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What is CRISP?  

The initiative for the protection and sustainable management of coral reefs in the Pacific (CRISP), led by France and prepared by AFD since 2002, aimed to develop a vision for the future of these unique environments and for the communities who are dependent on them.

The objective of the program was to define and implement strategies and projects to preserve the biodiversity of coral reefs and develop the economic and environmental services that they provide both locally and worldwide.

The CRISP program was designed to be a catalyst for the integration of Pacific States and the French Overseas Communities.

Since it was implemented in 2005, this ambitious program has relied on two regional organizations: the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Regional Environment Program (PREP). They have played a decisive role in involving Oceania countries and communities in the success of this initiative.

What are the results after six years of operation ? 

After six years of implementation, the time has come to look at the results. This is the main objective of this capitalization report, which is both descriptive and forward-looking. It sets out to present the main results on which to build the development of Oceania communities and the preservation of natural resources in the Pacific, particularly coral reefs and the associated environments.

 

photo: Jean-Yves Clavel for AFD

 

Marine protected areas, aquarium industries supported 

The report presents an impressive number of extremely concrete results in the field. They include the creation of around fifty marine protected areas in 11 countries, covering an area of over 400,000 km², the development of industries for fish and shellfish post-larvae culture in order to make the profitable aquarium market sustainable, training for hundreds of technicians, students and doctoral candidates and the dissemination of technical, scientific, economic and legal knowledge related to coral reefs, notably through the CRISP website ( www.crisponline.net ).

It also presents the progress achieved in the economic development of reef resources and in enhancing scientific knowledge about these rich and complex environments. Over 200 technical reports are now available to reflect all this progress.

 

80 projects in 17 countries

CRISP is financed by AFD and the French Global Environment Facility (French GEF) – €5m and €2m respectively – and has had a substantial multiplier effect by mobilizing additional resources from a large number of contributors. It has consequently financed some 80 projects in 17 Pacific countries and involved around forty partners for a total amount in the region of €15m.

By combining archive imagery with new images, it is now possible to track changes in forest cover. These images will help administrations, public institutions and non-governmental organizations build their capacities and knowledge in terms of land use, which is essential for the sustainable management of Central African forests. This data is crucial for the validation and effective implementation of national strategies for REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).

The images acquired by the SPOT satellites in the Congo Basin will be accessible to all promoters of forest protection projects. To be eligible, their projects must focus on reducing emissions resulting from deforestation or forest degradation, preserving forest carbon storage, sustainable forest management or increasing forest carbon stocks.

AFD and Astrium are financing this free access to SPOT imagery as part of a project to protect Congo Basin forests using space technologies. Project management has been entrusted to a consortium including IGN France International (IGN-FI), the French National Space Agency (CNES), the National Geographic Institute (IGN), the Institute for Research and Development (IRD) and the international branch of the National Forest Office (ONFi).

The space imaging portal for the Congo forests was officially opened in Paris on 26 October 2011 during the REDD+ workshop, which gathered economists, scientists, forest management organizations, specialists and technology providers working to preserve tropical forests. This workshop was organized by Planet Action, Astrium’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, which is helping to fight climate change by providing geo-information technologies.

About Astrium

Astrium is the European leader and the third in the world for space technologies. It is the 100% owned subsidiary of EADS, dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2010, Astrium had a turnover of €5 billion. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and Astrium Services for comprehensive end-to-end solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security satellite communications equipment, bespoke navigation and geo-information services worldwide. www.astrium.eads.net 

Le projet vise à construire une ligne de « Bus Rapid Transit » le long de la linha verde, une ancienne autoroute requalifiée en « boulevard urbain ». Il permettra de préserver un corridor écologique au cœur de l’agglomération, sur les rives du Barigüi, en réaménageant des espaces naturels et en réintégrant la flore locale.

Avec 1,7 million d’habitants, la municipalité de Curitiba, capitale de l’Etat du Paraná, a opté depuis les années 1960 pour un plan d’urbanisme particulièrement novateur qui comprend notamment un métro de surface constitué de bus articulés se succédant chaque minute.

Aujourd’hui, plus de 2 millions de personnes utilisent ces bus chaque jour. Ce système de transport très performant, avec un billet unique, est aujourd’hui relayé sur le continent latino-américain, notamment en Colombie avec le Transmilenio.

Cette première signature de l’AFD au Brésil ouvre la voie à d’autres financements en faveur de collectivités brésiliennes autour du thème de la ville durable. Conformément à son mandat dans les pays émergents, l’AFD intervient au Brésil pour financer des politiques publiques qui promeuvent une croissance plus sobre en ressources naturelles, plus économe en gaz à effet de serre et plus équitable, tout en favorisant le lien avec l’expertise française. Présente dans le pays depuis 2007, l’Agence concentre ses actions dans les secteurs du développement urbain, des transports publics, de l’énergie, de l’eau et l’assainissement.

