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Data Collection & Management

Assessment & Analysis

Strategic Planning & Design

Capacity Building & Institutional Strengthening

Policy & Legal Program Support

Technical Program Support

Information Sharing, Cooperation, & Coordination

Performance Monitoring & Evaluation

Commodity Procurement

Volunteer Programs

Assessment & Analysis - Illustrative Capabilities of the ME&A Team

E&E has used an integrated GIS database and decision support system to aid in planning for water quality protection. This decision support system allowed evaluation of the quality of surface water and groundwater throughout the country. It has also predicted future water quality trends, and compared the effectiveness and cost of various protection strategies. It combines a pollutant-loading model for industrial, non-industrial, point and non-point sources, a water quality transport model, and an economic evaluation tool in a GIS interface. This system allowed accurate comparison of pollution protection and prevention strategies on site-specific, watershed-wide, socio-economic, and other levels, in a user-friendly, visual environment. The basin authorities use these models to identify areas where cleanup of pollution events are most urgent. The models also provide information to water users about what to expect in terms of water availability in the basin.

Protecting biodiversity is important in many different contexts. However, to afford such protection trade-offs must be made. E&E supported a project to evaluate such tradeoffs between development and protection of a large block of the Orinoco River Delta in Venezuela , which includes a rich and extensive estuary. This project provided the basis for decisions made about the extent and final boundaries of what eventually became a park. E&E used a variety of approaches in gathering the data and preparing the plan. First, they reviewed all available analytical information that had been prepared prior to their involvement. Then because an indigenous tribe inhabited the area, they sent staff to determine the needs of this very important group of stakeholders. A series of interviews and eventually meetings was held to gain an understanding of their concerns and a better view of the resources in the Delta. The information from the interviews and meeting was used to help understand the nature of the issues of the indigenous people. It also helped to better formulate sampling programs intended to detect and quantify plant and animal life in the Delta and to determine potential specific production activities that could be proposed for the area. Assessment of the biophysical aspects of the area included collection of plants and animals and the capture of some river flow data. The economic information captured from the stakeholder assessments and other activities was used to help develop the cost-benefit models for a variety of production activities. All of these data were assessed and used to evaluate and identify specific production activities that would help promote the conservation of regional biodiversity in the Orinoco Delta. In the course of this project, E&E evaluated opportunities for economic growth resulting from new business opportunities resulting from the park's establishment. They worked closely with local tribes to understand the nature of the complex environment in which they live. Since the people who live in the park area gathered food directly from within it, food security issues were also evaluated in terms of regulations affecting the taking of resources from the park. E&E staff also worked with the Venezuelan government on policy issues related to establishment of the park.