El Yunque NACD Conference.pptx
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In this session, federal, territory, and nonprofit organizations share how they’ve launched successful sustainable tourism and community engagement programs in Puerto Rico, and the importance of these programs on agriculture, agroforestry, and economic development.
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El Yunque NACD Conference.pptx
- 1. “Nature Based Models in Practice & Design” Keenan Adams and Gabriela Morales Nieves
- 2. Source: Comprehensive Inventory of Protected Areas in Puerto Rico
- 3. Non-sustainable tourism system limited capacity Defining a recreation, access and tourism system as a core management theme as of 2019 Forest Plan approval. Incorporating collaborative adaptive management as a core management theme. Hurricane María Repair vs. Revitalize Consideration of the ecological, social, and economic needs of the broader landscape.
- 4. Revitalization of El Portal Visitor & Community Center “Colaboratorio”& Partnership Space Fundación Amigos Del Yunque Citizen Science Program Amigos facilitates events Revenue goes to funding the citizen science program Increased a public service Expanded opportunity Photo by: Discover Puerto Rico
- 6. Business Kickstart Store Placement $ Independence $ Community Business Development and Acceleration New or Local Small Businesses Program Graduates *Starting Dec 2020
- 7. Forest Service Tourist’s Experience Contributes to Social Impact Program Impact Trails Maintained & Restored Reduced Costs Non-Profit Achieves Mission Financial Sustainability Community & Nature Benefits Trail Maintenance Non-Profit Transformation **Be careful not to set up a “saviorism program”**
- 8. Common goals for improved service to public Set aside % for reserve account Agree on projects Currently based around water as a resource provided by our Forest. Proceeds from companies to fund watershed restoration projects.
- 9. Models should be adaptative Can’t impose a model on a community or nature…co-create Design for financial resiliency in mind Zika, Hurricane Maria/Irma, Earthquakes & COVID Portfolio approach…. Diversify your models Co-dependence (not lopsided dependency)
Editor's Notes
- Mention how El Yunque is different from other forests in that it is used mainly for tourism/recreation
- We decided not to repair, but to regenerate. We asked how could we use the funding to transform. We knew this would double the time for recovery, however it would likely more than double the positive impacts. Puerto Rico has been in a recession since 2006 and tourism represents 5% of GDP
- Model #1. sharing. To use your economic engine and allow partners to leverage As mentioned earlier, we re-thought how we could use space and place for impact. We changed El portal from a visitor center to a visitor and community center. The space now can facilitate mass tourism and community. It doesn’t have to be an either or. Provided a collaboration space for our partners. The idea is to have an incubator, for our partners to maximize the amount of interactions for collaboration with other non-profits and the communities. Our Friends group, Amigo Del Yunque, has a citizen science program that is monitoring our vegetation. So we thought, allow the friends group to facilitate corporate and educational events. In terms of transformation, we have added more event space capacity during El Portal’s renovation. We converted an under utilized interpretive space to an open space that can be used for community and corporate events. Our Friends group will now facilitate events. Some of the revenue will sustain the citizen science program. We’ve now increased a public service as there will be more cultural events and we’ve expanded opportunities for local businesses (catering, music, etc.).
- The second model is to give up control ( a very hard thing for government to do..) to not be transactional, and to create your own ecosystem I like to view co-management of the intersection of sharing responsibility, decision space, and the outcomes.
- We realized that we can’t just have random partnerships, we need to create synergistic systems that are interconnected. We wanted to have more businesses benefiting from El Yuqnue that were from our local communities, but we realized that the business acumen needed to be hiher. We partnered with Vitrina Solidaria, to develop a business a development & acceleration program. We also gave them a storefront in our most visited area. After a business graduates the program, they can have space in that store. Part of the revenue goes back to sustain the non-profit and the program It also kickstarts the business program to develop independence Then that knowledge and resources goes back into the community (which raises the overall business acumen and wealth) And those graduates are now able to mentor, collaborate, with the community to continue the cycle.
- Let’s talk about the new model we beta tested during the pandemic. We sought transformation, by injecting money into a non profit that was willing to do trail maintenance. They in turn develop a program that will convert a tourist’s experience into a social impact. The impact would be finding micro businesses to provide food, having meaningful interactions with the community, and even house the tourist within the local community. Other impacts are the Forest Service have reduced costs and that can facilitate more trail restoration and increase the capacity for more tourist…which in turns help the communities The nonprofit is achieving their mission and can sustain themselves financially I would also like to take a moment to say, when setting up these type of programs, not to create a “saviorism program”. If your trips are more centered around creating an experiences for the traveler/volunteer vs centering on the local community or impacting the quality of life through self-identified solutions…you can be facilitating something very problematic. And community and nature benefits directly from the work that is done.
- Expanded Partnership Authority: My first example is the “Pay it forward model” we use with a few partners. We first agree on common goals and we find where the synergy between both entities will provide a better service to the public. We set aside a % of gross sales to a reserve account Then we agree on projects that will enhance awareness and knowledge. El Yunque Fund: The second model that is in design, and should be implemented within the next year is a CSR Model. El Yunque gets 100 billion gallons of rain that supplies a key water source. It provides 20% of Puerto Rico’s drinking water. We’re currently working with a brewery that will make an El Yunque beer, partner with foundation for PR and some of processed will go to watershed restoration so we can work to restore the watersheds.