30
W.D. Heyman and B. Kjerfve
In addition to political will, lack of scientific information has limited the
implementation of integrated coastal management. The relevance of landscape ecology and ecosystem structure to biodiversity is now better understood (e.g., Noss 1983). The understanding of the dynamics of marine
systems lags behind the understanding of terrestrial ecosystems, partly
because of the role of water circulation (Mann and Lazier 1996). Marine
processes are not constrained by national boundaries, yet decisions on
resource utilization can only be made at the national government level.
International, national, and local collaboration is required to address the
conservation and management of large marine ecosystems. There is a need
for marine research to be conducted on large enough geographic scales to
help national governments reach a common understanding of shared
marine resources, and thus to make effective regional management decisions (Norse 1993).
Recognizing the need for multinational coastal management, the governments of Central America and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) identified the Gulf of Honduras as a critical area for conservation and management. The Gulf has therefore been a focal site for tri-national integrated
coastal management under the PROARCA/Costas project. PROARCA operates under the auspices of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development ( CCAD) and is largely funded by the US Agency for
International Development. The 5-year project is implemented in collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, the University of Rhode Island's Coastal Resource Center, several Central American
NGOs, and national governments. It was designed in direct response to the
Alliance for Sustainable Development for Central America (ALIDES), an
agreement signed by the seven Central American leaders.
Because of high interest by the non-government sector and lack of
financial resources within national governments, many of the coastal and
marine reserves are co-managed by national governments, community
groups, and local non-government organizations (NGOs). In 1996, a group
of nine local NGOs formed the Trinational Alliance for the Conservation of
the Gulf of Honduras (TRIGOH). TRIGOH is coordinating the development and implementation of a tri-national system of coastal and marine
protected areas, tri-national fisheries management, manatee protection,
development of economic alternatives for local residents, port contingency
planning, and regional research, monitoring, and planning.
Acknowledgements. This paper has benefited from the contributions of many colleagues and collaborators via thousands of conversations over the period of years.
Rachel Graham provided extensive work on the graphics and editing. Nestor Windevoxhel, Marco Cerezo, Marcia Brown, and Janet Gibson provided critical reviews.
W.D. Heyman and B. Kjerfve
In addition to political will, lack of scientific information has limited the
implementation of integrated coastal management. The relevance of landscape ecology and ecosystem structure to biodiversity is now better understood (e.g., Noss 1983). The understanding of the dynamics of marine
systems lags behind the understanding of terrestrial ecosystems, partly
because of the role of water circulation (Mann and Lazier 1996). Marine
processes are not constrained by national boundaries, yet decisions on
resource utilization can only be made at the national government level.
International, national, and local collaboration is required to address the
conservation and management of large marine ecosystems. There is a need
for marine research to be conducted on large enough geographic scales to
help national governments reach a common understanding of shared
marine resources, and thus to make effective regional management decisions (Norse 1993).
Recognizing the need for multinational coastal management, the governments of Central America and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) identified the Gulf of Honduras as a critical area for conservation and management. The Gulf has therefore been a focal site for tri-national integrated
coastal management under the PROARCA/Costas project. PROARCA operates under the auspices of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development ( CCAD) and is largely funded by the US Agency for
International Development. The 5-year project is implemented in collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, the University of Rhode Island's Coastal Resource Center, several Central American
NGOs, and national governments. It was designed in direct response to the
Alliance for Sustainable Development for Central America (ALIDES), an
agreement signed by the seven Central American leaders.
Because of high interest by the non-government sector and lack of
financial resources within national governments, many of the coastal and
marine reserves are co-managed by national governments, community
groups, and local non-government organizations (NGOs). In 1996, a group
of nine local NGOs formed the Trinational Alliance for the Conservation of
the Gulf of Honduras (TRIGOH). TRIGOH is coordinating the development and implementation of a tri-national system of coastal and marine
protected areas, tri-national fisheries management, manatee protection,
development of economic alternatives for local residents, port contingency
planning, and regional research, monitoring, and planning.
Acknowledgements. This paper has benefited from the contributions of many colleagues and collaborators via thousands of conversations over the period of years.
Rachel Graham provided extensive work on the graphics and editing. Nestor Windevoxhel, Marco Cerezo, Marcia Brown, and Janet Gibson provided critical reviews.