Concept Paper
1.
Project Name: Gulf of Honduras Maritime Transport Pollution Control Project
2.
GEF Implementing Agency: Inter-American Development Bank/either WB, UNDP or
UNEP
3.
Country in which the project is being implemented: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras
(some components also involving El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama)
4.
Country Eligibility: Eligible under para. 9(b) of GEF Instrument.
5.
GEF focal areas/and or cross-cutting issues: International Waters
6.
Operational Programme: OP-10 (Contaminant Based)
7.
Project linkage to national and regional priorities, action plan and programs:
7.1
The Gulf of Honduras encompasses a tri-national body of coastal and marine waters,
including portions of the exclusive economic zones of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras,
linking highly diverse and productive ecosystems, such as estuaries, mangroves and
coral reefs. The marine productivity within the Gulf is maintained by terrestrially derived
nutrient contributions of major rivers, the organic production of the Mesoamerican Barrier
Reef and deep oceanic waters, which enter the Gulf from the nearby Cayman Trench.
The Gulf provides refuge for marine species, most of which utilize the diversity of habitats
during various stages of their development, such as commercially exploited populations
of shrimp, conch and fin-fish. The Caribbean’s largest population of West Indian
manatee, as well as green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles and extensive populations of
dolphins and whale sharks also use the Gulf as a feeding and breeding habitat. A linked
system of proposed and established protected areas are planned to support the
sustained ecosystem functions of the Gulf, which in turn form the basis for the livelihood
of an estimated 20-30,000 people.
7.2
The biophysical conditions which sustain the high productivity and diversity in the Gulf
(i.e. the proximity of diverse marine and coastal habitat types, high freshwater flow and
deep-water circulation), are the same factors which, in combination with anthropogenic
factors, make the area especially vulnerable to a series of threats. Inadequate
environmental safety in ports and navigational transport routes in the Gulf is a concern,
due to the potential negative impacts this may have on the environment, human health
and economic development. Various land-based sources of pollution in the basin, such
as pesticides and other agro-chemicals used in the cash crop agricultural production and
industrial contamination mainly from the urban areas of San Pedro Sula and Puerto
Cortés in Honduras, suggest that the sediments deposited in the ports contain high levels
of persistent toxic contaminants. Inadequately planned and executed dredging operations
(including disposal of dredged material) pose a potential transboundary environmental
problem due to the release of such contaminants into the water column, as well as
increased sediment transport across maritime boundaries and international waters, thus
threatening adjacent fragile habitats and sensitive marine and coastal flora and fauna.
Furthermore, inadequate handling and final disposal of wastes in the ports, including toxic
and hazardous wastes, as well as ballast water and the corresponding problem of alien
species introduction, represent a significant risk to the marine and coastal environment in
the Gulf.
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7.3
The three major ports within the Gulf, which are either privately or publicly operated1,
Puerto Barrios and Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla in Guatemala and Puerto Cortés in
Honduras, all lack sufficient capacity for environmentally sound operations relative to the
nature and volume of shipping traffic. For instance, Puerto Cortés, the only deep water
port in Central America and one of the region's largest and best equipped ports,
accommodates up to 10 vessels of 10,000 GRT at once. In addition, a total of one million
tons of crude oil are transported on an annual basis from Puerto Santo Tomas de Castilla
and between 17 and 20 tankers use Puerto Barrios to transport a substantial amount of
hydrocarbon and chemical products. Concomitantly, due to the enhanced crude oil
production in Guatemala and an increased energy demand in the region, a substantial
growth in both the traffic of hydrocarbons, as well as the construction of new port
facilities, is anticipated in the future. In fact, as part of a Government effort towards
privatizing port facilities and operations, Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla is presently
under expansion. To our knowledge, investments for maritime pollution control and
prevention investments are not considered in this effort.
7.4
The issue of navigational safety is highly relevant in the Gulf. For example, due to the
limited accessibility of the main ports in Guatemala within the inner part of the Bay of
Manabique, as well as the shallow depths and limited space in the navigation lines (on
the average 11 meters deep, whilst many ships reach depths up to 10.5 meters), the risks
for collisions and groundings are significant. There is a need for enhanced navigational
safety, including improved communication systems and infrastructure, as well as the
capacity to update bathymetric maps, which to a large extent need to be updated due to
the high amount of sediments deposited in the area as a consequence of hurricane Mitch
in October 1998.
