I TTO

NINETEENTH SESSION 13 - 20 November 1996 Yokohama, Japan

INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL.

Distr. GENERAL

PERMANENT COMMITTEE ON PCF(XIX)/27 REFORESTATION AND FOREST MANAGEMENT 12 November 1996

Original: ENGLISH

FINAL REPORT

PD 171/91 Rev.2 (F) PHASE I

"CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT FOR MULTIPLE USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF

COLOMBIAN MANGROVE SWAMPS"

FINAL REPORT

A. Identification of the Project

NAME:

SERIAL:

EXECUTING AGENCY:

HOST GOVERNMENT:

START DATE:

ACTUAL DURATION:

ACTUAL COST:

Conservation and Management for Multiple Use and Development of Mangroves in Colombia

PD171 91 Rev. 2 (F) Phase 1

Ministry of the Environment Forestry and Wildlife Division

Colombia

March 1, 1995

15 months, ending October 30, 1996

US$850,472

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PART J. SUMMARY

1. Basic Information on the Project

1.1 Key problems to be solved (The situation before the project)

After a quick field survey by the environmental agency INDERENA in 1991, and using other studies before and after it, it was determined that the composition, structure and density of the mangrove ecosystems in Colombia have been adversely affected, and some have deteriorated seriously, for a number of reasons. Among them is the inappropriate use of plant resources, the construction of civil works, projects for housing, tourism and industry and a number of other human actions, that deteriorate the estuary.

There were no documents or studies available to cover this situation nationwide, and no reliable information on the specific causes of deterioration of the mangroves on both coasts, the precise areas affected, the real composition, structure and density of the vegetation and in general there was no up-to-date information on the mangroves and the components of their ecosystems.

Also, while there was some information on the ways in which the mangroves were used, there was no specific knowledge of the uses, goods and services obtained by sectors, types of product extracted, communities engaged in exploiting them and their relations with them, the needs, inclinations or feelings of the local inhabitants, their sense of belonging, or their ethnic and cultural traditions.

The law had little specific to say on the treatment of mangroves, and available information on the administrative structure for their management suggested that little had been done and that there were very few programmes designed to encourage sustainable management. In most cases, maps of the mangrove areas were inadequate and on a scale inappropriate for practical work. In short, there was no detailed information on the characterisation of the mangroves which could be used asa guide to appropriate management and conservation for sustainable use.

1.2 Specific Objectives

• To prepare a diagnosis on the mangroves as a participative exercise .

• To organise and analyse information on the structure, function and dynamics of Ithe mangrove ecosystems and of the pressures exerted by human agents and processes

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on them, and the legal, institutional -and participative elements involved· in their management.

• To prepare a detailed diagnosis of the situation of the mangrove ecosystems on the coasts and on the islands in the Caribbean and Pacific,· and of the scientific and technological capacity available to ensure that they were properly used and conserved, and to identify management units.

• To make general studies of the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, on the structure, functions and dynamics of mangrove ecosystems and priority economic and social processes.

• To take action designed to implement legal and institutional mechanisms and procedures, participation and funding in order to secure the completion of project activities and their future continUity and development.

• To prepare, agree and define an immediate action plan for Phase 2 of the project at 3 levels: in-depth research in ecosystems and socio-economic processes; conservation and rehabilitation; and development of pilot production projects.

1.3 Expected Results

• A Work Plan with methods, scope and schemes for co-ordination and participation.

• A collection of information on the context, natural offer, limitations and potential, agents. social relations, processes of change and national policy related to the management of the mangroves.

• A document containing a diagnosis and evaluation of the current state of mangrove ecosystems in the Pacific and Caribbean includes zoning for sustainable use and a characterisation of economic and social processes.

• A proposal for the type of institutional infrastructure and support required for the continuity of the project and its objects, once Phase 1 is completed.

• An Action Plan for immediate implementation as Phase 2.

