Sustainability Goal

GVI Charitable Programs has a 10 year partnership  in place with National Park and through that time we will:

– Build up detailed data sets through research activities under the direction of the National Park and other local collaborating partners.

– Build capacity of the National Parks and collaborating partners to be able to continue the data sets on a less intensive frequency after the end of the project.

– Build capacity of the National Parks and collaborating partners. This will enable them to write and submit sufficient numbers of reports regarding the datasets, to independently meet their required targets, and to achieve continued and sustained funding from the National Parks Agency.

– Build capacity of the National Parks and collaborating partners to successfully access sufficient funding to allow an ongoing, continuous physical presence in the southern part of of Tortuguero National Park.

The 10 years project is broken down into 3 phases:

Phase 1, 5 years – Establish data-sets, strengths, and needs

Collaboratively set up and conduct a research program to establish data sets and understand the strengths and needs of partners and community:

– Establish a network of collaborative stakeholders.

– Establish and refine research objectives, methods, areas, and programs of importance in the local context.

– Assess and identify the strengths of the needs of collaborating partners in relation to the objective.

– Assess and identify the strengths of the needs of the local community in relation to the objective.

Phase 2, 3 years – Capacity building 

Continuation of research programs whilst conducting capacity building initiatives across partner organizations and community:

– Continue the ongoing research programs of importance in the local context.

– Identify the roles and responsibilities of collaborating partners in relation to the objective and training supplied as required.

– Funding required for each collaborating party to maintain their initial role in Phase 3, assessed, secured, and post-exit budgets quantified.

– Identify the role and responsibilities of the local community in relation to the objective and training supplied as required.

Phase 3, 2 years – Withdrawal 

Collaborative parties increasingly conduct responsibilities as per above with an aim of complete exit by GVI Charitable Programs at the end of this phase:

– Each collaborating partner starts their post-exit role and increasingly takes on responsibility in preparation for the final exit.

– Local community begins their post-exit role and increasingly takes responsibility in preparation for the final exit.

– Final post-exit funding secured.

– Ongoing support system and resources defined and in place

– Initial evaluation of the project. 

Sustainability Method

Phasing down and phasing over methods will be applied as parts of the exit strategy.

Phasing down

The intensity of the ongoing research program will be reduced to minimize the impact of the eco-systems but maintained with data being collected annually at a much lower frequency.

Phasing over

Through a planned and responsive program of collaborative capacity building, the project will be established and then will be phased over to the National Park and other partners in the final phase of the project.

Ongoing Sustainability Support

Once phased over, the collaborating partners will continue working together and employ a transition strategy where GVI Charitable Programs will provide continued contact and ongoing support as required. The original project will be evaluated by GVI Charitable Programs after 6 months, then 1, 2, and 3 years after phasing over is complete. This will be done via onsite visits, an inspection of data sets, interviews with stakeholders, and collaborative partner meetings.

Sustainability Schedule

Phase 1, 5 years

0 months:

– Initial collaborating partners identified and the project plan agreed upon. 

– Phase 1 funding agreed.

– Project planned and initial project areas and methodologies identified.

– Personnel recruited and trained.

3 months: 

– Initial project work started and refined.

– Monitoring of successes and challenges, and refinement to processes and methods.

6 months 

– Start the evaluation of the first 6 months.

– Refinement of processes and methods where necessary.

– Additional project work started.

– Early observations of the strengths and needs of partners and the local community.

9 months

– Ongoing research programs.

– Monitoring of successes and challenges, and refinement to processes and methods for new projects.

– Initial discussion with partners in regard to beneficial training programs.

– Initial discussion with the local community in regard to beneficial training programs.

12 months

– Start the evaluation of the first 12 months.

– Refinement to processes and methods where necessary.

– Initial capacity building workshops with partners planned.

– Initial capacity building workshops with the local community planned.

18 months

– Start evaluation of the first 18 months including the first full year of the refined data set.

– Refinement to processes and methods where necessary.

– Initial capacity building workshops with partners conducted.

– Initial capacity building workshops with the local community conducted.

2 years 

– Start the evaluation of the first 2 years.

– Refinement to processes and methods where necessary.

3 years

– Phase 1 halfway point evaluation and refinement complete.

– 3 year evaluation started.

– Ongoing and consistent research conducted for 1 to 2 year period.

– Partner capacity building workshops expanded.

– Local community capacity building workshops expanded.

4 years

 – 4 year evaluation started.

– Ongoing and consistent research conducted for 1 to 2 year period.

– Partner capacity building workshops expanded.

– Local community capacity building workshops expanded.

– Planning for phase 2 preparation complete.

5 years 

– Phase 1 complete.

– 3 to 4 years of full consistent data sets.

– Partner capacity building workshops being conducted at a suitable rate for the objective.

– Local community capacity building workshops being conducted at a suitable rate for the objective.

– Phase 2 preparation and planning complete.