Vidéo : "Curitiba, une ville durable"

CEPF has decided to focus its action on “biodiversity hotspots” – which shelter the bulk of the planet’s terrestrial biological diversity on only 15% of land areas – by reinforcing civil society’s action and capacity for ecosystem management. It finances local actions, which benefit rural dwellers thanks to the emergence of truly green economies. CEPF is one of the most effective funds and has proved to be an operational response to the Nagoya targets.

In 10 years of operation, CEPF has supported some 1,600 local civil society groups that the major donors find it difficult to reach. The fund has financed, monitored and evaluated natural environment conservation projects in 51 countries, covering 20 of the 34 global hotspots. The living conditions of over 80,000 rural families have been secured or improved. The conservation status of over 50,000 wild species has been sustainably improved. The beneficiaries have managed to raise an additional US$261 million of funds for hotspot conservation. 

 

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands during her speech

 
The aim of the discussions between the CEPF team and the Commission was to invite the European Development Fund to replenish the CEPF by 2012. The Commission’s entry into the CEPF, along with other European bilateral donors, will increase the Fund’s capacity for action and will make it possible to begin to use political influence to support civil society and help build greener development models.

In the evening, CI, AFD and their partners also had the opportunity to present CEPF’s action during a celebration event gathering personalities (including Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands), NGOs (Birdlife, LPO, IUCN, WWF) and European staff.

Tiphaine Leménager, Convener of Biodiversity Research Department of the AFD, talks about the issues underlying the problem "reconciling development and environmental protection. Can there be an efficient development that preserves the environment ? What is the position of the AFD in this area?

Tiphaine Leménager also discusses how the AFD helps to protect the environment : financing sustainable management projects, establishing procedures for the control of environmental hazards and activities of research and evaluation.

Finally, T. Leménager gives an overview of the main trends of thoughts debating on the theme: development versus environment : what are our priorities?

►Download the Annual Report 2010 in French (PDF)

2010: a new year of growth to support development

With €832 million of budget resources allocated by the State, AFD provided €6.8 billion of project financing in 2010, i.e. an 11% rise on 2009. Its activity accounted for 28% of France’s official development assistance. AFD also paid back €104 million of dividends to the State.

Africa remains the priority with €2.1 billion of financing in 2010.

Two-thirds of the financing break down between infrastructure, urban development, productive sectors and agriculture.

In 2010, AFD’s financing will contribute to:

• Improving drinking water supply systems for 33 million people
• Getting 13.4 million children into primary school
• Upgrading or building transport hubs that will be used by 85.8 million passengers a year
• Supporting energy efficiency by saving 5 million tons of CO2 a year
• Providing access to electrification for 3 million people
• Allocating microfinance loans that will benefit just over 700 000 people
• Supporting agricultural or irrigation projects that will benefit 1.4 million people

2011: consolidation of economic model

Dov ZERAH, Chief Executive Officer of AFD: “AFD has experienced a veritable revolution over the past few years. It has become a key player in development with an activity that has tripled in five years. Today, a new phase is beginning with the consolidation of our model.”

In the coming years, AFD will be focusing its activity on three priority areas:

• Sub-Saharan Africa:  60% of resources allocated to AFD by the State will be earmarked for this region, particularly for the sectors of agriculture and agro-industries, infrastructure, education and health.
• The Mediterranean: AFD will be supporting the recent developments in the region by scaling up its operations in Mediterranean Basin countries, particularly in the productive and vocational training sectors.
• Emerging countries: AFD will be supporting these countries via loans with a low level of concessionality in order to encourage them to set out on a growth path that respects the environment more and is more inclusive.

Consolidating the model requires stabilizing AFD’s level of activity, which is expected to reach €8 billion by 2013. AFD set up a Risk Department in 2011 in order to improve risk management. It has also reinforced its human capital with 125 recruitments in 2010.

Dov ZERAH: “Beyond financing, it is our expertise that our partners are seeking. AFD will also be continuing to actively provide input to international debates through its knowledge production. We will, at the same time, be forging an increasing number of partnerships with other development players such as NGOs, local authorities, private foundations, or again multilateral banks. They help increase the outreach and effectiveness of our actions. In a globalized world, the only winning strategies are cooperation strategies.”

In 2011, AFD will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of its creation in 1941 by General de Gaulle. AFD will be marking the occasion by organizing events to meet the French public in order to raise their awareness of North-South issues and allow them to learn more about development results. A travelling open-air exhibition called “Objectif Développement”, designed in partnership with Magnum Photos, will be launched in Bordeaux on 21 May 2011. It will be travelling to all the major cities in France throughout the year.

 
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is a public development finance institution that has been working to fight poverty and support economic growth in developing countries and the French Overseas Communities for 70 years. It implements the development policy defined by the French Government.
With agencies in over 50 countries, AFD finances and supports projects that improve people’s living conditions, promote economic growth and protect the planet: getting children into school, support for farmers and small businesses, water supply, tropical forest preservation, fight against climate change…