1.4 Strategies

The strategies adopted at the outset were intended to ensure that activities were integrated and co-ordinated; to ensure that institutions, and especially the local

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communities in the field, took part in th!3 work in an articulated manner; to see that information on the progress of the project was made available promptly, and to keep options open for changes to be made if necessary.

1.5 Planned duration and overall cost

The initial programme was for 12 months, but in the event the time required to articulate the project in the institutions concerned and the local communities extended this to 15 months

The planned overall cost was US$850.472 from OIMT and US$220,731 from the Colombian Government.

2. Achievements

2.1 Results

a) The Work Programme

The consultants drew up a detailed work programme and timetable, and a document of the logical structure of the project. Four documents were produced on methodology: an overall approach to the social and economic aspects; biotic and abiotic elements; diagnostic and planning aids; and a field guide for the study of the structure and dynamics of the mangroves. They also determined the mechanisms required to co­ordinate the institutions and to secure the participation of the local inhabitants for field work and to co-ordinate the diagnosis and strategic planning.

b) Compendium of updated information

The project collected up a series of books, articles, texts and other secondary information (published and otherwise) and the bibliographical information was fed into the COS-ISIS database in theAGRIS and CARIS-CARIN subprograms. An analytical documents of the database, by authors and subjects, was then produced. Maps were drawn on a scale of 1: 1 00,000 on the exact location of mangroves on the Pacific coast with the situation in 1969 and 1996 and multi-moment integration using Intera's radar images and maps of the mangrove areas based on LANOSAT images on the same scale. The fieldwork produced preliminary zoning maps to show sustainable management of mangroves on both coasts.

•

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c) Diagnosis and Zoning

Two documents were produced, containing the diagnosis and zoning for sustainable management of mangroves on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. They hold the information gathered in the field, subsequently processed and analysed, on physical, biotic and ecological components, the current situation,impact and socio-economic aspects of the mangroves. Zoning identified areas for Preservation, Multiple Use, Recovery and Production, with guidelines for the management of each.

d) Progress in the study of the structure, composition, location, dynamics and socio-economic processes in the mangroves.

Based on time transects produced by PCQM, used worldwide for quick studies of mangroves, a study was made of the structure and composition of the mangroves on both coasts. Data werE? subjected to an Importance Value Index analysis, and a document was prepared from that information and the analysis. Permanent areas of different sizes were identified, depending on the composition of the woodland, and preliminary measurements were taken there to record growth in diameter, natural regeneration and phenology. The results appear in the document.

e) Legal mechanisms and procedures, community participation and the institutions

A proposal was made for this area of the project, which also covered the dissemination of information to support the sustainable management of the mangroves. The mechanisms appear in the document on diagnosis and strategic planning.

f) Strategic Planning

The preliminary strategic plan for sustainable management was prepared on the basis of the diagnosis, with some specific recommendations. The components of the action plan were defined for immediate and integrated implementation in Phase 2. The detailed plan will be drawn up with the help of the communities, once funding has been secured for Phase 2.

2.2 Specific Achievements

* The preparation and planning of activities was participative

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* Secondary information available in Colombia was organised and evaluated as a database on the structure, function and dynamics of mangrove ecosystems and the pressure exerted by human intervention and processes on them, the legal and institutional context and participation in their management.

* The project produced a diagnosis of the mangrove ecosystems on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, with a zoning plan for sustainable management which included recovery, preservation, productionand multiple use, and guidelines for management.

* Good progress was made in studies of the structure, functions and dynamics of the mangroves on both coasts, and of concomitant economic and social processes.

* A proposal was drawn up for legal and institutional mechanisms and procedures, participation and dissemination of information, designed to lend continuity to project activities and achieve its objectives in development.

* Some basic guidelines and components were prepared for the immediate action plan in Phase 2 of the project. Detailed design will be completed with the participation of the inhabitants of the mangroves and adjacent areas, once funding for Phase 2 is confirmed.

