Protectia Mediului

Chapter Six The International Waters Focal Area

1. OPERATIONAL STRATEGY

International waters—in the context of the GEF—refer to oceans enclosed or semi-enclosed seas and estuaries, as well as rivers, lakes, groundwater systems and wetlands with trans boundary drainage basins or common borders. International waters are threatened by a number of factors, such as: land and ship-based sources of pollution, land degradation, over exploitation of living aquatic resources and alien species introductions.

The GEF has developed a specific Operational Strategy for international waters to address these factors.

(GEFDOC #12) The strategy is particularly noteworthy for its comprehensive and integrated approach toward solving environmental problems in international waters; it recognises that the global water cycle links watersheds, airsheds, estuaries, and coastal and marine waters, moving pollutants and organisms across boundaries. Given this comprehensive approach international waters projects often address objectives in the climate change and biodiversity focal areas (e.g., carbon sequestration or ecosystem restoration respectively). A centerpiece of the Operational Strategy is to catalyse more comprehensive, cooperative, ecosystem-based approaches by countries to managing international waters and their drainage basins (including interactions between land and water).

The Operational Strategy stresses the need to assist groups of countries in:

• understanding the environmental concerns related to their international waters;

• cooperating in addressing these concerns;

• building institutional capacity to use comprehensive approaches; and

• implementing measures to address priority problems, such as:

— land-based sources of surface and groundwater pollution;

— land degradation affecting international waters;

— physical and ecological degradation of international waters;

— unsustainable exploitation of living resources;

— ship-based sources of chemical washings; and

— alien species introductions.

The international waters focal area—unlike the other three GEF focal areas—is not guided by a specific convention. There are, however, numerous global and regional treaties concerning discrete geographic areas or thematic aspects of international waters that GEF projects are supposed to take into account.

2. OPERATIONAL PROGRAMMES

The three operational programmes under the international waters focal area are:

Waterbody-based programme. These projects focus on preventing degradation or restoring the health of a specific international waterbody, such as a river, lake, coastline, groundwater reservoir or sea.

Such projects in freshwater basins could entail: establishing an industrial toxics pre-treatment programme; wetland restoration; and tradable pollution discharge permit systems to control non-point source, land-based pollution in degraded watersheds. In large marine ecosystems, projects might include various coastal area management measures, such as coastal use zoning plans and pollution prevention measures.

Integrated land and water multiple focal area programme. These projects focus on the integration of land and water resource management to address the degradation of international waters.

However, projects also include those that address the objectives of other GEF focal areas, or those that are aimed at groups of small island developing states. Three categories of projects include:

• Integrated international waters and land degradation projects. Priorities for these projects would be rehabilitation of damaged catchment areas and adoption of sustainable land-use systems, such as agro-forestry or reforestation projects. Other activities associated with projects under this category are: improving watershed and catchment management; sustainable land-use and conservation systems; and changes in sectoral development and economic policies.

• Projects that meet objectives of other focal areas, but are not necessarily related to land degradation. Most of these projects would relate to biodiversity, covering, for example, unique coastal areas, wetlands and coral reefs. Funding is most promising when projects entail imminent threats and present immediate steps that could be taken to prevent environmental damage.

• Small island developing state projects. These projects—involving groups of island states— could entail: integrated freshwater basin/coastal zone management on each island of the group; activities integrating marine, freshwater, biodiversity, climate change and land degradation aspects; sustainable management of regional fish stocks; tourism development; protection of water supplies; addressing land and marine-based sources of pollution; and addressing vulnerability to climate change.

Contaminant-based programme. These projects focus on ship-based pollution and specific persistent pollutants found in water systems and transported over long distances (e.g., mercury, dioxin, PCBs, persistent organic pollutants [POPs] and certain pesticides). Some projects will provide regional or global technical support for capacity building (e.g., information on contaminants to monitor, monitoring techniques, data analysis, information sources and means for involving the public in decision-making).

Demonstration or pilot projects may be tested in this programme.

