–    Arjoon-Martins
THE National Mangrove Action Plan 2010, now in draft, is to be completed by next week and sent for Cabinet approval, possibly next month, according to Chairperson of the Mangrove Action Committee (MAC), Mrs. Annette Arjoon-Martins. In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, she said once the documentation is signed, the financing agreement between Guyana and the European Union (EU) will be solidified and the first tranche of funds made available.
Arjoon-Martins said approximately 4.165 Euros will be accessible for the implementation.
“You cannot manage without it and the management plan is not about us sitting down and saying this is how you should manage mangroves. There have been tremendous stakeholder inputs in its development,” she observed.
The National Mangrove Management Action Plan 2010 covers a three-year period through 2012 and the momentum built through the successful implementing is anticipated to aid long term sustainability.
The objectives are to promote sustainable management of mangrove forests; develop effective protection and rehabilitation of the mangrove ecosystem; increase public awareness and education on the benefits of the mangrove forests; establish and complete a legal framework for the mangrove ecosystem management and encourage community-based mangrove management as well as establish the administrative capacity for the management of local mangroves.
Arjoon-Martins said, once this process is completed, efforts will continue with full momentum.
In an invited comment, Mr. John Townend, Team Leader from the EU Technical Assistance, emphasised that cooperation on both sides is an imperative for the success of the project.
He said inefficiencies in the timely implementation could affect the support given to the MAC by the EU.
“Evaluation indicators are done on a yes or no basis. It is either you have complied with certain conditions or you have not,” he explained.
Townend said the MAC is getting assistance through the EU Sector Policy Support Programme (SPSP), which is divided between budget and project support.
He said, for the budget, funds are disbursed in fixed tranches that there are limited condition for accessing.
For the project, conditions and funding are in variable tranches.
“The fixed tranche is 480,000 Euros and the variable tranche is 3,685,000 Euros. Once compliance with the conditions are met, access to the finance will be available,” he said.
He said the SPSP components are as follows:

The indicative disbursement timetable is as follows: