United Nations Development Programme
Country: Costa Rica
PROJECT DOCUMENT
Conservation, sustainable use of biodiversity, and maintenance of ecosystem services of internationally important protected wetlands
UNDAF Outcome(s): Outcome 3 / Environmental Sustainability and Risk ManagementUNDP Strategic Plan Environment and Sustainable Development Primary Outcome: / Growth and development are inclusive and sustainable, incorporating productive capacities that create employment and livelihoods for the poor and excluded
Expected CP Outcome(s): / Strengthened mechanisms of rehabilitation and conservation of wetlands, protected areas and environmental service payments
Expected CPAP Output(s): / Improved national capacities regarding responsible environmental management of watersheds, biodiversity and terrestrial and marine protected areas
Executing Entity/Implementing Partner: / National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
Implementing Entity/Responsible Partners: / United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
Agreed by (Government):
Date/Month/Year
Agreed by (Executing Entity/Implementing Partner):
Date/Month/Year
Agreed by (UNDP):
Date/Month/Year
List of Acronyms
ALIDES Central American Sustainable Development Alliance
APR Annual Project Report
AWP Annual Work Plan
BIOMARCC Coastal Marine Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation project
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity
CC Climate Change
CCAD Constitutional Agreement of the Central American Environment and Development Commission
CCT Tropical Science Center
CEPA Communication, Education, Participation, and Awareness
CIMAR Research Center for Marine Sciences and Limnology
CONAC National Council of Conservation Areas
CPAP Country Programme Action Plan
EIA Environmental impact assessment
ENSO El Niño South Oscillation
FONAFIFO National Fund for Forest Financing
FSS Financial Sustainability Scorecard
GEF Global Environment Facility
GHG Greenhouse Gas
GIZ Development Cooperation Agency
GoCR Government of Costa Rica
IADB Inter-American Development Bank
ICE Institute of Electricity
ICT Costa Rican Institute for Tourism
IIPW Internationally important protected wetlands
INCOPESCA Costa Rican Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture
IR Inception Report
IW Inception Workshop
JICA Japanese International Cooperation Agency
LAC Latin America and the Caribbean
LCVS Law for the Conservation of Wildlife
LOA Organic Environmental Law
MAG Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock
METT Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool for Protected Areas
MINAE Ministry of the Environment and Energy
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
NGO Non-governmental Organization
NIM National Implementation
NWC National Wetlands Committee
OTS Organization for Tropical Studies
PA Protected Area
PES Payment for Ecosystem Services
PIF Project Identification Form
PIR Project Implementation Review
PMU Project Management Unit
PoWPA Program of Work on Protected Areas
PPG Project Preparation Grant
PROMEC Ecological Monitoring System of Costa Rica’s Protected Areas and Biological Corridors
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat
RBLAC UNDP Regional Bureau
RCU Regional Coordination Unit
ROAR Results-Oriented Annual Report
SBAA Standard Basic Assistance Agreement
SC Steering Committee
SINAC National System of Conservation Areas
ToR Terms of Reference
TPC Tripartite Committee
UNDAF United Nations Development Action Framework
UNDP United Nations Development Program
UNDP CO United Nations Development Program Country Office
USD U.S. dollars
VCU Verified carbon unit
VCS Verified Carbon Standard
Table of Contents
Section Page
1. Situation analysis 6
1.1. Context and global significance 6
1.2. Threats, impacts, and root causes 12
1.3. Long-term solution 15
1.4. Analysis of barriers 16
1.5. Stakeholder analysis 17
1.6. Baseline analysis 18
2. Strategy 20
2.1. Project rationale and policy conformity 20
2.2. Country ownership: Country eligibility and country drivenness 20
2.3. Design principles and strategic considerations 21
2.4. Project objective, outcomes, and outputs/activities 26
2.5. Key indicators, risks, and assumptions 35
2.6. Financial modality 37
2.7. Cost-effectiveness 37
2.8. Sustainability 38
2.9. Replicability 40
3. Strategic Results Framework and GEF Increment 40
3.1. Incremental Cost Analysis 40
3.2. Project Results Framework 45
4. Total budget and workplan 48
5. Management Arrangements 53
5.1. UNDP Support Services 53
5.2. Collaborative arrangements with related projects 54
5.3. Inputs to be provided by all partners 54
5.4. Audit arrangements 54
5.5. Agreement on intellectual property rights and use of logo on the project’s deliverables 54
5.6. Roles and responsibilities of the parties involved in project management 54
6. Monitoring Framework and Evaluation 56
7. Legal Context 62
8. Annexes 64
8.1. Risk Analysis 64
8.2. Terms of Reference for Key Project Staff 67
8.3. Capacity Assessment 70
8.4. Stakeholder Involvement Plan 70
8.5. Tracking Tool 72
8.6. Projected carbon benefits of a REDD+ pilot project in the Palo Verde IIPW. 73
1. Situation analysis
1.1. Context and global significance
Environmental context
1. Costa Rica is one of the 20 most biologically diverse countries in the world based on the number of species present, and has one of the highest density of species. Although the country covers only 0.03% of the world’s total terrestrial surface, 4.7% of the world’s known biodiversity is found in the country[1]. Furthermore, the country has the highest level of diversity of known plant and vertebrate species in Central America. Costa Rica has established an extensive protected area (PA) system to aid in the protection of these high levels of biodiversity, which comprises 169 PAs under nine (9) different management categories.[2] PAs cover 26% of the country’s continental territory and 2.64% of the exclusive economic zone. Currently Costa Rica’s PA system includes a total of 160 PA units. Costa Rica’s PA system is managed using an eco-regional approach, which was established by the country’s first conservation gap analysis in 1995-1996 known as the GRUAS I project, and which also introduced biological corridors and private conservation areas as elements of the national in-situ conservation strategy, emphasizing landscape-level conservation goals.
