Conservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve: Proposed Investment Priorities for Usaid/Ecuador

The summary for the Conservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve: Proposed Investment Priorities for Usaid/Ecuador grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Ecuador USAID Quito, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Conservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve: Proposed Investment Priorities for Usaid/Ecuador: CONSERVATION OF THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE: PROPOSED INVESTMENT PRIORITIES FOR USAID/ECUADOR USAID/Ecuador plans to finance a three year program to conserve the Galapagos Marine Reserve. This pre-announcement does not commit the USG to fund the program. The purposes of publishing the pre-announcement are to facilitate raising interest in giving the maximum amount of time for potential applicants to starting thinking about teaming arrangements and their level of interest towards a full application. The complete RFA will be published on this web page within 3 weeks, the eventual due date will be July 31, 2003. We encourage interested parties to check back for the announcement modification in order to be able to download the RFA document which will be numbered with the same reference: RFA 518-A-03-005. Federal funding level is expected to be $4.6 million. The expected level of cost share will be a minimum of 25%. A central hypothesis of the proposed program is that if we are able to improve the governance of the Marine Reserve and reduce fishing pressure (through better governance, improved law enforcement, a great voice for conservation by tourism interests, and a capacity in fisheries management, efforts to employ fishers in other sectors), then we will achieve a better balance between extractive and non-extractives use of the natural resources of the Galapagos Marine Reserve. All objectives proposed below are consistent with the legal framework for the Galapagos, INGALA?s Galapagos Regional Plan, and the Galapagos Marine Reserve Management Plan. The following objectives are in general order of priority, beginning with the highest priority. The five bolded priorities represent the principle strategies that USAID seeks to implement. However, the lettered elements are intended to be illustrative. Applicants are expected to use their knowledge of the Galapagos and their creativity to propose the most effective interventions, within these five lines of action, to achieve the conservation of the Marine Reserve. I. STRENGTHEN GOVERNANCE OF THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE Achieving the good governance of marine resources is the core of the proposed program. The objective is to achieve sustainable development and conservation of the Marine Reserve, balancing extractive and non-extractive resource uses. While many actors play a key role in this governance, the Junta de Manejo Participativo is likely the most important. USAID?s objective is to provide the Junta the technical and financial assistance it needs to: (a) make informed decisions that contribute to the stewardship of Galapagos resources, (b) ensure good communication, both between leaders in the junta and the groups that they represent and between the Junta and other Galapagos stakeholders; (c) ensure governance practices in its efforts to reach a consensus between different interest groups, and (d) achieve financial and institutional sustainability of the Junta itself (given that it currently depends on outside financing for its operations), developing and implementing practical long-term financing plan. Applicants may propose other key actors and strategic actions that would contribute to the good governance of the Marine Reserve (e.g. improve migration control, the Autoridad Interistitucional de Manejo). II. SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE ZONING PLAN Implementation of the GMR zoning plan will act as a focus and goal for the proposed suite of recommendations on governance, improved fisheries management, increased stewardship, and more effective communication. Applicants should indicate how they would achieve both the processes (e.g. monitoring) and institutional capacities necessary to implement the plan, as well as the cost-effective physical demarcation of zones, as needed. A related objective would be to increase stakeholder participation in implementation of the zoning plan. III. INCREASE CAPACITY TO SUSTAINABLY MANAGE GALAPAGOS FISHERIES The objective is to avoid over-fishing and control illegal fishing, which are important challenges to fisheries worldwide. The means, broadly stated, are to improve the capacities of various institutions toward this end. Possible interventions include: (a) increase the capacity of the Galapagos National Park and other actors to effectively enforce park regulations; (b) directly engage the fishers and fishing cooperatives to reduce fishing pressure; (c) support exchange visits with other fishing communities to share lessons learned; (d) support participatory applied research that is a priority for management issues, needs, and solutions, which is effectively communicated to decision makers, and is used to achieve sound management decisions (e.g. members of the Junta de Manejo Participativo, the Autoridad Interinstitucional de Manejo); (e) assist the Government of Ecuador to implement relevant environmental policies and agreements (e.g. CITES); (f) support anti-corruption efforts, especially to reduce illegal shark finning and sea cucumber take. IV. INCREASE TOURISM?S CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONSERVATION While the entry fees tourists pay to visit the Galapagos finance most of the Park?s operations, ecotourism has even greater potential to become an effective driving force and voice for sustainable use and management in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. The objective of this component is to more fully engaging the tourism operators (from both the Galapagos and the continent), naturalist guides, and other residents of the islands to support Galapagos conservation. One possible approach is to enhance the tourism sector?s ?voice? in responding to environmental threats that jeopardize the sector. Another option would be to support the choice of fishermen to give up fishing to work in the tourism sector. Applicants are invited to propose priorities for target groups and results sought, as well as the techniques to achieve those results. V. INCREASE STEWARDSHIP THROUGH COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH This component would support targeted communication programs that encourage behaviors consistent with the stewardship of the natural resources of the Galapagos Marine Reserve. The communication component should be focused primarily on supporting the first four objectives listed above. Applicants are invited to propose priorities for target groups and the behavioral changes sought, as well as the techniques to achieve those changes.