7.5
An oceanographic current analysis in the Bay of Manabique, prepared by the research
institute EPOMEX (Programa de Ecología, Pesquería y Oceanografía del Golfo de
México), demonstrated that due to the closed nature of the Bay, in the event of a major oil
spill, strong circular currents could contaminate the shore of the Bay within 48 hours and
then spread to other areas of the Gulf, including the Honduran National Park of Jeanette
Kawas. Concomitantly, the predominant winds going in the opposite direction of the
currents could direct an oil spill towards the coast of Belize and thus threaten the
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. There is a need for similar and more detailed information for
the tri-national water-body as a whole.
7.6
In a 1997 study “Transport of Hazardous Products in the Gulf of Honduras: Evaluation of
Risks, Prevention Policies and Contingency Plan”, which was prepared by the USAID
financed regional environmental program PROARCA/Costas, it was identified that despite
Guatemalan ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas
(UNCLOS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
(MARPOL 73/78) and the Cartagena Convention for the Protection and Development of
the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region and its Protocol Concerning Cooperation in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region, the level of
enforcement and application at the local level was almost inexistent. As in other parts of
the region, among the contributing factors include: lacking human and technical
resources, insufficient information and education, inadequate institutional and legal
framework, as well as lacking transboundary collaboration. However, the 1992 proposal
in Guatemala to establish a National Oil Spill Control and Prevention Contingency Plan,
as well as the 1997 creation of a MARPOL Commission within the National Environment
1
Puerto Barrios in Guatemala is presently operated under private consession by the banana company Chiquita
Brands. Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla is statal but in the process of privatization. Puerto Cortés in Honduras is
statal and operated by the National Port Company.
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Authority (CONAMA) and the present discussions to create a National Maritime Authority,
reflect a prevailing interest at the national level to improve the control and prevention of
maritime transport pollution.
7.7
At the regional level in Central America, the need for the preparation of a strategic
regional action program for pollution control in the maritime transport sector has been
identified as a priority. The General Directorate for Environment within the Central
American Integration System (DGA/SICA) has included the topic in their strategic
planning. Furthermore, the Central American Commission for Maritime Transport
(COCATRAM), which was established in 1980 as a standing regional body within the
Central American Integration System (SICA) to address those matters relating to the
development of the maritime and port sub-sector in the region, has prioritized this issue
and plans to organize a specific workshop on the topic later this year. Furthermore, the
topic was addressed at the Regional Workshop on the Conservation and Management of
Wetlands and Coastal Areas in Central America, organized by the Central American
Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), PROARCA/Costas and the
Mesoamerican Office of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN/ORMA) in Guatemala earlier this year.
7.8
Considering that the ports, authorities and civil society in the Gulf already have taken
leadership in this subject, this project will focus specifically on this geographic area, with the
view to develop replicable models for other parts of the region. Among the efforts already
initiated, special mention should be made to the Guatemalan non-governmental organization
“FUNDAECO” (Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y Conservación), which in 1997 organized a
multi-agency Contingency Committee which resulted in a draft contingency plan for the Bahía
de Amatique. This initiative is still active as demonstrated by a simulation exercise planned for
August 1999. Puerto Cortés in Honduras is also in the process of preparing a draft contingency
plan.
7.9
The IDB and other multilateral and international organizations are supporting various
maritime related projects in the area. For example, the IDB financed program for the
environmental management in the Bay Islands in Honduras will contribute, among others,
to the sustainable management of the natural resources as well as control of land-based
sources of pollution through a series of sanitation investments, including sewerage
systems and solid waste management. Another project aiming at decreasing the pollution
of coastal waters is the IDB funded project for the sanitation in the city of Puerto Cortés in
Honduras, which will ensure efficient and sustainable arrangements for potable water
supply and wastewater disposal services, including the sewerage infrastructure to ensure
the safe, environmentally acceptable disposal of liquid wastes. Finally, the IDB is
supporting two smaller technical cooperations in Belize, one focusing on communitybased coastal environmental monitoring in the Toledo District which is part of the Gulf of
Honduras and another project supporting the application of remote sensing for coastal
zone management at a national level. Other projects related to this proposed GEF
operation include, the World Bank-financed Sustainable Coastal Tourism and
Management Project for the Caribbean Coast in Honduras and the WWF Mesoamerican
Reef System Ecoregion Project.
