EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The PGIE is conceived within the framework of an operation of greater scale aiming to formulate and
to pilot sustainable land management in selected watersheds.
This project supports the country assistance strategy for Guinea, which aims at reducing poverty by
increasing the productivity and reduce unsustainable exploitation of natural resources caused by
limited access to adapted technologies and demographic pressures, which combine to reduce land and
water services productivity in the medium or long term.
The development objective of the project is to pilot the integration of improved land management
practices into the overall development planning process of communities and local governments in
selected pilot sub-watersheds. The GEF funded project thereby broadens the scope of the Village
Communities Support Program.
The global objective of the Project is to pilot sustainable and replicable approaches to the prevention
and mitigation of the causes and negative impacts of land degradation on the structure and functional
integrity of ecosystems. By adopting an integrated cross-sectoral approach facilitated by linking up
with the PACV2, and by using sub-watersheds as a planning basis, it will contribute to the protection
of selected critical watersheds. The objective will be achieved through the implementation of
activities compatible with OP 15 (SLM) and corresponds to GEF strategic priorities for capacity
building and the on-the-ground application of innovative approaches and technologies.
Like any other Bank financed project, community executed development projects need to comply with
the Bank’s Safeguard Policies as well as OP/BP 17.50 on Public Disclosure, which requires that all
environmental safeguard documents be made available in-country and at the Infoshop before
disclosure and approval.
Safeguard policy issues are relevant to agricultural activities because of the risk that PGIE supported
sub-project may have unintended adverse environmental or social impacts. Even in cases where
certain individual sub-projects have little or no adverse impacts, they may collectively lead to
significant cumulative impacts.
To take account of these aspects, the Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) includes an
Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) adapted to micro projects and to income
activities, thus to identifiy the mechanisms and procedures for managing theses incidences.
In addition, the implementation of project supported activities may cause prejudice to certain
categories of people (excluded or marginalized persons), contrarily to the objectives of PGIE. In these
cases, the ESA will aim to identify the size of the risk associated, and to propose a Process framework
to compensate lost or reduced access to natural resources.
The Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) of PGIE (and the Process
Framework) will allow to guide environmental and social management of project activities that might
be supplied by PGIE, and in particular compliance with national legislation and the World bank
Safeguard Policies.
The ESA further includes an analysis of national institutional and legal framework within which the
PGIE will be implemented. It also includes an analysis of the pertinence of all World Bank Safeguard
Policies for PGIE, indicating the PGIE is directly concerned by three (3) policies : 4.01 -
Environmental assessment; 4.04 - Natural Habitats; 4.12 - Involuntary Resettlement.
An essential component for the ESMF of the PGIE is its Screening Process of sub-projects. This
process underlines the environmental norms and standards that will be applied to PGIE funded sub-