English - Global Environment Facility

“National Environmental Strategy: Environmental Management for Sustainable Development
2008-2012”, has four strategic guidelines that include: (i) Strengthen ANAM´s regulatory
functions in the environmental arena; (ii) Promote the development of an environmental culture;
(iii) Work in close collaboration with the State, the private sector, and civil society for the
promotion of the competitive advantages of Panama in environmental matters; (iv) Protect,
recuperate, restore, and improve the ecosystems in order to contribute to the creation of
employment opportunities, population well being, and sustainable development. The Project
contributes directly to Strategic Guideline 4, Strategic Objective Nine: Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Protected Areas.
3. A SINAP National Plan 2010-2014 is currently under preparation by ANAM. This plan is based
on the principles of the National Biodiversity Policy that will set the bases for the definition of a
mission, vision, and objectives of the SINAP, as strategic premises of these statements. The
proposed project is expected to be highly consistent with the system plan under preparation,
particularly the new focus given to participation in management schemes with the private sector
and civil society based on social responsibility and the opportunities to create alliances that will
solidify ANAM‟s initiatives in the SINAP.
4. The National Biodiversity Policy (approved in December 2008) and its Strategic Plan call for
action in five areas: (i) scientific and technical knowledge of the biodiversity; (ii) priority
conservation of biodiversity; (iii) selective, sustainable, and rational use of biodiversity; (iv)
citizen participation in the attack to poverty and the improvement of the quality of life, and (v)
contribution to Country competitiveness. The proposed project is consistent with all five areas of
actions.
5. The proposed project is consistent with the priorities and plans of tourism development in
Panama, promoted by the Panama Tourism Authority. For instance, the project contributes to
the specific objectives, strategic lines and programs contained in the Panama Sustainable
Tourism Master Plan 2007-2020 in that it fosters programs identified in the Tourism Master
Plan, such as the Sustainable Development of Sustainable Tourism in the SINAP. Specifically,
the project is aligned with the subprogram calling for improved management of sustainable
tourism in the SINAP, an initiative that has been identified as a high priority for ATP. This plan
also determined priority tourism destinations which were taken into consideration in the selection
of the project´s 9 pilot PAs. The plan emphasizes specific comparative advantages for increasing
the participation of Panama in ecotourism, including the SINAP. It also identifies several
bottlenecks for competitiveness in the tourism sector, among them, that “Panama‟s brand” in not
highly visible to outsiders and that the promotion directed to visitors is inefficient and has no
targeted market. The proposed project is consistent with the priorities identified for the tourism
sector in that it addresses these bottlenecks, as in the area of promotion and development of
demand-driven quality ecotourism services based on unique „products‟ (the biodiversity of the
selected PAs) that are differentiated from the competition.
C. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH GEF STRATEGIES
AND STRATEGIC PROGRAMS:
1. This project is consistent with the Strategic Programs aimed at: (1) enhancing sustainable
financing mechanisms of PA systems at the national level (SP-1); (2) increasing representation
of effectively managed marine PA areas in PA systems (SP-2); (3) strengthening the policy and
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