PROPOSAL FOR GEF FUNDING

National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment for Global Environmental Management (NCSA)

Country name: The Bahamas

Project Title: National Self-Assessment of Capacity Building

Needs for Global Environmental Management

GEF Implementing Agency: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

GEF Operational Focal Point: Dr. Donald Cooper, Undersecretary

The Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology (BEST) Commission

(see Annex 1 for Letter of Endorsement)

National Executing Agency:The BEST Commission

Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield Centre

P.O. Box CB 10980

Nassau, The Bahamas

Tel: 242-327-4691; Fax: 242-327-4626

E-mail: ; Website:

Country Eligibility:The country is eligible for funding under paragraph

9(a) of the Instrument.

Convention Participation:

Convention / Date of Ratification/Accession / National Focal Point
UNCBD / 2 September 1993 / Dr Donald Cooper
The BEST Commission
UNFCCC / 29 March 1994 / Mr Keod Smith
The BEST Commission
UNCCD / 10 November 2000 / Dr Donald Cooper
The BEST Commission

GEF Financing:$150,000

The Bahamas Government Contribution:$107,000

Estimated Total Budget:$257,000

Estimated Starting Date:October 2002

Duration of the National Project: 9 months

List of Acronyms

BDMBiodiversity Data Management

BESTBahamas Environment, Science and Technology

CARICOMCaribbean Community

CBDConvention on Biological Diversity

COPConference of the Parties

CPACCCaribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change

CREDPCaribbean Renewable Energy Development Project

EIAEnvironmental Impact Assessment

FNCFirst National Communication

GEFGlobal Environment Facility

IABINInter-American Biodiversity Information Network

IDBInter-American Development Bank

NAPNational Action Programme

NBSAPNational Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

NCBNational Coordinating Body

NCSANational Capacity-Building Self-Assessment

NCWRINational Creeks and Wetlands Restoration Initiative

NEMAPNational Environmental Management and Action Plan

NGONon-Governmental Organization

OASOrganization of American States

PCProject Coordinator

UNUnited Nations

UNCBDUnited Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

UNCCDUnited Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

UNFCCCUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UNEPUnited Nations Environment Programme

WSSDWorld Summit on Sustainable Development

I. Background, Context and Related Work

Background

  1. As a small island developing state, The Bahamas’ environmental concerns can be directly linked to its size and archipelago status. These concerns include:
  2. Disposal of wastes
  3. Pollution
  4. Scarce freshwater resources
  5. Scarce land resources
  6. Over-development (which impacts natural areas and ecosystems)
  7. Threat from invasion by alien species

These issues are of concern for larger countries also, but are exacerbated in The Bahamas where the land mass is small to begin with and available resources are even more limited.

  1. Environmental management is made even more difficult by the fact that The Bahamas is an archipelago with 22 inhabited islands consisting of approximately 5,000 square miles of land spread over an area of some 124,000 square miles of ocean. Each island is different in terms of its ecosystems and environmental priorities. Any policy or models developed for environmental management must be adapted to each island – one cannot suit all. However, there are overarching priorities for environmental management that can be considered national, in spite of the uniqueness of each island. These include:
  • Proper waste disposal
  • Pollution prevention
  • Conservation of freshwater lenses and other groundwater resources
  • Establishment of parks and protected areas
  • Development of policy requiring environmental impact assessments for development projects and industry specific EIA guidelines
  • Development of coastal zone management plan
  • Development of land use policy
  • Development of a national environmental management and action plan
  • Development of invasive species database and strategy
  • Increasing public awareness and education on environmental issues

Environmental Institutions

  1. The Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology (BEST) Commission serves as the focal point for international environmental conventions and agreements to which The Bahamas is a signatory. These agreements include the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

  1. The Commission’s responsibilities include:
  • To serve as The Bahamas national focal point and official point of contact for all international organizations on matters relating to the environment, science, and technology;
  • To coordinate matters relating to International Conventions, Treaties, Protocols and Agreements on the environment to which The Bahamas is, or will become, a signatory and ratify;
  • To coordinate the national effort to protect, conserve and responsibly manage the environmental resources of The Bahamas;
  • To identify and make application for technical assistance and financial grants to meet the Commission’s responsibilities.
  • To represent the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in discussions and negotiations with representatives of regional and international organizations and foreign governments, where appropriate, on matters relating to the environment, science, or technology;
  • To serve as a forum which will encourage open dialogue, thereby facilitating the exchange of information and improved communication among the Government agencies and private sector entities responsible for or actively involved in matters relating to the environment, science, and technology:
  • To keep Government informed of the progress of the Commission’s work and the outcome of its deliberations with international organizations;
  • To explain and publicize the policies and activities of The Bahamas’ Government in the areas of the environment, science, and technology;
  • To advise Government in a timely fashion on the environmental impact of various development proposals submitted for the Commission’s review;
  • To conduct site visits for projects under EIA review.
  1. Participation in certain aspects of the Commission’s work is open both to public and private stakeholders, including NGOs and the commercial sector, in order to efficiently fulfill some of the above responsibilities.
  1. The BEST Commission’s Board of Directors consists of the Directors of Agriculture, Environmental Health Services, Fisheries, and Physical Planning, the Director-General of Tourism, the President of The College of The Bahamas, the Executive Director of The Bahamas National Trust, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Senior Hydrologist of the Water and Sewerage Corporation, the Port Comptroller and a representative of the Ministry of Finance. (Further details are given in Annex 2a)
  1. Members of the BEST Board meet regularly to discuss the various project EIA’s, which are currently under review, in order to provide coordinated responses to the Government and to provide policy direction on all other aspects of the portfolio of The BEST Commission.
  1. A number of subcommittees have been appointed by the BEST Commission to deal with specific environmentally related matters and international agreements to which The Bahamas is a Party. These subcommittees each consist of members from Government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.

