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International Tropical Timber Organization Project

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International Tropical Timber Organization Project INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER ORGANIZATION ITTO PROJECT PROPOSAL TITLE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF MANGROVE FORESTS IN THE GULF OF FONSECA, HONDURAS SERIAL NUMBER PD 44/95 Rev.3 (F) PERMANENT COMMITTEE REFORESTATION AND FOREST MANAGEMENT SUBMITTED BY GOVERNMENT OF HONDURAS ORIGINAL LANGUAGE SPANISH SUMMARY This Project has been designed with the aim of reducing the pressure exerted by the local communities on mangrove forests through the establishment and protection of fast-growing plantations for energy purposes as an alternative to meet industrial and household requirements, while creating awareness amongst the communities of the importance of conserving the ecosystem. Furthermore, socioeconomic surveys and mangrove species valuation studies will be implemented. EXECUTING AGENCY NATIONAL FOREST ADMINISTRATION - HONDURAN FOREST DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (AFE-COHDEFOR) DURATION 36 MONTHS APPROXIMATE UPON APPROVAL STARTING DATE BUDGET AND PROPOSED Contribution Local Currency SOURCES OF FINANCE Source in US$ Equivalent ITTO 1,012,200 Gov=t of Honduras 279,000 TOTAL 1,291,200 j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j TABLE OF CONTENTS PROJECT ABSTRACT Name Summary Field of action Implementing agency Budget Duration PART I. CONTEXT A. RELEVANCE TO ITTO 1. Compliance with ITTO objectives 2. Compliance with ITTO criteria 3. Relationship to ITTO Action Plan and Priorities B. RELEVANCE TO NATIONAL POLICIES 1. Relationship to sectoral policies affecting tropical timber 2. Relationship to subsectoral aims and programs 3. Institutional and legal framework PART 11. THE PROJECT 1. ORIGIN 2. PROJECT OBJECTIVES 2.1 Development Objective 2.2 Specific Objective 3. PROJECT JUSTIFICATION 3.1 Problem to be addressed 3.2 Characteristics of region or area where project will be located 3.3 Other relevant aspects of "pre-project situation" 3.4 Intended situation after project completion 3.5 Target beneficiaries and others affected 3.6 Project strategy 3.6.1 Reasons for selection 3.6.2 Lessons drawn from past evaluation 3.6.3 Technical and scientific aspects 3.6.4 Economic aspects 3.6.5 Environmental/ecological aspects 3.6.6 Social aspects 3.6.7 Managerial aspects 3.7 Reasons for ITTO support -1- 3.7.1 ITTO aspects 3.7.2 Relationship to relevant actions supported by other donors 3.8 Risks 4. OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES 5. ACTIVITIES AND INPUTS 6. LOGICAL FRAMEWORK WORKSHEETS 7. WORK PLAN 8. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR EXECUTION AND OPERATION 8.1 Management structure 8.2 Future operation and maintenance 8.3 Key staff 9. PRIOR OBLIGATIONS AND PREREQUISITES 10. POSSIBLE FUTURE ACTIONS PART Ill. MONITORING, REPORTING AND EVALUATION 1. Arrangements for reporting 2. Arrangements for ITTO monitoring and review 3. Evaluation PART IV. BUDGET Total budget by activity 1. Consolidated yearly budget 2. Consolidated project budget by component 3. Breakdown of capital items and consumable items from ITTO contribution 4. Breakdown of capital items and consumable items from AFE/COHDEFOR contribution ANNEXES No.1 Terms of reference No.2 Project organizational chart NO.3 Training plan NoA Map of project area NO.5 Map of soil types NO.6 Land tenure map NO.7 Resolution No. GG-486-96 on "Forest product prices and fees for tecnical services" No. 8 Decree No. 163-93 - "Law on Incentives for Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Protection" -2- PART I. CONTEXT A. Relevance with ITTO 1. Compliance with ITTO objectives The proposed project is consistent with the objectives established in Article 1 of the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994: c) To contribute to the process of sustainable development; f) To promote and support research and development with a view to improving forest management and efficiency of wood utilization as well as increasing the capacity to conserve and enhance other forest values in timber producing tropical forests; g) To develop and contribute towards mechanisms for the provision of new and additional financial resources and expertise needed to enhance the capacity of producing members to attain the objectives of this Agreement; j) To encourage members to support and develop industrial tropical timber reforestation and forest management activities as well as rehabilitation of degraded forest land, with due regard for the interests of local communities dependent on forest resources; The project aims at solving the problem of inadequate and irrational use of the ecosystem, which has led to the degradation of the natural resources of the Gulf of Fonseca. 