FAO Projects and Lessons Learned Relevant to the Caribbean

1. FAO Projects and Lessons Learned Relevant to the Caribbean

2. Illustrative list of FAO�s Portfolio and Partnerships Land Degradation Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) Project (Global, involves Cuba), w/UNEP International Waters Reduction of Environmental Impact from Tropical Shrimp Trawling, through the Introduction of By-catch Reduction Technologies and Change of Management (Global, includes Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba) Sustainable Management of the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) (with WB) Strategic partnership for a Sustainable Fisheries Investment Fund in the LMEs of Sub-Saharan Africa (with WB) Lesser Antilles Pelagic Ecosystem (LAPE) Project - not GEF-funded Proposed Project: Integrated Management of Bi-National Artibonito Watershed (Dominican Republic and Haiti, with UNDP; FAO indentified and assisted in project preparation) Biodiversity Conservation and Adaptive Management of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Project (Global) Conservation and management of Pollinators for Sustainable Agriculture through an Ecosystem Approach (Global, with UNEP) Protected Areas and Associated Livelihoods (OPAAL) Project (OECS, WB as GEF Agency, FAO provided TA on project preparation and supervision through the FAO-World Bank Cooperative Programme) Piloting of an Ecosystem-based Approach to Uruguayan Coastal Fisheries GIAHS: Indigenous and traditional agricultural systems referred to as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) have resulted not only in outstanding landscapes (some are recognized as World Heritage Sites), but, more importantly, in the perpetuation of globally significant agricultural biodiversity, maintenance of resilient ecosystems, and preservation of valuable traditional knowledge and cultural practices LAPE - full project name: Scientific Basis for Ecosystem-Based Management in the Lesser Antilles including interactions with Marine Mammals and other Top PredatorsGIAHS: Indigenous and traditional agricultural systems referred to as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) have resulted not only in outstanding landscapes (some are recognized as World Heritage Sites), but, more importantly, in the perpetuation of globally significant agricultural biodiversity, maintenance of resilient ecosystems, and preservation of valuable traditional knowledge and cultural practices LAPE - full project name: Scientific Basis for Ecosystem-Based Management in the Lesser Antilles including interactions with Marine Mammals and other Top Predators

3. Illustrative list of FAO�s Portfolio & Partnerships (cont.) All FAs: Small Grants Programme (Barbados and OECS, with UNDP SGP; joint funding and TA in project development, management and implementation to CBOs and NGOs Multi-Focal Integrated Silvopastoral Approaches to Ecosystem Management Project (Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Colombia, WB as GEF Agency, w/ support from FAO Livestock Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative �Payments for Environmental Services (PES) to farmers POPs Disposal of Obsolete Pesticide Stock (Stockpiles projects), FAO-WB (integrated pest management, integrated chemical mgmt) -Africa Pacific Alliance for Sustainability � FAO in involved in fisheries and forestry; as in some Caribbean countries, alien species is an important issue)

4. Examples of results to date Biodiversity Working w/ the industry, fisheries mgmt and enforcement agencies, the Shrimp Trawling/By-catch Project assisted participating countries in introducing new technologies and supportive legislation for by-catch reduction and reduced losses in biodiversity In global projects such as the �Pollinators�, important insights have been achieved on the use of strategic land management practices to facilitate the adoption of good agricultural practices that support pollination services in a diversity of ecosystems and countries, leading to increased agricultural production International Waters Creation of multi-national, multi-disciplinary institutional approaches to address regional environmental priorities (BOBLME) Interpretation of scientific data are being used to address ecosystem-issues in fisheries management in the Caribbean and as inputs to the preparation of ecosystem-based fisheries management plans (LAPE) Promoting the integration of selected principles of FAO�s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries into GEF supported IW projects (BOBLME) Land Degradation LADA assessed causes and impacts of land degradation at global, national and local levels and identified hot spots and remedial measures

