Ecuador : environmental support program (ESP) -- design document

Objectives of the activity, which will be implemented through results packages (RPs) in four protected areas and their buffer zones, as noted below, are to: (1) strengthen the capacity of NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs) active in biodiversity conservation; (2) improve natural resource management (NRM) and increase the economic benefits thereof; (3) incorporate critical scientific and socioeconomic information into NRM plans and policies affecting biodiversity conservation; and (4) introduce or implement key policies and legal frameworks for conserving biodiversity. RP 1 will be implemented in the Reserva Ecologica Cotacachi Cayapas (RECC) by CARE and Ecuadorian partners including the NGOs EcoCiencia and Jatun Sacha and the Ecuadorian Institute for Forestry, Natural Resources, and Wildlife (INEFAN). Efforts will include: NGO institutional strengthening and organizational development (e.g., through training and TA and creation of INEFAN liaison positions in EcoCiencia and Jatun Sacha); policy and legal development; development of plans and provision of training and TA for sustainable land use management; studies, TA, and training to promote commercialization and marketing of timber and non-timber products; and biodiversity monitoring. Unidad Coordinadora de Esmeraldas will be a primary recipient of assistance under this RP. RP 2 will be implemented in the Reserva Ecologica Cayambe-Coca/Reserva Ecologica Antisana (RECAY/REA) by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in cooperation with several Ecuadorian NGOs, including Ecologica Rumicocha (FER), Fundacion Antisana (FUNAN), and the Centro de Datos para la Conservacion (CDC). Efforts will include biodiversity research, e.g., on natural cover and land use, endangered species, little known forest ecosystems, and migratory birds; promotion of community-based protected areas management and sustainable use of natural resources; provision of TA and training to build NGOs" NRM capacity; and dissemination/replication of RP activities and results. RP 3 will be implemented in the Galapagos Islands by The Charles Darwin Foundation in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Activities will include applied research on marine ecosystems and marine-dependent organisms along with education of local groups in marine conservation and reserve management. RP 4 will be implemented in Andean condor sites by the Partnership for Biodiversity through a PASA with the U.S. Department of the Interior in collaboration with the Peace Corps, the Ecuadorian Council for the Conservation and Study of Birds (CECIA), and INEFAN. Activities will include monitoring the Andean condor and high-altitude Andean ecosystems, providing environmental education to high Andean communities and the general public; expanding ecotourism and income generation in high Andean reserves; and conducting policy dialogue on protected area management.