AMEP Quarterly ASSESSMENT & MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION. January - March 2011 Issue 9

Transcription

1 ASSESSMENT & MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION January - March 2011 Issue 9 The LBS Protocol Legally Entered Into Force on 13 August 2010! Welcome Dear Readers, This ninth quarterly continues efforts by the AMEP Secretariat to provide updates on projects and activities in support of the following thematic areas: Programme Coordination GEF Projects Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Wastewater Management Waste Management National Programmes of Action Oil Spills Response Planning, and Climate Change and Disaster Management Trinidad & Tobago Panama Programme Coordination France St. Lucia Belize United States of America Nine countries have now ratified the LBS Protocol. These are Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, France, Belize, Saint Lucia, United States of America, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda, and Guyana. The LBS Protocol formally entered into force on 13 August Bahamas Antigua & Barbuda Additional layers have been added to the Interactive Project Activity Map (IPAM). The launch of IPAM is expected by the end of June The interactive map can be viewed at: Guyana Page 1 UNEP/CEP launched the Wider Caribbean LBS Protocol Collage Competition on World Wetlands Day, 2 February, The collage competition invites Caribbean youth to reflect on land based sources of marine pollution and invites school children throughout the region to illustrate how to protect the Caribbean Sea from land-based sources of pollution, in keeping with the theme: A Future that is Pollution Free

2 With the accession of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, and Guyana in 2010, the LBS Protocol now enters into force! Please view our Web Site! The look of the Interactive Project Activity Map Join Hands to protect our Caribbean Sea. The competition will run from 2nd February until 30th June For more information on the Wider Caribbean LBS Protocol collage competition, please visit the link below. AMEP s Programme Officer Mr. Christopher Corbin, visited Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago from January, The purpose of the visit to Barbados was to promote the ratification of the LBS Protocol, discuss ongoing and planned UNEP projects, identify opportunities for further country support by UNEP and to promote the LBS Collage Competition. He also had discussions with the Caribbean Development Bank on the GEF CReW project to identify opportunities for collaboration during project implementation. Outputs of this visit were the commitment of Barbados to ratify the LBS protocol and their endorsement of the Rules of Procedure and Financial Rules for the Cartagena Convention. The purpose of the visit to Trinidad and Tobago was to discuss the status of the RAC Host Agreement for LBS RAC IMA with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. A commitment was made by the Government of Trinidad to continued work of RAC IMA and to complete the RAC Host Agreement as soon as possible. UNEP/CEP LBS Protocol Collage Competition Page 2 RAC IMA hosted a workshop entitled Integrated Coastal, Watershed and Water Resources Management on January, 2011 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The workshop was funded by the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), and was designed to inform agencies responsible for watershed and water resources management of the concepts and practices of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). ICZM is a continuous and dynamic process that addresses the use, development and protection of coastal areas. RAC IMA held its school outreach programme in the Princes Town and Moruga districts in Trinidad from February, This annual exercise, which began in 2006, promotes an increased understanding and appreciation among primary and secondary school students of issues affecting the marine environment. Over 500 students in eight secondary and six primary schools participated. The students were engaged through multimedia presentations and supporting material on the topics of Marine Pollution, Impacts and Mitigation of Global Climate Change, Coastal Erosion, and Marine Mammal Conservation. RAC Cimab participated in the GEF-IWCAM Clearing House Mechanism GeoNetwork Opensource and Metadata Training from February, 2011 in Kingston, Jamaica.