5. Examples of challenges to date Small countries with limited human resources (e.g., SIDS) face large demands to meet commitments required under MEAs. Similarly, resources are limited to prepare projects that meet GEF requirements. FAO is continuing to examine how best to provide services to country clients in a cost-efficient manner Regional/global projects are complex and involve large areas and multiple countries take a long time to prepare and a much longer time to achieve their goals. FAO experience shows that major effort is required to achieve the strong institutional commitment and resources over the time periods required Up-scaling project outcomes through policy reform is difficult to achieve and can rarely be guaranteed in the life of the project. FAO continues to search for the �right mix� of project activities that achieves that greatest success in achieving policy reforms (e.g., policy studies, workshops, TA, etc.) �One size doesn�t fit all� particularly for many SIDS. While some GEF experiences and �lessons learned� generated elsewhere maybe relevant many issues and solutions to achieving GEB in the Caribbean are mostly local � e.g., better incentives are needed for farmers to respond� Payments for Environmental Services (PES) is one way. However, cost-effective PES programs require careful design. PES can impact/help the poor and this needs special attention.

6. Some lessons learned Many issues that involve achieving GEBs are too broad, complex and challenging that single agency-single project approach is unlikely to lead to significant large-scale, lasting results. During project design, efforts need to be put into: (a) building up strategic partnerships with other GEF agencies and key institutional stakeholders and (b) scaling-up project results before closure. Arranging the necessary co-financing to meet GEF requirements is almost invariably the most difficult task in project preparation. Given time delays associated with programming of funds among potential co-financiers, efforts should be initiated at the onset of project identification rather than postponed late into project preparation. LMEs: based on the experience of the Bay of Bengal, a multiple-phase programmatic approach has been required. We have also attempted to simplify the programme and focus on one sector initially (fisheries), as opposed to doing everything at once (multiple issues, different line agencies in each country, etc). The approach is to build on the successes of the 1st phase and expand and diversify into other issues and sectors that affect the LME during the next/subsequent phases. This approach is thought applicable to regional/global projects generally. Results from projects involving PES suggest that win-win outcomes can be achieved (e.g., in the case of Silvopastoral project, the combination of incentive payments for environmental services and the implementation of sustainable livestock production have paid off, both for ranchers and for the environment. Similar win-win outcome was achieved in Brazil. For more info (incl. guidelines for the design of pro-poor PES programmes), see new FAO website on PES from Agricultural Landscapes at http://www.fao.org/es/esa/PESAL/index.html The Agriculture Development Economics Division of FAO�has�launched a��new �website dedicated to Payments for Environmental Services�in Agricultural Landscapes (PESAL).�� It provides an overview of the rationale and potential� of payments for environmental services� to improve incentives for sustainable�natural resource management in agriculture, and offers a synopsis of the process for the design and implementation of��such schemes, with pro-poor options inbuilt in each section�.�� The website includes the following:�� About PES - an overview of current PES schemes The Role of Agriculture - information on the potential of agriculture to provide ES Ecosystem Service Markets - an assessment of the demand for ES from agriculture Setting up a PES Scheme - guidelines on how to set up a PES scheme that can potentially also contribute to reducing rural poverty Materials - information to facilitate links between practitioners, prospective providers and buyers and capacity-building materials The Agriculture Development Economics Division of FAO�has�launched a��new �website dedicated to Payments for Environmental Services�in Agricultural Landscapes (PESAL).�� It provides an overview of the rationale and potential� of payments for environmental services� to improve incentives for sustainable�natural resource management in agriculture, and offers a synopsis of the process for the design and implementation of��such schemes, with pro-poor options inbuilt in each section�.�� The website includes the following:�� About PES - an overview of current PES schemes The Role of Agriculture - information on the potential of agriculture to provide ES Ecosystem Service Markets - an assessment of the demand for ES from agriculture Setting up a PES Scheme - guidelines on how to set up a PES scheme that can potentially also contribute to reducing rural poverty Materials - information to facilitate links between practitioners, prospective providers and buyers and capacity-building materials

7. Thank you! Katia Medeiros FAO