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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, Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative, Real Time Evaluation Services, 2010-2013, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Focus Areas:     The Norway International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) was launched during the climate change negotiations at Bali in December 2007, with commitments up to $500 million a year to support efforts that reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in developing countries. The NICFI (i) works towards the inclusion of REDD in a new international climate regime; (ii) takes early action to achieve cost-effective and verifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and (ii) promotes the conservation of natural forests to maintain their carbon storage capacity. The LTS consortium provides real-time evaluation services to the NICFI, through the Evaluation Department of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. LTS progressively assesses the results of the NICFI with regard to its objectives and the general objectives of Norwegian development cooperation, such as those related to livelihoods, economic and social development and the environment.
Worldwide, Development Innovation Fund, 2010-2011, UK Department for International Development. Focus Areas: The UK White paper on international development outlines DFID’s approach to working with civil society, including a commitment to help community groups support small-scale, innovative work. To this end, the Development Innovation Fund (DIF) has been launched and aims to provide grants to small organisations involved in providing specific small-scale, one-off support that directly targets poverty in the developing world, and includes a significant development awareness component in the UK. The Fund supports projects which demonstrate that they will make a positive impact on the lives of poor people 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. The DIF has a budget of £7m for an initial period of 16 months. 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, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Public Spending in the Forestry Sector: Lessons from Global Good Practices, 2010, World Bank. As part of the evaluation, LTS International will carry out a stock-take of public expenditure analysis efforts in forestry and efforts to establish the effectiveness and efficiency of public spending in the forestry sector. LTS International will also examine public expenditure analysis work from other sectors and build up a compendium of global good practice examples which could be used in the forestry sector. LTS International will draw upon this knowledge to prepare a guidance note, including a set of principles articulating a best practice approach to public expenditure analysis (including assessments of expenditure efficiency and effectiveness) for the forest sector. Tools such as the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (currently deployed to assess the effectiveness of spending on protected areas) will be considered for the forest sector. Worldwide, Evaluation of Sustainability Dimension in Addressing Poverty Reduction: Forestry and Biological Resources Sub-Theme, 2010, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland. Poverty reduction was an overarching goal of the Finnish development cooperation strategy since 1993 through to the current Development Policy of 2007. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify concrete results and achievements in the Finnish development cooperation, with particular reference to the sustainable development approach. LTS is undertaking a desk study which will be followed by field work in selected countries in order to: investigate the poverty reduction outcomes that have taken place in relation to the application of the sustainability concept at a macro level in Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) partner countries; assess the extent to which MFA interventions since 2000 have made a contribution to these changes through co-operation on forestry and biological resources; draw out lessons from past experiences and thinking, in particular looking for best practice, constraints and innovations; and consequently; and identify how MFA interventions could be achieving greater impact. The evaluation is guided by the OECD/DAC norms and quality standards for development evaluation. Worldwide, Forest Governance and Trade Programme – Output to Purpose Review, 2010, UK Department for International Development. The Forest Governance and Trade Programme aims to facilitate reforms to deal with illegal logging and trade in illegally logged timber. It will do so by addressing the underlying failures of governance, policies and markets. Illegal logging and associated trade is a major problem for many timber-producing countries. It costs governments billions of Euros in lost revenues, deprives poor people of livelihood opportunities, undermines the rule of law and causes environmental damage. The main task of the programme is to support reforms, together with the European Commission and other Member States, in countries that enter into partnership with the European Union under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade programme. The purpose of the LTS review was to learn lessons from governance reforms in EU-FLEGT countries, the promotion of business practices that support legal sources, and use of tools and systems to tackle illegal logging and associated trade with Japan, China, US and other major consumers of forest products. Worldwide, Darwin Initiative Monitoring and Evaluation / Management of Applications Process, 2003-2010, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 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. 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.
Central Africa, Congo Basin Forest Fund, 2008-2010, UK Department for International Development and African Development Bank. 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. 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.
Southern Africa, Regional Climate Change Programme, 2007-2014, UK Department for International Development. 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.
West Africa: Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, West Africa Forest Strategy, 2010, World Bank. The Upper Guinea High Forest in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana represents a diversity of ecosystems made up of savannas, semi-deciduous tropical forests and tropical rain forests. Loss of forest cover and degradation of forested land continues at a rapid pace. The West African Forest Strategy (WAFS) formulation process requires an assessment of the sector to provide the World Bank with strategic direction aimed at creating a sustainable and productive forestry sector that fuels growth. The WAFS will contribute to the fine tuning of a wider African Forestry Strategy and assist the World Bank in consolidating its support to forestry in the region and providing a more systematic engagement on forestry issues at a regional level. LTS will undertake a forest sector analysis using a gap model framework, a policy options analysis and the development of the strategy and financing instruments.
