Deadline: 31-Aug-2020
The International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) finances climate and biodiversity projects for the Republic of South Africa.
Thematic Funding Priorities
With the country call for South Africa, two projects with the following thematic funding priorities will be funded with a total funding volume of up to 30 million EUR. One project per thematic funding priority will be selected:
Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa
For South Africa to achieve the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement, the substantial reduction of coal-based energy production is the most substantial and effective possible contribution, both in terms of costs and in terms of emissions. Given the high volume of coal production and consumption to date, this constitutes a paradigm shift that involves numerous socio-economic challenges. The project should address both work streams described below and include all of the depicted measures.
Work stream 1: Supporting the national just transition agenda
- Supporting national processes on just transition in collaboration with key actors, in particular, the design of policy and financing instruments and the coordination between national, provincial and municipal level and stakeholders in the coal value chain; key actors should include the proposed PCCCC and the NPC
- Developing and implementing capacity building programmes for national and local actors on planning and policy-making for a just transition
- Developing approaches for the recultivation/repurposing of mining and post-mining landscapes, including sustainable water management
- Developing strategies to address fears and risks concerning transition and stress environmental and social benefits of a decarbonised economy; strategies should include forming multi-stakeholder-coalitions and communication concepts to build a positive narrative on just transition, generate trust and mobilise support for ambitious mitigation
Work stream 2: Developing and implementing pilot approaches to a just transition
- Developing pilot projects in at least two to three municipalities that are most affected by a coal phase-out because of their position in the coal value chain (e.g. coal mining, power plants, coal-to-liquid, energy-intensive industries), assessing feasibilities and identifying investment targets to absorb risks and stimulate benefits of transition; please take note that Emalahleni, Steve Tshwete, Msukaligwa and Govan Mbeki are the four mostly affected municipalities in Mpumalanga Province, however, the pilot approaches can also be planned with different municipalities or with another provinces if it addresses all relevant aspects of this call; duplications with ongoing programmes must be avoided
- Pilot projects should develop and implement best practice approaches to a just transition at provincial/local level that involve i.e. developing policies and measures to mitigate social and labour impacts and diversify local economies, communities and livelihoods; this should include the development or identification of ready to finance sustainable infrastructure investment projects, attracting foreign or domestic companies, new business models, founding of companies and new sustainable job opportunities in the affected regions (e.g. farming, renewable energy, post-mining rehabilitation, ecological rehabilitation, circular economy around coal waste, hydrogen, tourism, building sector) and the development of roadmaps for retraining measures as well as recultivation measures (including sustainable water management)
- Establishing strategic relationships among key local stakeholders in government, labour, and finance industry and providing technical support for setting up innovative financing mechanisms to mobilise private funding for just transition on provincial or local level, complementing or expanding existing national, regional and international cooperation and funding instruments available in/for South Africa
- For the financing mechanisms, particular attention should be paid to ensure that investments make significant contributions to environmental protection and reducing emissions, while at the same time addressing the socio-economic effects of the transition and wider developmental challenges, in particular poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Land Use and Climate Change Mitigation – Taking Action
Terrestrial land use systems provide a range of mitigation opportunities such as sustainable management of croplands, forests, grassland and forest plantations on a silvicultural-ecological basis, avoided conversions between land uses, better management of agricultural soils, and agroforestry options. The land sub-sector in South Africa is closely linked to the country’s water source areas, which take up only 8% of the land, yet provide 50% of surface run-off (water in wetlands, streams and rivers). The importance of both, the land use and the water sector has been identified by the National Planning Commission of South Africa (NPC) as two of the key sectors alongside energy needed to achieve just transition. The project should address both work streams described below and include all of the depicted measures.
