Evaluation of USAID Jamaica's environmental program

In general, the accomplishments of CWIP and EAST have been outstanding. The programs have generated wide stakeholder support, community NGOs and community-based organizations (CBOs) have been energized to voluntarily undertake a wide array of environmental projects, and the work has elicited high praise from participating public and private sector entities. The expertise and effectiveness of contractor personnel were repeatedly cited by stakeholders as key to the success of CWIP's community-level initiatives, coastal water monitoring and sampling efforts, EMS initiatives, wastewater training, and EAST's environmental audit program. Significant institutional breakthroughs have been made in establishing public participation models at the local level, as exemplified in the formation of the advisory and monitoring committees in Negril and Ocho Rios. The emphasis on establishing partnerships and stressing organizational capacity- building at the local level has succeeded in broadening program reach, enabling a sense of local ownership, thereby increasing the prospects for long-term sustainability. CWIP's activity in the EMS and wastewater components, which began at the community level, has led to policy initiatives that are being considered for adoption at the highest levels of government. Similarly, EAST's environmental auditing program, begun at the enterprise level, is now expanding to sectoral involvement and participation by government agencies. These are examples of how a "bottom up" approach to addressing local environmental issues can contribute to the formulation and adoption of national environmental policy. The program's geographic focus during the next 2 years will shift dramatically to Portland. In addition to CWIP, EAST and the Ridge to Reef Watershed (R2RW) project will be working in the Port Antonio/Portland area, as will other donor programs such as the Environmental Action Programme (ENACT). CWIP has only a 12-month window to commit its grant funds to community-level initiatives in Portland. Whether there is the capacity among the NGOs and CBOs to put these funds to effective use in so short a time is open to question. As an option, all or part of CWIP's grant funds earmarked for Portland might be used to sustain ongoing projects in Negril and Ocho Rios. Includes program recommendations for the near, medium, and long term, as well as recommendations for SO performance, monitoring, and evaluation.