2. Costa Rica contains more than 350 wetlands, which cover close to 7% of the national territory[3], of which approximately 30% are formally protected and 12 have been declared internationally important by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar sites) based on their importance for conserving biodiversity (e.g., for water birds and fish species), and/or for the representative, rare or unique wetland types contained therein (Table 1). With the exception of one PA, the internationally important sites all enjoy PA status (IIPW).[4] Within these PAs there is a wide range of wetland ecosystems and high levels of biodiversity. These include endangered and endemic species such as the vulnerable manatee (Trichechus manatus), the endangered leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), and the endemic salamander (Spaerodactylus pacificus). These wetlands also produce a wide range of ecosystem goods and services upon which many communities depend. The locations of Costa Rica’s IIPW are presented on Figure 1. Table 2 presents a summary of the seven (7) internationally important wetlands with PA designation that are prioritized for this project.
Table 1 – Internationally important wetlands of Costa Rica.
Wetlands International site code / Ramsar site code / Site name / Protected Area / Ramsar site area (ha) / RIS*6CR001 / 540 / Palo Verde / Palo Verde National Park
Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve
Mata Redonda NWLR
Cipanci NWLR
Corral de Piedra Wetland
Sonzapote wetland (not protected) / 24,519 / 2001
6CR002 / 541 / Caño Negro / Caño Negro NWLR / 9,969 / 1991
6CR003 / 610 / Tamarindo / Las Baulas National Park / 500 / 1993
6CR004 / 782 / Térraba-Sierpe / Térraba-Sierpe Wetland / 30,654 / 1995
6CR005 / 783 / Gandoca-Manzanillo / Gandoca Manzanillo NWLR / 9,445 / 1995
6CR006 / 811 / Humedal Caribe Noreste / Tortuguero National Park
Barra del Colorado NWLR
Archié Carr Protected Zone
Corredor Biológico Fronterizo NWLR / 75,310 / 1996
6CR007 / 940 / Isla del Coco / Isla del Coco National Park / 99,623 / 1998
6CR008 / 981 / Manglar de Potrero Grande / Santa Rosa National Park / 139 / 1999
6CR009 / 982 / Laguna Respingue / Santa Rosa National Park / 75 / 1999
6CR010 / 1022 / Cuenca Embalse Arenal / 67,296 / 2000
6CR011 / 1286 / Turberas de Talamanca / Los Quetzales National Park
Los Santos Forestry Reserve
Chirripó National Park
Tapantí National Park
Río Macho Forestry Reserve
Cerro Las Vueltas Biological Reserve / 192,520 / 2003
6CR012 / 1918 / Humedal Maquenque / Maquenque NWLR
Corredor Biológico Fronterizo NWLR / 59,692 / 2010
* Last year of compilation of Ramsar Information Sheet.
Figure 1 – Locations of Costa Rica’s Internationally Important Protected Wetlands.
Table 2 – Internationally important wetlands with PA designation prioritized for this project.
Name / PA Category / Total area (ha) / Ecosystems and Species PresentCaribe Noreste / Consists of National Park and National Wildlife Refuge / 75,310 ha / This wetland features lakes, grass marshes, wooded swamps, gullies, streams, backwaters of large rivers, and estuarine lagoons. The wetland area is the main stopover and entrance to Costa Rica for most Neotropical migratory birds, and provides habitat to the crested eagle (Morphnus guianensis). There are also several species of salamanders thought to be endemic to the area.
Caño Negro / National Wildlife Refuge[5] / 9,969 ha / This wetland is a shallow freshwater lagoon with seasonally inundated marshes and woodland surrounding it. The wetland is used seasonally for breeding by many species of migrating water birds. The site supports small numbers of the locally endangered stork (Jabiru mycteria), important populations of the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus fuscus), and the tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus).
