Call for Proposals: Biodiversity and Ecosystems Protection through Community-Based Conservation (Lebanon)

Deadline: 18-Jun-21

The European Commission is seeking applications for Biodiversity and Ecosystems Protection through Community-Based Conservation in Lebanon.

Objectives

• The global objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to protect biodiversity and ecosystems in Lebanon through a two pronged-approach:
  • A geographic pillar aiming at tackling the root causes of threats to diversity and forest ecosystems in regions classified as natural sites of national interest (Lot 1 and Lot 2)
• The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are:
  • Lot 1: To protect biodiversity and ecosystems through enhancing the management and governance of sites of ecological importance  and encouraging the creation of Protected Areas
  • Lot 2:To limit urban sprawl through encouraging integrated urban planning approaches
  • Lot 3:To strengthen the capacities of Lebanese Non State Actors to enhance the use of evidence and science in environmental policy-making and regulation (National)

Priorities

The priorities of this call for proposals is/are:

• Lot 1: Land conservation and management, forest management, traditional/biodiversity-friendly land-use and agricultural practices, trail conservation and management, conservation and preservation of fauna and flora, waste reduction and reuse, education to environment, governance/management/creation of protected areas (public and private), enforcement of environment legislation.
• Lot 2: Urban planning, master plans, land-use zoning, land cadastre, participatory process.
• Lot 3: Land use and urban planning, air pollution, dams, quarries, waste dumping, hunting, protected areas, biodiversity, forest, mountain protection.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 6,500,000.
• Indicative allocation of funds by lot:
  • Lot 1: EUR 4,500,000
  • Lot 2: EUR 1,000,000
  • Lot 3: EUR 1,000,000
• Size of grants: Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • Lot 1:
    • Maximum: EUR 4,500,000
    • Minimum: EUR 4,500,000
  • Lot 2:
    • Maximum: EUR 1,000,000
    • Minimum: EUR 1,000,000
  • Lot 3:
    • Maximum: EUR 500,000
    • Minimum: EUR 500,000
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
  • Lot 1
    • Minimum percentage: 70% of the total eligible costs of the action.
    • Maximum percentage: 95% of the total eligible costs of the action.
  • Lot 2
    • Minimum percentage: 80% of the total eligible costs of the action.
    • Maximum percentage: 90% of the total eligible costs of the action.
  • Lot 3
    • Minimum percentage: 90% of the total eligible costs of the action.
    • Maximum percentage: 95% of the total eligible costs of the action.

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • All lots:be a legal person and
  • All lots:be non-profit-making and
  • All lots: be established since at least 1st January 2015 and
  • All lots: be established in a member state of the European Union or an ENI beneficiary country or Lebanon
  • Lot 1: be a non-governmental organisation with main activities in Lebanon (university, research centre, think tank and coalition excluded);
  • Lot 2: be a university / research centre / think tank with main activities in Lebanon; or a public sector operator or an Association of Local Authorities; or a specialised international organisation;
  • Lot 3: be a non-governmental organisation (university, research centre, think tank and coalition included) with main activities in Lebanon; and
  • All lots: be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and
  • All lots: with a specific mandate related to at least one of the priority areas defined in each specific lot; to be demonstrated in the mission of the organisation and its activities implemented or services provided.

Co-applicant(s)

• Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
  • For lot 1:
    • The minimum number of co-applicants to be involved in the action is 2.
    • The maximum number of co-applicants to be involved in the action is 4.
  • For lot 2 and 3:
    • The minimum number of co-applicants to be involved in the action is 1.
    • The maximum number of co-applicants to be involved in the action is 2.
  • For lot 3:
    • A minimum of 1 Lebanese NGO and 1 Lebanese University must be involved in the action as lead applicant or co-applicant.

Affiliated entities

• The lead applicant and its co-applicants may act with affiliated entity (ies).
• Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co applicant(s)
• Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
• This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
  • Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
    • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
      • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
      • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant
      • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
  • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association) as the proposed affiliated entities.

For more information, visit https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?ADSSChck=1617595122578&do=publi.detPUB&searchtype=QS&orderby=upd&orderbyad=Desc&nbPubliList=15&page=1&aoref=171337