Watershed management

PES, summarizing the attached special evaluation (XD-AAA-006), covers the period 4/79-6/81. Excellent progress has been made in developing RENARE"s institutional capability through strengthened staff quantity and quality and improved management. Despite earlier delays, RENARE has made substantial progress during the last few months in implementing watershed management programs in the Canal, Caldera, and La Villa watersheds and in incorporating the populations of these areas into the resource management/conservation process. Reforestation (the most important watershed management activity) was completed on 4,400 ha; soil conservation activities were conducted on 500 plots; 136 pasture plots were improved; and 22,500 ha of park preserves were protected. Professionals, park/forest rangers, and temporary field personnel have been hired and trained, and considerable success has been achieved in training in watershed management, forestry, forestry engineering, forest economics, and park management. A small research program on watershed management is underway. Awareness of the importance of resource conservation has increased through establishment of an active community relations department, an information and training center, and a visitors" center. Additional educational facilities are planned, and extension education activities have been conducted with 12,000 people. The project is benefitting the Panama Canal, the nation"s major industry, and the Canal workforce, which is increasingly Panamanian. Project experience showed that too little money was programmed for training and that contracting for critical technical assistance (TA) should have been a condition precedent to the project loan. In addition, RENARE has been unwilling to increase training funds at the expense of other project activities and has been reluctant to use loan funds for what it considers unnecessarily expensive TA. For specific recommendations see the attached special evaluation (XD-AAA-006).