INDIVIDUAL PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION REPORT
CONSOLIDATION OF ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND BIODIVERSITY
CONSERVATION OF THE BAY ISLANDS
(a)
Project General Information
Project Name: Consolidation of Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity Conservation of the Bay
Islands
Project’s GEF ID Number: 1515
Country: Honduras
GEF Focal Area and Operational Program: Biodiversity, (OP 2) Coastal, marine, and freshwater
ecosystems.
Implementing/Executing Agency: Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
Executing Agency:
Project Approval Date and Date of Project Effectiveness (Implementation Start Date:
The project approval date is August 25th, 2003; IADB approval date June 21st, 2004 resulting in the
signature of the Non-reimbursable Operation Financed with GEF Resources Agreement No. GRT/FM8753-HO between the Republic of Honduras and IADB on June 24th, 2004. Total Eligibility date October
12, 2004.
Total Project Cost. US$16,620.000.00
GEF Grant Amount: US$ 2.820 million through IADB
GEF Project Preparation Grant Amount (if any): US$320,000.00
Other Executing Agency/Agencies: Ministry of Tourism of Honduras
Project Partners: Bay Islands Environmental Management Program (Programa de Manejo Ambiental de
las Islas de la Bahia - PMAIB), the four (4) Bay Islands Municipalities of Roatán, Jose Santos Guardiola,
Utila and Guanaja; NGOs Bay Island Conservation Association (BICA), Roatan Marine Park, Fundación
Guanaja, Community organizations (Patronatos, Juntas de Agua, others) and the Honduran National
Tourism Chamber (CANATURH) throught its regional office in Roatan; the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
System (MBRS); Honduras Sustainable Coastal Tourism Project.
(b)
Objective
The development objective is to consolidate the environmental management program created during the
first stage, setting in place a self sustaining institutional framework that supports ecosystem management
and biodiversity conservation as well as environmentally sustainable tourism in the Bay Islands of
Honduras.
The global objective is to strengthen the conservation of globally significant coastal and marine habitats
and species under national jurisdiction, including linkages with ongoing regional programs such as the
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS).
(c)
(i)
Rating Project Performance and Risk
Progress towards achieving project objective. Marginally Satisfactory
The project has been subject to series of external factors that have affected its execution. During the past
year, there has been a complete change of personnel within the PMAIB Project Coordinating Unit (UCP),
which has required recruitment of new personnel and caused interruptions leading to several delays in
project execution. This rotation of personnel was due to a series of causes (mainly personal) that started in
2005 and that have been complicated by the national elections and the change of government at the end of
January 2006. This change of administration caused a change in personnel in all the Ministries, including
the Ministry of Tourism and other governmental institutions that have to work and support the program.
Three of the four municipalities have elected new mayors as well as a new Departmental Governor.
These changes in key actors have required that the Project Coordinating Unit dedicate a considerable
amount of effort in initiating new UCP members such as the Protected Areas Specialist and overseeing
the recruitment of the Technical Manager and Communications Specialist, among others. In addition,
several workshops and meetings with the new authorities had to be carried out to re-introduce the
PMAIB’s goals, the functions of the Executive Commission for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) as the
regional institutional arrangement for ecosystem management, and the different initiatives underway
requiring a consultation and validation process. Nonetheless, as confirmed in a Bank mission conducted
in June 2006 and with continued consultations, the new authorities have endorsed both the overall
Program and the GEF project objectives. There is no sign that the projects original objectives are
unachievable, though the time frame originally used has obviously not been met. Finally, cooperation
with MBRS on key activities such as protected area management and monitoring increased in 2006,
consistent with the global objective of the project.
(ii)
Implementation progress. Marginally Unsatisfactory
The physical execution of the Project in general is low due mainly to the fact that two activities financed
with GEF resources are being implemented through services contracts that have experienced delays in
their procurement processes and start-up. The two consultancies are technical assistance to the system of
protected areas, the sustainable tourism and environment initiative with the private sector.
In terms of disbursements, the project document expected disbursements for the GEF funds for year two
equal to 1,015,000.00 (40%). As of October 20th. Total disbursement for the GEF component was US$
700,294.89 (28%) consisting mainly on expenses related to the Commissions work meetings and
participatory workshops, the technical assistance to protected Areas and public outreach.
