Start Date: 01/08/2006
End Date: 01/12/2007

Actions Involved:

Without a clear understanding of the nature and extent of environmental problems and the drivers causing these problems, it is difficult to device sustainable management practices of, for example, natural resources. Accordingly, this task will analyze and assess the existing environmental and socioeconomic conditions, the drivers of environmental change as well as the institutional capacity to implement sustainable development programs in each of the targeted communities. The assessment will be carried out using the pressure, state, current practice framework.  In the assessment, the following will be carried out:

T 3.1 Identifying Data Types Required to Conduct the Assessment

1. Preparing in consultation with the steering committee a list of information categories required by authorities for a more sustainable planning.
2. Producing a comprehensive list of datasets for each information catagory using the pressure, state, current practices framework.
3. Submitting the list of datasets for review by the steering committee in order to incorporate its recommendations. 

 T 3.2 Data Collection and Integration

1. Reviewing and retreiving data from the available archieves, publications and databases, exisiting policies, strategies and action plans relevant to the environmental, social and economic dimensions. 
2. Conducting semi structured interviews and field surveys with the involved authorities and  local organizations to fill in data gaps. 
3. Making projections of environmental status such as pollution loadings and resource scarcity under different management practices.
4. Integratind collected data into a harmonized GIS.  

 T 3.3 Reinforcing the Capacities of the Targeted Municipalities and Rural Councils

1. Providing selected personnel from the targeted authorities with on job training on GIS, database mangement and on environmental change detection and monitoring.
2. Transferring the established GIS based information system and the hardware to the targeted councils.

 T3.4 Community Profiles

1. Utilizing the compiled data to analyze and assess the communities environmental, socioeconomic and institution status and produce documents that suits the needs of decision makers.

T3.5 Disseminating the Assessment Findings

1. Preparing and submitting summary documents of the most important findings revealed in the baseline profiles.
2. Assembling meetings with the mayors and heads of village councils, the directors and staff of the various departments in the involved authorities to discuss the assessment findings and the recommended actions that aim to achieve sustainable development.