Jamaica project paper : development of environmental management organization (DEMO)

The project will: strengthen two nascent organizations -- the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA), the leading public agency for natural resource management, and the National Environmental Societies Trust (NEST), an NGO umbrella group; conduct "Strategic Interventions in the Environment" (SITE) activities; and, possibly, expand Jamaica"s national park system. A NRCA Project Management Unit (PMU) will implement the project with help from an institutional contractor. The first component will strengthen NRCA through training and TA to help NRCA to: (1) identify its program goals, develop its human resource base, expand its facilities, and improve financial management; (2) participate in the design of an environmentally sustainable national economic policy; (3) establish an environmental information system for use in setting environmental quality standards and guiding land and resource use decisionmaking; and (4) prepare environmental regulations, governing, e.g., water quality, conservation of terrestrial and marine habitats, and management of liquid and solid wastes. The second component will strengthen NEST in many of the same areas, e.g., human resources, physical facilities, financial management, and development of information systems that will enable NGOs to share lessons learned, provide better environmental data, and establish sound financial bases for project design and management. NEST will also (1) provide selected environmental NGOs and community groups with organizational development and skills training through a series of regional workshops, and (2) respond to specific NGO requests for TA. The third component will undertake SITE activities in Negril, Montego Bay, and two of four other designated areas of environmental concern (Black River, Ocho Rios to Runaway Bay, Portland/Port Antonio, and Kingston/Hellshire Hills). The activities will serve as a laboratory for strengthening NRCA by enabling collaborative work with NGOs and other government agencies. SITE activities will be implemented by or under the supervision of Local Environmental Management Councils, comprised of representatives from government, NGOs, and community organizations. Each SITE effort will aim to: (1) protect economically valuable natural resources; (2) establish data collection/monitoring systems and environmental awareness programs; (3) ensure compliance with environmental objectives by implementing regulatory controls (e.g., land use controls, effluent permits, building regulations) as well as programs to encourage voluntary compliance with these regulations (e.g., environmental audits); and (4) conduct specific environmental actions, e.g., developing a low-technology system for solid waste collection and disposal, a pilot constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, a mooring buoy system for reef protection, or a tree planting program for watershed restoration. A fourth component, Phase II of the Protected Area Resource Conservation (PARC) project (5320148), may be added. The component would focus on expanding Jamaica"s national parks system using the models developed for Montego Bay and Blue Mountain/John Crow National Parks and developing a plan for the sustainable management of the park system. Grant amendment of 10/15/93 adds the PARC II component. Targets are to: open two new national parks (Black River and Cockpit Country); build a cadre of national park professionals; strengthen the capacity of the NRCA"s Protected Areas Division to establish policies and regulations for national parks; assist the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust in creating a National Parks Institute to consolidate management, training, and fundraising for the national park system; continue to capitalize the National Parks Trust Fund; and assist in community-based buffer management activities and in environmental data collection and monitoring. (PD-ABH-405) Grant amendment of 9/27/95 adds a fifth component, entitled Environmental Initiatives of America (EIA) Coastal Management/Environmental Audit Activities, aimed at enhancing management of coastal and marine ecosystems in the Kingston area and encouraging use of environmental audits to reduce industrial pollution. The component will: (1) help NRCA establish a marine protected area encompassing much of Kingston"s coastline and work with industry to reduce water pollution in the Kingston Harbor; (2) contribute to downtown redevelopment, restoration of Port Royal"s historic properties, protection of the marine environment, creation/enhancement of parks and open space, and improvements to potential tourism and ecotourism attractions; (3) support NGOs" coastal and marine ecosystem conservation activities in the Kingston area; (4) help NRCA carry out its first environmental audit of selected industries on all phases of manufacturing processes and product life cycles; (5) launch an industrial audit program that will encourage private sector support for pollution prevention and regulatory compliance; (6) support establishment of a Kingston area environmental management council; (7) and provide funding to the Parks and Protected Areas Division to oversee the establishment of the proposed Palisadoes and Port Royal Cays Protected Area. (PD-ABN-257)