Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund October 2019 Call for Proposals

CEPF is designed to safeguard Earth’s biologically richest yet threatened terrestrial regions, known as biodiversity hotspots. 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 plays a critical role in achieving biodiversity conservation outcomes.

CEPF’s niche for investment in the East Melanesian Islands was formulated through a participatory process that engaged civil society, donor and governmental stakeholders throughout the region. The results of this process and the eight-year (2013–2021) strategy that CEPF has identified for supporting biodiversity conservation in the region are outlined in the ecosystem profile. Five strategic directions were identified, covering 20 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in the three countries that are eligible for CEPF support, and addressing threats to 48 priority species. The CEPF investment strategy supports biodiversity conservation in ways that deliver significant, meaningful benefits to local communities, while making a sustained contribution to the development of local, national and regional capacity for conservation.

In December 2018, CEPF held the mid-term review of the EMI investment in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The recommendations from that meeting have been summarized into the priorities for this call for proposals.

In the remaining years of CEPF’s investment in EMI, we are looking for consolidation of results, creating institutional and financial sustainability, leverage resources, and continuing to work on community-driven and locally-owned conservation actions and management plans that will address threats and safeguard biodiversity via the engagement of civil society.

It is essential that applicants familiarize themselves with the investment strategy for the East Melanesian Islands Hotspot, which is contained within the ecosystem profile (3.8 MB).

Applicants are advised to carefully review other references available on the CEPF and IUCN Oceania websites when preparing their LOIs, specifically: