A batch of new projects approved by the Commission under the GPGC/Environment & Climate Change !
Discussion details
Twenty-four new projects and programmes, to be funded by the Environment & Climate Change allocation of the Global Public Goods and Challenges thematic programme of the Development Cooperation Instrument, have been adopted by the European Commission for its Annual Action Plan 2014 on 28 November, for a total amount of 150 million EUR. They are now posted on EuropeAid's web site. Have a look at these here:
Out of these new actions, six are the first new projects to be committed under the B4Life flagship !
- the EU Biodiversity for Life (B4Life) Facility - € 3 M
- Supporting biodiversity conservation through innovative and sustainable partnerships - € 4.78 M
- Assisting key developing countries in the mobilisation of biodiversity information for environment sustainable development - € 3.9 M
- Promoting the transition to green economy in Least Developed Countries/Small Island Developing States through BioTrade - € 3.9 M
- BEST 2.0 - Promoting the conservation and sustainable use of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Overseas Countries and Territories - € 8 M
- Páramo: biodiversity and water resources in the Northern Andes - € 5 M
"Supporting biodiversity conservation through innovative and sustainable partnerships" is in fact a financing decision encompassing four individual projects:
- Strengthening biodiversity entrepreneurial capacity in Lao PDR - € 0.5 M
- Projet d'appui à la gestion durable d'aires protégées sahélo-sahariennes (Niger/Tchad) - € 1.8 M
- Establishing marine protected areas and sustainable livelihoods in Inhambane, Mozambique - € 0.5 M
- Strengthening of financial sustainability and biodiversity of Gile National Reserve, Mozambique - € 1.98 M
Contracting is under process, so that these actions will start their operational implementation in 2015 !
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Assisting key developing countries in the mobilisation of biodiversity information for environment sustainable development - € 3.9 M
The European Union (EU) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) have launched a four-year €3.9 million project aimed at increasing the amount of biodiversity information available for developing countries.
GBIF’s Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) will focus on enhancing capacity and mobilizing data from countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. By gathering information relevant for policymakers, BID will enable those countries to meet key policy needs and commitments under intergovernmental processes like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). BID will also help the European Union fulfil the commitments made to avert global biodiversity loss.
BID’s objective is to improve the management of natural capital in these regions, enabling biodiversity information to be used as evidence for decisions and thus support human well-being.
The funding will support two specific areas of activity. First, GBIF will identify needs and priorities for biodiversity information for each target region through studies, workshops and assessment of existing capacity. Second, BID’s individual projects will expand on existing biodiversity information networks and implement best practices in gathering and sharing policy-relevant biodiversity information in decision-making.
BID will initially focus on Africa, and the project’s kick-off meeting is planned as part of a regional event in Cape Town in May. ‘Africa Rising: Mobilising Biodiversity Data for Sustainable Development’ will bring together policy makers and a range of experts from across Africa to accelerate regional understanding of the value of biodiversity data in decision making, and the opportunities that exist to strengthen capacity in mobilizing such data for universal access and use. BID will subsequently work with partners in the Caribbean and Pacific regions to develop priorities for biodiversity information and will issue calls for proposals at a later stage of the project.
BID comes under the umbrella of the EU Biodiversity for Life flagship initiative (B4Life), and aims to support progress toward the CBD’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The number of occurrence records mediated by GBIF is the CBD’s primary indicator for Target 19, reflecting the status and trends of shared biodiversity knowledge, science base and technologies. The project is expected to help fulfil the European Union’s commitments to the implementation of the CBD Strategic Plan and Aichi Targets.
BID advances GBIF’s long-standing commitment to enhance the capacity of countries by developing the tools, skills and collaborations for effective mobilization, management and use of biodiversity information. Capacity enhancement within the GBIF network of Participants includes regional collaboration to develop work plans for priority data mobilization, training and mentoring programmes to share skills and best practices. BID will enable further capacity enhancement both within and beyond GBIF’s current network.
- See more at: http://www.gbif.org/
BEST 2.0 - Promoting the conservation and sustainable use of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Overseas Countries and Territories - € 8 M
WHAT IS IT?
