English - Global Environment Facility

F. DISCUSS THE VALUE-ADDED OF GEF INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT DEMONSTRATED THROUGH
INCREMENTAL REASONING :
WITHOUT THE GEF ALTERNATIVE
1. In the sustainable baseline scenario, the Government of Panama is using its own resources to
strengthen environmental management of the tourism sector through the implementation of the
National Tourism Master Plan. The Master Plan includes goals, objectives, strategies and an
investment plan, all of which recognize the need to ensure that future tourism development is
environmentally and socially sustainable. However, while the Master Plan identifies ecotourism
as a target tourism product, it makes limited provisions for mainstreaming biodiversity
conservation in ecotourism in the SINAP. As a consequence, without GEF involvement,
ecotourism services derived from the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and its
scenic value will remain very limited, diminishing the economic value of PAs and their longterm
viability. In the specific case of the nine prioritized PAs, which account for the bulk of
visitors today and generate the majority of revenues from entrance fees, concessions and permits,
there will be limited opportunities for international and national visitors to access the areas and
enjoy a meaningful experience learning about the biodiversity values of SINAP in both a
national and international context. As a consequence, the income-generating opportunities
available to local businesses and communities providing ecotourism services will be diminished.
2. To exacerbate this situation, the lack of system-wide norms and regulations for ecotourism use in
Pas will persist, resulting for example, in a lack of technical consistency in public use plans as
well as the ad-hoc granting of concessions and tourism operation permits. This, in turn, could
lead to poorly planned ecotourism development in and around popular PAs and the consequent
negative environmental impacts on critical habitats and species.
3. The business as usual scenario will also be characterized by:
a. Ad-hoc institutional coordination between ANAM and ATP (the national Tourism
Authority), that will translate into poor integration of biodiversity conservation and the goals
of SINAP in tourism destination planning, development and promotion in target international
markets.
b. Absence of a marketing strategy for ecotourism in PAs in Panama in the short term, resulting
in a continued lack of differentiation of Panama‟s offer in comparison to some of its
neighbouring competitors, who are better established and more visible on the international
ecotourism market.
c. Loss of potential revenues derived from increased demand for ecotourism services, which in
turn can be re-invested in improving management effectiveness.
d. Limited or inexistent capacity for monitoring information on ecotourism trends in SINAP,
including key data needed for planning and effective operations and the consequent inability
to link biodiversity and socio-economic monitoring.8
e. Weak linkages between public sector authorities (ANAM and ATP in particular) and
businesses and community networks interested in the provision of ecotourism services and
8 Currently, biological monitoring is limited to very few PAs such as PN Chagres, PN Coiba or the Smithonian Institute-
run Barro Colorado Island reserve.
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