3 RAC-IMA -School Outreach Programme: Students learn about Coastal Types and Geomorphology RAC-IMA: School Outreach Programme RAC REMPEITC attended the Third Regional Consultation on developing a Caribbean IAS Strategy and Workshop on Legal Tools to address Invasive Alien Species on March 2011, in Nassau, Bahamas. This was hosted by CABI. Mr. Christopher Corbin accompanied the UNEP CAR/RCU Coordinator Nelson Andrade to Washington DC, USA from March, 2011 to meet with representatives from US Department of State, NOAA, UNEP- DGEF, IDB and the US EPA regarding the GEF CReW Project and ongoing and planned AMEP Projects and Activities. Mr. Christopher Corbin served as one of the facilitators for a Regional Workshop entitled The Win-Win: Achieving National and Sectoral Development Priorities through the Use of Environmental Outlooks and Improved MEA Implementation. This workshop was held from 28 March- 1 April 2011, in Paramaribo, Suriname. It focused on commitments in MEAs related to biosafety and protected areas, such as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region (SPAW) as well as the LBS Protocol on pollution prevention. The workshop was held within the framework of the EU funded Project Capacity Building Related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. It was also supported by UNEP s Regional Office for Latin America (ROLAC), GEF IWCAM Project and CARICOM. Participants from all CARICOM countries, Cuba and the Dominican Republic attended. Technical support was provided by experts from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). AMEP/CETA intern Ms. Rebecca Stuart successfully completed her internship in March, Ms. Stuart contributed significantly to the preparations for the 14 th IGM, the Children s Painting Competition on Biodiversity, and the Regional Laboratory Capacity Survey. GEF Projects GEF-IWCAM Clearing House Mechanism- GeoNetwork Training Page 3 The GEF funded IDB/UNEP CReW (Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management) Project is now in its pre-inception phase. Full Implementation of the Project is expected by June The CReW is a four year project that will focus on piloting revolving financing mechanisms and related wastewater management reforms in the WCR. It will be managed and implemented by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The project unit will be based at the IDB offices in Kingston, Jamaica and UNEP CAR/RCU is the lead executing agency for the regional project components. Interviews are currently ongoing for the staff of the Project Unit by IDB and UNEP and will be completed by the end of April 2011.

4 Approval was given for the extension of the GEF IWCAM project until December A similar extension request has been submitted for the GEF REPCar project to allow completion of all project activities. Nicaragua Jamaica Colombia Venezuela Trinidad y Tobago Guyana Suriname Phase 1 of the GEF IWCAM Pilot Hotspot Assessment Project in Dominica has come to a close and plans are underway for Phase 2. A draft management plan, execution memo and budget were developed for the Roseau River Watershed through this project. Hot spots applicable to GEF CReW project (from Baseline Analysis of Domestic Waste Water Management in the Wider Caribbean Region) GEF IWCAM demonstration project in Haiti. Participants in GEF IWCAM Proposal Writing Workshop Page 4 AMEP s Programme Officer, Mr. Christopher Corbin visited Dominica from 7-9 February, 2011 to discuss outputs of the Roseau Watershed management plan with LBS and GEF IWCAM focal points. He met with representatives from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries Department, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture. This mission sought to identify areas for further assistance under GEF IWCAM. He conducted a site visit to Roseau Watershed to discuss outcomes of Roseau Watershed Initiatives. This mission also included discussions on ongoing efforts to ratify the LBS and SPAW Protocols with senior policy makers of the Government of Dominica. Preliminary plans have been drafted with the aim of developing a possible phase 2 for the GEF IWCAM Hotspot Pilot Project, for the Saint John s River Watershed in Grenada. Dialogue is underway for the finalization of the draft management plan, execution memo and budget. GEF IWCAM Hotspot Pilot Project in Saint Lucia is scheduled to be concluded by the end of March, The recreational water quality monitoring survey was completed and the final water quality monitoring report will form a part of the ongoing implementation of their National Programme Action. It will also support the implementation of national obligations of the LBS Protocol as a signatory party to the Protocol. Phase 1 of GEF IWCAM Hotspot Pilot project in Haiti was completed in February, Approximately 45,000 plants were prepared in nurseries. Three nurseries were established, 2 in Luly and 1 in Leogane. Plans are underway for the implementation of Phase 2. The GEF IWCAM Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) is being finalized. It is a component of GEF IWCAM s Project Information Management System (PIMS) and will serve as an information platform for GEF - IWCAM projects and activities. This CHM will be based at UNEP CAR/RCU offices in Jamaica and will continue to serve the Wider Caribbean Region following the closure of the IWCAM Project. GEF IWCAM held its Clearing House Mechanism GeoNetwork Opensource and Metadata Training in Kingston Jamaica from February, The training involved participants from Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Cuba, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, UNEP CAR/RCU and

