FUNDING : Check out the European Commission (EC) Call for Proposals to improve the Conservation, Management and use of Biodiversity

A call for proposals to help mitigate the loss of biodiversity and improve the lives of local and indigenous communities residing in priority landscapes for conservation and development (PPCD/KLCD) in sub-Saharan Africa has been issued by the European Commission (EC).

Program Objectives and Priorities

The specific goal is to enhance biodiversity conservation, management, and utilisation, as well as the products and services offered by ecosystems within the designated Protected Areas and their direct influence area, for the benefit of all parties involved, especially local and indigenous communities, especially women, youth, and vulnerable populations.

The proposed actions must align with the call's overall objectives and specific objectives. These include establishing a partnership with the Government, specifically the National Agency for National Parks (ANPN), to support their management systems and co-manage activities on targeted National Parks. The partnership must be in accordance with the ANPN's statutes, operation, and mandate. The action may cover 1 or 2 National Parks, with activities in "zones of influence" defined and justified. The action must be coordinated with other EU actions focusing on biodiversity protection and green economy development in neighboring areas. Consortia of conservation organizations are preferred for a single contract. Collaborations between international conservation entities and national entities with expertise in local and indigenous community participation are accepted. The Ministry in charge of Tourism will be involved in eco-tourism development and professionalization of associated services.

Sectors or Themes

The field of biodiversity protection must be addressed in the actions, along with elements of local government and the green economy.

Priorities by Theme
The main goals of climate change action are to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity, prevent changes in land use, and make sure that a significant amount of ecosystems sequester carbon. Additionally, it suggests enhancing our understanding and ability to deal with the causes as well as the consequences of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Human rights

The guiding principles of NaturAfrica and the required components of integrated landscape management, in general, are addressing issues with land governance and ownership and improving the overall governance system by facilitating dialogue between stakeholders and relevant land users, partnerships, inclusiveness, community management systems, etc. Among the requirements that apply to the various projects being carried out on the ground will be the involvement of the local population and the beneficial effects on them. The concepts of good management of forests or biodiversity, such as accountability, legitimacy, transparency, inclusivity, equity, connection, and resilience, must be applied by partners. Lastly, the action will also take into account the right to food, keeping in mind the interdependencies between climate change, ecosystem management, and food security. It will be preferred to take a community rights-based strategy that includes free, prior, and informed consent along with independent systems for processing complaints about violations of human rights.

The action will support stability and the security of targeted populations as well as the prevention and management of land-related conflicts by reducing tensions associated with competing land uses and controlling access to other natural resources, providing alternative means of subsistence that enable people to strengthen food security as well as human and ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change and other natural disasters, managing transboundary ecosystems and protected areas, and keeping an eye on illicit economic activities (illegal logging, wildlife trafficking). Therefore, a conflict-sensitive strategy should be preferred where appropriate. In addition, the initiative seeks to foster local discourse and lessen human-wildlife conflict in order to achieve negotiated and sustainable management of natural resources.

Democracy

In order to guarantee that the requirements of all stakeholders are taken into consideration, democratic participation in the creation and improvement of strategies, plans, and initiatives is crucial, especially at the local level. The participation policy will make sure that women, girls, minority groups, and those in vulnerable situations are involved in the planning and development of events.

Eligible Activities

The NP management plans must be followed by all eligible activities. Each management plan is made up of five planning documents that technically describe the actions suggested in the framework document and is valid for five years:
The National Park's zoning and development programme; the conservation and research programme; the tourism development programme; the monitoring and anti-poaching programme (LAB); local community involvement and environmental education programme.
A restricted management system for action with key players at the national level and support for coordination and information sharing efforts between NPs within the same cross-border landscape at the regional level within the NaturAfrica programme should be taken into consideration in addition to the management of targeted NPs.

Don't miss out on the application deadline which is 27-Sep-2024.

Scroll down for more details and click on the official link attached to apply.