VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #2930/01 2551546
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121546Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0614
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 9145
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 2923
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 2895
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ SEP LIMA 0071
RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA 3106
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 0652
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 2976
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 4335
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 0068
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 2351
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS BOGOTA 002930 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO NOAA, USFWS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIS SENV ETRD MASS MCAP PGOV CO
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS SOFT POWER OF 
U.S. MILITARY 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  SOUTHCOM sponsored its second annual Marine 
Environmental Protection Conference in Cartagena from August 
31-September 4.  The conference introduced the Colombian Navy 
to a wide range of marine environmental enforcement issues 
and generated productive discussion among the participants: 
Colombian Navy, NGOs, government ministries and several USG 
agencies.  One notable success, conference participants 
collaborated on an outline for a marine environmental 
enforcement operations manual for use by Navy instructors and 
officers in the field.  End Summary. 
 
PRODUCTIVE INTERACTION AMONG KEY PLAYERS 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  SOUTHCOM, with assistance from Embassy Bogota's 
Economic Section, scored its second successful environmental 
protection conference in Colombia, August 31-September 4. 
The event in Cartagena succeeded in opening a space for 
dialogue among the Colombian military, government, and NGOs 
on strategies for protecting the country's marine resources. 
More than 100 Colombian participants from the Navy, NGOs, and 
government ministries attended.  Participants highlighted the 
need for continued training and capacity building for the 
Colombian Navy in enforcing Colombia's marine environment 
laws.  Presenters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) provided best 
practices in marine enforcement techniques.  EconCouns 
highlighted the U.S. commitment to the environment and the 
economic importance of Colombia's fishing trade. 
 
NASCENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U)  The Colombian Navy has broad enforcement authority 
of Colombia's maritime laws, but has focused nearly all of 
its efforts and training on anti-drug operations.  The burden 
of enforcing environmental laws has fallen to NGOs and local 
governments, who have limited resources and capabilities for 
enforcement.  The Colombian Coast Guard, a subset of the 
Colombian Navy, is a temporary assignment for most Navy 
officers.  These factors plus the rotational nature of 
Colombian Naval assignments has resulted in little 
institutional knowledge of environmental law enforcement 
practices.  This year's conference targeted a higher level 
group of officers than last year, including port captains, to 
heighten the visibility of environmental issues in the Navy. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Fisheries enforcement authority is divided among 
many agencies but is largely in the hands of the Colombian 
Agricultural Institute (ICA), a part of the Ministry of 
Agriculture.  ICA personnel are extremely knowledgeable on 
fishery issues but have little capability to enforce or 
manage their fisheries.  ICA representatives at the 
conference helped organize the daily working groups. 
 
CONFERENCE TAKEAWAYS 
-------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U)  Conference topics featured:  fishing and wildlife 
trade regulations, environmental enforcement program 
management and best practices, vessel boarding techniques, 
oil spill containment, and reducing contaminants and by-catch 
through the use of mechanisms like Turtle Excluder Devices 
(TEDs).  (Note:  NOAA provided training on the use of TEDs to 
local officials the week prior.  End Note.)  During the 
conference, participants split into working groups to develop 
an outline for a handbook for use by the Colombian Navy, and 
discussed what future conferences should include. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Local presenters highlighted illegal fishing as 
the biggest threat to the sustainability of Colombia's 
fisheries, especially on the island of San Andres (located 
off the coast of Nicaragua) where the maritime boundaries of 
a number of Caribbean countries intersect.  A representative 
from the San Andres Governor's office estimated that up to 50 
 
percent of all fishing in San Andres is illegal, much of 
which he blamed on Nicaraguan and Dominican vessels. 
 
WAY FORWARD 
----------- 
 
¶7.  (U)  NGOs and military officials agreed that the two 
annual conferences succeeded in opening up a conversation 
between NGOs, government, and the military about the 
importance of enforcement of marine environmental laws. Both 
NGOs and military officials commented that future conferences 
should focus more on capacity building.  The conference also 
helped create institutional knowledge, notably via the 
collaborative effort that produced the outline for a 
Colombian Navy operations manual.  This manual will be the 
basis of a new course on environmental enforcement at the 
Navy's training school -- the first of its kind. 
 
¶8.  (U)  The Ministry of Environment (MoE) and ICA seek to 
develop a nation-wide observer program for fishing boats with 
training assistance from NOAA.  The director of Conservation 
International (CI) stated that promoting conservation efforts 
in San Andres, an important way station for migratory birds 
and marine life, is the single most important marine 
environment issue in Colombia. CI would like to set up a fund 
for San Andres' SeaFlower Biosphere Protected Area, similar 
to that of Malpelo to help fund a dedicated environmental 
enforcement patrol boat. 
 
COMMENT:  CHALLENGES TO SUCCESSFUL ENFORCEMENT 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  This year's conference took another important step 
in reinforcing to the Navy the economic and social value of 
enforcing fishing and environmental laws.  But several 
challenges remain:  the inter-agency process is weak, the MoE 
is not a political heavyweight, and the Ministry of Defense 
does not assist in coordinating between the MoE and military 
(Navy).  Prosecution of violators is also a challenge -- the 
fishing industry has good lawyers, the legal process is long 
and involved, and local governments do not have the resources 
to provide all of the evidence required to prosecute.  NGOs 
underlined that more long-term commitment is needed from the 
military in order to protect Colombia's marine resources. 
Continued focus on capacity-building would be a step in the 
right direction since Navy captains note that "a boat full of 
drugs is still much more valuable than a boat full of illegal 
catch." 
Nichols