USAID/Dominican Republic project assistance completion report : natural resources management project -- 517-0126

The project achieved its two principal objectives and most original targets. Through project training and TA, the Secretariat of Agriculture developed the capability to develop and implement watershed management plans and began collecting baseline information on the country's resources. A soil and water conservation model was implemented which involves the creation of watershed development committees to work with project field staff in the planning and monitoring process. The model proved effective for identifying local concerns and priorities in terms of watershed conservation interventions. Despite these achievements, the project did not succeed in stimulating sufficient environmental awareness among GODR officials to ensure long-term support. As a result, virtually all project-specific activities ceased as soon as direct A.I.D. assistance was terminated. Another major weakness of the project was its assumption that hillside farmers are the primary causes of soil erosion, when in fact road building, deforestation, and natural causes are more serious factors. The major lesson learned is that solving natural resource management problems requires long-term financial and administrative commitments by the participating institutions. To establish these commitments, natural resource management projects must have a minimum 7-10 year lifetime and promote the participation of nongovernmental organizations to compensate for limited political support.