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. 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. Focus Areas: Being the single most important water catchment in Malawi, the Shire Basin (inclusive of Lake Malawi) is a natural asset of national importance. Through a range of ecological services the Shire Basin supports key economic sectors in Malawi and further downstream, including food production, transport, energy, tourism, agriculture, fisheries and industries. In order to maintain the vital role of the Shire Basin in contributing to the health and prosperity of Malawi, the Government of Malawi and cooperating partners have decided to develop a long-term Environment and Natural Resources Management Action Plan (ENRMAP) which will provide a sustainable solution to managing the basin and upper catchments. LTS is preparing a comprehensive ENRMAP for the Malombe East and Malombe West catchments based on an integrated ecosystem services approach that considers the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of land use and resource management problems in the Upper Shire with the primary objective of identifying and prioritising specific interventions to promote more sustainable land use practices.
Nigeria, Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme (WSSSRP) – Mangagement of State Technical Units in Anambra, Cross River, Jigawa, Kano, Osun and Yobe States, 2010-2011, European Commission. The WSSSRP is a continuation of the EC support to Water Law in Nigeria with a total budget of Euro 119.63 million (EC, Federal Govt Nigeria, Unicef). The project provides broad interventions across four fronts to achieve improved water supply and sanitation under an entirely new policy and institutional framework and water sector reform, resulting in improved decentralised delivery of services. The project will work with 39 Local Government Authorities in 6 States and will benefit 3 million people from 1,400 rural communities and 60 small towns. LTS expert input is concerned with advising and ensuring that policy and law developed at the State level is harmonised with Federal Water Law. The Federal Water Law is now concerned with new forms of decentralised administration and management of water including river basin commissions as well as privatised management of infrastructure. Consequently the law now being developed at the State level must provide the appropriate legal basis for these new institutional arrangements and forms of management – and these must be compliant with the national constitution. Ethiopia, Kenya & Malawi, Climate Change Adaptation Project, 2009-2010, United Nations Development Programme. The UNDP are preparing an African Adaptation Programme (AAP) to strengthen capacity for climate change adaptation across 21 countries in Africa. Paddy Abbot, Managing Director of LTS, has been commissioned by UNDP to lead the preparation of this programme in Kenya and Ethiopia. The process involves extensive stakeholder consultation to develop a programme that will “enhance the adaptive capacity of vulnerable countries, promoting early adaptation action and laying the foundation for long-term investment to increase resilience to climate change across the African continent.” The AAP can provide the countries with an overall structure for organising and prioritising climate change resources and investments, whilst the pan-African approach provides the scope for valuable cross-country learning.
Indonesia, Preparation of Community Development Component of Harapan Rainforest Initiative, 2009-2010, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Focus Areas: 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. Focus Areas: 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. 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/ Tanzania, Final Evaluation of Mara River Basin Management Initiative, 2009-2010, World Wildlife Fund. 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.
Rwanda, Baseline Studies for the National Forestry Development Plan, 2009-2010, National Forestry Authority. 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.
Ghana, Protected Areas Development Programme: Phase II, 2006 - 2010, European Commission. The prime objective of the Protected Areas Development Programme (Phase II) is to enhance the conservation of biodiversity heritage designated Globally Significant Biodiversity Area. The PADP II will consolidate and extend the on- and off-reserve achievements of its predecessor (PADP I), in particular securing long-term management prospects for the focal protected areas. This second phase is primarily an institutional strengthening intervention, with emphasis on building the capacity of existing local institutions and personnel, and enhancing the effectiveness of existing infrastructure. The approach involves the project playing a catalytic role to enable the Wildlife Division and other sectoral stakeholders to build sustainable management capacity, rather than simply providing a vehicle for implementing activities. LTS is responsible for overall project management and administration including the recruitment and administration of staff, and provision of all technical support.
Malawi, Improved Forest Management for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, 2006-2010, European Commission. 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.
Ethiopia, Climate Change Strategic Programme Review, 2010, UK Department for International Development. Ethiopia’s leadership has acknowledged the risk from climate change and has stated it as a priority issue for the country. The Strategic Programme Review (SPR) support will provide advice for three strategic processes in Ethiopia: a national climate change strategy; the Ethiopian second phase of the five year poverty reduction development plan, Plan for Accelerated Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP 2); and DFID’s country planning process. The consultancy will facilitate the development of an integrated multi-donor Climate Institutions Programme to support Ethiopian Government and civil society to respond to climate change; help mainstream climate change into DFID’s country planning process and make links with climate institutions programme and PASDEP; as well as ensure that the Climate Institutions Programme and DFID country planning processes are linked to the new PASDEP.
