Registration Card - SRM0001

Project Description: 
The project will put in place a cross-sectoral land use management framework, and compliance monitoring and enforcement system to ensure that development in production sectors such as tea, cardamom and tourism is congruent with biodiversity conservation needs – to achieve the long term goal of conserving globally significant biological diversity in the High Ranges of the Western Ghats. It will seek to establish a conservation compatible mosaic of land uses, anchored in a cluster of protected areas, by engineering a shift in governance approach towards a cross-sectoral, coordinated planning, implementation and compliance monitoring so that cumulative direct and indirect impacts of different production activities across economic sectors on biodiversity is managed, reduced and mitigated.

Requestor(s): Association of Planters Kerala (APK), Joice George M.P; Spice Growers Association (SGA); Kerala Cardamom Growers Association (KCGA); Highrange Spice Planters Association

Summary of Issues Raised:
The complaints state concern that, among other things, there was improper consultation and exclusion of relevant stakeholders during the design and formulation of the project. It expresses concern that stakeholders' rights, such as the requirement of Free, Prior, Informed Consent and certain relevant national laws, were not properly adhered to when formulating the project. The complainant further states that people potentially affected by the project protest and are apathetic to the project, and that the project documentation improperly refers to relevant lands as protected areas when in fact they are not.

UNDP Response: The India CO worked closely with the corporate SRM team, which provided detailed guidance to the CO and the requesters on the roles of both the SRM and the Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU). The requesters opted to file formal complaints to both the SRM and SECU. While the SECU investigation was on-going, UNDP facilitated the stakeholders (including key government agencies, UNDP representatives, and the complainants) to engage in a series of meetings to address the concerns. These dialogues resulted in additional consultations with locally impacted people and a reformulation of the project document and implementation strategy. On 3 November 2017, the State Government of Kerala endorsed the modified implementation strategy and issued a notification to resume work on the same.

News and Updates:

• UNDP's Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU) carried out an Advisory Review in into Allegations of Non-Compliance with the Social and Environmental Standards and other relevant policies relating to the India High Range Landscape Project in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. For more information, please visit the SECU Registry: https://info.undp.org/sites/registry/secu.

Current Status:

Project Details
Atlas/Project # 00087493
Project Risk Category Unknown
Implementing Partner Government Entity – Ministry - Implementing Partner: Government of India; Responsible Partner: Government of Kerala
Financial Information
India