Gulf of Honduras Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras

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Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan~

DRAFT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


This summary presents a proposed implementation plan for hydrographic activities in support of the navigation safety and improving environmental management components of the Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project (GoH Project)—a project funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and administered by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). The implementation plan is an integrated consensus from Belizean, Guatemalan, and Honduran hydrographic institutions—with full support from the MesoAmerican Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission (MACHC)—for hydrographic products and services that will enhance navigational safety in the Gulf of Honduras, resulting in the protection of marine ecosystems and related maritime-based economies in the region.

This plan focuses only on hydrographic activities and does not make full linkages to other related elements within the Project’s navigation safety component, such as oceanography, oil spill contingency planning, etc. Although these linkages are anticipated to be strong and complementary, such an effort was beyond the scope of the hydrographic expertise provided by the MACHC. It is anticipated that the Project’s Executing Agencies, the Central American Maritime Transport Commission (COCATRAM), and the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) will integrate this plan as appropriate with the overall implementation plan for the full GoH Project.

The Importance of Hydrography (Derived from the full Gulf of Honduras Project Document. See COCATRAM website for full description of GoH Project: www.cocatram.org.ni/gulfofhonduras/project_brief.html)

The Gulf of Honduras is a unique tri-national body of water that includes portions of the exclusive economic zones of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, and is home to the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS)—the second largest barrier reef system in the world. Maritime transport plays a critical role in the region’s overall economy, but the unregulated expansion of this sector places highly valued environmental resources in the Gulf, like the MBRS, at risk. In 2003, the five major ports in the Gulf accommodated nearly 4,000 ships and handled more than 12 million metric tons of cargo, and the volume of maritime traffic and goods shipped is only expected to increase (See Table 1).

TABLE 1. CARGO IMPORTED/EXPORTED THROUGH GULF OF HONDURAS PORTS ANNUALLY
(METRIC TONS)

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Belize City Port, Belize 487,099 504,450 578,407 610,505 704,837 n/a n/a

Big Creek, Belize 57,774 57,683 64,157 134,621 90,232 n/a n/a

Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala 3,775,375 4,437,009 4,255,514 4,349,697 4,245,118 4,800,027 4,540,200

Puerto Barrios, Guatemala n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,679,700 1,353,113 1,956,000

Puerto Cortés, Honduras 4,677,800 5,091,100 4,977,360 5,398,290 5,661,940 n/a 6,306,400
SOURCE: Secretaría de Integración Económica Centroamericana (SIECA).

With an increase in port traffic and cargo loads comes an increase in the possibility of accidents and threats to human safety, property, and the environment—events that carry the potential to negatively affect the region’s economy. The dangers and opportunities associated with the expansion of the maritime sector are not unmanageable, but at present the ability to take advantage of and respond to the projected growth in maritime shipping and tourism remains significantly impeded, even threatened, by the lack of adequate hydrographic products and services.

Hydrography is the measurement, description, and analysis of the physical conditions, boundaries, and flow of the Earth’s navigable waters. Individually, mariners have always depended on hydrographic information to ensure safe navigation. Nationally, governments depend on basic hydrographic services to ensure successful management of their coastal zones and development of strong maritime economies.

An analysis of the status of navigational charts and hydrographic data in the Gulf of Honduras undertaken by the MesoAmerican Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission (MACHC), as part of its contribution to the GoH Project’s Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis, confirmed that hydrographic survey information for the region is either lacking or is discontinuous, often unreliable, and outdated. Some nautical charts in the region have not been updated since the 1940s. Heavy storms and hurricanes—common weather events in the region—along with land-based sedimentation have brought about significant changes in bathymetry, undoubtedly rendering these nautical charts obsolete and increasing navigational risks.

The need for improved navigational safety is widely recognized, but to be attained will require a suite of hydrographic products and services, including: better communication systems and infrastructure, navigational aids, and the capability to quickly and efficiently update nautical charts. Accurate and up-to-date hydrographic products and services are paramount for marine pollution prevention and for supporting and expanding safe and reliable maritime commerce and tourism as key foreign exchange earners and critical drivers for the continuous sustainable growth of the region’s economy.

The degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems caused by shipping-related pollution, accidents, and other operational events in major ports and shipping lanes can be controlled and in some cases prevented by using hydrographic products and services to improve navigational safety, to speed accident response and environmental remediation efforts, and to modernize maritime traffic management. A core component in the development of marine and coastal geospatial information tools, hydrographic information is used to support resource management and conservation in other ways as well. Hydrographic data are used in coral reef mapping and restoration work, identification of essential fish habitat, designation of marine protected areas, and as part of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that facilitate a wide variety of marine environmental research, modeling, and policy making.

The Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project (Derived from the full Gulf of Honduras Project Document)

In 2000, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, the Central American Maritime Transport Commission (COCATRAM), and the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) officially approached the IADB with a request to finance the preparation of a tri-national project that would provide marine environmental protection along with sustainable economic development in the Gulf of Honduras. The project partners recognized the need to focus on marine transport issues as a way to protect marine ecosystems and related maritime-based economies in the Gulf, and, as such—with support from the IADB and the GEF—the project partners developed the Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project.

The goal of the GoH Project is to reverse the degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystems within the Gulf of Honduras by enhancing the prevention and control of maritime transport–related pollution in major ports and navigation lanes in the Gulf, improving navigational safety to avoid groundings and spills in the Gulf, and reducing land-based sources of pollution draining into the Gulf. The Project aims to achieve this goal by focusing on demonstrations of innovative technologies in the region. Since being approved by the Global Environmental Facility, the GoH Project is expected to become operational in early 2006.

Role of the IHO and the MACHC as Project Partners


Since the outset of the project proposal stage, the MACHC has provided assistance to the three participating countries, the IADB, COCATRAM, and CCAD in the development and implementation of the hydrographic activities of the GoH Project (see project website for a detailed list of project planning meetings and associated documents: www2.nos.noaa.gov/ecwgtg1). The MACHC is one of fourteen regional commissions of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)—an intergovernmental organization based in Monaco and established in 1921 to support safe navigation and protection of the marine environment by establishing global standards, providing technical support, facilitating training, and identifying resources for the development of hydrographic services. As a project partner, the MACHC is serving as the IHO’s regional arm of hydrographic expertise in support of the GoH Project. The MACHC facilitated participation of the country hydrographic representatives in the initial stakeholder meeting process that developed the GoH Project scope of work (see the COCATRAM website for a complete description of all of the components in the GoH Project: www.cocatram.org.ni/gulfofhonduras/project_brief.html).

Since then, as an integral part in the successful development of the GoH Project, the MACHC has been providing the IADB and the three beneficiary countries support for the country consultation process, including: project design, data development, institutional analysis, and expert advice, including contributing to the project’s Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis on regional hydrographic capacity. The MACHC’s contribution to the GoH Project comes as a natural continuation of the IHO’s prior partnership work with COCATRAM, whereby the IHO supported COCATRAM’s pioneering efforts to strengthen regional hydrographic capacity as a key factor in improving navigation safety, environmental protection, and commerce flows in the region.

As one of the GoH Project co-financing agencies, the MACHC has been actively working with the three beneficiary countries to advance implementation of the GoH Project’s navigation safety and environmental information components through hydrography. Specifically, the MACHC’s Electronic Chart Working Group (ECWG) supported its members from Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras in the development of this hydrographic implementation plan. To date, the ECWG has mobilized substantial international technical expertise and sponsored at least six regional consultations since 2002 to produce the plan, and has already facilitated the transfer/acquisition of extensive hydrographic data in support of achieving the project’s objectives.

The hydrographic action plan developed to enhance navigational safety and environmental management in the Gulf of Honduras is divided into three main objectives outlined below. For further reference, a draft copy of the detailed action plan and budget is provided as an attachment to this Executive Summary.