Component 1: Strengthening of the Executive Commission for Sustainable Tourism and its
Technical Unit
Activities in this component have been oriented first at reactivating the Executive Commission for
Sustainable Tourism (CETS) following the change in administration, through local meetings so that the
new members comprised of the recently named municipal and other local political authorities could be
introduced to the Commission’s original mission, structure and work plan.
Since the change of government in late January, 2006 there have been 3 meetings of the CETS that have
dealt primarily with: the revision of the national decree for the legal establishment of the Commission; the
regulations contained in the General Norms for the Development of the Bay Islands that were approved
and published on January 13th, 2005 and the methodology for the zoning proposals for Bay Island; and a
proposal with two scenarios on the environmental fee and the priority activities for funding. Work is
about to be initiated on the different implementation norms and guidelines specified in the original
General Development Norms Decree, where consensus within the CETS will be critical.
The most sensitive issue under consideration by the CETS is the establishment of the financial
mechanism that will assure the sustainability of the program and its recurrent activities over the longterm. Towards this end, the new government has generated 2 new scenarios with the approved amounts
established for cruise ship arrivals and international tourists arriving by plane (stay-over tourists). The
negotiated fee for cruise ship passengers is US$ 0.50 (expected to generate an estimated US$ 220,000 in
revenues in 2007 based on a conservative scenario). A US$ 10.00 fee was approved for international stayover tourists and US$5.00 for Central American tourists. The government is currently reviewing the
implementation procedures in order to put the mechanism into effect. This mechanism was originally
contemplated to be operational in June 2006, but is now reprogrammed to January 2007.
Component 2: Investments for the Regional System of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas
The procurement process for the legal delimitation and physical demarcation of boundaries of the 12
proposed areas that shall conform the Bay Islands Marine National Park is in its final stretch having
concluded the technical evaluation of the offers on October 5th, 2006. This is a requirement for the
promulgation of the Law for the System of Protected Areas of the Bay Islands.
Another set of activities that will contribute towards the consolidation of the system of protected areas are
linked to a contract with the IBERINZA/ESA Consultores and AZTI Consortia for technical assistance in
protected areas. The technical assistance contract started on July 28th, 2005 for a period of 30 months until
August 21st, 2008. The main focus of the Consortia’s work in 2006 has been the revision and approval by
the new authorities of the legal decree proposal for the Congress’s approval, that will ratify the
establishment of the regional protected areas system under the principle of an ecosystem approach that
would consolidate the Bay Islands Marine National Park, with a series of different buffer and nucleus
zones.
In terms of institutional strengthening, the Consortia has been advising the local protected areas comanagers capacity in the revision and technical adjustment of the existing management plans and budget,
as well as the establishment of the Local Protected Area Committees for the socialization and
implementation process. Additionally the local co-managers are preparing the technical specification for
the acquisition of equipment and materials to improve patrolling and monitoring activities. The PCU is
also completing, in cooperation with the co-managers, recruitment of the technical staff for each protected
area.
The identification and legal agreements with the owners of the properties for the construction of the
protected areas visitor’s center on the islands of Guanaja and Utila have also been made. Offers for the
architectural design of the visitor centers were received on August 24th, 2006 and are currently under
negotiations before awarding the consultancy for the designs.
Component 3: Public Outreach, Participation and Local Destination Management
During this year there has been a significant outreach to coordinate activities with the GEF financed
MBRS Project Coordination Unit, particularly in designing the different resource monitoring processes in
which MBRS monitoring protocols would be applied and a workshop in November, 2006 to formulate
jointly a protocol for watershed monitoring.
In terms of public participation, there were a series of activities the past months aimed at designing the
audio y visual components for the socialization process. There have also been 2 workshops on the island
of Roatan with a total of 16 participants from the local communities for the thespian arts. These have
included acting instructions, plastic arts expression, script and direction and production. As part of this
outreach, the Compañia de Teatro Bahia, which uses theater to raise public awareness of the importance
of managing the archipelago’s coastal and marine ecosystems, was consolidated.
Through the project public outreach activities, the island has also formed an Association for Recycling
with an established methodology and structure to work in this area. Pilot activities have been undertaken
demonstrating the benefits of local participation in recycling programs, including for example the
construction of water tanks have been built from plastic bottles.
