Over the years, LTS has worked with a diverse range of clients and partners from Government and non-government organisations to the private sector. We fully understand that needs and approaches differ among partners, so our work is focused to match.  LTS is valued for being professional, flexible, responsive, thorough and constructive.  We secure repeat business because of our client focus and attention to delivery and quality. 

Worldwide, Development Innovation Fund, 2010-2011, UK Department for International Development

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LTS is contracted by the UK Department for International Development to support the management of the Development Innovation Fund (DIF). The DIF was launched in January 2010 to provide grants to small organisations involved in providing specific small-scale, one-off support that directly targets poverty in the developing world. All projects must show how lessons learnt will be used to raise public awareness in the UK of international development issues.

LTS’ role is to manage the entire Development Innovation Fund process from inviting and guiding applications, through appraising and assessing applications, managing budgets and distributing grants, and on to evaluating funded projects and reporting to DFID on delivery of the Fund.

Worldwide, Darwin Initiative Monitoring and Evaluation / Management of Applications Process, 2003-2010, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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LTS is contracted by the UK Department for Food and Rural Affairs to support the management of the Darwin Initiative. The Darwin Initiative was announced by the UK Government at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 with the goal to assist countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources to meet their objectives under one or more of the three major biodiversity Conventions: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES); and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), through the funding of collaborative projects which draw on UK biodiversity expertise. The Initiative provides £7 million worth of funds per annum to projects carried out in partnership between UK institutions and developing countries, Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom and countries whose economies are in transition. Services LTS provides under the Darwin Initiative include management of the applications process, financial administration of all projects, project management support services including Secretariat functions and delivery of the monitoring and evaluation programme.

Worldwide, Assessments of applications to the International Development Fund – Malawi and South Asia, 2009–2010, Scottish Government.
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The International Development Fund (IDF) supports the delivery of the Scottish Government’s International Development Policy which aims to enhance Scotland’s contribution to the global fight against poverty. This policy complements the work of the UK Government and other international development programmes in Malawi and the Indian Subcontinent. LTS is supporting the Scottish Government’s Malawi and South Asia Development Programmes, as well as their Humanitarian Fund, by managing the applications processes and assessing applications. LTS has also been contracted to carry out any monitoring and evaluation of IDF projects if required.

Africa, Congo Basin Forest Fund, 2008-2010, Department for International Development and African Development Bank.
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LTS is providing technical support to the establishment of the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF) Secretariat and its operational systems. The CBFF is a multi donor fund (US$200 million from UK and Norway) set up to take early action to protect the forest in the Congo Basin region. Covering 200 million hectares and including approximately one fifth of the world remaining closed canopy tropical forest, the Congo Basin forests are also a very significant carbon store with a vital role in regulating the regional climate; and harbour diversity of global importance. The Fund supports innovative and transformative initiatives from governments, civil society and private sector institutions to slow the rate of deforestation, through developing the capacity of the people and institutions in the countries of the Congo basin to manage their forest. This includes helping local communities find livelihoods that are consistent with forest conservation and developing new approaches which will bring genuine change and future sustainable management.

East Africa, The 'WATERMARK' - Developing Accredited Standards for Sustainable Water use, 2007-2010, Water Witness International.
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LTS, working with NGO's and partners in the private sector is leading the design and development of an international standard for sustainable water resource use. This product-based accreditation scheme aims to harness the growing power of ethical consumerism and Corporate Social Responsibility to drive sustainable water resource use. LTS involvement includes research and development, networking and assembling project partners and in the future the piloting of the scheme in East Africa. As part of this process, LTS is providing strategic support and guidance in the launch of Water Witness International, a new international NGO dedicated to improved performance and accountability in water resource management.

