Deadline: 06-Nov-20
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), WWF-Russia serving as the regional implementation team for the hotspot, is accepting project proposals from non-government organizations, community groups, cultural organizations, women’s groups, private companies, and other civil society organizations for its Small Grants – Mountains of Central Asia Biodiversity Hotspot program.
The Mountains of Central Asia Biodiversity Hotspot consists of two of Asia’s major mountain ranges, the Pamir and the Tien Shan. Politically, the hotspot’s 860,000 square kilometers include southern Kazakhstan, most of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, eastern Uzbekistan, western China, northeastern Afghanistan, and a small part of Turkmenistan.
CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.
Priority Activities
- Address threats to priority species:
- Improve enforcement and develop incentives and alternatives for nature users and collectors;
- Promote improved regulation of collecting, hunting, and fishing;
- Support the development of species-specific reserves and conservation programs;
- Prevent human-wildlife conflict by addressing killing, poisoning, and trapping;
- Maintain populations of priority species beyond those solely affected by collection, hunting, fishing, poisoning, and nature users.
- Improve management of priority sites with and without official protection status:
- Facilitate effective collaboration among CSOs, local communities, and park management units to enhance protected area networks;
- Develop and implement management approaches to sustainable use in KBAs outside officially protected areas;
- Build support and develop the capacity for identification and recognition of KBAs.
- Support sustainable management and biodiversity conservation within priority corridors:
- Develop protocols and demonstration projects for ecological restoration that improve the biodiversity performance and connectivity of KBAs;
- Evaluate and integrate biodiversity and ecosystem service values into land-use and development planning;
- Support civil society efforts to analyze development plans and programs, evaluate their impact on biodiversity, communities, and livelihoods, and propose alternative scenarios and appropriate mitigating measures.
- Engage communities of interest and economic sectors, including the private sector, in improved management of production landscapes:
- Promote mainstreaming of conservation into livestock and farm management practices.
Funding Information
- Grant Size: Maximum amount US $20,000.
Geographic Areas
Projects should address any of the following priority geographies:
- KBA 4: Akbulak River Basin;
- KBA 5: Bashkyzylsai River Basin;
- KBA 6: Karabau and Dukentsay River Basins;
- KBA 24: Nuratau Ridge;
- KBA 30: Talimarjan Reservoir;
- Corridor 7: Turkestan and Alai Mountains;
- Corridor 9: Western Tien Shan.
Regarding KBA 4, 5, 6, and 24, they expect projects that focus on threatened and endemic species protection and research, engagement of local nature users, and capacity building for the more effective functioning of KBA. Additionally, for KBAs 4 and 5, the project can include awareness work in relation to UNESCO World Heritage site status and cross-border cooperation. Regarding KBA 30, they expect projects that focus on the protection of threatened species and globally significant aggregations.
Eligibility Criteria
- Non-governmental and non-commercial civil society organizations, registered community groups and citizen cooperatives, and private universities may apply for funding. It is possible for commercial organizations, such as farms and to apply for funding by special consideration. Individuals must work with civil society organizations rather than apply directly.
- International organizations are encouraged to involve local organizations or communities as project partners and/or explain how local stakeholders will be engaged as part of project implementation.
- Organizations must have their own bank account and be authorized under relevant national laws to receive charitable contributions. Groups without a USD bank account may partner with other organizations that do have a USD bank account.
- Government-owned enterprises or institutions are eligible only if they can demonstrate that the enterprise or institution has:
- a legal personality independent of any government agency or actor;
- the authority to apply for and receive private funds;
- may not assert a claim of sovereign immunity.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2GV01EB