VERIFIABLE INDICATORS
The level of activities and
financial execution of CETS is
superior to the 90% of planned.
CETS has a 5 years strategic
action plan and annual budget in
coordination with the
municipalities to enforce new
activities or maintain
infrastructure.
MEANS OF
PERCENTAGE
MEASUREMENT
OF
EXECUTION
Minutes of
20%
meetings
5%
Strategic plandocument
Legal Decree
The new
representatives of
CETS are preparing
their work plan.
50%
Environmental fee established and
mechanisms to collect revenues
and administrative system defined.
Approved by CETS. In
stage of approval by
Congress
POA -CETS
In operation the technical unit,
with costs covered by the
environmental fee
COMMENTS
0%
The environmental fee
in stage of approval by
Congress.
Management plan for 12 protected
areas established, watershed
management plans on terrestrial
areas and no take zone on fishing
areas established and maintain
with the financial resources of the
environmental fee
A minimum of 20 community
organizations and NGOs
strengthened and participating in
ecotourism activities.
A minimum of 80 tourism
operators have adopted best
environmental practices
To December 2007, from a total
70 dove operators, 70% have
adopted best environmental
Management plan
10%
Existing management
plans have been
reviewed with comanagers.
Number of
organizations
15%
Number of tour
operators
5%
Community
organizations have
received assistance
resulting in their legal
establishment.
30 tour operators
received training in
best practices.
Number of dive
operators
5%
EGMASA will be in
charge of carrying
VERIFIABLE INDICATORS
MEANS OF
PERCENTAGE
MEASUREMENT
OF
EXECUTION
practices according to guidelines
generated by the project
(iii)
COMMENTS
these activities but had
just been hired.
Risk. Modest
1. Delays in the legal declaration of the protected areas systems as well as the regulations due to political
conflicts of interests. Risk: Modest. Consensus building is taking place through the members of the
CETS. In addition, participatory workshops and local consultation process will take place for approval.
2. The capacity of all four municipalities and CETS to reach agreements on a coordinated environmental
strategy. Risk: Modest. To strengthen the work of the Commission, the PCU has provided technical
assistance in activating work meetings again, preparation of a common work plan and progress in
establishing mechanisms to ensure environmental fee implementation.
3. The establishment of the financial mechanism that will ensure the sustainability of the environmental
management program. Risk: Modest. Consensus has been built in CETS. Higher levels of the
Ministries of Tourism and Finance are actively engaged in the process of implementation of the
mechanism.
4. Uncertainty in projecting growth and development trends Risk: Substantial. Development decisions
affecting growth rates (mainly in Roatan) are outpacing the capacity to manage growth, particularly at the
municipal levels. The IDB loan is helping to strengthen the municipal administrations in all functions
(financial, land use planning, environmental, among others) but this is a gradual process that will yield
results in the medium-term.
(d)
Contributions of the project towards focal area strategic priorities and where applicable
targets:
Conservation of Biodiversity and marine ecosystems and its sustainable use
An active decision making process is taking place within the Commission for the establishment of a
sustainable agreement for environmental management. Innovative community based projects are being
launched to strengthen them in environmental management activities; broad participation of children,
youngster and the formal public education sector is involved in performing/theater activities as well as the
creation of small-scale enterprises. For public outreach and socialization of the environmental
management plan, materials for the multi media shock campaign have been produced through videos and
radio. In support of community organization, a series of trainings on recycling techniques have taken
place as well as a practical methodology implemented.
With the help of IBERINSA/ESA /AZTI and all stakeholders preparing the work plan for supporting full
participation in the protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems; promoting the
implementation of an environmental oversight mechanism; biodiversity related research and monitoring
program, the full implementation of effective management actions and management plan.
Empowerment of all stakeholders, including vulnerable groups that depend on biodiversity
The program through its components is undertaking great efforts to identify, organize and strengthen
stakeholders which will be part of management programs and/or activities directed to build linkages and
successful experience exchanges related to facilitating sustainable fishing, tourism and protected areas
management, as well as for promoting conservation and marine resources sustainable use.
(e)
Co –Financing
Does not apply.
(f)
Leveraged financing:
Does not apply