Strategic planning for fisheries management in Puerto Rico

Abstract

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) consists of approximately 1800 full-time employees, of which some 400 are directly or indirectly involved in fisheries and wildlife resource activities. The organization and its responsabilities grew to the point that it operations required a Strategic Planning effort to focus on the agency's mission and harmonize its organizational goals and objectives toward management. The planning process that began in March, 1996 has resulted in a Management Plan comprised of a ten-year Strategic Plan for the Bureau of Fisheries and Wildlife (BFW) an Operational Plan to guide implementation, and a Monitoring Plan to track and assess implementation process. Planning waas conducted consistent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines. This paper describes the process for developing the plan and a brief summary of results.