Often, countries or groups of countries wishing to develop international waters projects will need to first formulate so-called "Strategic Action Programmes" that would form the basis for deciding what types of projects to develop and the amount of GEF financing needed. Developing these Strategic Action Programmes could involve: (i) environmental analysis of transboundary waters; (ii) identification of key social and economic factors; (iii) establishment of clear priorities and baselines; and (iv) estimates of incremental (additional) costs resulting from achieving "global" benefits.

3. SUMMARY OF INTERNATIONAL WATERS PORTFOLIO

The Pilot Phase. During the Pilot Phase, the GEF funded 12 international waters projects; most of them were marine-related projects, while two focused on lakes and one dealt with a river ecosystem (the Danube). Several of the projects are related to management of ship-generated waste; and others focus on environmental management and biodiversity conservation.

The Independent Evaluation (GEFDOC #27) was critical of the international waters portfolio during the Pilot Phase. The main problems identified were:

• lack of a clear strategy;

• failure to recognise that international waters "form a dynamically linked integrated whole with waters under national jurisdiction";

• failure to recognise that the major threat to international waters is mainly from land-based activities;

• failure to recognise that "mismanagement of biological resources [is] a major threat to the environmental integrity of international waters"; and

• underfunding of freshwater projects.

Box 6.2 The GEF's International Waters Portfolio at a Glance

(This table provides key statistics summarising the current international waters portfolio.)

Total allocated funding US $177 million

% of total GEF funds allocated to international waters work program 11.2%

Total projects approved for funding 18

• # of global projects (1)

• # of regional projects (13)

• # of national projects (4)

Source: GEF Quarterly Operational Report, June 1997. Aggregate figures for total funds disbursed in each focal area were not available at time of printing.

Examples of activities that could be funded through the GEF:

• Industrial toxics pre-treatment programmes.

• Wetland restoration.

• Implementation of tradable pollution discharge permit systems for control of land-based pollution in degraded watersheds.

• Joint research on critical ecological processes for large marine ecosystems.

• Integrated coastal area management planning exercises.

• Programmes to promote fishing practices for sustainable management of regional fish stocks.

• Sustainable coastal tourism programmes.

• Rehabilitation of degraded catchment areas for international river systems.

• Improving watershed management for transborder inland seas.

Box 6.3 A Sampling of International Waters Projects

Sample projects funded by the GEF:

Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania). With US $35 million in GEF allocations, and US $43 million in co-financing, this project aims to address major threats facing the Lake Victoria ecosystem, including overfishing, eutrophication and algae levels, pollution and invasive exotic species, such as the water hyacinth.

Water and Environmental Management in the Aral Sea (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). With US $12 million in GEF allocations, and US $60 million in co-financing, this project aims to address causes of water overuse and pollution in the Aral Sea Basin, and to support the sustainable management and future development of its natural resources by formalising and implementing the first stage of a regional strategic action plan.

Developing the Danube River Basin Pollution Reduction Program (Regional). With US $4 million in GEF allocations, and US $3.6 million in co-financing, this project aims to foster sustainable environmental management and control of the Danube River Basin.

4. NGO PERSPECTIVES

Some of the key NGO perspectives related to the international waters project portfolio include:

Overly broad scope. With very limited GEF resources allocated to international waters, and with no single convention to guide it, concerns have been raised by some NGOs that this focal area is—no pun intended—without focus and at risk of trying to do everything while achieving nothing.

Focus of objectives. Objectives for international waters are defined in terms of climate change and biodiversity, rather than identifying specific objectives related to water resources. Strategic and operational elements are also vague.

Definition of key terms. Critical areas and concepts are not included in the Operational Strategy, such as aquatic (in addition to marine) ecosystems, integrated watershed management (in addition to coastal), and preventive and non-structural approaches.

Insufficient funds. The amount of funding allocated to the international waters focal area was minimal and has since been fully allotted. Thus, there is currently no possibility of funding new projects.