Gandoca Manzanillo / National Wildlife Refuge / 9,445 ha / This wetland includes a coastal lagoon consisting of coral reefs, seagrass beds, beaches, cliffs, and flooded lowland areas, with an uncommon vegetation association of swamp forests composed of “yolillo” (Raphia taedigera), Camnosperma panamensis, Prioria coparifera, and mangroves. The area is also important for nesting sea turtles inhabiting the Caribbean, and provides habitat to endangered or threatened species of birds, reptiles, mollusks and fish, crustaceans, and 32 coral species. It is part of the Talamanca-Caribe Biological Corridor.
Maquenque / National Wildlife Refuge / 59,692 ha / This lagoon complex and palustrine ecosystem is part of the very humid tropical ecoregion with high biodiversity and is home the endangered species such as the Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua), vulnerable species such as the manatee (Trichechus manatus), and other important species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca) and the tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus).
Tamarindo / Is part of a National Park / 500 ha / This coastal area has permanent saline wetlands that are seasonally inundated, with 80% of the area consisting of mangrove forest (mostly red mangrove [Rhizophora mangle]). The wetland provides habitat for large numbers of water birds; reptiles present include the green iguana (Iguana iguana) and two species of crocodiles.
Térraba-Sierpe / National Wetland / 30,654 ha / This wetland is composed of the estuaries of two rivers, lagoons, periodically inundated mangroves, “yolillo” (Raphia taedigera), palm swamp forest, sandy beaches, and cliffs. The wetland supports 55 species of fish, several commercial shellfish species, numerous bird species, mammals, and reptiles.
Palo Verde / National Park and other protected wildlife areas / 24,519 ha / This wetland is an extensive estuarine complex of permanent, shallow, and freshwater lagoons; associated marshes; and seasonally flooded woodlands and mangroves. It is an extremely important area for various species of nesting, staging, and wintering water birds, Nearctic-breeding species, the stork Jabiru mycteria, and in the dry season provides habitat to 20,000 black-bellied whistling ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis). Other fauna present include the green iguana (Iguana iguana) and two species of crocodiles.
3. In the Costa Rican IIPW, there are a high percentage of threatened plants and animals that only inhabit wetland environments. Although wetlands comprise less than 3% of the Earth’s surface, they may contribute up to 40% of the globe’s ecosystem services on an annual basis.[6] The numerous benefits provided by wetlands include flood protection, water quality enhancement, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling, both internally and at the upland interface. Wetlands also play a critical role in the land-surface energy balance, provide habitat for many species, and are important for hydrologic connectivity at the watershed scale.[7]
Socioeconomic context
4. Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4.72 million people, which is increasing at a rate of 1.4% per year, and a population density of 92.5 people/km2.[8] Whites and mestizos make up 95% of the population, while 3% are Black or Afro-Caribbean, 1% is indigenous, and other groups make up the remaining 1%. The country is considered an upper-middle-income country with a per capita gross national income (GNI) of $8,740. Costa Rica has experienced a steady economic expansion over the past 25 years, and although the levels of poverty (17.7% in 2008) and extreme poverty (3.5% in 2008) have been reduced, there is still an unequal distribution of income (Gini coefficient = 0.515).[9], [10]
5. Costa Rica’s economy is sustained mainly through traditional exports such as coffee, pineapples, bananas, and beef. However, a variety of industrial and specialized agricultural products have broadened export trade in recent years; these include microchips and other high-value-added goods and services. Tourism is a main source of foreign exchange, as Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity makes it a key destination for ecotourism. In 2012, the income from tourism represented 6.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP) with more than two million tourists visiting the country.[11] Costa Rica’s PA system is key for the ecotourism industry. SINAC estimates indicate that more than 1.2 million people visited Costa Rica’s PAs in 2009;[12] thus, PAs are central to the country’s economy and the conservation of natural resources plays a fundamental role in the country’s development.
6. The socioeconomic characteristics related to Costa Rica’s IIPW vary widely. For example, in the Térraba-Sierpe IIPW, natural resources extraction and recreation are common. The main incomegenerating activity for the area is the harvesting of the mollusk Anadara tuberculosa, which is commonly referred to as “piangua.” Limited line-fishing is permitted in the estuary of the Terraba-Sierpe IIPW. The Térraba-Sierpe wetlands generate approximately USD $1,130/day in shellfish extraction.[13] Térraba-Sierpe is also a destination for regional and international tourists. However, the area is characterized by a high level of poverty and unemployment. Local communities, including indigenous groups, depend largely on the use of natural resources for their livelihoods. Two planned infrastructure projects near Térraba- Sierpe are expected to have significant impacts on the area. They are the El Diquís hydropower project (currently in the planning stages), which will be located in the upper basin of Térraba-Sierpe, and an international airport that will be built just 3 miles from the IIPW.