- Email: [email protected]
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) views on managing LMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Environmental Development xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Environmental Development journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envdev
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) views on managing LMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean José Vicente Troyaa a
Water & Ocean Governance Programme, Regional Service Center for Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP-Global Environmental Finance Unit, Sustainable Development Cluster, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UN House, Building 129, City of Knowledge, Panama City, Panama
The approach followed for applying ecosystem based management to Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) in the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC) has been marked by building collaborative efforts for planning and sustainably managing these ecologically defined domains and catalyzing ocean finance from the public and private sector for protecting and restoring these LMEs. UNDP with the long-term commitment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), an international financial institution providing financial support to the LAC-LME projects, has had the privilege over the last 15 years of developing and implementing four LME programs in the region comprising 30 countries. In UNDP´s view, the interventions in these LMEs have enabled a trust building process among several partners associated for jointly managing these ecosystems. This exercise has taken place from the earliest stages when government counterparts from multiple countries have been able to define strategic actions to address the challenges and opportunities arisen from identifying the transboundary environmental issues affecting these ecosystems. The 5 LME modules – (i) productivity, (ii) fish & fisheries, (iii) pollution and ecosystem health, (iv) socioeconomics and (v) governance – continue providing the proper framework, complemented by a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis/Strategic Action Program (TDA/SAP) process, to identify environmental priorities and define government policies and investments for meeting these challenges. There is progress in the areas of fisheries, productivity, governance and pollution/ecosystem health, while socioeconomic valuation of LMEs is in its early stages. A case in point is the economic valuation of the Humboldt Current LME conservatively estimating at USD 19.5 billion in ecosystem goods and services supported annually by this LME, mainly considering the food security dimension (fisheries and aquaculture) (UNDP, 2016). This is an exercise that should be deepened and expanded in the next LME interventions programmed in the region. A more comprehensive valuation of the ecosystem health and services provided by these ecosystems can play a key role in fostering a decision-making process favorable to the sustainable management and protection of these LMEs. A multi-criteria valuation not only measuring economic values of LMEs but also capturing the important non-market values these ecosystems have in shaping the culture and identity of peoples linked to the oceans is essential for widening the audience and partnerships for conserving them. During operationalization of the LME programs, the ocean planning has evolved from a more “top-down” approach where planning is taking place at a central government level to a more active engagement of sub-national governments where municipalities and provincial governments are involved in the integrated coastal management and marine protected areas planning and administration. With the support of the UNDP-GEF project aiming at the sustainable management of the living marine resources of the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem, local and regional governments in Chile and Peru are involved in the coastal fisheries and marine protected areas participatory management. The project has provided national and sub-national governments with improved management tools, including management plans for multiple use marine protected and reserved areas (Chile a 11,000 km2 area and Peru the Guano Islands and Capes master management plan), and has also contributed to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the first artisanal fishery in the Southeast Pacific: the Juan Fernandez Rock Lobster (GEF et al., 2015). Another project, the UNDP-GEF Coastal Fisheries Initiative for the South-East Pacific, is also promoting the involvement of two subnational governments in Piura and Tumbes in a process towards an integrated, inclusive and sustainable approach to fisheries
E-mail address: [email protected]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2017.04.002 Received 25 March 2017; Received in revised form 31 March 2017; Accepted 6 April 2017 2211-4645/ © 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Please cite this article as: Troya, J.V., Environmental Development (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2017.04.002
Environmental Development xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx
J.V. Troya
management and development in Ecuador and Peru. Planning and management at a supra-national level continues to be essential for administering transboundary LME projects. It is under this framework and with the support of a UNDP-GEF project (UNDP-GEF, 2008) that national authorities from more than 20 countries have endorsed the Strategic Action Program for sustainably managing the living marine resources of the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf LMEs (CLME+). During the implementation of this SAP with the support of another UNDP-GEF project (UNDPGEF, 2015a) in 2016 it has been possible to establish the Interim Coordination Mechanism for Sustainable Fisheries involving the participation of three regional fisheries bodies: the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA) and the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC-FAO). This progress has been accompanied by a process of enhancing the capacity of key institutions and stakeholders to implement the ecosystem based management (EBM) and ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) for the sustainable shared living marine resource use in the CLME+. Ecosystem LME management has provided the opportunity to develop inter-institution and cross-sectoral interactions involving multiple national government institutions and in some cases the private sector. Now the national environmental, fisheries and foreign affairs authorities are those agreeing on the strategic actions required for addressing the transboundary environmental issues identified by the TDAs undertaken for the LMEs in the region, including fisheries and coastal-marine protected areas management. In 2016 with the support of the UNDP-GEF assisted Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem (HCLME) project (UNDP-GEF, 2009) the governments of Chile and Peru signed a landmark agreement to sustain the world’s largest single species fishery which required a common understanding and joint commitment from several government institutions of the two countries. By fostering integrated coastal zone management and coastal and marine spatial planning which ensures that the land-sea interface is interconnected, the portfolio is adopting a “ridge to reef” approach linking the LMEs to the drainage basins, such as the integrated water resource management interventions in several river basins in Caribbean Small Island Development States (SIDS) and the Caribbean LME, as well as the planned activities in Rio Motagua draining also to this LME. In the case of Caribbean SIDS, UNDP jointly with UNEP are implementing a GEF-funded multi-country project, “Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystem Management in SIDS” (IW-ECO) (UNEP-GEF, 2014), where integrating watershed and coastal areas management in small islands aims at addressing the multiple challenges of sustainable water, land (including forests) and biodiversity management and conservation within the spatial framework of the watershed unit. With the participation of the UNDP-GEF Small Grants Program in several sub-national interventions the purpose is to connect local community level actions with LME programs by piloting sustainable local solutions to environmental issues related to wastewater and effluent management, coastal habitat and fisheries management, as well as by developing local stakeholder´s capacities to implement regional and national policies at the community level. Several new interventions are linking LMEs, such as the recently approved Coastal Fisheries Initiative for the South-East Pacific (UNDP-GEF, 2016) where innovative approaches aiming at the transformational change in the coastal fisheries management in Ecuador and Peru are planning to connect and share experiences between the Pacific Central-American (PaCA) and Humboldt Current LMEs. Through an inter-regional UNDP-GEF project (Global Marine Commodities) (UNDP-GEF, 2015b) involving Costa Rica, Ecuador, Indonesia and the Philippines there are also plans to test how to address key aspects of the market forces that drive overfishing by mainstreaming sustainability in the value chain of important marine commodities. The UNDP portfolio on LAC LMEs provides national partners and international cooperation with multiple entry points for progressing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015. When projects promote diversifying and increasing job opportunities and making available quality seafood products for isolated populations they are directly contributing to the SDG 1 which aims at ending poverty in all forms and dimensions by 2030 and SDG 2 aiming at ending all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Likewise, integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning for pollution reduction and enhanced wastewater treatment are key to achieving the SDG 6 – ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. Also, when reducing marine pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification and increasing resilience, marine protected areas, economic benefits and fisheries certification there are direct contributions to the SDG 14 oceans goal. Based on the recognition that gender equality not only contributes to greater development gains and enhanced environmental benefits but mainly constitutes a human right that needs to be protected and promoted, the new generation of LME interventions supported by the GEF and implemented by UNDP includes specific mandates on gender. Now all GEF funded projects with resources from the 6th replenishment include activities to ensure that gender equality is considered from the earliest stages (gender analyses and gender action plans accompany UNDP/GEF LME projects). While the international climate and mandate for protecting the oceans has increased over the last years, including the adoption of the UN Ocean Sustainable Development Goal, there are still gaps in the way oceans are viewed and managed. If the task is to expand the audience and partnerships for protecting and sustainably managing the oceans, closer attention should be paid to the local people living in coastal and marine areas and more efforts devoted to help conserving and restoring degraded habitats which have shaped their lives and created a culture and sense of place. References GEF, UNDP, UNU-INWEH, IWLEARN, 2015. From Coast to Coast. Celebrating 20 years of transboundary management of our shared oceans. Washington, D.C. UNDP, 2016. Chile and Peru sign landmark agreement to sustain world’s largest single species fishery. See 〈http://www.latinamerica.undp.org/content/rblac/en/ home/presscenter/pressreleases/2016/08/25/chile-and-peru-sign-landmark-agreement-to-sustain-world-s-largest-single-species-fishery.html〉. UNDP-GEF, 2008. Sustainable Management of the Shared Marine Resources of the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME) and Adjacent Regions. UNDP PIMS 2193 – GEF Project ID 1032. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/sustainable-management-shared-marine-resources-caribbean-large-marine-ecosystem-clme-and〉. UNDP-GEF, 2009. Towards Ecosystem Management of the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem. UNDP PIMS 4147 – GEF Project ID 3749. See 〈https://www. thegef.org/project/towards-ecosystem-management-humboldt-current-large-marine-ecosystem〉.