7.10 This proposed Project would also complement several GEF programs in preparation or in
execution. Firstly, the maritime transport pollution control focus of this proposed Project
would directly complement the World Bank/GEF Project, presently under preparation
(PDF B) for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
System, as well as the on-going UNDP/GEF Conservation and Sustainable Use of the
Barrier Reef Complex in Belize, both under the GEF Operational Program for Biodiversity
for Coastal, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (OP-2). Furthermore, the components
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related to ballast water management would follow and be coordinated with the initiatives
being developed under the UNDP/GEF global project for the “Removal of Barriers to the
Effective Implementation of Ballast Water Control and Management Measures in
Developing Countries”. The proposed project would also consider other initiatives, such
as the UNDP/GEF project “Wider Caribbean Initiative on Ship-Generated Wastes” and
the UNEP/GEF project “Development of Comprehensive Management Programme to
Reduce Pesticide Releases from the Agricultural Sector to the Marine Environment of the
Caribbean Sea”. In terms of providing mechanisms for the dissemination of experiences
from this project and to promote the replication of successful outcomes, this project would
couple its activities with the on-going UNDP/GEF project “International Waters Distance
Learning and Training” and the framework provided by the Cartagena Convention for the
Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region
and its Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean
Region.
8.
Project Rationale and Objectives:
8.1
This proposed GEF intervention aimed at enhancing the control and prevention of
maritime transport related pollution in the major ports, navigational transport routes and
adjacent coastal areas in the Gulf of Honduras, is an important contribution to the
environmental management of an area of significant ecological and economic value.
8.2
Complementing already existing and planned interventions in the establishment and
management of protected areas and the conservation of highly diverse and productive
marine and coastal ecosystems, the principal objective of the proposed project is to
develop and implement a regional action program for maritime transport pollution control
in the Gulf of Honduras, involving both the private and public sectors in preventive
measures, such as environmentally sound dredging operations, waste handling, ballast
water control, navigational safety and oil and chemical spill contingency plans, that can
be replicated in other areas of the region and the world.
9. Expected outcome:
9.1
The main outcome of this project would be a strategic regional and transboundary action
program for controlling maritime transport pollution in the Gulf of Honduras. The program
would consist of a mixture of legal and policy reforms, technical assistance and direct
investments in equipment and facilities that would increase the environmental
sustainability in the maritime transport in the Gulf of Honduras and adjacent coastal
areas. This would increase the regional capacity for maritime pollution prevention and it
could serve as a replicable model for other areas in Central America and the rest of the
world.
9.2
Specifically, the project would:
a)
b)
prepare a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) which would fill critical
information gaps on key biophysical and cross-cutting issues related to marine
and coastal pollution and provide key data and tools for planning and
implementing actions required for the mitigation and prevention of transboundary
environmental problems in the Gulf of Honduras;
review, improve and reform the legal, policy, regulatory and enforcement
framework for maritime related pollution control (including national ratification and
compliance with international and regional conventions and agreements);
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c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
9.3
strengthen the capacity of the main institutions at the local, national and
transboundary level responsible for the maritime transport pollution control in the
Gulf of Honduras;
enhance the long-term capacity (including technical assistance and equipment)
and transboundary collaboration for the collection and management of marine
environmental information (including bathymetry, oceanographic current and
sediment transport dynamics, monitoring, sensitivity and vulnerability mapping
using GIS);
support capacity building and training and promote mechanisms for public
participation and education at the local, national and transboundary level with
regards to maritime transport pollution control (including some extension
activities in the rest of Central America);
develop economic instruments for the promotion of preventive measures to
decrease both land and sea-based sources of pollution as well as adequate
environmental management in the sector;
prepare and implement environmental management investment and action
programs, including demonstration pilot activities, for the major ports (including,
among others, technical assistance and equipment for short term and
small/medium scale investments, as well as feasibility studies for long-term and
large scale investments). This would involve both the public and private sectors,
including the port companies, as well as small to medium enterprises in maritime
industries;
develop a regional strategic action program to enhance the navigational safety in
major shipping lanes and the preparation of an oil and chemical spill contingency
plan for the Gulf of Honduras (including technical assistance, oil spill simulation
exercises, equipment and facilities).