2.3 Contribution to the Development Objective

At the end of Phase 1, the project has made significant progress by producing a general diagnosis and some reliable information on the current situation of the mangroves on both coasts. It has also produced valuable data on zoning and guidelines for sustainable management regarding the structure, composition, present use and impact, and on social and economic relationships. The project also drew up a proposed strategic plan for mangroves as a whole, including legal aspects, research, sustainable use, protection, control, recovery, community development and training. All of these elements are ingredients in the search for socially and environmentally acceptable alternatives for the sustainable use of the mangroves, intended to conserve them and to make the local inhabitants the primary beneficiaries of project activities, as required by the stated development objectives.

3. Participation by beneficiaries

Throughout Phase 1 priority was given to concerted action and participation and articulation of institutions and local communities living in or near the mangrove areas. Community participation in project activities was initially a task of presentation and subsequent divulging of the project in the Office of Indigenous Affairs and National Council of Black Communities and representatives of the Departmental Councils, with

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whom the scope and focus of the diagnosis was established in order to enhance organisational capabilities at local level.

Next, socialisation workshops were held with local organisations and communities, in which people were able to explain their experience and knowledge of traditional ways of using mangrove resources freely and spontaneously, and express their views of their relationships with these ecosystems .. There was a total of 25 workshops on the Pacific coast, in preparation for the fieldwork. In each of the 20 sampling areas on that coast the local inhabitants played a direct part in project activities, with 4 representatives for each area selected by them - a total of 80 co-researchers in the social and biotic components - working with the consultants. At the same time they received basic training in the elements of methodology required to collect information. The representative communities on the who live on the mangrove resources of the Caribbean coast also took part in the project, providing information and expressing their concerns regarding the management of the mangroves. At the end of Phase 1 t~ere were 8 local meetings in which the representatives of the local communities took part, disseminating the information gathered by the project and inviting comments and suggestions, which were then incorporated into the consultants' documents. There were also four workshop-seminars in which representatives of the Regional Development Corporations, responsible for the management of the mangroves, took part in discussions of the diagnosis.

4. Lessons learned

a) Lessons on Development

- Aspects of design which were particularly helpful in achieving the development objective.

One relevant aspect of the design of the project was the permanent integration of institutions, organisations and community representatives by the project management, the co-ordinators and the consultants. Another key factor in success was to use relevant methodology and to impart it to several of those involved in the project and interested in the subject for the work in social, economic and biotic areas.

Another basic preliminary decision which optimised project activities was to adopt a flexible scheme of work, allowing for changes in the light of field conditions and adjustments in methodology, and always to leave time and opportunity for concertation and the dissemination of information on progress. The project was well-received by the local communities at all times during execu~ion, and the staff of the Ministry of the Environment, the Regional Development Corporations, the Local Environment Departments and Town CouMcils all played a positive role.

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- Additional measures which could improve co-operation between those involved

One important way of assisting co-operation between those involved in Phase 2 will be to secure the active participation of local community representatives and the consultants who will execute the Phase, in the process of detailed design. Representatives of government institutions and NGOs interested in the project should also be consulted or asked to take part.

- Factors likely to. affect the subsequent sustainability of the project

Among the factors which could affect sustainability after the end of Phase 2 is the lack of budgeted funds. In order to avoid this, the Regional Development Corporations and the Ministry of the Environment have already made a commitment to join forces and secure continuity of action; and they are have also made a commitment to ensure that there will be funds to implement the proposals and results of the project. The communities must play. the greatest part possible in adopting and disseminating decisions among themselves, as beneficiaries, in order to maximise impact. At all events, it is most important for Colombia to have OIMT's financial support for Phase 2, as proposed in the original project document, for a period of 2 years.

b. Lessons on operational aspects

- Organisation and administration

In general, the project's organisation was quite appropriate and its administration was efficient, in terms of results achieved and smooth ope~ation.

- Documentation

Part of the project required a compilation and analysis to be made of solid information on mangroves in Colombia and its inclusion in a database. This information will be of great value to many people, and is available to the public.

