The Importance of Hydrography For National Development and Honduras’s Role In the Gulf of Honduras Project May 19, 2006 Puerto Cortes, Honduras Milen Dyoulgerov, World Bank/MACHC Advisor

Meso-American - Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission

MesoAmerican - Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission Established in 1994; expanded/renamed in 2002 Full Members Brazil Colombia CubaFranceGuatemalaJamaicaMexico The Netherlands Trinidad and Tobago United Kingdom United States Venezuela Associate Members BelizeGuyanaHaiti Santa Lucia Observers Dominican Republic Honduras El Salvador Panama

MACHC-Electronic Chart Committee Goal: Demonstrate and facilitate the use of official electronic chart data for safe, efficient, and environmentally-sensitive maritime navigation. Objectives: –Facilitate the production and use of ENCs and RNCs –Improve hydrographic capacity of coastal states –Identify sources for acquiring equipment, software, and training –Speed up ENC production for key ports & major shipping routes –Establish data distribution service within MACHC region –Increase awareness of benefits of using EC data

MACHC-Electronic Chart Committee Chair: Katie Ries, USA (NOAA) Vice Chair: LCDR Rafael Ponce, Mexico (Navy) Technical Coordinator: Dr. Lee Alexander, USA (UNH) Two Task Groups: 1. MesoAmerican Capacity Building Pilot Project - Improve capacity building of coastal state hydrographic offices in a defined area - Initial focus: the IADB-administered, GEF-funded Gulf of Honduras Project 2. ENC Production and Distribution - Improve ENC coverage of the entire region in the short to medium term, production of ENC data by national hydrographic offices

Electronic Chart Committee Task Group 1 – MesoAmerican Capacity Building Pilot Project Task Group Members: GuatemalaHondurasBelizeMexicoNicaraguaPanamaUKUSA

International Hydrographic Organization Uniting the World through Hydrography

Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project Project Objective: To reverse the degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystems within the Gulf of Honduras by enhancing the prevention and control from maritime transport-related pollution in the major ports and navigation lanes, improving navigational safety to avoid groundings and spills, and reducing land- based sources of pollution draining into the Gulf.

Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project Component 1: Building regional capacity for maritime and land-based pollution control. Component 2: Building the information base for the Strategic Action Plan. Component 3: Enhancing navigational  HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYS safety in shipping lanes  HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYS. Component 4: Improving environmental management and hazard reduction in network of five ports within the Gulf of Honduras

Component 3: Enhancing navigational safety in shipping lanes Focuses on improving the hydrographic and oceanographic cooperation in the region to both prevent and prepare for groundings and spills in the Gulf related to marine transportation operations (references active collaboration with MACHC) Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project

MACHC Involvement MACHC Involvement – – Making the case for Hydrography – – Regional hydrographic capacity analysis for TDA – – Active involvement in the Puerto Barrio, Belize City, and Tegucigalpa project preparation meetings – – Input in the Project’s final design – – Commitment to develop and help execute the hydrographic implementation plan

Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project MACHC involvement IHB visits to Central America carried out in Feb/March 2005 to reinforce formation of national coordinating committees IHB visits to Central America carried out in Feb/March 2005 to reinforce formation of national coordinating committees More planned for 2006 More planned for 2006 Actively coordinating with IHO Capacity Building Committee Actively coordinating with IHO Capacity Building Committee National Coordinating Committees in progress National Coordinating Committees in progress

Current Status of GoH Project Project approved in 2005 by the Global Environment Facility and the InterAmerican Development Bank Project approved in 2005 by the Global Environment Facility and the InterAmerican Development Bank COCATRAM and CCAD are executing agencies COCATRAM and CCAD are executing agencies New Director hired for Project Coordinating Unit (Puerto Cortes, Honduras) New Director hired for Project Coordinating Unit (Puerto Cortes, Honduras) Project now operational! Project now operational! Hydrographic implementation plan almost final Hydrographic implementation plan almost final Countries to submit final plan to Executing Agencies Countries to submit final plan to Executing Agencies

Components of Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan 1. Executive Summary 2. Action Plan 3. Budget

Hydrographic Implementation Plan Objectives Objective 1: Regional Planning and Coordination Objective 2: National Institutional Capacity Objective 3: Demonstration Projects Paper and Electronic Navigational Chart Production and Dissemination to the Mariner Bringing Environmental Protection Awareness to the Mariner Making ENC Data Available for the Gulf of Honduras Regional Geographic Information System

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) and Gulf of Honduras Marine Highway; PSSA Proposal under draft MBRS Action Plan

Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan Objective 3: Demonstration Projects Paper and Electronic Navigational Chart Production and Dissemination to the Mariner Updated paper charts and electronic navigation chart essential to improve navigation safety. Accuracy depends upon current hydrographic data, requiring new surveys. Eric Villalobos: Technical Consultant for Survey Planning UKHO: Potential Bilateral Agreement to update paper charts and produce Electronic Navigation Charts

Proposed Initial Survey and Chart Production Areas Belize Guatemala Honduras

Honduras 25 m line spacing with 200% SSS coverage 75 m line spacing with 200% SSS coverage Puerto Cortés Harbor: Navigation Channel, Berthing areas, and Anchorage

Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan Objective 3: Demonstration Projects -Bringing Environmental Protection Awareness to the Mariner Create environmental data layer to displayed in conjunction with ENCs so that mariners are better able to protect the MBRS Based on U.S./NOAA Project in the Florida Keys (Dr. Lee Alexander) UKHO to produce three (3) small-scale ENCs as foundation for MBRS environmental data layer

Proposed ENCs to be produced as base for MBRS overlay

Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan Objective 3: Demonstration Projects Making ENC Data Available for the Gulf of Honduras Regional Geographic Information System (GIS) GoH Component 2: “build on existing MBRS Environmental Information System, develop a Data and Information Management Module for the GoH…includes transfer and incorporation of hydrographic and oceanographic data into the GIS”

Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan Objective 3: Demonstration Projects -Making ENC Data Available for the Gulf of Honduras Regional Geographic Information System (GIS)-continued NOAA “Translator” will provide comprehensive access to the available ENC data in a variety of formats, allowing anyone—from students to coastal resource managers to view and use the data in GIS formats over the Internet. NOAA—also willing to support internet access to GIS

“Gulf of Honduras ENC Direct to GIS” Prototype Website

Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan Expected Outcomes National and regional infrastructure to provide up-to-date hydrographic products and services will be established. Electronic navigational charting will be linked to environmental management needs. Innovative methods for reducing navigational risks will be successfully demonstrated. The outcomes will support the safe and sustainable development of the region’s maritime-based economy, while protecting the unique marine ecosystem of GOH.