i. Introduction
The management of natural resources should be based on the knowledge of their biological, structural and physical state. Considering also the social dynamics that in a direct or indirect way manages to influence the different aspects of conservation, management or deterioration.
hydric-valorization-of-a-natural-parkIt is known that today in the XXI century there are still societies where resources are considered infinite, even in island ecosystems like the Dominican Republic, there is no clear definition of the need to "preserve" today for future generations.
The social, economic and environmental valuation is a limitation when developing planning processes and even more so the structure that could give support and sustainability to natural resources and biodiversity, the lack of "perception" about the need to assign a "value" to it. natural resources is a "latent enemy" that results in the ineffectiveness of "conservation strategies".
Considering the previous points and under the "planning" model, it has been implemented since 2004 in the process of formulating the Management Plans of the Central Cordillera, the development of the "Water Valorization Survey" of the Park was considered important. National Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier (Valle Nuevo), having been developed during the months of September, October and December of the year 2005 in its field phase and at the cabinet level during the months of January and February of the year 2006. Using for its elaboration the methodology developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in its Phase 1 “Survey”,thus allowing to lay the foundation for possible medium-term actions that ensure the viability of the proposals presented in the Management Plan, which will be nourished by the information compiled at the field and cabinet level.
Phase 1 “Survey” seeks to establish the hydro-geographical framework of the territory to be valued, the different socio-environmental and productive links, at three local, regional and national levels, in order to establish patterns of use, as well as estimate the population that is favored with the hydric production of the territory.
The Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park (PNJBPR), with its 910 Square Kilometers, houses the total and partial birth of five hydrographic basins, of social, economic and environmental importance for the Dominican Republic, which unfortunately due to little information or suspicion With which it is saved, it is not possible to effectively give cancer the conservation status and above all the direct and indirect benefits that they provide at the local, regional and national levels.
The stability of the forest and soil resources within the administrative perimeters of the PNJBPR, becomes imperative if we consider that both the Hydrographic Basin of the Rio Yaque del Norte, Rio Nizao, Rio Yuna, Rio Grande del Medio and Rio Las Cuevas, contribute flows of importance for the production of hydroelectric energy, irrigation of high, medium and low valleys, human consumption and in specific areas for the recreation of national and international tourists.
ii. Objectives of the "Water Valorization Survey"
Overall objective
Develop at a conceptual and operational level a "Water Valorization Survey" of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park, which allows identifying the strategies and lines of action to be included in the Management Plan for its implementation and especially the creation of an approach to Payment of Environmental Services through the operationalization of an "Environmental Compensation Model" based on the "Fresh Water Resource.
Specific objectives
- Identify the direct and indirect beneficiaries that benefit from the water collected, filtered, stored and produced by the "Hydrographic Basins" located in the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park; Establish the priority and main uses of the water resource from the "Hydrographic Basins" of the PNJBPR; Provide the conceptual bases for the generation of an Environmental Services Payment model, as a tool to achieve financial self-sustainability of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park; Provide primary and secondary information for the development of the "Zoning" proposal. integrated in the Management Plan of the protected area. Present the strategies and lines of action that should be integrated into the PNJBPR "Management Plan", within the strategy,Goals and activities proposed by the management programs and subprograms. Introduce the topic of "water valorization" to the key political actors to change the perception of the economic and social contribution that the Protected Area provides to the region and the country. Present at the level of case study the value of the fresh water resource produced by the ecosystems of the PNJBPR for the community of Monte Llano Provide general and specific information on the benefits at the level of electricity production, agricultural irrigation and water intake for human consumption, in the form of a case study of the municipal seat of Constanza.Introduce the topic of “water valorization” to the key political actors to change the perception of the economic and social contribution that the Protected Area provides to the region and the country. Present at the case study level the value of the produced fresh water resource by the ecosystems of the PNJBPR for the community of Monte Llano Provide general and specific information on the benefits at the level of electricity production, agricultural irrigation and water intake for human consumption, in the form of a case study of the municipal capital of Constanza.Introduce the topic of “water valorization” to the key political actors to change the perception of the economic and social contribution that the Protected Area provides to the region and the country. Present at the case study level the value of the produced fresh water resource by the ecosystems of the PNJBPR for the community of Monte Llano Provide general and specific information on the benefits at the level of electricity production, agricultural irrigation and water intake for human consumption, in the form of a case study of the municipal capital of Constanza.agricultural irrigation and intake of water for human consumption, in the form of a case study of the municipal seat of Constanza.agricultural irrigation and intake of water for human consumption, in the form of a case study of the municipal seat of Constanza.