Ethiopia, Kenya & Malawi, Climate Change Adaptation Project, 2009-2010, United Nations Development Programme.
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RSPB, in partnership with Burung Indonesia and the Birdlife Partnership persuaded the government of Indonesia in a landmark move to provide the group with two logging-concessions for the purposes of restoration and conservation. This has been converted into law, effected by the Indonesian Parliament in 2007. The restoration licence has been extended for 100 years. LTS has been secured to provide support to RSPB on the Community Development Component of the Harapan Rainforest Initiative. RSPB have asked LTS to review the community development activities at the Harapan Rainforest initiative to develop recommendations for the next phase of community development. This will include a review of Harapan Rainforest’s approach towards local communities living within and bordering to the concession area, a review of Harapan Rainforest’s approach to capacity building of local government, in order to develop guidance and recommendations for the next phase.

Kenya, Forest Carbon Project in the Enoosupukia Forest Trust Land and Adjoining Areas, 2009-2010, Clinton Foundation.

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The Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, in collaboration with the Clinton Foundation through its Clinton Climate Initiative and the Narok Country Council, jointly identified the Enoosupukia trustlands (approximately 10,000 hectares) as a pilot site for a forestry carbon project. The LTS team is developing baseline scenarios, undertaking participatory rural appraisal and socio-economic analysis, developing carbon baseline survey guidelines and training, constructing carbon sequestration and financial models in order to prepare a project feasibility / site eligibility report. The feasibility study will provide the background information to enable the client to make an informed decision about whether a forest carbon project is likely to be a viable opportunity, and if so, to prepare a business case for attracting investment and next steps for developing a full scale project.

Kenya, Forestry Mainstreaming Initiative, 2009-2010, Food and Agriculture Organisation and United Nations Environment Programme.
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The Forestry Mainstreaming Initiative (FMI) has been developed as a 5-year collaborative effort led by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in partnership with various Government of Kenya institutions that will bring together critical thinking on the Government processes of mainstreaming from a forestry perspective and aims to create a common understanding of forestry mainstreaming. The FMI objectives include: (i) building capacity to integrate forestry in budget decision-making, sectoral strategies, plans, investment programmes and M&E systems; (ii) establishing partnerships for mainstreaming at a national level visible through better Government and development partner coordination and mobilisation of resources; and (iii) increasing awareness on forestry linkages and improving the understanding of the forest sectors contribution to national development. The Forestry Resource Accounts (FRA) process was initiated as a priority FMI activity. The intention is to establish a “satellite account” within the National Accounts Office operated by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. LTS designed FMI, and is providing strategic support and supervision of the FRA process.

Kenya, Support Services for Implementation of Miti Mingi Maisha Bora (MMMB) - Support to Forest Sector Reform: Implementation Phase, 2009–2014, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland.
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The ambitious MMMB implementation phase focuses on forest sector reform efforts which follow-on from an inception phase (2007-2009).These reforms stem from the passing of the Forests Act in 2005 in which the €22 million MMMB intervention through four interconnected components will link policy and field implementation. The overall objective of the MMMB implementation phase is a reduction in poverty through ensuring that the forest sector contributes effectively and sustainably to improving the lives of the poor, restoring the environment, and aiding the economic recovery and growth of Kenya, within the context of Vision 2030. The LTS team is working closely with the partners to deliver a full range of programme management and advisory support: forest sector policy, regulation and coordination; national forest programme development and monitoring; forestry resource accounting and mainstreaming; institutional change management and corporate governance; management systems development and business planning; forest plantation management, concessioning and licensing systems; indigenous forest conservation and arid lands development; forest enterprises, bio-energy and eco-tourism development; payment for ecosystem services mechanisms, national policy and carbon accounting methods for REDD; forest information systems, GIS and remote sensing analysis.

Kenya/ Tanzania, Final Evaluation of Mara River Basin Management Initiative, 2009-2010, World Wildlife Fund.
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The Mara River Basin Management Initiative (MRBMI) funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and WWF-Norway has been managed by WWF-ESAPRO since 2003. Established in response to concerns regarding water resource degradation and depletion in the Mara Basin and impacts on the globally important Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.

