Supporting the management effectiveness of MPAs networks in the Gulf of Mexico

Background
 

The UNOPS Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Cluster supports the design and management of multi-stakeholder initiatives by providing services in financial and grant management, procurement, human resources, and project management. The Cluster has supported projects in the areas of marine and freshwater resources management, climate change adaptation, mitigation and transparency, energy access and distribution, and environmental conservation. 

The UNDP/GEF Strategic Action Program (SAP) of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) Project is implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The overall objective of this regional initiative is to support the implementation of the Gulf of Mexico Strategic Action Programme (SAP) in which were identified three main challenges: controlling and reducing pollution, recovering living marine resources and the rehabilitation of marine and coastal ecosystem through sustainable ecosystem-based management approaches (EBM). 
The Project builds on the results of the previous GoM SAP Development Project which delivered an endorsed Strategic Action Programme (SAP), between the United States of America and Mexico, based on a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and a shared vision for the health and resilience of the Gulf of Mexico. 
The project is structured around the following four components: 

1. Improve water quality; 

2. Avoid depletion and recover living marine resources; 

3. Conserve and restore coastal and marine ecosystems through community involvement and enhanced bilateral cooperation;

4. Monitoring, Evaluation and knowledge management.

• Background and objectives of the grant/funding

The activities under the component 3, and particularly output 3.4  will strengthen coordination and trilateral cooperation on marine protection, engaging with national experts working on marine protected areas (MPA) in the USA, Mexico and Cuba. The activities of this output are led by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) in coordination with the Project coordination Unit (PCU). These activities will seek to strengthen the collaboration between MPAs in the GoM and improve management effectiveness of selected MPAs through the strengthening of regional network(s). In addition the capacities and skills of MPA managers in underwater monitoring techniques will be improved, in order to acquire information on the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems in the MPAs of the Gulf of Mexico.

The funding to be allocated under Component 3 should therefore allow the achievement of Output 3.4 of the SAP GoM Project that focuses on “Supporting the management effectiveness of MPAs by connecting them through MPA networks in the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) through:
Activity 3.4.1: Exchange knowledge and experiences between MPA networks within the GoM LME; and
Activity 3.4.2: Develop and strengthen the technical capacities of the MPAs of the GoM LME to promote the ecological restoration of coral reefs.

Then the output 3.4 will contribute to the following SAP GoM outcome: Improved coastal and marine ecosystem health through the use of EBM. In addition, at least 10 MPAs in the GoM LME have improved the effectiveness of their management of threats such as coral bleaching by strengthening the technical capacities of their monitoring staff to conduct rapid assessments of coral reef vulnerability and resilience; capturing, collecting, disseminating and sharing relevant databases and information from biological monitoring systems.