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Coastal and marine fisheries are responsible for the largest extractive use of wildlife products for food. In Central America, almost 100,000 fishermen generate an annual total net value of US$1,400 million. However, fisheries have rarely been sustainable: major threats to the region’s coastal and marine biodiversity and ecosystems include unsustainable exploitation of resources (especially fish stocks and mangroves) and habitat transformations. Coastal development and critical habitat degradation also threaten the health and conservation status of species of economic and conservation importance.
These biophysical threats are driven by a number of social, political, and economic factors. Weak governance is a major driver of biodiversity degradation in Central America. Well-established and legitimate institutional capacity is essential for the enforcement of regulations and for overall conservation and sustainable economic development. Reforms in the governance of fisheries have shown great progress in addressing this problem. To be effective, however, this major shift in fisheries governance should be regionally embraced, as species have no boundaries and their sustainable management depends on the cooperation of nations and their ability to harmonize their policies. Without sound management practices and market solutions that are tailored to ensure sustainability at the local level, both food security and marine biodiversity will be lost to coastal communities.
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The project is aimed at reducing threats posed by unsustainable fishing practices and coastal development by laying the foundation for mechanisms to achieve strengthened coastal and marine resources management and conservation in Central America.
Specific
objectives to be addressed include:
- Promote effective monitoring and enforcement of coastal and marine resources policies and legislation with an emphasis on compliance, and
- Foster rights–based and market-based mechanisms and management incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources and ecosystems, with an emphasis on ecosystem-based approaches to management.
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Solimar will utilize sustainable tourism to address project objective 2. When developed and managed in a sustainable manner, tourism has the potential to help conserve the natural attractions on which it relies.
Solimar will create a marketing initiative to increase demand for sustainable tourism products and services that directly support sea turtle species and their ecosystems. We will build off the previous work conducted under the CCAW program by connecting sustainable tourism products and services identified along “La Ruta Amistad” (Costa Rica-Panama) to national and international markets, and assist the already established destination management organizations (DMOs) in Bocas del Toro and Gulf of Honduras in marketing their destinations and the sustainable tourism products their members offer (tours, seafood, artisans).
We will work with project conservation partners and El Sistema de la
Integración Centroamericana (SICA) to create a conservation model for
the unique needs and opportunities that the project sites present,
particularly sea turtle conservation. Solimar will also work with these
partners to collect and codify best practices and standards for
marine-based tourism.
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In parallel with the development of the conservation model, Solimar will develop a “Sustainable Tourism Toolkit” that integrates the model into a comprehensive guide for developing marine-based tourism products. The toolkit will provide practitioners with the building blocks they need to develop marine-based tourism products that directly support the protection of endangered species and their ecosystems.
Finally, Solimar will create a public-private alliance to generate support and funding for the conservation of sea turtles through sustainable tourism. This activity will capitalize on existing regional initiatives for the conservation of sea turtles to form a committee of government representatives, scientific community members, NGOs, and the private tourism industry from throughout Central America to generate support and funding and establish an agreed-upon set of best practices for the conservation of sea turtles through sustainable tourism. |
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EXPECTED
OUTCOMES
•Regional marketing initiative to increase demand for Central America’s sustainable tourism destinations and products
•Increased demand from local and international responsible travel consumers for sustainable tourism destinations and products
•A model for integrating tourism development with conservation of ecosystems, which will in turn be integrated into a Sustainable Tourism Toolkit
•A public-private alliance comprised of Central American government representatives, scientific community members, NGOs, and the private tourism industry. Through the alliance, support and funding will be generated for the conservation of sea turtles through sustainable tourism
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Project
Dates:
February 2010-January 2015
Project Web site:
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Project
Partners:
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS),
Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC)
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