The "BEST 2.0 Programme", which is part of the EU Biodiversity for Life (B4Life) flagship, aims to set up a funding facility for small-scale and medium-scale field actions in EU Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). It is aiming at supporting the BEST preparatory action objectives as well as the priority areas of actions that are enshrined in the Overseas Association Decision (OAD), particularly its Article 16, and the local strategies implementation
WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES?
The overall objective of this action is to promote the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services, including ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation, as a basis for sustainable development in OCTs. The specific objective is to enable, empower and strengthen local authorities and civil society organisations which are committed to local development, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of ecosystem services in OCTs.
WHAT ARE THE EXPECTED RESULTS?
Constituting a facility that provides swift and easy access to resources, and is flexible enough to be adapted to the varying conditions and situations encountered in OCTs. Efficiency of the efforts for biodiversity protection and sustainable use of ecosystem services require local involvement as well as concrete actions on the ground. The budget individually needed for successful activities are often comparatively modest, but the needs are countless and the access to funds difficult. A smart small grant programme proves to be an appropriate and efficient way to achieve such involvement, while keeping the advantage of being flexible and easily accessible. For these reasons the BEST 2.0 Programme is giving priority to small grants.
Supporting the implementation of projects in OCTs, having a positive impact on the needs and priorities of the OCTs, as identified in the Overseas Association Decision and further oriented through the regional ecosystem profiles.
Increasing the visibility of OCTs as key contributors to the achievement of EU and global biodiversity targets (Aichi Targets) through maintenance and restoration of biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services and as demonstrators of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation and low carbon economy through genuine partnerships.
WHOM IS IT OPEN TO?
It is open to actors of the European Overseas Countries and Territories located in five geographical regions: Pacific, Caribbean, Polar/Sub-polar and South Atlantic. Grants will be awarded according to criteria of relevance, needs, and management capacity, while a specific attention will also be paid to mitigate the risk of an unbalanced distribution of grants over the OCTs of different geographic location or juridical dependence.
More information will be provided by the operational manual that will be shared in spring 2015.
WHEN DOES IT START?
The provisional agenda of the BEST 2.0 calls for proposals is the following:
2 calls in Summer-Fall 20152 calls in Spring 2016
More information about BEST 2.0 and the BEST initiative on: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/best/index_en.htm
The BEST 2.0 programme is now fully operational. The first two calls for proposals have been officially launched on 14 September. On behalf of the BEST 2.0 Secretariat, we are pleased to inform you that the BEST 2.0 Portal is, to that end, fully available in English and in French with all the useful information and documentsfor the applicants.
Information has also been circulated in the EU Overseas network of IUCN and by the BEST 2.0 regional teams (Caribbean; Pacific; Indian Ocean; South-Atlantic; Polar/Sub-polar).
Small grants (< €100 000) are available for the Indian Ocean, South-Atlantic and Polar/Sub-polar regions. Deadline for the submission of concept notes is: 9 October 2015.
Medium grants (< €400 000) are available for the Caribbean and Pacific regions. Deadline for the submission of full proposals is: 4 December 2015.
More details on the call on the links provided above.
Out of the two calls for proposals that were launched near the end of 2015, 15 new projected have now recently started their operations.
4 small grants in the South-Atlantic Region:
3 small grants in the Indian Ocean region:
1 small grant in the Polar/Sub-Polar region:
4 medium grants in the Caribbean region:
and 4 medium grants in the Pacific Ocean region:
Páramo: biodiversity and water resources in the Northern Andes - € 5 M
La Unión Europea (UE) y el gobierno nacional lanzaron (17 de febrero de 2015) el proyecto "Páramos: Agua y Biodiversidad en los Andes del Norte", que busca favorecer la conservación de siete páramos de Colombia, Ecuador y Perú, con una inversión de €6’250.000 (aproximadamente $16.800 millones de pesos), de los cuales la UE aportará 5 millones de euros y los socios que participan en la acción el resto de la inversión.
