Environmental services project

Funder: IBRD, GEF, SIDA, MTM

Total cost: 16,215,000 Euro

Duration: January 2015-December 2019

The objective of the Environmental Services (ESP) project is to support sustainable land management practices and increase monetary and non-monetary benefits to communities in designated Project areas, which are mainly located in upland rural areas vulnerable to erosion. .

Project Components:

• Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Improving Environmental Services through Integrated Landscape Management that includes: (i) preparation of a National Forest Inventory; (ii) creation of the Albanian Information System for Forests; (iii) registration of forests and pastures that have been transferred to municipalities by the central government;
• Planning and Providing Sub-Grants for the Improvement of Land Management, which includes the implementation of activities to prepare and implement Municipal Plans for Microbasins for the improvement of land management and the granting of Grants to beneficiaries who meet the criteria (Individuals, Associations of Forest and Pasture Users Municipal);
• Introducing Payments for Environmental Services through the preparation of technical studies for the development of carbon projects and the development of payment mechanisms for Watershed Services to ensure that those who benefit from environmental services pay the producers of these services; and developing a model for linking land use practices to the generation of ecosystem services.
• Support for the Implementation of the Project through the realization of activities including the supply of office equipment, the building of staff capacities and the implementation of environmental guarantees.