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Environmental Development xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx
J.V. Troya
UNDP-GEF, 2015a. Catalyzing Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Sustainable Management of Shared Living Marine Resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CMLE+). UNDP PIMS 5247 – GEF Project ID 5542. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/catalyzingimplementation-strategic-action-programme-sustainable-management-shared-living〉. UNDP-GEF, 2015b. Global Sustainable Supply Chains for Marine Commodities. UNDP PIMS 4754 – GEF Project ID 5271. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/globalsustainable-supply-chains-marine-commodities〉. UNDP-GEF, 2016. Coastal fisheries initiative- Latin America. UNDP PIMS 5573 – GEF Project ID 9124. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/coastal-fisheriesinitiative-latin-america〉. UNEP-GEF, 2014. Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (IWEco). UNEP PIMS 4873 – GEF Project ID 4932, See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/integrating-water-land-and-ecosystems-management-caribbean-small-island-developing-states〉.
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Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Environmental Development journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envdev
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) views on managing LMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean José Vicente Troyaa a
Water & Ocean Governance Programme, Regional Service Center for Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP-Global Environmental Finance Unit, Sustainable Development Cluster, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UN House, Building 129, City of Knowledge, Panama City, Panama
The approach followed for applying ecosystem based management to Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) in the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC) has been marked by building collaborative efforts for planning and sustainably managing these ecologically defined domains and catalyzing ocean finance from the public and private sector for protecting and restoring these LMEs. UNDP with the long-term commitment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), an international financial institution providing financial support to the LAC-LME projects, has had the privilege over the last 15 years of developing and implementing four LME programs in the region comprising 30 countries. In UNDP´s view, the interventions in these LMEs have enabled a trust building process among several partners associated for jointly managing these ecosystems. This exercise has taken place from the earliest stages when government counterparts from multiple countries have been able to define strategic actions to address the challenges and opportunities arisen from identifying the transboundary environmental issues affecting these ecosystems. The 5 LME modules – (i) productivity, (ii) fish & fisheries, (iii) pollution and ecosystem health, (iv) socioeconomics and (v) governance – continue providing the proper framework, complemented by a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis/Strategic Action Program (TDA/SAP) process, to identify environmental priorities and define government policies and investments for meeting these challenges. There is progress in the areas of fisheries, productivity, governance and pollution/ecosystem health, while socioeconomic valuation of LMEs is in its early stages. A case in point is the economic valuation of the Humboldt Current LME conservatively estimating at USD 19.5 billion in ecosystem goods and services supported annually by this LME, mainly considering the food security dimension (fisheries and aquaculture) (UNDP, 2016). This is an exercise that should be deepened and expanded in the next LME interventions programmed in the region. A more comprehensive valuation of the ecosystem health and services provided by these ecosystems can play a key role in fostering a decision-making process favorable to the sustainable management and protection of these LMEs. A multi-criteria valuation not only measuring economic values of LMEs but also capturing the important non-market values these ecosystems have in shaping the culture and identity of peoples linked to the oceans is essential for widening the audience and partnerships for conserving them. During operationalization of the LME programs, the ocean planning has evolved from a more “top-down” approach where planning is taking place at a central government level to a more active engagement of sub-national governments where municipalities and provincial governments are involved in the integrated coastal management and marine protected areas planning and administration. With the support of the UNDP-GEF project aiming at the sustainable management