iii. Scope of the study of the "Water Valorization Survey"
During the development of the “water valorization survey” a series of questions have arisen from technicians from the different institutions with which the team of researchers has interviewed, as well as members of the team from the Directorate of Protected Areas, about the scope of the study.
The lack of perception by beneficiaries, key actors and technicians involved in the management and conservation of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park, has resulted in two basic considerations:
- The lack of interest or value in the study of the “water recovery survey”, or Confusion resulting from the “water recovery survey”.
Regarding the first point identified, it should be noted that when considering "water" as a finite resource and considering the environmental fluctuations that are currently occurring and according to forecasts will continue to increase, the "water" factor will be the one with the highest incidence, both due to its shortage or excess. The "water valorization survey" is important as it will allow a first effort at the level of the "national system of protected areas" to clearly define a route that will establish the degree of use of one of the various goods, services and functions. that the ecosystems contained in the protected areas provide to the Dominican society.
There has been a methodological confusion about the "water valorization survey". First of all, the survey looks for data and qualitative parameters that allow orient the planners who prepare the "Management Plan" on the strategies and lines of action to be incorporated into the management programs and subprograms to be implemented in the protected area.
In addition, the "survey" in unitary form is not functional, it must have other studies that allow the crossing of information to be able to clearly establish what the "transversal axes" and / or "approaches" could be that could become the backbone of the PNJBPR "Management Plan". Although in advance the development of a comprehensive model of "Payment of Environmental Services" is proposed that could be directed as a priority to the most tangible good of the protected area, which is "water".
It is important to consider that the main purpose of the “survey” is to identify the “critical route” by which the valuation of “water” could be used as a tool for financial self-sustainability for the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park and possibly other protected areas. from Dominican Republic.
The first problem with the valuation of water is the limitation when translating the value into a (possible) financing. The intrinsic value may be relatively low, but the indirect value, for example when there is a total drought or a disastrous flood, is enormous. Also the non-monetary value (for health, well-being, etc.) is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to express the amount of money that is needed to ensure its presence. Related to this is the problem of simplification; For the purpose of giving a price to water, the different concepts or indirect relationships that give value to water are not detailed, it is not considered that an ecosystem contained in a "protected area" is more than just water.
For example, the value of the PNJBPR's forests could be stimulated by measuring the flow of water that comes out of a stream that rises from it and this value can be applied to the conservation of the forest itself, using the approach of “integral management of microwatersheds.
An important problem to consider in the development of the current study that is common in the Dominican Republic is the lack of information on the issue of water recovery, which must be corrected within the process of implementation of the "Management Plan" through development of research and implementation of PES models with direct and indirect beneficiaries of the water produced in the PNJBPR.
The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) establishes a series of indicators to be considered when proposing as a transversal axis or focus of the "Management Plan" a model of "Payment for Environmental Services" (PSA) based on the " water recovery ”. Indicators that have served as a guide for the development of this “survey” of water recovery:
It is recommended that the "Protected Areas" located in the upper parts of the mountains or headwaters of hydrographic basins, have as focus the "Payment of Environmental Services" based on the collection, storage, filtering and production of fresh water.
The main asset susceptible to being valued qualitatively and quantitatively for the purposes of creating payment methods is “water”, for this it is important to consider three geographical levels to analyze:
- National; Regional and Local.
The successful PES projects based on "water" in PAs, was due to the incorporation of a clear "strategy" within the "Management Plan" that allowed to orient a medium and long-term lines of action for the development of the "baseline ”And“ operationalization ”.
