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Regional experiences with management effectiveness evaluation. Using different tools in Central America Durban, South Africa 8-17 Sep 2003. Alberto Salas IUCN-Mesoamerica. Central America context and the Protected Areas (richness and poverty).
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Regional experiences with management effectiveness evaluation Using different tools in Central America Durban, South Africa 8-17 Sep 2003 Alberto Salas IUCN-Mesoamerica
Central America context and the Protected Areas (richness and poverty) • Seven countries in small extention (half a millon Km2): Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panamá. • A population of 34 millions inhabitants (estimation for 2025 of 59 millions people). • Right now an indigenous population of 6.7 millions. • 20 millions of Central Americam people live under poverty conditions and 14 millions in extreme poverty. • It is estimated that the region contains 7% of the global biodiversity, 22 ecoregions and 17 life zones.
Central America context and the Protected Areas (regional integration) • Two regional conventions: the Forest and Biodiversity and PA´s. • One Ministerial Forum: Central America Comission on Environmenta and Development (CCAD) and 13 different technical commitees one of them Central America Council on Protected Areas (CCAP). • Higth participation of civil society. • Strategic Program of CCAD: The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) and the Mesoamerican Reef System. • Different regional strategies related to Protected Areas: Central America Forestry Strategy, Central America Biodiversity Strategy (running) • Central America Enviromental Plan (PARCA)
Central America Protected Areas System (CAPAS) • Seven countries with National Protected Areas System. CAPAS is composed by the seven NPAS: Presently CAPAS has 554 declared PAs and 200 proposed. • PAs cover 25% (12.964.026 Has) of the Central America territories. • Privated PA´s are incresing; Belize is almost 5% of the national territory, Costa Rica has more than 100 private PA´s. • There is also a growing number of municipal PA´s (15 PA´s) • 43 internationally designated protected areas: 27 Ramsar sites; 8 World Heritage Sites and 8 Biosphere Reserves. • 69% of the PAs are less than 10,000 has (thats the main reason for the MBC) • 51 PA´s are in country boundaries and 23 are transboundaries.
CAPAS growth from 1969 to2002:Numberof declared PAs, hectares protectedand the percentage they represent of CA territory. Fuente: J.C. Godoy, 1997, SICAP, UICN/ORMA, 1997 Elaborado por: R. Mc Carthy, A. Salas, UICN/ORMA, 1997
Central America Protected Areas System (CAPAS): status of management. • Only 18.7% (104 PA´s) have management plan and only 53% PA´s have annual operational plan. • Near 40% of the PA´s has permanent personnel. Sometimes the each PA has only 2 or 3 people. • Initiatives to manage PA´s with coordination of 2 and even 3 countries are in place • We have communities living in the PA´s and around (buffer zones). • More than 120 PA´s have co-management processes • So many different management categories (36 at regional level). • All countries have adopted M&E systems using different approaches and adapting tools to national priorities.
Central America Protected Areas System (CAPAS):main outputs • Increasing ecosystemic representation. • Existing strategic and legal frameworks. • Wide participation of stakeholders • Participatory planning and M&E processes.
Central America Protected Areas System (CAPAS): main threats • Insufficient economic resources (more responsabilities, less money) • Little personnel in the PAs and little continuity of the same one. • Low institutional capacity. • Little advantage of the ecoturísm potential. • Gap of monitoring on biological and socioeconomical issues.
Management effectiveness evaluation in LA • 1989. Evaluation of treats. Strategy for National System of Protected Areas in Ecuador. (Cifuentes,et.al.) • 1990. Desing methodology and aplication in N.P. Corcovado and N.P. Manuel Antonio; Costa Rica (P.Ortiz) • 1990. Scorecards, TNC. Parks in Peril. • 1992. Numerical Evaluation of National Parks System in Venezuela (Rivero y Gabaldón) • 1993. Review methodology and aplication en B. R. Carara and N. M. Guayabo, Costa Rica. (H. de Faria). • 1997. PROARCA/CAPAS (J. Courrau et.al.) • 1997. IUCN-WCPA (M. Hockings) • Evolution of the concept of management of PA´s • Necesity of mesure improvement in PA´s management. • Bali, 1982 • Caracas, 1992 • Lack of systematic tools to mesure
Management effectiveness in Central America • TNC´s Scorecard development by the Parks in Peril Project (1990) • A CATIE thesis development by de Faria (1993) • PROARCA/CAPAS Project (1997) • WWF/CATIE-IUCN-GTZ, Forest Innovation Project (1998) • Enhancing our Heritage – UNESCO/WCPA-IUCN (2000)
First steps • Pilot protected areas in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panamá. • Different areas through thesis (CR, Osa, Gua, PNT, Pan LA) • TNC´s PiP Sites in Honduras (RP), Costa Rica (PILA) and Panamá (Chagres) Putting the Pieces Together
Countries official adoption process: PROARCA/CAPAS model • Started with 5 pilot sites in CR, 1997 • Trained CA protected areas professionals, 1997 • CR decided to officialize the tool for all the state protected areas, 1999. • Pilot sites in Panamá, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. • Panama decided to officialize the use of the tool for all the PA´s, 2002. • Costa Rica and Panamá start providing staff training on their own. • Honduras officialized the use of the tool, 2000 • The project continued providing training and technical assistance over 4 years • 5 Ranges, 43 indicators Pieces Together
Looking for a Regional Framework • The adoption of the tool at the country level led to the development of a regional system wide database. • Country specific versions of the database were developed for all countries • Some countries started “feeding” the database with data from the sites.
From the official adoption to the policy, ten years later: the case of CR. • Pilot sites, NP´s Corcovado and Manuel Antonio, 1991 (P Ortíz) – BR Carara and NM Guayabo, 1993 (de Faria) • Review methodology, CA Osa and adyacent áreas, 1997 (Izurrieta) • 10 ranges, 63 indicators, • PROARCA/CAPAS, 1997 (Courrau) • Official adoption, 1999 • Policy and strategies for management effectiveness, 2003 (Mena y Artavia) • 8 principles, 5 ranges, 19 factors, 31 criteria and 37 indicators.
Lessons learned • Our countries has not development alredy a monitoring culture. It take time and it´s a processes. • M&E must to development as a tool for decision makers. • M&E system has a lack of social and economics indicators. • There was a need for M&E tools in the region. • Some contries and PA´s (sites) have demonstrated willigness and commitment to implement M&E. • The introdution of M&E in CA has led to new management of PA´s • M&E in order to work (follow up) and be sustainable requires regular training of PA´s staff and technical assistance.