If accepted for inclusion in the GEF pipeline, a PDF B application is anticipated to
facilitate the preparation of this project. This project could also provide a foundation for a
follow-up investment program that could potentially be funded through IDB’s private
sector financing window. This could potentially include direct loans to the private sector
for infrastructure or rehabilitation projects in the maritime transport sector, such as waste
handling facilities or equipment for environmentally sound dredging operations, with up
to 25% project financing from the IDB. These types of investments could directly
enhance the cost-saving and efficiency of the maritime transport sector and indirectly
improve the environmental quality of its operations.
10. Planned Activities to Achieve Outcomes:
10.1
To achieve the above mentioned objectives, the proposed project would consist of a
wide scope of activities that would together form part of a program for the control of
maritime transport pollution in the Gulf of Honduras. The potential GEF support would
focus on the transboundary issues (incremental costs) related to the prevention and
control of maritime transport pollution in the Gulf (mainly related to dredging operations
and navigational safety), whilst the purely domestic investments and activities would be
funded with non-GEF sources (such as port specific investments and capacity building
foreseen to be financed by the Multilateral Investment Fund - MIF).
A. Environmental information
a.1
diagnostic of the transboundary importance of various environmental problems (for
example port dredging operations) in the Gulf of Honduras, including an assessment of
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a.2
a.3
a.4
a.5
a.6
the relative importance and transboundary impact of land-based vs ship-based sources
of pollution;
training, capacity building and equipment/facilities for the preparation of
maps/assessments of oceanographic current dynamics, sediment transport and
bathymetry, including the updating of existing bathymetric maps near ports and in major
shipping lanes;
technical assistance and equipment for oil and chemical spill trajectory analysis and
application;
oil, chemical spill and dredging related ecological and social sensitivity/vulnerability
mapping and diagnosis (incorporated into a GIS), including the sensitivity to the use of
dispersing chemicals for oil spill clean-up, in the entrances of ports, along major
navigational routes and in adjacent vulnerable coastal areas (including scientific studies
to assess the temporal and spatial patterns in the reproduction and recruitment of
sensitive marine organisms);
development of methodologies and capacity building for oil and chemical spill damage
assessments and the determination of environmental restoration costs;
establishment of an easily accessible information system that will facilitate the extension
of the above mentioned outcomes to the public and decision makers in the region.
B. Navigational safety in shipping lanes
b.1
b.2
b.3
preparation of a regional/transboundary oil and chemical spill contingency plan;
b.1.1 training and capacity building (including public education, simulation exercises);
b.1.2 review, improve, harmonize and reform the institutional, legal, policy, regulatory
and enforcement framework for oil and chemical spills (framework for the
definition of liabilities and facilitating the process of ratification, as well as
promoting the compliance, with international and regional conventions and
agreements), including support to the establishment and capacity building of
national and regional maritime transport authorities/entities and policies;
b.1.3 equipment and facilities for oil and chemical spill containment and clean-up
(regional capacity);
development of a regional emergency response plan for ship fires and groundings
(including environmental precautions)
navigational risk reduction
b.3.1 navigational risk assessments and a proposal for modifications in maritime
shipping routes;
b.3.2 investments in signaling equipment (buoys, lighthouses etc)
b.3.3 feasibility studies for the establishment of a satellite-based and/or terrestrial
electronic marine information infrastructure to improve the overall security of
maritime transport in order to avoid ship collisions in busy corridors, as well as to
enable monitoring, surveillance and control of fishing and other commercial
vessels, navigational routes and sea lanes, and incidences of coastal pollution;
b.3.4 promotion of new technologies to avoid collisions and adoption of methods to
prevent unauthorized discharge of toxic substances;
b.3.5 replicable demonstration pilot activities related to navigational risk reduction.
