SGP Thrust - Biodiversity Conservation

Projects will be supported that address to promote the conservation, management and sustainable use of biodiversity in eco systems (including arid and semi-arid, coastal, marine and freshwater ecosystems, forest and mountain ecosystems etc.) species and genetic resources their sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits arising from such use.

Projects will be funded that support or promote the conservation and sustainable use and management of biodiversity in ecosystems (including agro-biodiversity and agro-ecological systems). The operational programs are restricted to in situ conservation activities and the conservation of the genetic variability of wild relatives of domesticated species.

Projects should be located in areas that contain globally significant biodiversity.

The operational programmes to implement BC Focal area are as below:

Operational Program 1: Arid and Semi-Arid Ecosystems

Projects will focus on the conservation and sustainable use of endemic biodiversity in dryland ecosystems including grasslands, and in mediterranean-type ecosystems, where biodiversity is threatened by increased pressure from more intensified land use, drought, and desertification

Potential eligible activities: prevention and control of land degradation through development of sustainable use methods for biodiversity conservation.   demonstration of community-based approaches to the conservation of natural habitats and ecosystems in and around conservation areas, including protected areas.   strategic interventions to rehabilitate degraded areas in and around communities, e.g., restoration of native fodder species/vegetative cover which are crucial to pastoral economies.   capacity-building efforts that promote the preservation and application of traditional and indigenous knowledge and practices relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity/agrobiodiversity.

Operational Program 2: Coastal, Marine, and Freshwater Ecosystems

Projects will concentrate on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in coastal, wetland, mangrove, estuarine, marine, and freshwater ecosystems.

Potential eligible activities: Development of integrated management plans for communities and localities in coastal, lacustrian, and riverine areas.   Creation of community-based livelihood alternatives to relieve pressure on conservation and protected areas which conserve coastal, marine, and freshwater biodiversity.   Creation of community-based livelihood alternatives that rehabilitate populations of endemic species in those areas.

Operational Program 3: Forest Ecosystems

Projects will support sustainable community-based activities in forest conservation areas, including protected areas, and those that demonstrate and apply sustainable use methods in forestry as part of integrated land management in agricultural and forest landscapes, focusing primarily on tropical and temperate forest ecosystems areas at risk.

Potential eligible activities: Community-led (participatory research) inventories of forest biodiversity and traditional/indigenous sustainable knowledge and use of those resources.   Establishment of community sustainable development projects around protected areas.   Creation of participatory schemes for natural resource management by local and indigenous communities, including techniques to conserve wild relatives of domesticated plants and animals for the sustainable use of biodiversity.   Provision of alternative livelihoods for local and indigenous communities residing in buffer zones of globally significant biodiversity areas.   Promotion of sustainable production and use of non-timber forest products.   Development of environmentally sustainable ecotourism schemes with local participation and management.

Operational Program 4: Mountain Ecosystems

Projects will address the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in areas under increasing human pressure and imminent threat of degradation, including the Mesoamerican, Andean, East African, and Himalayan regions and the mountainous regions of the Indochina peninsula, and tropical islands.

Potential eligible activities: Promotion of sustainable land use practices on mountain slopes in order to protect habitats of global significance.   Rehabilitation of mountain slopes as a means of promoting local agrobiodiversity through the incorporation of traditional/ancient terracing and water management approaches

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