Israel and Palestine, UNDP Peace Building Project, 2010, United Nations Development Programme. Peace building is central to the Middle Eastern security and prosperity. The UNDP funded Peace Building Project will promote peace through the joint management of cross boundary wastewater in order to safeguard the shared environment and protect the water resources. Presently, untreated or poorly waste water is flowing downstream across 10 cross boundary streams between Israeli and the occupied Palestinian territory, and vice versa, which has impacted supplies of groundwater and drinking water. The project will support the construction of three wastewater collection systems in the targeted communities in the occupied Palestinian territory and the collected wastewater will be treated in the Israeli side based upon previously agreed mechanisms and tariffs between both parties. LTS will assist the Israeli and the Palestinian Water Authorities with a comprehensive review of environmental legislation, drafting of legal frameworks and structures for effective cross boundary wastewater. Malawi, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries Horizon, 2010, Waterloo Foundation. The specific research goal is to establish the best means of combining remote sensing with community-based management to support sustainable forest use in Malawi. In Malawi it is the small rural communities that have the most impact on forest use, but they are the least likely to be able to benefit from recent technologies such as satellite-based remote sensing. Simple data produced as maps could be used at the community level to help forest management, but this may not be the most appropriate kind of data. There are newer, more advanced satellites and aircraft that can measure detailed properties of a forest -- are these data more applicable? And what kind of scale and frequency are measurements needed? These are the questions that need to be urgently addressed if Malawi is to implement an effective strategy for sustainable forest use. The focus of this project is to establish what data is most "fit for purpose" for both national inventory to be conducted by the Forestry Department, but also at the community level. The intention is to make a real improvement on the way in which the forests are managed and used in Malawi. Tanzania and Uganda, Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Preparedness in Eastern Africa, 2010, Heinrich Böll Foundation . Focus Areas: The challenges imposed by a changing climate in Africa, in particular the requirements for adaptation are significant. Adequate funding and technological assistance to support adaptation are required, possibly under a legally binding framework. However, there are many outstanding questions concerning for example the key vulnerabilities and priorities for support, the scale of funding required, and the best ways of administering support and the optimum design of effective, accountable and transparent 'adaptation governance'. In order to support demands for adaptation finance and goal-oriented administration of such funds, Heinrich Böll Foundation Nairobi commissioned LTS to undertake country case studies in Uganda and Tanzania. The overall aim is to evaluate the state of preparedness for climate change adaptation in these countries through a policy, legal, institutional and technical analysis.
Tanzania, Climate Change Strategic Programme Review, 2010, UK Department for International Development. DFID Tanzania has agreed to pilot the new Strategic Programme Review (SPR) process announced in the White Paper as a means to integrating climate change into planning and programme delivery at country level. The DFID Climate and Environment Group view the SPRs as feeding into wider organisational learning and are keen to ensure lesson learning across countries and regions, but are proposing that the SPR process be led by the country offices and in this case DFID Tanzania. DFID Tanzania present a unique challenge and interesting pilot as it is DFID’s third largest programme, with a commitment of £103 million this year. LTS is supporting the SPR in order to clarify what climate change means to Tanzania, increase awareness, significance and implications of climate change and inform strategic decisions about DFIDs sectoral balance. The SPR team is conducting policy and institutional assessments, climate risk screening, developing strategies for mainstreaming climate change, conducting the drivers for change study.
Uganda, Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (Phase II), 2010, EC/NORAD. In 1999, at the outset of forest sector reforms in Uganda where LTS played an instrumental role, the Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (SPGS) was designed to assist in the creation of a national saw-timber plantation resource through encouraging investment by the private sector. Since 2002, the SPGS has provided financial incentives for growers as well as supported people with professional, technical support to establish a commercially viable plantation resource. Over 10,000 hectares has been established and in November 2009 SPGS II received funding to plant an additional 26,000 hectares over the next three years. LTS has directly supported the SPGS over the past 8 years on a variety of technical and financial matters and are now providing support at a strategic level to the SPGS II through the Technical Committee which advises on the following areas: general planning, silviculture and harvesting; private sector investment and forest industries; forest policy and institutional capacity building with emphasis on promoting private sector; and applied commercial forestry research.
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