C. Environmental improvements in 3 major ports2
c.1
c.2
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port specific detailed environmental audits and studies (focusing on dredging operations,
waste handling, port security and ballast water);
port specific environmental management and security plans (on basis of environmental
audits);
Puerto Barrios, Puerto Santo Toms de Castilla in Guatemala and Puerto Cortés in Honduras
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c.3
c.4
c.5
c.6
c.7
c.8
c.9
development of harmonized regional guidelines and standards for port environmental
management and security;
capacity building and learning exchange programs between ports (including training
extension activities in other Central American countries);
legal, policy, regulatory and enforcement review and reform (including enhanced use of
international agreements and mechanisms to control and enforce adequate certification
of visiting ships);
design of economic instruments and incentives to promote preventive measures to
decrease both land and sea-based sources of pollution as well as adequate
environmental management in the sector;
provision of equipment and facilities for short-term and small/medium sized investments;
feasibility studies for long-term and large scale investments;
replicable demonstration pilot activities related to environmental improvements in the 3
major ports.
D. Regional capacity building in Central America
d.1
workshops, seminars, training courses and information dissemination (newsletters,
webpage, publications) in Central America on the topic of maritime transport pollution
control and the progress of the project in order to enhance the replication of successful
experiences (within framework of Cartagena Convention and Oil Spill Protocol);
11. Stakeholders involved in project
11.1
The following stakeholders are foreseen to be involved in Project:
GEF eligible Governments: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras (selected training activities
also involving El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama);
Regional organizations: General Directorate for Environment - Central American
Integration System (DGA-SICA)/Central American Commission for Environment and
Development (CCAD); Central American Commission for Maritime Transport
(COCATRAM);
NGO’s: Tri-national Alliance of NGO’s of the Gulf of Honduras, FUNDAECO
(Guatemala), TIDE (Belize), PROLANSATE (Honduras), member organizations in
PROARCA/Costas (WWF, TNC, CRC/URI);
Private sector: the port and maritime transport industry (including related services)
Communities and the public.
Donors/international organizations: WB, UNDP, UNEP, IMO, bilateral donors
Academic institutions
12. Information on project proposer
This project was proposed at the Regional Workshop on the Conservation and
Management of Wetlands and Coastal Areas in Central America, organized by the
Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD),
PROARCA/Costas and the Mesoamerican Office of the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN/ORMA) in Guatemala, July 5-8, 1999.
13. Institutional and executing arrangements
13.1
Definitive institutional and executing arrangements for the proposed Full Project would
be designed and confirmed as part of the preparatory studies (possibly PDF B), but the
following tentative and conceptual scheme is foreseen. The project would be
implemented in a framework for joint multi-country management, taking advantage of the
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existing regional environmental collaboration framework in Central America, provided
through the Central American Integration System (SICA) and its General Directorate for
Environment (DGA-SICA). The tri-national and regional components of the project, as
well as the adequate coordination between the domestic activities, would be executed by
the sector-specific private sector association, Central American Commission for Maritime
Transport (COCATRAM), in close collaboration with DGA-SICA. A large portion of the
institutional strengthening activities would also be directed towards this entity. On the
other hand, the domestic investments and activities would mainly be executed directly by
the ports or national authorities themselves.
13.2
For the purpose of coordinating project activities both within and across countries, as
well as with other related activities, one or possibly more project steering committees are
foreseen, including representation from the three participating countries, COCATRAM,
DGA-SICA, the three major ports of Santo Tomás de Castilla, Puerto Barrios and Puerto
Cortés, the IDB and one of the implementing GEF agencies (either the World Bank,
UNDP or UNEP), civil society and the private sector. The framework provided by the
periodic Meetings of the Central American Port Companies (REPICA) would also be
used for coordination and dissemination purposes.
14. Estimated budget
14.1
The possible GEF contribution is estimated at US$ 5,000,000. This amount would be
complemented by IDB funding (foreseen through the Multilateral Investment Fund - MIF)
up to US$ 2,000,000, including a minimum 30% counterpart funding from the private
sector (US$ 600,000). In addition, National Governments, as well as COCATRAM and
other potential donors, are jointly expected to finance up to an additional US$ 1,000,000.
15. IA Contact
Inter-American Development Bank: Michele Lemay (SDS/ENV). Tel (202) 623-1838
Fax (202) 623-1786. E-mail: michelel@iadb.org
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