Objective 1: Regional Planning and Coordination (general timeframe: November 2002 – September 2006)

Regular meetings of the MACHC in the region over the past three years have served as venues for the GoH Project country hydrographic representatives to define the framework and functional arrangements for tri-national hydrographic collaboration. They have led to this consolidated plan that represents the integrated country priorities, detailed milestones, and budget for the hydrographic activities in support of the Project goals (see Figure 1). The budget demonstrates significant leveraging of resources between the countries, the IHO and the MACHC, and the GEF. This plan represents a proactive and substantial contribution to the Project from the MACHC and the participating country hydrographic representatives to the executing agencies (COCATRAM and CCAD). These contributions are detailed in Attachments A and B. The resources that otherwise would have had to be expended by the executing agencies to develop the plan may now be available for implementation.

Figure 1. Key Hydrographic Activities in Support of Gulf of Honduras Project Goals.

Objective 2: National Institutional Capacity
(general timeframe: September 2004 – September 2006)

Each participating country has either established, or is in the process of establishing an interministerial mechanism (Commission, Committee, Steering Group, etc.) to prioritize, coordinate, and inform national hydrographic activities with representatives from relevant government ministries and private sector entities. The objective of this body is not to substitute for the respective executive agency responsible for carrying out hydrographic work, but to establish consensus on the capabilities, products, and services that should be developed for the nation; assist with resource allocations; and facilitate product dissemination. This activity is consistent with Phase One of the IHO/CBC Phases of Development of Hydrographic Surveying and Nautical Charting Capability (see Figure 2).

To meet this objective, the project partners will complete a variety of actions and sub-actions along the following general course: 1) Identify institutions related to maritime transportation, marine environmental protection, and other sectors with interest or use for hydrographical information; 2) At the highest levels of these organizations, raise awareness of the importance of hydrography; 3) Identify and address specific national hydrographic committee–building needs by country. Once formed, the “national hydrographic committee” will begin the work of establishing and meeting national hydrographic priorities. To guide all of these processes, the project partners will complete and use the International Hydrographic Organization’s S-55 Questionnaire to identify, assess, and prioritize national hydrographic needs (for more information, see IHO Capacity Building Committee’s webpage under “Committees” on www.iho.shom.fr). Official visits to each of the participating countries were made by senior level IHO representatives early in 2005 to raise the level of awareness of the importance of hydrography and reinforce the efforts to establish these institutional arrangements.

The MACHC has worked in partnership with the IHO Capacity Building Committee (CBC) to specifically weave in sustainability to the demonstration activities highlighted in the section below on Technical Support for Demonstration Projects. Using the IHO/CBC “Phases of Development of Hydrographic Surveying and Nautical Charting Capability,” substantial effort has been made to develop the activities in a manner that will ensure country abilities to conduct hydrographic work long after the Project itself is completed.

Figure 2. Phases of Development of Hydrographic Surveying and Nautical Charting Capability.

To date under this objective, the countries have submitted the following status reports:

1. National Hydrographic Commission of Guatemala (COHINAC)

Guatemala as member of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), has the commitment to develop the hydrography in its aquatic spaces, in order to assuring the navigation and to publish nautical letters with precise information and of interest for the navigators. To be able to comply with this priority and before the absence of a National Hydrographic Service, the need to create a NATIONAL HYDROGRAPHIC COMMISSION (COHINAC) as an emerging measure is established. It comprises the different private and public institutions that have as their functions to contribute to the maritime interests of the country. At present this commission is working to set the necessary bases for its operation.

The National Hydrographic Commission gathers once al month to discuss the final document that will be transferred to the National Defense Department and to the Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing Department for the purpose of establishing an interdepartmental agreement that will allow the execution of the different hydrographic capacities that these departments posses (personal, embarkations, minimum hydrographic equipment, vehicles etc.) and to be able to employ them in hydrographic surveys of national benefit. Inside this commission, it has been established as a priority, the Gulf of Honduras Project, specifically the hydrographic component, which it is expected to be used like a pilot project for operations of this Commission.