English - Global Environment Facility

service networks and supply chains in the national and international ecotourism market; (c) funds
from a debt-for-nature swap with the United States to support management of Chagres National
Park; and (d) co-financing from three IDB approved projects (Loan PN-L1013, Loan PN-0152
and Multi-Lateral Investment Fund [MIF] project PN-M1018). The complementarity between
these projects and the proposed GEF project is explained below. Supporting documentation is
provided for all sources.
E. OUTLINE THE COORDINATION WITH OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES:
1. ANAM and ATP will support and complement the activities funded with the GEF grant through:
(1) human resources capacity; (2) training and technical assistance; and (3) direct investments.
ANAM will support the creation of an Ecotourism Unit within the Protected Areas System
Division (DAPVS), at ANAM, and the required staff needed to support ecotourism management
in the selected PAs. In addition, ANAM will improve training opportunities for PA staff, in
particular, the PA-based staff, as well as equip PAs with the minimum infrastructure and
instruments required for ecotourism management. ATP will strengthen their staff capacity to
address ecotourism planning and evaluation, in particular, strengthening their ecotourism
marketing and evaluation capacity.
2. FIDECO is a trust-fund, created in 1995, with the participation of the Finance Ministry of
Panama and The Nature Conservancy. The Fund was created to finance natural resources
conservation and protection, with a special focus on protected areas management. Today, the
Fund amounts to $25 million dollars and is managed by Fundación Natura of Panama. USAID
contributes with US$8 million to the Fund, TNC with US$2 million, and the Government of
Panama with US$15 million. Forty-five percent of FIDECO funds target ANAM`s protected
areas management capacity; another 45% supporting NGOs executing conservation projects in
PAs, and the remaining 10% going to management effectiveness monitoring and the Funds
overall impact. As a complement to this GEF project, the Fund will be used to finance
equipment, public infrastructure and maintenance in the nine PAs.
3. The Chagres National Park Debt Swap Fund finances recurrent management programs in the
Park as well as environmental initiatives implemented by not-for-profit organizations in
accordance with the Park‟s management plan. The Fund, which will generate $10 million to
improve management of the Upper Chagres River Basin, provides sustained funding to key PAs
of the Panama Canal watershed and will be instrumental for exploring deeper coordination
mechanism with the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) for the sustainable management and
financing of canal-related PAs. A second debt-for-nature swap, which will generate $11 million
over 12 years, will help conserve 1.4 million acres (579,000 hectares) of the exceptionally rich
forests of the Darien National Park, providing a unique opportunity to land bridge North and
South America, and to ensuring protection of rare species such as the jaguar, harpy eagle, wild
dog and tapir. As a complement to this proposed GEF project, the Fund will finance communitybased
tourism initiatives in both national parks.
4. The ANAM-Marviva “Isla de Coiba National Park” initiative (US$ 5.2 million - 2009-2013) is a
major marine protected area conservation endeavor in the Pacific Ocean. It aims at strengthening
the conservation and sustainable use of the main biodiversity components of Coiba National Park
through activities such as scientific investigation, ecotourism development, environmental
education, sustainable fisheries. Marviva is a non-profit organization, based in Costa Rica, with
offices in Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia, that specializes in conservation and sustainable use
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