoting SRM knowledge management, including at the global and regional levels. The following are the project’s Outcomes: Outcome 1.1) Rangeland monitoring systems institutionalized nationally and regionally based on commonly agreed scale-dependent indicators appropriate for different end-user groups; Outcome 1.2) Good practices and effective policies in sustainable rangeland management and rangeland rehabilitation identified and prioritized for implementation; Outcome 2.1) Local organizations for rangeland management (community and government) engage in more inclusive dialogue for improved rangeland governance covering approximately 500,000 hectares; Outcome 2.2) Participating communities use PRMP to guide the establishment of rules and regulations for improved rangelands management (in line with the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure); Outcome 3.1) Local farmers / pastoralists adopt good practices in rangeland restoration and management and supporting services with support from local government Annex 1: Project Document 4 agencies; and Outcome 4.1) Increased support for sustainable pastoralism in investments and public decision/policy- making, nationally, regionally and globally.