The project produced 10 technical documents and maps on a scale 1:100,000 for Phase 1, all now being printed for distribution to a wide public. Proof documents have already been sent to OIMT. All project documents, files and information are to be found in the Forest and Wildlife Division of the Ministry of the Environment.

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- Control and Evaluation

The project was continuously evaluated by the Ministry's Forests and Wildlife Division sand carefully controlled by its Internal Control function. Actions programmed were executed efficiently. The official control of the project was managed by the Management Committee, which met three times, on April 20, 1995, February 9, 1996 and September 19, 1996. Then OIMT Forestry Officer for Latin America conducted a field control visit on February 10-11, 1996. Prior to this Final Report, four progress reports had been submitted.

- Planning Quality

The planning of the project was considered correctly conceived and good, and only a few adjustments had to be introduced during execution in terms of the budget and work plan, which was in any c~se drawn up to be flexible in the light of unforeseen situations. It would have been heJpful to have had community representatives involved in the planning process.

- Functions and responsibilities of the institutions taking part

The functions and responsibilities in the project assigned to the Forests and Wildlife Division of the Ministry of the Environment and other institutions directly or indirectly involved were correctly discharged.,

- Measures to be taken to avoid differences between planned and actual execution (programme and costs)

There were very few differences between the programme as planned and as executed. Those that did occur might have been avoided if the project had been designed with the assistance of local community representatives and some of the consultants contracted.

- Unforeseeable external factors influencing execution

One external factor which it would have been difficult to foresee was present during execution: the process of reorganisation of the communities to implement a law passed in 1993 after the project had been formulated. This meant that it was not easy to reach agreements with the local communities in the first meetings held, since they were involved in this new process and had set up different levels of consultation. More time was therefore needed to reach agreements, but the project was fortunately successful in overcoming the difficulty by extensive dialogue with those concerned.

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PART 11. MAIN TEXT

This report mentions only the highlights of the project, based on the format given by OIMT for it, and avoiding repetition of the contents of Part I, Sections 1-4 on content, context, design, organisation and execution.

5. Results of the project

5. 1 The situation before and after the project

Before the project, there was no integrated study of the mangroves of Colombia's two coasts, including physical, biotic, economic and social aspects and the various forms of use, development, impact and deterioration present in one place or another, or the potential for sustainable use of fauna and flora resources.

By the end of the 15 months of Phase 1, the essential elements and basis for decisions on programming, planning, administration, development, conservation, sustainable use and research on mangroves and their resources had been obtained, a diagnosis had been made and zoning proposed for each sector and its particular characteristics, in terms of the physical, biotic, ecological, economic and social features present.

Another product of Phase 1 was integrated strategic planning related to conservation, use, education, research, community organisation and participation, institutions, recovery, legal aspects, and information systems.

At the end of Phase 1, the following documents were produced:

* Technical Report 1: Methodology for biotic and abiotic studies.

* Technical Report 2: Methodology for social, economic and anthropological studies.

* Technical Report 3: Methodology for defining management units, zoning and strategic planning.

* Technical Report 4: Situation of the mangroves in San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina.

* Technical Report 5: Management Strategy for mangroves in San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina.

* Technical Report 6: The Nato mangrove, Mora oleifera (Triana) Ducke (Caesalpinaceae) a bioecological synthesis.

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* Technical Report 7: Maps of mangroves on the Pacific, 1969, 1996 and multitemporal, Scale 1: 1 00.000. Maps of the Caribbean coast mangroves, scale 1:100,000.

* Technical report 8: Guide for field studies of the dynamics of mangroves in Colombia.

* Technical Report 9: Bibliography. of knowledge of mangrove ecosystems in Colombia.

* Technical Report 10: Mangrove Documentation Centre.

* Diagnosis and Zoning of the Pacific coast mangroves.

* Diagnosis and zoning of the Caribbean coast mangroves.

* Strategic Plan for sustainable management of mangroves in Colombia.

* Social aspects of mangroves on the Pacific coast.

* Aspects of structure and composition of Caribbean and Pacific coast mangroves in Colombia.