Subcommittees appointed at this time include:

  1. Biodiversity Subcommittee
  2. Science and Technology Subcommittee
  3. Climate Change Subcommittee
  4. Ramsar Subcommittee

(See Annex 2b for further details).

  1. The BEST Commission has a core staff of technical and administrative officers. These officers receive support from the BEST Board of Directors, other Government agencies, non-Governmental agencies, such as the Bahamas National Pride Association, and experts in various fields. Technical staff members are diverse in their backgrounds with training in information management, marine management, coastal zone management, chemistry and engineering. (Annex 3 shows the BEST organisational structure.)

Environmental Programmes and Projects

  1. A number of projects have been completed or are underway in The Bahamas’ efforts to fulfill its obligations under these various conventions. Projects include:
  • Country Study of Biodiversity
  • Biodiversity Data Management (BDM)
  • National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)
  • First National Communication on Climate Change
  • Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change (CPACC)
  • Climate Change Enabling Activity for Capacity Building in Priority Areas
  • National Creeks and Wetlands Restoration Initiative
  1. Projects scheduled for 2002 include:
  • Enabling Activities for Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity
  • Development of a Database on Invasive Species to link with the IABIN Network
  • Development of a National Biosafety Framework
  • Development of a National Action Programme to Combat Desertification and Drought
  • Big Pond Park
  • World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Report

More details of the projects mentioned above are given in Annex 4.

Capacity for Environmental Management

  1. The Convention on Biological Diversity:

Much work has been done to fulfill obligations under the CBD. This includes completion of Biodiversity Country Study, Biodiversity Data Management Plan and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Several terrestrial and marine protected areas have been established. The strong areas of capacity for The Bahamas are public awareness and education and institutional strengthening of the BEST Commission as the agency administering work under the CBD. Weak areas include human resource development and infrastructure, especially in the scientific and technical areas in order to survey and document biological diversity properly , as well as to store biodiversity information and biological collections. There is also a need for increased systemic capacity in terms of legal and regulatory frameworks and cooperation between national institutions and agencies.

  1. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change:

The Bahamas’ strength lies in the scientific disciplines of hydrology, meteorology and marine sciences. Capacity to address the issue of climate change has been increased through participation in the CPACC project and also in the regional Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Project (CREDP). These projects have provided avenues for training of individuals. There is, however, still a need for more training of personnel in negotiation skills with respect to all international environmental conventions, including the UNFCCC. As climate change is an area of rapidly evolving science, technical competence must be enhanced, maintained and built, where it does not exist. This includes technical competence in vulnerability and adaptation assessment, climate change modeling, and policy and strategy development. There is also a need for increased public education and awareness. There is also a need to improve national coordination, and to strengthen interagency relations and national legislation for implementation of the Convention.

  1. The Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought:

Work has just begun on developing the country report and this will involve an initial assessment of capacity. The National Awareness Seminar held in March 2002 for all stakeholders determined means by which The Bahamas may fulfill its obligations under the Convention and priority areas for the National Action Programme.

  1. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:

There is significant national capacity to effectively implement this Convention in the Bahamas. What is needed is greater commitment by respective agencies whose mandates affect wetlands conservation and management. There is presently good cross-sectoral and cross-agency representation on the Ramsar Subcommittee, operating as the National Wetlands Committee. Strong areas of capacity also include public awareness and education. Areas of weakness include lack of policies and legislation for the protection of wetlands.

II. Objectives and Linkages to Ongoing Activities

Objectives
  1. The primary goals of the NCSA process in The Bahamas are:
  • To identify, through a country-driven consultative process, priorities and needs for capacity-building to protect the global environment.
  • To develop a National Environmental Management and Action Plan (NEMAP)
  • To develop thematic programmes for the areas of biodiversity (inclusive of wetlands), climate change and land degradation
  1. The objectives to achieve these goals will include:
  • Identification, confirmation and review of priority issues within the thematic areas of biodiversity, climate change, land degradation and wetlands;
  • Identification of synergies across these thematic areas;
  • Development of a framework/mechanism for targeted and coordinated action, including requests for external funding assistance;
  • Linkage of country action with respect to capacity-building to a broader national environmental management and action plan
Links to ongoing activities
  1. The NCSA process will build on work completed under the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), the Biodiversity Data Management (BDM) project, the First National Communication on Climate Change (FNC) and the National Creeks and Wetlands Restoration Initiative (NCWRI). The process will also be complemented by activities scheduled to begin this year. These include:
  • Development of the National Biosafety Framework
  • Development of the National Action Programme to combat land degradation
  • Biodiversity Enabling Activities
  • Agenda 21 Report for the World Summit on Sustainable Development

All these activities and documents have capacity assessment components of some kind.

