Design and Operation of Trust Funds for Marine Protected Areas

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• Design and Operation of Trust Funds for Marine
  Protected Areas

Third International Tropical Marine Ecosystems
Management Symposium (ITMEMS-3) October 16-20th,
Cozumel, Q.Roo, Mexico
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Context

• The big picture
• Too much in (pollution)
• Too much out (living organisms and natural
  resources)
• Big time degradation of the coastline (coastal
  ecosystems including coral reefs)

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Outline

• A. Background
• B. The design process, a practical approach
• C. Critical issues during the first years
• D. Conditions for success
• E. Examples of best practices
• F. Conclusions
• G. Documental and on-line resources
• H. Exchange session

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A. Background
KEY CONCEPTS

• Protected Area
• The Science of Marine Protected Areas
• Trust Funds
• Environmental Funds
• International and national (México) stats

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A. Background
Different areas have different funding needs
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A. Background
1962 1000 PAs , 3 of the Planet (land) 2003
102,102 PAs, 11.5 of the Planet.
Growth of global PAs 1873-2004
Source The World Conservation Union. 2006
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Growth of PAs in Mexico 1976- 2006
Source Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales
Protegidas. 2006
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PAs in Mexico (2006)
Total 155 Areas
Source Gutiérrez Carbonell, David, Et.al. 2006
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Regional networks of MPAs (Gulf of California and
the Mesoamerican Reef)
Source Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la
Naturaleza A.C.
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A. Background
The PA financing gap (global)
Source The World Conservation Union. 2006
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A. Background
Source Burke, Lauretta, et.al. 2004
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A. Background
Source Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales
Protegidas.2006
Funding of PAs in Mexico 2001-2006
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B. The design process, a practical approach

• Legal structure
• Governance
• Operational issues (program strategy and
  focus)
• Spending rules and project cycle
• Structure and staffing
• In-country partnerships
• Building the capacity of grantees
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Designing and executing a resource mobilization
  strategy

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C. Critical issues during the first years

• Sufficient design and startup resources (angel
  donor)
• A great Steering Committee
• Participation and support of all potential
  stakeholders
• Government recognition of need
• Full support from government (clear priorities)
• International endorsement
• More resources

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D. Conditions for success

• Stable board and staff evolution
• Strong leadership from Executive Director
• Strong leadership from Chairman of the Board
• Stable funding scheme during first years of
  operation
• Capable recipients
• Political stability
• Clear division of roles between EF and government
• FtF the model

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Life cycle of a Trust Fund, resources input vs
impact over time
Birth
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Birth

• Abundant enthusiasm, incipient professionalism.
• Diffuse institutional and organizational
  structure
• Authority, responsibilities and job descriptions
  not clear
• Insufficient training and capacity building.
• Survives its first years from public relations,
  prestige, contacts and resources raised by the
  board of directors
• Acts as a loner with limited linkage to the
  institutional landscape

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Growth

• Personal enthusiasm levels.
• Professionalism increases.
• Institutional and organizational structure are
  defined to some extent.
• Administrative and operational procedures are
  more clearly defined and utilized
• Staff members attend training as opportunity
  rises
• Incipient financial sustainability is achieved
  through fundraising and income generating
  activities

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Consolidation

• Professional workforce at all levels
• Organizational structure is well defined
• Administrative and operative processes are
  systematized
• Staff members are trained and work as teams
• Financing sources still influence the design and
  the execution of the projects
• The organization has prestige at a local level.
• Strategic alliances are forged with key actors in
  the region

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Maturity

• Members are recognized professionals
• Programs grow at a regional and/or international
  scale
• Programs and projects respond to country or
  region needs and priorities
• Impact is measured
• Performance criteria are established
• Training follows the needs of both staff and
  programs
• Generates its own resources through endowment
  income, membership fees and direct fundraising
• Prestige is national and/or international
• Strategic agreements with other actors contribute
  to a shared sustainability vision at a regional
  and or ecosystem scale

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E. Examples of best practices

• Asset management (8 per year)
• Principal and complementary funding scheme (5
  different sources)
• Scale (local vs. regional) i.e. MAR-Fund
• Permanence (the FANP program)
• Innovation at all levels (BP for MPAs and Rares
  pride campaign)
• R D for mainstreaming biodiversity conservation
  in landscapes and sectors
• Contingency and emergency funds

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F. Conclusions

• Importance of Environmental Funds
• Strengthen the environmental management of a
  country or region through public-private
  partnerships
• In depth knowledge of local, national and
  regional needs and priorities
• - Involvement of diverse actors through board of
  directors and advisory committees
• - Permanence and institutional continuity
  between political cycles
• Institutional strengthening of recipients (public
  and private)
• Source of capacity building, networking and
  information exchange on technical and managerial
  topics

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F. Conclusions (contd.)

• The 21st century NGO (Trust Fund)

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F. Conclusions (contd.)

• The 21st century NGO (Trust Fund)

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G. Documental and on-line resources

• Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA)
• Financial Model for Marine Protected Areas (WWF
  and MarFund)
• Burke, Lauretta and Maidens, Jon. 2004. Reefs at
  Risk in the Caribbean. http//images.wri.org/chart
  _rrcarib_pie_mpas.gif
• CONANP. VI Aniversario CONANP 2006.
• Emerton, L. , Bishop, J. and Thomas, L. 2006.
  Sustainable Financing of Protected Areas. IUCN,
  Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K 97 pages
• Gutiérrez Carbonell, David Creel Bezaury, Juan.
  Notas para el capítulo Parte B. Segundo Estudio
  País. Capítulo 9. Áreas Naturales Protegidas.
• http//www.conanp.gob.mx/anp/anp.php
• Norris, Ruth (editor). 2000. The IPG Handbook on
  Environmental Funds. A resource book for the
  design and operation of environmental funds.
• Oleas, Reyna and Barragán Lourdes. August 2003.
  Environmental Funds as a Mechanism for
  Conservation and Sustainable Development in Latin
  America and the Caribbean.
• Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of
  Coastal Oceans. 2002.The Science of Marine
  Reserves. http//www.piscoweb.org. 22 pages

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Thanks !