Parks in peril [PiP] third year evaluation, 1993

The project has been implemented by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), NGOs, and local government environmental organizations (GOs). Interim evaluation covers the period 9/90-10/93. The project is meeting its objectives -- permanent patrolling and protection activities have been established to protect 14 million acres in 22 parks and reserves in Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru, and activities have been initiated at 3 other sites. Activities have included construction or improvement of existing ranger posts, provision of field equipment and transportation for rangers, development of communications systems, and demarcation of 1,214 km of boundaries. Expansion in the number of sites is recommended in order to allow more NGOs and GOs to participate in the project. The project has provided increasingly greater amounts of training for field personnel in topics including natural resources, personnel, protected management, and community relations. This has included on-site training and basic instruction for park rangers; a conservation training week in the Dominican Republic for approximately 300 participants; and a wildlands management course for protected areas specialists. Institutional cooperation among GOs, NGOs, TNC, and A.I.D. Missions has improved; GOs and NGOs have increased their number of project coordinators and improved their planning, administrative, logistical, and resource management skills. In addition, linkages between NGOs and GOs and local communities have been strengthened; NGOs have employed local people as rangers and extension agents, and local communities support NGO and GO park staff through assistance in park patrolling, environmental education, and regulation enforcement. The project has conducted environmental threat analyses at 19 sites, and further biological and socioeconomic studies are underway at these sites. Baseline data collected by the project is managed, in part, by local Conservation Data Centers. Efforts have begun at 12 sites to develop long-term financial mechanisms. Financial evaluations of Amboro National Park, Noel Kempff National Park, Corcovado National Park, and Darien Biosphere Reserve have been initiated. In general, the project's reporting formats and procedures have been evolving, but still need some improvement. The project has suffered a number of deficiencies. Too little emphasis has been placed on compatible human uses in buffer zones. Community participation in the most critical resource management decisions has been limited. Local management capacity has been hindered by low salaries and morale, high turnover and inadequate numbers of park rangers, limited training opportunities, and differing interpretations by GOs and NGOs about their respective roles (e.g., at times they have been delinquent in delivering resources). Close to half of the sites operate under the limitation of annual management plans. Where long-term financial plans have been developed there have been some delays in the disbursement of funds provided through commercial debt-for-nature swaps. Inaccessibility, supply and labor transport, inclement weather, and poor security have hampered field presence in key site areas. Finally, in-country politics, unstable economic conditions, and unclear natural resource policies have slowed implementation at some sites. In some cases, insufficient attention is being give to environmental issues and land tenure conflicts. Includes individual reports on the 22 protected sties.