Civil Society Organizations are invited to propose projects for funding from the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF) in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot.
CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Dévelopement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. CEPF is designed to safeguard biodiversity hotspots – the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth. In 2005 The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany region was identified as a global biodiversity hotspot. This area spans 275,000km², stretching from Xai-Xai in Mozambique in the north to Port Elizabeth in the south. It is a meeting place of six biomes and includes three centers of plant species endemism.
In September 2010 CEPF contracted the Wildlands Conservation Trust as Regional Implementation Team for the investment in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot. A fundamental goal of the CEPF investment is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation. As a result, the primary objective of the investment is strengthening the involvement and effectiveness of civil society in conservation and the management of globally important biodiversity. In order to achieve this goal CEPF developed an Ecosystem Profile for the Hotspot, identifying five strategic funding directions, covering 22 Key Biodiversity Areas and two corridors within the hotspot.
Please note below that this call is only relevant to Strategic Directions 2 and 3 and that proposals for Strategic Direction 1 and 4 will not be accepted at this stage. The Ecosystem Profile is available online at www.cepf.net and all potential applicants should refer to this document when preparing project concepts for consideration.
This call for proposals focuses specifically on the following themes and geographic areas, and applicants are requested to propose projects that will support the achievement of the following outcomes.
Strategic Direction 2 – Leverage funding for current CEPF investments under Strategic Direction 2 of the Ecosystem Profile, to maximize the impact of projects catalysed by CEPF. This will include, but is not limited to, investigations into and piloting of applicable economic instruments that will secure long-term and sustainable financing of conservation efforts; using CEPF’s investment as co-funding that will unlock investment from other donors, where other donors have committed a minimum of 10% of the total project value; and, planning and preparation for large scale investments that have already been secured, but that do not have adequate funds for project planning prior to implementation.
Strategic Direction 3 – The improvement and implementation of environmental regulations to maintain functional ecosystem corridors, particularly rivers and coastal zones; and/or support for community stewardship initiatives that will catalyze sustainable financing from local carbon markets
Applicants should be specific and explicit about the link between the proposed activity and the relevant strategic direction. The maximum size of grants awarded under this call is $50,000 (approximately R450 000). Non-governmental organizations, community groups, private enterprises, and other civil society applicants may apply for funding.
Individuals are encouraged to work with civil society organizations to develop applications, rather than to apply directly. Anyone who is uncertain of their eligibility or likelihood of receiving funding from CEPF should contact the Wildlands Conservation Trust RIT at cepf-rit@localhost/import-data-post, or visit www.localhost/import-data-post/mpah; facebook page for more information. This call will remain open until Monday, 2 September 2013.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)