III. Project Activities

  1. Project activities will follow the guidance given in 'A Guide for Self-Assessment of Country Capacity Needs for Global Environmental Management'. Implementation will be accomplished through the following steps:

Step 1 Initiating the planning process

  1. This has already begun, with national coordinating subcommittees for conventions under the thematic areas being contacted about the NCSA process, and providing information for inclusion in the proposal. The proposal has also been reviewed by the subcommittees prior to its submission to UNEP. On procurement of funding for the project, a National NCSA Inception Workshop will be held. A stakeholder identification process will be undertaken prior to the workshop. A provisional list of stakeholders is included at Annex 2c.

Step 2 Establishing high-level coordination and supervision

  1. This will be achieved through the existing structure of the BEST Commission with its Board of Directors having representation from all key Government agencies, organizations and corporations with aspects of environmental management in their mandates or whose mandates impact environmental management. This representation is at the level of directors, presidents and senior administration.

Step 3 Stocktaking and gap identification

  1. Stocktaking will be done of all previous and ongoing capacity assessment exercises. Subcommittees of the conventions have already begun to identify gaps in capacity that need to be filled for effective implementation of the conventions. This project activity will involve consultation with stakeholders, including BEST Board of Directors, BEST Subcommittees, NGOs, Local Government Councils, scientific community, tertiary institutions, private sector and industry, and the general public. There will also be a training workshop on capacity building and assessment targeted to both Government and non-Government stakeholders.

Step 4 Formulating and undertaking thematic assessments

  1. Thematic assessments will be formulated by the NCSA National Coordinating Body in conjunction with respective subcommittees. The subcommittees will undertake the assessments for their respective areas, i.e. biodiversity, climate change, land degradation and wetlands. The Science and Technology Subcommittee will be involved in all assessments to identify any gaps that are relevant to the objectives of this subcommittee in promoting science and technology in The Bahamas. Relevant stakeholders and experts will be consulted as necessary. Other mechanisms identified in the “Guide for Self Assessment of Capacity Needs for Global Environmental Management” will be explored and utilized where appropriate.

Step 5 Identifying synergies and cross-cutting analyses

  1. Identification of synergies will be accomplished through a series of workshops attended by members of all subcommittees with expert consultation as necessary. These workshops will involve review of obligations under each convention and actions that have been taken or need to be taken to fulfill these obligations. Areas of similarity and synergy will be noted and incorporated into the National Environmental Management and Action Plan to eliminate as much as possible any duplication of effort. The plan will also identify short-term and long-term goals for protection and utilization of the environment of The Bahamas that will be compatible to what needs to be achieved under each convention. Other mechanisms identified in the “Guide for Self Assessment of Capacity Needs for Global Environmental Management” will be explored and utilized where appropraite.

Step 6 Developing NCSA Framework for domestic action and external assistance

  1. This Framework will incorporate all information gathered through thematic assessments and analyses. The final document will be developed by the project coordinator, the NCSA National Coordinating Body and a drafting team.

Step 7 Developing thematic programmes for biodiversity, climate change and land degradation

  1. These will be developed by the respective subcommittees. The Biodiversity and Ramsar Subcommittees will work together to develop a National Biodiversity Programme. These programmes will build on existing plans and the thematic assessments. They will also incorporate long-term goals within each area.

Step 8 Developing National Environmental Management and Action Plan (NEMAP)

  1. The NEMAP will be developed through consultation at the national level during the NCSA process. The NCSA process allows stakeholders from the thematic areas to be brought together to accomplish a common goal. This should be seen as an advantageous occasion to develop a national plan in consultation with all these key players. It is envisioned that this plan will be a living document that will evolve as capacity increases and goals are accomplished.

Step 9 Developing mechanisms to monitor progress in achieving goals set under NCSA Framework, thematic programmes and NEMAP

  1. Mechanisms need to be developed to assess the effectiveness of these plans and programmes over time so that they can be adjusted or amended as necessary. Mechanisms will be developed by the NCSA National Coordinating Body, Project Coordinator, and Subcommittees, with expert consultation as necessary.

The project timetable is included at Section V.

IV. Institutional Framework and Project Implementation

  1. The NCSA process will be managed by a NCSA National Coordinating Body consisting of the Ambassador for the Environment, The BEST Commission and Chairs of Subcommittees of the Commission. The NCSA National Coordinating Body will appoint a Project Coordinator who will be responsible for organization and liaison between the various groups tasked during the process. Groups tasked with thematic assessments will include the Biodiversity Subcommittee, Ramsar Subcommittee, Climate Change Subcommittee, Land Use Subcommittee, and Science and Technology Subcommittee. The Project Coordinator will also be responsible for completion of systemic, institutional and individual level assessments.
  1. The BEST Commission will be responsible for coordination of financial management and reporting to UNEP. A diagram of the institutional framework for the NCSA process is given below.