Work stream 1 – Supporting South Africa’s efforts in the development of a climate-sound landscape restoration approach and creating synergies between mitigation and adaptation measures in the AFOLU sector
- Supporting the South African Government and other key stakeholders in developing strategies for climate-sound landscape restoration approaches
- Assessing the state of degradation of the selected savannah (woodland), subtropical thicket and forest ecosystems and measure the impact of restoration on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and GHG emissions (scenarios without measures (WOM), with existing measures (WEM) and with additional measures (WAM))
- Contributing to South Africa’s Monitoring, Reporting, Verification (MRV) system by generating data of grassland, savannah, sub-tropical thicket, forest ecosystems, croplands as well as water source areas with the purpose to identify opportunities to restore and enhance SOC stocks and to halt forest degradation as well as by evaluating the current forest use as well as predicted changes of degradation (e.g. mapping of degraded areas, calibration of methodologies, monitoring framework, modelling and scenario development, assessing the impact of timber, fuelwood, medicinal plant and bark harvesting on woody biomass carbon stocks; existing studies should be considered)
- Supporting the implementation and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices suitable for GHG emission mitigation and adaptation to the negative impacts of climate change on cultivated land that particularly restore SOC stocks, enhance water use efficiency and promote biodiversity conservation (e.g. water-wise and efficient irrigation, choice of crops)
- At a national level, identifying opportunities to reduce GHG emissions within the AFOLU sector with a focus on GHG emissions through enteric fermentation and dung deposits by the assessment of current extent of GHG emissions generated in intensive and extensive livestock farming systems
- Creating business cases by promoting the variety of co-benefits besides mitigation from ecosystem conservation and the productivity and services of landscapes (e.g. water regulation, biodiversity enhancement, soil quality, better livelihoods) and identify potential financing instruments
- Support the sustainable use of biological resource in the context of climate change adaptation; land restoration and sustainable agricultural practices; implementation of EbA measures that promote biodiversity conservation including resource trade-offs.
Work stream 2 – Implementing restoration activities and sustainable land use options
- Selecting suitable sites to implement restoration measures (suggest options in your project outline) based on the approach developed in work stream
- Supporting South African stakeholders in the restoration of selected savannah, subtropical thicket and forest ecosystems which are degraded by unsustainable pastoralism and applying participatory approaches that include local groups to foster equity in access to ecosystem goods and services and sustainable livelihoods
- Support key stakeholders in restoring and improving management of selected grassland systems (including fire management) on degraded communal or private rangelands (e.g. due to overgrazing) by participatory replanting/rehabilitation and capacity building programmes to reduce grazing pressure and soil erosion
- Implementing specific landscape restoration approaches for forests, subtropical thicket and mesic grassland vegetation promoting conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions including measures to halt the spread of alien invasive vegetation along water source or other prioritized areas
- Implementing EbA measures that promote biodiversity conservation in areas that are vulnerable to climate change and disaster challenges or in previously prioritized local municipalities by promoting an inclusive participatory approach and maximising ecological and social co-benefits (e.g. productivity of landscapes, water regulation, biodiversity enhancement, improved livelihoods)
- Establishing strategic relationships among key local stakeholders in politics and finance industry and providing technical support for setting up innovative financing mechanisms to mobilise private funding for sustainable land use activities at local/national level, complementing or expanding existing national, regional and international cooperation and funding instruments available in/for South Africa.
Funding Information
- The total funding volume provided by the BMU amounts to 30 million EUR. IKI seeks to fund two bilateral projects with a funding volume between 12 million EUR and 15 million EUR. Any shortfall in funding volume results in exclusion.
- The project duration is envisaged to be between five and seven years.
Exclusion Criteria
- No timely submission on the online platform
- No need for funding
- No conformity with the thematic funding priorities
- Amount of funding too high or too low
- Funding period exceeds 7 years
- Project implementation already started before project outline submission
- No links to national/regional policies
- Lack of official political support from the partner country
- No results-based monitoring applied (output, outcome, impact)
- Violation of the requirements for emission certificates
- Funding requests for excluded project activities, goods or services
- Non-consideration of IKI safeguards
- No application as a consortium
For more information, visit https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/project-funding/information-for-applicants/country-specific-selection-procedure/south-africa