Consolidation of the Protected Area System (SINAP II) - Third Tranche

The objective of the project is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Mexico through the consolidation of the National System of Protected Area (SINAP). The original SINAP II project was approved by the GEF Council at the Nov 2000 Council meeting, and a commitment was made to finance the SINAP II project under an innovative multi-tranched structure with a total final grant amount of $31.1 million. The first tranche of $16.1 million was endorsed on Jan 2002, including $7.5 million endowment funds to cover the basic conservation of four PAs. Then, a second tranche of $2.21 million was endorsed and disbursed on July 2004 to support basic conservation in the Sierra de Alamos in Sonora. This is a scheduled request for the third tranche for an amount of $7.35 million from the GEF to cover four new PAs . Based on the independent evaluation and the WB mid-term evaluation, the project implementation is going on satisfactory and the conservation trust fund is considered as an innovative model globally and regionally. The objective of the project is as follows: 1. Conserve globally important biodiversity in selected areas of SINAP (at least 12 PAs) 2. Promote the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of productive activities in selected PAs. 3. Promote social co-responsibility for conservation 4. Promote the inclusion of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use criteria in development projects and other practices affecting selected PAs.