of the living marine resources of the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem, local and regional governments in Chile and Peru are involved in the coastal fisheries and marine protected areas participatory management. The project has provided national and sub-national governments with improved management tools, including management plans for multiple use marine protected and reserved areas (Chile a 11,000 km2 area and Peru the Guano Islands and Capes master management plan), and has also contributed to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the first artisanal fishery in the Southeast Pacific: the Juan Fernandez Rock Lobster (GEF et al., 2015). Another project, the UNDP-GEF Coastal Fisheries Initiative for the South-East Pacific, is also promoting the involvement of two subnational governments in Piura and Tumbes in a process towards an integrated, inclusive and sustainable approach to fisheries
E-mail address: [email protected]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2017.04.002 Received 25 March 2017; Received in revised form 31 March 2017; Accepted 6 April 2017 2211-4645/ © 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Please cite this article as: Troya, J.V., Environmental Development (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2017.04.002
Environmental Development xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx
J.V. Troya
management and development in Ecuador and Peru. Planning and management at a supra-national level continues to be essential for administering transboundary LME projects. It is under this framework and with the support of a UNDP-GEF project (UNDP-GEF, 2008) that national authorities from more than 20 countries have endorsed the Strategic Action Program for sustainably managing the living marine resources of the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf LMEs (CLME+). During the implementation of this SAP with the support of another UNDP-GEF project (UNDPGEF, 2015a) in 2016 it has been possible to establish the Interim Coordination Mechanism for Sustainable Fisheries involving the participation of three regional fisheries bodies: the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA) and the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC-FAO). This progress has been accompanied by a process of enhancing the capacity of key institutions and stakeholders to implement the ecosystem based management (EBM) and ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) for the sustainable shared living marine resource use in the CLME+. Ecosystem LME management has provided the opportunity to develop inter-institution and cross-sectoral interactions involving multiple national government institutions and in some cases the private sector. Now the national environmental, fisheries and foreign affairs authorities are those agreeing on the strategic actions required for addressing the transboundary environmental issues identified by the TDAs undertaken for the LMEs in the region, including fisheries and coastal-marine protected areas management. In 2016 with the support of the UNDP-GEF assisted Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem (HCLME) project (UNDP-GEF, 2009) the governments of Chile and Peru signed a landmark agreement to sustain the world’s largest single species fishery which required a common understanding and joint commitment from several government institutions of the two countries. By fostering integrated coastal zone management and coastal and marine spatial planning which ensures that the land-sea interface is interconnected, the portfolio is adopting a “ridge to reef” approach linking the LMEs to the drainage basins, such as the integrated water resource management interventions in several river basins in Caribbean Small Island Development States (SIDS) and the Caribbean LME, as well as the planned activities in Rio Motagua draining also to this LME. In the case of Caribbean SIDS, UNDP jointly with UNEP are implementing a GEF-funded multi-country project, “Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystem Management in SIDS” (IW-ECO) (UNEP-GEF, 2014), where integrating watershed and coastal areas management in small islands aims at addressing the multiple challenges of sustainable water, land (including forests) and biodiversity management and conservation within the spatial framework of the watershed unit. With the participation of the UNDP-GEF Small Grants Program in several sub-national interventions the purpose is to connect local community level actions with LME programs by piloting sustainable local solutions to environmental issues related to wastewater and effluent management, coastal habitat and fisheries management, as well as by developing local stakeholder´s capacities to implement regional and national policies at the community level. Several new interventions are linking LMEs, such as the recently approved