The Conservation Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has launched a new initiative to support civil society organizations in conserving the Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot, the richest and most biodiverse region on the planet.
The new phase will build on the progress made during the 2015–2021 period, which supported a total of 65 partner organizations, helping them improve the management of 2.9 million hectares and establish 26 new conservation areas to safeguard an additional 763,901 hectares. In addition, nearly 60,000 people from 294 indigenous and rural communities benefited from the conservation efforts.
Foto: Jeisson Zamudio
Going forward, the new CEPF funding will focus on the conservation of 28 KBAs across five conservation corridors in Bolivia, Colombia , and Peru. The funding will focus on the five key priorities of the CEPF strategy for the hotspot:
- Improve the protection and management of 28 prioritized Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) to promote species conservation, participatory governance, green recovery from COVID-19, climate change resilience, and financial sustainability.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to promote biodiversity conservation, a green recovery from COVID-19, and environmental, financial, and social sustainability, for the benefit of priority KBAs.
- To protect globally threatened priority species.
- Foster a well-trained, well-coordinated, and resilient civil society at the local, corridor, and hotspot levels to achieve CEPF’s conservation outcomes.
- Provide strategic leadership and effective coordination of CEPF investments through a Regional Implementation Team (RIT).
To support grantmaking and capacity building for grantees, the CEPF has signed an agreement with a three-member alliance comprising two environmental funds and a conservation organization that will work together as the RIT of the Tropical Andes.
The RIT includes the Bolivian Association for Research and Conservation of Andean-Amazonian Ecosystems in Bolivia (ACEAA), the Fund for the Promotion of Protected Natural Areas in Peru (Profonanpe) in Peru, and the Natural Heritage Fund of Colombia (Patrimonio Natural).
Foto: Pablo J. Venegas.
“As one of the world’s most biologically diverse and carbon-rich hotspots, the Tropical Andes remain a top priority for CEPF,” said Michele Zador, CEPF’s director of grants. “Although the people of the Andes have been significantly affected by COVID-19, we also see important new opportunities for sustainable development and conservation,” she added.
“The participation and empowerment of local civil society in conservation is essential to ensuring the integrity of critical ecosystems and promoting sustainable development,” said Anton Willems, executive director of Profonanpe. “We are excited to continue strengthening Andean civil society to safeguard the Tropical Andes access point.”
Marcos Terán, executive director of ACEAA, emphasized that “the collaboration between CEPF and local partners in the Tropical Andes Hotspot has led to significant progress in the region’s conservation” and that “this new phase faces the challenge of consolidating and scaling up these achievements.”
Finally, Alberto Galán, executive director of Patrimonio Natural, stated that “Phase III is an opportunity to provide more structured support for strengthening social organizations in coordination with the work being carried out at Patrimonio Natural.”
Autor: Hotspot
