NOAA, UNEP PROPOSED COASTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001899

SIPDIS

SAN JOSE FOR BLINK

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV HO NOAA UNEP AID
SUBJECT: NOAA, UNEP PROPOSED COASTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
MEETS LUKEWARM GOH RECEPTION



1. Summary: On August 1, NOAA representative Gonzalo Cid met
with officials of the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT)
and the Ministry of the Environment (SERNA) to discuss the
creation of a National Program of Action (NPA) to implement
the Global Program of Action for the Protection of the
Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA). The
proposed NPA would serve as a strategic planning tool in the
development of an integrated coastal management policy to
engage government, communities, and industry in the
protection and preservation of marine resources. NOAA's
goal at the meeting, Cid said, was to determine the level of
GOH interest in the program and to identify appropriate
governmental contacts and agencies. Representatives from
USAID present at the meetings expressed concern that the
project not duplicate the efforts of USAID's MIRA watershed
management program. End summary.


2. National Programs of Action were a key outcome of the
2004 White Water to Blue Water Initiative. NOAA and the
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) are encouraging
governments in the Wider Caribbean region to develop NPAs to
serve as integrated management and policy frameworks for the
protection and preservation of the marine ecosystem.
Following GOH Minister of the Environment Patricia Panting's
expression of interest in developing an NPA at the White
Water to Blue Water conference in 2004, NOAA representative
Gonzalo Cid came to Honduras to assess the degree of
interest at the working level. In meetings with GOH
Minister of Tourism Thierry Pierrefeu and Vice Minister for
the Environment Gerardo Salgado, Cid described the proposed
NPA as a strategic tool for an integrated plan of
sustainable development, conservation, and the protection of
marine resources. The NPA would provide a framework for
identifying environmental threats and directing responses
from the public and private sectors. Cid stressed that, as
a policy mechanism, the NPA would provide donors with an
added sense of security by prioritizing sustainable
development goals and organizing the flow of support.


3. Both Pierrefeu and Salgado responded to the proposal with
cautious acceptance. Pierrefeu's concerns centered around
the need for stronger coordination of tourism interests with
environmental policy; Salgado questioned the necessity for
another environmental management program, citing the
potential overlap with other projects such as USAID's
integrated watershed resources management program MIRA. The
Minister and Vice Minister also expressed concerns with the
overall coordination of the NPA project, citing the
complexity of managing the environmental, agricultural,
energy, and tourism interests that would be involved in
coastal management. Cid responded that the NPA's policy
framework would add value by integrating and coordinating
existing programs, rather than duplicating them, and
explained that an overarching policy would simplify rather
than complicate interactions between the various sectors.
Ultimately the GOH officials agreed to go ahead with the
project, designating SERNA as the point of contact.


4. Outside of the meetings, Cid said that the response from
the GOH was what he expected at this early stage in the
program, but that he anticipated a greater level of
enthusiasm as the project progressed. USAID has echoed the
GOH's questions about the necessity of the NPA, expressing
concerns about potential administrative overlap and
additional layers of bureaucracy. Post encouraged NOAA to
coordinate closely with USAID and other agencies at the
Washington level to ensure programmatic overlaps and
duplication are avoided and any potential synergies with
existing efforts are fully exploited. Post will also push
for close interagency cooperation at the implementation
level in the field, monitor the development of the project,
and report back as events warrant.

Williard