Public Private Partnerships: How agriculture and waterusing industries are engaging in the conservat

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Public Private PartnershipsHow agriculture
andwater-using industries are engaging in
theconservation of the MAR
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The Mission

• To enhance the health of the Mesoamerican Reef's
  diverse ecosystems, providing sustainable
  livelihoods for local people, while preserving
  one of the worlds great natural treasures.

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Situation of the water use in the
Motagua-Polochic watersheds

• 500,000 domestic users
• 12 large industrial plants (bottlers, rum
  factory, paper mill, frozen foods, hydro-plants)
• 3 large agro-industry (water melon, pineapple,
  oil palm)
• Irrigation districts
• Growing tensions about access rights to water

Motagua Valley is the driest area in Central
America
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Situation

• No payment for water extraction
• No payment for effluents
• Water distribution subsidized by municipalities
• National budget for Protected Areas and watershed
  management is insufficient and has declined since
  2002

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Situation
MAR Watersheds

• Honduras
• Banana 18,000 ha
• Oil Palm 96,000 ha (and expanding)
• Oranges 21,000 ha
• Pineapple 3,000 ha (and expanding)
• Guatemala
• Banana 12,000 ha
• Belize
• Oranges for juice
• Banana 12,000 ha
• Chetumal Bay, Mexico
• Sugar cane
• Significant organochlorine contamination in
  marine organisms.
• Fungicides Chlorothalonil and Mancozeb
• Insecticides Imidacloprid. DDT, Lindane and
  Aldrin (banned worldwide)
• Herbicides Propanil. Paraquat, 2,4-D and
  Glyphosate

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How do we approachthese challenges through a
public-private partnership?

• Diagnosis and research
• Ecotoxicology analysis
• Economical valuations
• Hydro-geological studies
• Livelihood study
• Perceptions about conservation, water use, etc.
• Promotion of results and options (information,
  workshops)

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How do we approachthese challenges through a
public-private partnership?

• Documentation of BMPs (working together into the
  plant or crop)
• Optimizing the water use and reducing effluents
• Reducing the use of pesticides on the main crops
• Implementing BMPs and coaching

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How do we approachthese challenges through a
public-private partnership?

• Developing feasibility and financial analysis
  have been crucial

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How do we approachthese challenges through a
public-private partnership?
Board

• Building sustainability mechanisms to link local
  efforts with national or regional scope

Investment portfolios
Operational units
Out-sourcing
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How do we approachthese challenges through a
public-private partnership?
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How do we approachthese challenges through a
public-private partnership?

• Developing a marketing campaigns base on the
  diagnosis and the perception and needs of every
  sector involved
• Policy regulatory changes at national level

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Lessons learned

• Develop good baseline information (e.g. toxics,
  hydrology, industry business profiles)
• Foster open, transparent and respectful
  communication with key stakeholders (MOUs)
• The private-public partnerships are at the end a
  negotiation process NGOs need more personal
  trained in that area
• The financial scope is crucial to build a future
  sustainability scenario

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Lessons learned

• Willingness to pay or participate. There are
  always inherently motives (significant water
  quality and quantity reduction in the recent
  years, comply with the local regulations)
• Actions and impacts clearly defined (monitoring
  system)
• Benefits at short and middle term (story of
  success).
• Low fix costs (leverage costs)
• The mechanism can be a combination of financial
  services (very important in the start up phase)
  in order to reach a real cash flow.

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Lessons learned

• The risk analysis is very important to develop a
  critical route
• The participation of the key stakeholders since
  the beginning is crucial to meet the appropiation
  of the partnership model
• The legal framework (or the lack of it) can be a
  risk, but also an opportunity.

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Thank youcmorales_at_wwfca.orgwww.wwfca.org