Coastal Fisheries Initiative for the South-East Pacific (UNDP-GEF, 2016) where innovative approaches aiming at the transformational change in the coastal fisheries management in Ecuador and Peru are planning to connect and share experiences between the Pacific Central-American (PaCA) and Humboldt Current LMEs. Through an inter-regional UNDP-GEF project (Global Marine Commodities) (UNDP-GEF, 2015b) involving Costa Rica, Ecuador, Indonesia and the Philippines there are also plans to test how to address key aspects of the market forces that drive overfishing by mainstreaming sustainability in the value chain of important marine commodities. The UNDP portfolio on LAC LMEs provides national partners and international cooperation with multiple entry points for progressing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015. When projects promote diversifying and increasing job opportunities and making available quality seafood products for isolated populations they are directly contributing to the SDG 1 which aims at ending poverty in all forms and dimensions by 2030 and SDG 2 aiming at ending all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Likewise, integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning for pollution reduction and enhanced wastewater treatment are key to achieving the SDG 6 – ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. Also, when reducing marine pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification and increasing resilience, marine protected areas, economic benefits and fisheries certification there are direct contributions to the SDG 14 oceans goal. Based on the recognition that gender equality not only contributes to greater development gains and enhanced environmental benefits but mainly constitutes a human right that needs to be protected and promoted, the new generation of LME interventions supported by the GEF and implemented by UNDP includes specific mandates on gender. Now all GEF funded projects with resources from the 6th replenishment include activities to ensure that gender equality is considered from the earliest stages (gender analyses and gender action plans accompany UNDP/GEF LME projects). While the international climate and mandate for protecting the oceans has increased over the last years, including the adoption of the UN Ocean Sustainable Development Goal, there are still gaps in the way oceans are viewed and managed. If the task is to expand the audience and partnerships for protecting and sustainably managing the oceans, closer attention should be paid to the local people living in coastal and marine areas and more efforts devoted to help conserving and restoring degraded habitats which have shaped their lives and created a culture and sense of place. References GEF, UNDP, UNU-INWEH, IWLEARN, 2015. From Coast to Coast. Celebrating 20 years of transboundary management of our shared oceans. Washington, D.C. UNDP, 2016. Chile and Peru sign landmark agreement to sustain world’s largest single species fishery. See 〈http://www.latinamerica.undp.org/content/rblac/en/ home/presscenter/pressreleases/2016/08/25/chile-and-peru-sign-landmark-agreement-to-sustain-world-s-largest-single-species-fishery.html〉. UNDP-GEF, 2008. Sustainable Management of the Shared Marine Resources of the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME) and Adjacent Regions. UNDP PIMS 2193 – GEF Project ID 1032. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/sustainable-management-shared-marine-resources-caribbean-large-marine-ecosystem-clme-and〉. UNDP-GEF, 2009. Towards Ecosystem Management of the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem. UNDP PIMS 4147 – GEF Project ID 3749. See 〈https://www. thegef.org/project/towards-ecosystem-management-humboldt-current-large-marine-ecosystem〉.
2
Environmental Development xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx
J.V. Troya
UNDP-GEF, 2015a. Catalyzing Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Sustainable Management of Shared Living Marine Resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CMLE+). UNDP PIMS 5247 – GEF Project ID 5542. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/catalyzingimplementation-strategic-action-programme-sustainable-management-shared-living〉. UNDP-GEF, 2015b. Global Sustainable Supply Chains for Marine Commodities. UNDP PIMS 4754 – GEF Project ID 5271. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/globalsustainable-supply-chains-marine-commodities〉. UNDP-GEF, 2016. Coastal fisheries initiative- Latin America. UNDP PIMS 5573 – GEF Project ID 9124. See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/coastal-fisheriesinitiative-latin-america〉. UNEP-GEF, 2014. Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (IWEco). UNEP PIMS 4873 – GEF Project ID 4932, See 〈https://www.thegef.org/project/integrating-water-land-and-ecosystems-management-caribbean-small-island-developing-states〉.
3