5 January -March 2011 the GEF IWCAM Project Coordination Unit. The GeoNetwork Opensource is a decentralized geospatial information management system based on international standards. It improves sharing of geographic information with and between organizations, reducing duplication, enhancing information consistency, and data preparedness. GEF REPCar Project in Nicaragua GEF REPCar in Columbia Page 5 GEF IWCAM held its second Training Workshop on Proposal Writing from 7-10 March 2011, in St. John s, Antigua. The Workshop was attended by participants from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, UNEP CAR/RCU and the GEF IWCAM Project Coordination Unit. The training provided participants with the tools and knowledge required to develop and modify proposals for a variety of funding sources. As a result of GEF IWCAM laboratory strengthening exercise, the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) hosted Training in Environmentally Sound Management of Laboratory Chemicals for Regional Lab Managers in March, A three day workshop on Environmentally Sound Management of Laboratory Chemicals was followed by a one day Laboratory Managers Meeting. The Workshop focused on the safe ordering, handling, storage and disposal of laboratory chemicals. There were participants from Antigua, Barbados, Bahamas, Tobago, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Dominica, and Saint Lucia. For more information on the recent activities of GEF IWCAM, please see the project s website and quarterly newsletter at GEF REPCar s Coastal Monitoring Programme will be completed by the end of March, A final Regional Coastal Monitoring Report will be produced. ARGOS, the online interactive database for GEF REPCar s coastal monitoring programme, will be ready for implementation by the end of March, This database will be utilized in national & regional reporting. UNEP CAR/RCU submitted a letter of endorsement to the GEF Division of UNEP for the development of a new project entitled Improved Management of Agrochemicals Life Cycles in the Caribbean Region and Central American Region.This project is being developed as follow up to the GEF REPCar project. The Inter-laboratory comparison exercise between CICA (Costa Rica), INVEMAR (Colombia), CIRA (Nicaragua) and UNAL (Colombia), was completed and all laboratories reported favourable results. The labs analyzed pesticide residue samples (modern pesticides and organo-

6 January -March 2011 GEF REPCar in Costa Rica chlorides) of predetermined concentrations. The exercise was supervised by Dr. José Sericano of the University of Texas A & M in the United States of America. GEF REPCar Project Manager, Mr. Alex Cooman visited Nicaragua from 1-7 March, 2011 to follow up on the progress of the demonstration projects, coastal monitoring projects and training and awareness raising activities. Work plans for the upcoming months were also reviewed. This mission facilitated the endorsement of new GEF PIF and provided support for the ratification of the LBS Protocol For more information on the recent activities of GEF REPCar, please see the project s website and bulletin at: Environmental Monitoring &Assessment The multi-thematic ARGOS support system: an online interactive database for GEF REPCar s coastal monitoring programme Final comments have been in-cooperated for the update of Technical Report No. 33 (TR33). This Report was adopted at the 14 th IGM. The final version is now available and will be published as a new CEP Technical Report. The Secretariat established an Interim Working Group in accordance with Decision XI of the 14 th IGM for work related to the updated TR 33 report. Based on country nominations, the working group consists of representatives from Jamaica (chair), Bahamas, Columbia, Mexico, Cuba, Barbados, USA, Trinidad and Tobago and France. This group will continue work related to monitoring and assessment that could use Technical Report No. 33 as a baseline document with the goal to improve effluent reporting and assessment of water quality conditions throughout the Convention Area. This will provide input to the first meeting of the Contracting Parties to the LBS Protocol in RAC Cimab is in the process of finalizing fact sheets with information from the updated TR33, Regional Wastewater Baseline Analysis and the Know-Why Network (KWN) Partnership Projects. Other fact sheets are also being updated with a view of having current information on the state of the marine environment of the Wider Caribbean Region available on the CEP website. Wastewater Management Page 6 The Sewage Needs Assessment project in Belize is ongoing. Monthly water assessments are currently being undertaken for ground water and surrounding coastal waters. An assessment tool is being developed in order to undertake a survey to investigate waste management practices