LTS lead the final evaluation of the initiative which draws strategic lessons about the efficacy, impact and the value for money of Norad and WWF-Norway investment in the Mara Basin and evaluates whether intended benefits have been delivered. Specifically the evaluation focused on assessing the level of genuine empowerment of water users in the basin, the contributions made to policy and wider learning given the pilot nature of the work, and the contribution to transboundary co-operation. It also established the need for further targeted investment in the basin, and advised on the form this should take. The evaluation provides valuable learning opportunities across WWF and for other organisations supporting communities and institutions to deliver integrated river basin management.

Malawi, Improved Forest Management for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, 2006-2010, European Commission.
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This national-level sector programme contributes towards improving decentralised forestry governance through building capacity of district-level service delivery, and promoting multi-stakeholder involvement in the management of forest areas. The programme has 5 Result Areas with concomitant activities with a broad remit to improve governance of the forestry sector. The programme objective is "to improve the livelihoods of forest dependent communities through improved sustainable collaborative management of forests both in forest reserves and customary land." In achieving this objective, The programme is explicit about being people-centred in its approach to sustainable development through recognising their needs, priorities and desired outcomes. In collaboration with the Department of Forestry of the Malawi Ministry of Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs, LTS International is providing the international technical expertise, the management of the technical expertise and backstopping of the project.

Rwanda, Baseline Studies for the National Forestry Development Plan, 2009-2010, National Forestry Authority.
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The Government of Rwanda has initiated a process of developing a National Forestry Development Plan (NFDP) as the long-term national strategy to guide implementation of a set of actions that will lead to attaining Rwanda’s goal of increased forest/tree cover to 30% in order to meet the basic needs of the population, conserve ecosystems and genetic resources and combat land degradation. A review of the Rwanda forestry sector is underway however there is a shortage of reliable up-to-date information on some key aspects of the sector.  The LTS team is carrying out a number baseline studies on key aspects of forestry in Rwanda: characterization of supply and demand of round-wood; determination of volume of business based on forest products; a determination of human capacity needs in forestry sector; and current forestry sector governance. The NFDP formulation and implementation process will be a significant, inclusive, forward-looking and coordinated effort to consult all major affected parties in Rwanda. 

Southern Africa, Regional Climate Change Programme, 2007-2014, UK Department for International Development.
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Southern Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate related challenges. As part of an ongoing effort to help minimize the risks associated with climate change, DFID has been supporting adaptation efforts in the region. In 2007/08 LTS, together with our regional partner OneWorld, conducted a 5-country feasibility study to clarify the role DFID should play to help southern Africa respond to the challenge of climate change. LTS identified key risks and vulnerabilities in the region, reviewed the anticipated impacts climate change and determined at what resolution biophysical information is needed to inform a) a robust regional programme and b) allow for effective monitoring of climate change progress and effectiveness of responses. It also concluded that a Regional Climate Change programme (RCCP) for Southern Africa (SADC region) could enhance adaptation to climate change, thus contributing towards poverty reduction. Subsequently, DFID approved funding a RCCP designed “to enable transboundary adaptation to climate change, with equitable access to climate funding, in southern Africa”. This programme, with funds managed by OneWorld and technical assistance supported by LTS and a number of South African Partners, will promote capacity building and advisory support to the SADC region, as well as promoting stakeholder engagement, public awareness and lesson learning.

UK, University of Edinburgh climate change research into use, 2009-12, UK Natural Environment Research Council LIN (Linking Innovation with NERC) Knowledge Exchange Fellowship
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LTS International, together with Edinburgh University, Envirotrade, Ecometrica, AELc, Clyde Space, eOsphere, and Selex-Galileo, is working to increase the economic and social impact of the UK Natural Environment Research Council’s outputs. We are looking in particular at ways of taking the cutting edge research currently undertaken at the University on carbon modeling, remote sensing and ecology and translating it for practical usage that meet relevant science and societal needs.