There is no success in the development of “water” -based PES in PAs, if there is no proactive participation from the beginning of the communities settled within and on the periphery of the protected area.
Contrary to most proposals and / or suggestions, the water-based PES must start with models generated at the micro-basin and sub-basin level where the communities are integrated, through the creation of projects that promote “environmental compensation” based on in physical mitigation actions and the creation of environmental compensation funds, the latter first created through internal payments, in order to collect funds from users of the middle and lower basin in future phases.
For the successful development of a “Management Plan” based on a PES (water) approach, the following logical sequence of research and implementation must be followed (see figure 1):
Phase 1: (Probing)
- Identification of sectoral problems of the "Protected Area", associated with the valuation of the protected area; Collection of primary and secondary information regarding the protection, conservation and management of the water resource of the basins identified within the protected area; Analysis and cross-checking of information. Development of a "strategy" to be used within the framework of the "Management Plan" to be used in management programs and subprograms (primarily aimed at research and its subsequent operationalization).
Phase 2: (Selection of the water-based PSA research and operationalization model)
Selection of a deterministic or stochastic research model for economic valuation of the water resource of the protected area, based on the lines of research and social action determined for management programs and subprograms, among the suggested research and studies are:
- Socioeconomic study of the basin; Study and mapping of the physical hydrological environment; Study and water balance; Contingent valuation and study of the willingness to pay or willingness to pay; Identification of the basin, sub-basin and micro basin areas with greater importance for the maintenance of water resources; Study of institutional figures for the operationalization of water-based PES models (comprehensive management of micro-watersheds is recommended); Study of legal figures to be used; Design of a consumer-producer payment transfer model Design of manuals for procedures.
Phase 3: (Operationalization of the water-based PSA approach).
- Development of social and institutional structure to support the PES model; Establishment of PES models at the prioritized micro-basin level, using "environmental compensation" models; Design of a monitoring and evaluation system.
For the present “survey” of water valorization, the researchers have as their goal and reference the development of “phase 1” proposed by IUCN for inclusion as a transversal axis or preferably as an implementation approach for a model of Payment for Environmental Services in the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park.
The document on the "survey" of water valorization of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park (PNJBPR), is divided into five chapters, each one containing points that converge to present the results of the "survey" based on the "Phase 1" proposed by IUCN. The content of the chapters is summarized below:
Chapter 1 "Reference framework"
The chapter presents the information collected by the research team on the related conceptual bases for the conceptual and operational development of the approach and model of Payment for Environmental Services based on “fresh water” resources from the ecosystems of the Protected Areas. The information will allow the "Directorate of Protected Areas" and the planning team of the "Management Plan" to acquire the framework of general knowledge about the process required for water recovery and the creation of strategies that link said recovery with the formulation of the Plan management. In a second part, the chapter provides general information on the water potential of the Dominican Republic and especially of the Central Cordillera.
Chapter 2 "Methodology of the Water Valorization Survey"
The chapter presents in general and specifies the methodological steps followed for the development of the "study", considering that one of the added values is to provide the "Directorate of Protected Areas", researchers and planners a tool that will allow replicating the present study in other protected areas of the country.
Chapter 3 "Analysis of primary and secondary information"
The chapter presents a broad analysis of the primary information generated as a result of field investigations, as well as the crossing of information made with the secondary information collected. Points that should be highlighted is the identification of the water potential of the PNJBPR and of the beneficiaries of the water flows.
Chapter 4 "Problems in the use and management of the hydrological potential of the PNJBPR"
The chapter presents the general and specific results of the cross-analysis of the information presented in chapters 1, 2 and 3. The main line of Presentation is the problems identified, which could be "barriers" at the time of the implementation of any model of PSA based on "water". It also establishes the great strategic lines proposed to be incorporated as transversal axes in the programs and subprograms of the Management Plan.
Chapter 5 "Conclusions and results"
The last chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations on two levels, the first generally establishes the theoretical and operational framework that will allow the implementation of a PES approach within the framework of the Management Plan. A second level presents recommendations for changes and inclusions to be developed within the "Management Plan" document.
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