US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA1899

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