7 Nutrients inflow (Total Nitrogen -blue and Total Phosphorous -green) of domestic origin by sub-region in WCR (t.yr -1 ) (from Technical Report # 33) for the collection and disposal of sewage. The project is investigating the wastewater management practices and ground water use in Caye Caulker while conducting ground and coastal water quality assessment in support of the development of a Sewage Needs Management Plan. The results of a UN backed study published in the Journal of Environmental Pollution was noted in a Los Angeles Times Article entitled Mexican clean-up urged to help Caribbean Tourism by Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent. The study said that pollutants ranging from pesticides to illicit drugs were found in fresh water aquifers beneath a Caribbean resort in Mexico and could damage future tourism unless the region cleans up. Samples taken from a labyrinth of water-filled caves beneath the Riviera Maya south of the city of Cancun showed contamination mainly from sewage, as well as from highways and golf courses. The study stated It is essential to develop and maintain adequate wastewater treatment infrastructure. Other recommendations were to preserve remaining mangroves to protect the coasts. Fifth International Marine Debris Conference RAC REMPEITC attended a meeting with representatives from the Government of the Bahamas, a lead partnering country for the GEF UNDP GloBallast project. REMPEITC assisted with the development of a national strategy during discussions held from March, 2011 in Nassau. RAC REMPEITC also attended a meeting in Aruba from March, 2011 for all the Dutch Islands in the region regarding the Ballast Water Convention. Waste Management The abstracts, Mainstreaming Marine Litter Management in Caribbean SIDS through Government and Civil Society Partnerships and Protecting the Caribbean Sea from Marine-Based Pollution: Lessons from the MARPOL Annex V Special Area Designation submitted by the AMEP secretariat, were accepted for presentation at the International Marine Debris Conference held in March Mr. Christopher Corbin, participated and made several presentations at the International Marine Debris Conference held in Hawaii from March, For more information on this conference please visit the link below. Page 7 =664&ArticleID=8671&l=en&t=long Finalization of new activities to support the implementation of the Caribbean Regional Action Plan for Marine Litter will take place after the Marine Debris Conference. These activities are expected to focus on the development of targeted educational, promotional and awareness material for children, decision makers and the general public.

8 National Programmes of Action (NPA) NPA pilot project for Suriname is ongoing. The project aims to mitigate pollution in the waterways of the Sipaliwini District through the introduction of eco-sanitation toilets. Awareness raising activities on the project and on the use and advantages of eco-toilets were held in seven villages. The project is expected to help in Suriname s efforts to accede to the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols. The MOU between UNEP GPA and NOAA was finalized in February, 2011 and will form the framework for continued cooperation between the Secretariat and NOAA in NPA development and implementation. The four priority countries where technical and financial support will be provided will be Suriname, Saint Lucia, Belize and Dominican Republic. The compilation of Caribbean Case Studies of successful Mainstreaming of National Programmes of Action was completed by AMEP consultant Mr. Trevor Ramikie. This was done in cooperation with the Coordination office for the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities (GPA) and the Caribbean Environment Programme. This activity attempted to collect success stories in the field of mainstreaming marine and coastal issues into national and/or local development policies, plans and planning processes. Oil Spills Response Planning Urine Diversion Toilets - Suriname NPA pilot project Page 8 RAC REMPEITC participated in a Senior Maritime Administrators Workshop from 8-9 February, 2001 in Trinidad and Tobago. The workshop was sponsored by the IMO and provided the opportunity for maritime administrations of Caribbean Islands to be informed on the developments at IMO. It also allowed maritime administrations to share their experiences and identify areas for future assistance on specific maritime issues, including ballast water management, oil spill response planning, and the management of waste from ships. RAC REMPEITC participated in a Workshop held by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environmental affairs in Curacao on 4 March, The purpose of this workshop was to assess the risks associated with various incidents or disasters and how to best mitigate these risks.

9 Climate Change & Disaster Management A formal contractual agreement between the European Commission (EC) and UNEP was signed for the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction project in Jamaica in October, This project is being jointly managed by UNEP and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). UNEP and the PIOJ finalized an additional contract through a PCA (Project Cooperation Agreement) which was signed in February, 2011 for the first year of the project. The launch of the Project Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Jamaica took place on World Wetlands Day, 2 February, 2011 at the Office of the Prime Minister. Mr. Christopher Corbin brought remarks on behalf of UNEP/ CEP. The second Project Steering Committee Meeting for the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project took place in February Launch of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project- Jamaica Looking Ahead (April- June 2011) Contact Information UNEP CAR/RCU Port Royal Street Kingston JAMAICA Tel: Fax: rcu@cep.unep.org Date April April May 6-10 May 9-13 June 2-3 June June June Event GEF REPCar Coastal & Marine Workshop, Kingston, Jamaica UNECLAC SIDS, Trinidad & Tobago GEF IW Training, Sweden GEF IWCAM Media Workshop, Trinidad & Tobago UNEP SAICM Meeting, Panama CEHI Data Management Workshop, Barbados GPA Wastewater Training, Panama (Tentative) GEF CREW Regional Inception Workshop and Project Steering Committee Meeting, Kingston, Jamaica (Tentative) Page 9 We hope that you have enjoyed this issue of the AMEP Quarterly and welcome your comments and suggestions. For further information please contact: Mr. Christopher Corbin, AMEP Programme Officer, UNEP CAR/RCU, Port Royal Street, Kingston, Jamaica, Tel.: (876) ; Fax: (876) ; cjc@cep.unep.org