The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and a consortium coordinated by IUCN NL and SAF/FJKM, as regional implementation team for the hotspot, are accepting letters of inquiry (LOIs) from nongovernmental organizations, community groups, Indigenous peoples’ organizations, women’s groups, private companies and other civil society organizations.
In response to the challenges of climate change in the Indian Ocean island countries, CEPF has prepared a new program titled Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in the Indian Ocean, financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), through ’AFD as the Accredited Entity. The new program will provide targeted funding to mobilize CSOs in implementing EbA.
CEPF has enlisted a consortium of nongovernmental organizations to be its regional implementation team (RIT) in the hotspot. Coordinated by IUCN NL and SAF/FJKM 2 (regional team lead), the RIT includes SAF/FJKM for Madagascar, ID-ONG for Comoros, FORENA for Mauritius and SeyCCAT for Seychelles. These organizations are working with CEPF to implement a five-year conservation strategy for the hotspot and build local civil society capacity.
Priorities
Priority will be given to the following approaches:
Promoting resilient agroforestry and developing “Climate Smart Agriculture.”
Promoting the sustainable management of freshwater, wetlands, and marine and coastal ecosystems (mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds).
Strengthening management of intact watershed forest ecosystems through the implementation of protected area management plans in collaboration with local communities.
Enhancing resilience and adaptation of ecosystems.
Promoting control and eradication of invasive alien species.
Strengthening the capacity of local communities in participatory ecological monitoring of KBA target species and their habitats.
Funidng Information
Large Grants: More than US$50,000
Small Grants: Maximum grant size US$50,000
Eligible Activities
Eligible for all four countries:
Implement ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) actions, including agroforestry, “climate smart agriculture,” eradication of invasive alien species (IAS), restoration of degraded watersheds and coastal ecosystems (including wetlands, mangroves, reefs and seagrass beds), and promotion of sustainable management of coastal and terrestrial ecosystems.
Eligible projects will be those proposing to design and implement EbA, nature-based solutions (NbS) and conservation actions that respond to climate impacts at priority KBAs. Activities will analyze the adverse impacts of climate change on human livelihoods and propose solutions that can support, conserve, or restore species and natural areas in ways that help regulate or diminish the negative impacts.
Eligible for Comoros and Seychelles only:
Support the establishment and development of economic models that improve the resilience of local communities to climate change and support value chains for natural products while strengthening ecosystem services that contribute to EbA.
Eligible projects will be those supporting the development of economic models that improve community resilience to climate change, including nature-based tourism and sustainable production of natural products. This could be done through:
Strengthening production to increase sustainability, resilience and competitiveness.
Improving access to national and international markets for producers via the prospection for potential markets, the transportation of goods, and the development of infrastructure for collection, processing and packaging.
Building capacity of women, men and youth in agribusiness, entrepreneurship and sustainable development of value chains.
Geographic Areas
This call is open to projects in 61 priority KBAs for CEPF investment in the hotspot, spread across Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. Multi-country and multi-KBA projects are eligible. Future calls will have different eligible geographic areas.
The 61 priority KBAs eligible for this call are:
10 priority sites for Comoros distributed among the three main islands.
30 priority sites for Madagascar mainly concentrated in the Eastern Ecoregion and the southwest.
10 priority sites for Mauritius located on both Mauritius and Rodrigues islands.
11 priority sites for Seychelles located in both the inner and outer islands.
Nongovernmental organizations, community groups and associations, universities and research institutes, private enterprises and other civil society organizations may apply for funding.
Individuals are not eligible. Individuals should work with civil society organizations to develop applications rather than apply directly.
A government-owned enterprise or institution is eligible only if it can establish that it:
Has a legal personality independent of any government agency or actor.
Has the authority to apply for and receive private funds.
May not assert a claim of sovereign immunity.
Applicants based outside the eligible geographic areas may submit an application as long as the project deliverables are focused on the conservation needs of this call within the eligible geographies.
Preference will be given to projects that
demonstrate a leading role for local organizations and/or an explicit focus on capacity building for local civil society, and
show that they will coordinate with other organizations to prevent duplication of efforts, such as projects that work with partnerships and alliances. As such, joint projects with multiple organizations are eligible as long as one lead organization submits the application and project partners have clear roles stated in the application.
Applying organizations must have their own bank accounts and be legally entitled to receive grants.