2. Compliance with ITTO criteria This proposal is submitted in accordance with the provisions of Article 27 of the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994; and is related to Paragraph 2 on the functions of the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management. i) Reforestation ii) Rehabilitation iii) Forest Management It is believed that the implementation of this project in the mangrove forest will reduce the pressure placed on this resource by neighbouring communities. 3. Relationship to ITTO Action Plan and Priorities The project conforms to the Action Plan and is consistent with the priorities established by the ITTO Committees in relation to the following areas: a. Studies, tours and seminars designed to link potential suppliers and consumers. b. Comparative assessment of silvicultural treatments in permanent sample plots. -3- c. Study of the effect of different levels of forest harvesting on forest sustainability. d. Help to finance exchange visits and workshop participation by technical personnel. e. Identification of incentive schemes for attaining sustainable management. B. Relevance to National Policies 1. Relationship to sectorial policies affecting tropical timber The National Forest Administration, through the Honduran Corporation for Forest Development (Corporaci\n HondureZa de Desarrollo Forestal - AFE-COHDEFOR), seeking to increase the contribution of broadleaved forests to the socio-economic and ecological development of Honduras, focuses on five principal fields of action: To sustainably develop broadleaved forest resources. To improve forest management to make an integrated use of the resource. To promote the forest industry through the appropriate technology to achieve regional development and generate employment in the rural area. To stabilise the rural population from deforested hillside lands. To coordinate public and private sector actions within a systematic institutional framework. With the aim of ensuring the conservation and protection of broad leaved forests, the project applies the principles of multiple-use forest management, with the cooperation of the State, the private sector and municipalities, through the following actions: Strengthening actions by public and private institutions and improving coordination in the management of natural resources. Defining the use of broad leaved forests and identifying areas for industrial production, protection of watersheds, and land preservation (national parks and wildlife areas). Encouraging investment that will ensure an efficient utilization of broad leaved species, their regeneration and conservation, generating, in the process, significant employment opportunities for the local communities. 2. Relationship to sub-sectoral aims and programs The Government of Honduras, through AFE-COHDEFOR, considers the implementation of this project - Management and Conservation of Mangrove Forests in the Gulf of Fonseca - a priority, as it will facilitate the conservation of the mangrove ecosystem and the enhancement of the economic value of mangrove forests which at present are not being managed, as well as the insertion of forest products in the local market. This will contribute to reduce deforestation rates, as forests are not producing the benefits they should. -4- The project complements the actions carried out by AFE-COHDEFOR in relation to the forests of the subsector, through the Southern Area Forest Regional Office, based in Choluteca. The said regulating body has developed a new perspective that focuses on conservation and management, departing from its former vision of development and marketing. The new conservation policy seeks to promote areas of protection of micro-watersheds for the supply of fresh town water, in cooperation with municipalities. 3. Institutional and legal framework The forest sub-sector operates within the policy framework established for the agricultural sector under the Development and Modernisation of the Agricultural Sector Act (LDMSA), 1992. The said Act specifies the reforms to be introduced in the forest sub-sector focusing on its modernisation and the conservation of natural resources. In this regard, AFE-COHDEFOR has undergone changes in its organisational structure. Its functions have been re-defined and re-organised in accordance with the guidelines of the LDMSA, with a view to rationalizing the utilization of resources and streamlining the institutional framework. It has now becol11e a general regulating body of the forest sector with specific operational responsibilities relating to the management of national forests and the control of sales of national forests, abandoning its previous functions of production, processing and marketing of timber. In this context, its objectives in relation to the project are: To regulate and control all activities in the public, communal and private forest areas at the national level. To manage public forest areas defined under the Forest Act, as well as
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