Conservation projects in Central America: an analysis to determine the ingredients for success
In this thesis the reasons are investigated for the failure of so many conservation and natural resource projects in Central America. It must be accepted that there are limits within which these projects can function effectively and that these are determined by the powerful socio-political forces operating in the region. The debt crisis, the primacy of the export sector, the historical pattern of land distribution, the unfavourable terms of trade, and the rapid population growth all contribute to the degradation of the natural resources, and conspire to frustrate the best intentions of conservationists and sustainable natural resource managers. Nevertheless, the fundamental proposition underlying the thesis is that conservation and sustainable natural resource projects, if properly designed and implemented, do work and do make a substantial contribution to successful management of the natural resources. Although various authors have identified some critical areas in project design, little was gained from the published material on how to overcome these in practice, particularly in Central America. Therefore, to test the hypothesis, an empirical methodology was used and the emphasis was placed on field research. Questionnaires and interviews were employed to investigate twenty conservation and natural resource projects, six of which were analyzed in greater detail. A format was developed to collect and sort data to allow a critical analysis of progress through each stage of the project. This analysis revealed a series of flaws in the project cycle, and they occurred in the following areas: donor/recipient relations (the misunderstanding and lack of communication); funding (the inappropriate timing, amplitude and route of disbursement); project life (for too short a period and a lack of long term commitment); planning (the unfamiliarity of planners with the area or language and the alienation of the local population); implementation (the roles for the project staff were ill-defined in the plan and duplication of efforts and mistakes would go unnoticed because proper reporting or monitoring procedures were not being implemented); and external evaluation (it either did not take place, had insufficient time or did not have access to valuable information). Guidelines were then drawn up from projects that took steps that were effective in avoiding each difficulty. These were tested in the identification and preparation of a conservation and sustainable natural resource proposal for Guanaja Island, Honduras.
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| Format: | biblioteca |
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Oxford (RU)
1989
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| Subjects: | RECURSOS NATURALES, CONSERVACION DE LOS RECURSOS, PROYECTOS DE DESARROLLO, SOSTENIBILIDAD, TERRENO EN DECLIVE, FACTORES CLIMATICOS, UTILIZACION DE LA TIERRA, COLONIZACION, GANADERIA, KUNA YALA, PARQUE NACIONAL CORCOVADO, ISLA DE GUANAJA, ISLAS DE LA BAHIA, HONDURAS, AMERICA CENTRAL, |
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