The Environmental Project for Central America (PACA), a 5-year (1990-95) project supported by CARE and The Nature Conservancy under the RENARMA program aimed at developing partnerships among national and international NGOs and donors to link conservation and development objectives at field, policy, and regional levels. PACA supported four programmatic components: wildlands management; buffer zone management/environmental education/institutional strengthening; environmental monitoring and conservation information; and environmental policy and strategic planning. Partner organizations implementing these components carried out activities in: the Belize Maya Mountain Marine Transect; Costa Rica”s Tempisque Conservation Area; Guatemala”s Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve and Cerro San Gil; and Honduras” Cusuco National Park and Merendon Watershed. This report summarizes a concluding workshop held in 8/95 to assess PACA”s impact and document lessons learned. Participants concluded that PACA had a substantial impact at a variety of levels. It contributed significantly to the base of data available on environmental, social, and institutional issues in the region, providing high quality, scientifically sound information critical to community residents, project managers, and decision makers at all levels. It has been instrumental in strengthening local organizations through the improvement of administrative, managerial, and technical skills. Teachers, extensionists, natural resource managers, local beneficiaries, and the general public have improved also knowledge and skills through training, TA, and educational activities offered by PACA. PACA has also significantly improved public participation in policy dialogue and reformulation in the region. The project”s use of the policy analysis techniques offered in “The Green Book” has encouraged and motivated individuals and organizations from both the public and private sectors to work together to analyze policy impacts and constraints throughout the region. Finally, PACA has contributed significantly to changes in the use and management of the natural resource base and to the maintenance and recuperation of the region”s biophysical resources. This report details some of the many lessons learned and offers recommendations for future conservation and development projects in the region. (Author abstract, modified)
