Thursday May 22, 2014
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
May 22, 2014
by Jane Lawton
Small grants invest in the capacity of civil society to protect rare species
Bangkok, Thailand: A new portfolio of grants to protect the highly threatened biodiversity of the Indo-Burma Region was announced today by IUCN and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to mark International Biodiversity Day on May 22, 2014.
The Indo-Burma Region (made up of Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and parts of southern China) is widely recognized as being of global importance for biodiversity. Also known as the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, the region is home to some of the world’s most threatened primates, such as the Cat Ba langur and tonkin snub-nosed monkey, and enigmatic ungulates such as the rarely seen saola. The region also provides the wintering grounds for globally threatened migratory birds such as the spoon-billed sandpiper and supports one of the richest freshwater fish fauna in the world. Despite its global significance, however, the biodiversity of Indo-Burma is also highly threatened.
…
To date, CEPF and IUCN have issued calls for proposals in all six countries of the Indo-Burma Hotspot, reviewed over 330 applications, and are in the process of awarding approximately 70 grants to both international NGOs and local groups.
Some examples of the grants recently awarded include:
FISHBIO: Supporting Community Management to Help Protect Endangered Probarbus Fishes in Lao PDR – A project seeking to conserve Jullien’s golden carp and thicklipped barb in the Mekong River through the establishment and management of community-managed Fish Conservation Zones at three sites between Luang Prabang and Vientiane.