* Leaflet "Save Our Mangroves".

Copies will be sent to OIMT for information.

5.2 Achievement of Objectives

The specific objectives of the project were achieved satisfactorily and over a broad front (see Section 2.2)

5.3 Impact of results on sectoral programmes, the environment, the social context and beneficiary groups

The impact of the results on sectoral programmes was positive, since the information produced and provided is a useful contribution to decision-making and work of Departmental and local government organisations with regard to mangrove management, especially for the Regional Development Corporations who are responsible for drawing up a detailed plan for sustainable management in their respective jurisdictions.

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The influence or impact of the project on the environment will begin to be appreciated when the preliminary zoning and the guidelines for mangrove management start to be put into practice.

Impact is already positive in terms of social context, since the project has made local people and beneficiaries aware of the possibilities of sustainable management of the mangroves. Many have shared in the results obtained and agree that the project's guidelines should be implemented. Local community participation in project activities has given rise to a constant interest in sharing experiences and to implementing programmes compatible with the sustainable use of mangroves.

5.4 Sustainability of the project after Phase 2 ends, based on the concepts and assumptions made and the conditions prevailing at the time.

The sustainability of the project after activities end is considered acceptable, in the light of (a) the concepts underlying project activities, with a strong emphasis on the integration of social ana cultural components with biotic, ecological and environmental components (b) results' obtained and basic supporting documents prod uced , some designed for use in the strategic management of mangroves, and ( c) the benefits of the project's activities within the framework of the new woodlands policy in Colombia and the sustainable management promoted by OIMT.

6. Summary analysis

(a) Achievement of Specific Objectives

(b) Results

( c) Programme

(d) Expenditure

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• Achieved o Partially achieved o Not achieved

• As planned o Partial o Not achieved

o Ahead of schedule • Slightly delayed o Seriously delayed

• Below budget o 10% over budget o More than 20% over budget

PART III . CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Conclusions

a) Lessons on development The project's results were in general satisfactory and very useful for the sustainable management of Colombia's mangroves, particularly with regard to diagnosis, zoning and strategic planning. Significant progress was made in study of the structure, dynamics, composition, zoning and social and economic processes and relations involved in these ecosystems. The results of the project are important contributions to the development objectives of the project. Programming and planning of activities were satisfactory .

b) Lesson on operational matters Organisation, administration, control, evaluation, definition and adoption of responsibilities were all. satisfactory, and were essential to the achievement of the project's specific objectives and results. One important need identified in operational terms was the absolute necessity for permanent dialogue and consensus with the inhabitants of the areas who live off the mangroves, as a way of improving project action.

2. Recommendations for future projects

* In future, project design should include a reasonable level of participation by the local communities affected, and by the representatives of institutions responsible for the management of natural resources, without losing agility and efficiency in the process. For Phase 2 of this project, we believe that agreement over the final design should be sought only after securing funds for it, in order to avoid raising false hopes. The consultants responsible for executing Phase 2 should also be part of the design process.

* Project design must take account of the need to train and organise communities in accordance with their ways and customs, in order to secure greater receptivity and participation.

* Detailed planning of activities must take account of prevailing weather conditions forecast for the execution period. Once design is completed, allowance should be made for one month or more of field-work for the discussion of the time required for each activity with the Iqcal inhabitants, their availability of time, and suitable dates.

* In the planning and execution of activities, time should be allowed for the preparation of full Final Reports and the publishing of manuscript material produced by the project

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* One important feature of the organisation and administration of projects is the prompt and timely handling of funds so that activities can proceed smoothly. There should be a minimum of bureaucratic delay in decision-taking. This' was a highly positive factor in this project.

* The exchange of information and experiences and short visits between personnel involved in similar projects in other countries is also an important factor of benefit to all.

Officer responsible for the Report:

NAME: POST:

DATE:

HEL:lODORO SANCHEZ National Coordinator Project PO 171-91 Rev. 2 (Phase 1) October 31, 1996

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