El proyecto será coordinado por el Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt y ejecutado con socios nacionales (Corporaciones Autónomas Regionales –CAR-) e internacionales (Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza –WWF- y la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza –UICN-). Su objetivo es fortalecer la capacidad de gestión de las comunidades e instituciones involucradas en el manejo de los páramos para el uso sostenible de los servicios ecosistémicos que benefician al país y consolidará un trabajo conjunto por la conservación del recurso hídrico. Además compartir "buenas prácticas" entre los tres países involucrados.
Esta acción abarca los páramos de Santurbán (Santander), Rabanal (Boyacá), Los Nevados (Eje cafetero), Las Hermosas (Valle del Cauca) y el corredor transfronterizo El Ángel-Chiles-Quitasol (Colombia-Ecuador), el complejo Chimborazo (Ecuador) y el páramo de Piura (Perú).
"Queremos apostarle al desarrollo sostenible, fortaleciendo la gestión en lo local y enfrentar al cambio climático en áreas ambientalmente sensibles dado que estos tres países poseen más del 60 % de los páramos del mundo", afirmó María Antonia van Gool, Embajadora de la Unión Europea en Colombia, entidad que es líder en cooperación ambiental a nivel mundial.
El evento de lanzamiento se realizó en el Puente de Boyacá, una de las zonas cubiertas por el proyecto y contó con la presencia del Ministro de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible de Colombia, Gabriel Vallejo; la directora del Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Brigitte Baptiste; el director de la Agencia Presidencial de Cooperación Internacional de Colombia (APCC), Alejandro Gamboa y el director de la Corporación Autónoma Regional de Chivor (Corpochivor), Fabio Guerrero. También participaron Julia Miranda, Directora de Parques Nacionales Naturales y Tanya Van Gool, Embajadora de la Unión Europea en Colombia.
El ministro de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Gabriel Vallejo, resaltó los alcances de este proyecto. "La conservación y la sostenibilidad de los páramos es fundamental en relación con los servicios ecosistémicos y la regulación hídrica pues beneficia a la sociedad colombiana con la provisión de agua para consumo doméstico, generación eléctrica y sostenibilidad agrícola a más del 70 % de la población del país para consumo doméstico, generación eléctrica y sostenibilidad agrícola, además de ser ecosistemas que albergan una gran biodiversidad".
Los gobiernos nacional, regionales y locales vienen avanzando en el ámbito normativo y técnico con la definición de estrategias que contribuyan a la generación de alternativas para los pobladores que habitan estos ecosistemas, así como acciones que garanticen medidas de conservación y restauración de los mismos, para que los páramos sean el futuro de la economía y la sostenibilidad hídrica del país.
Para la Agencia Presidencial de Cooperación Internacional de Colombia, APC-Colombia, apoyar la gestión y formulación del proyecto regional "Páramos: Agua y Biodiversidad en los Andes del Norte" es una apuesta sobre la consolidación de procesos regionales entre países andinos en pro del desarrollo sostenible y de la conservación de los ecosistemas que mayor fragilidad presentan. "Esta acción es consistente con la estrategia de la Unión Europea para apoyar el desarrollo sostenible que resulte en mejor calidad de vida de la población, así como la conservación, restauración y uso sostenible de ecosistemas estratégicos", agregó el director de la Agencia, Alejandro Gamboa.
El proyecto en el páramo de Rabanal, está respaldado por Corpochivor, la CAR y Corpoboyacá, y es una oportunidad para consolidar el trabajo que desde su "Comisión Conjunta” impulsan para la conservación del Páramo de Rabanal y la gestión sostenible del recurso hídrico que este provee a los habitantes de Tunja y municipios aledaños. "La iniciativa contempla, entre otras acciones de reconversión productiva y restauración ecológica, que se concertarán y ejecutarán con las comunidades allí asentadas", indicó el director de Corpochivor, Fabio Guerrero.
Más información/more information:
María Lourdes Zimmermann, jefe de prensa Instituto Humboldt, prensa@humboldt.org.co / teléfono: 316 2436304.
Manuel José Rincón, encargado de prensa, teléfono: 317 6424412.