Olivier Langrand

Message from the Executive Director

Central to CEPF’s mission is the financial, administrative and technical support CEPF delivers to local conservation organizations in the world’s biodiversity hotspots. That reach to the grassroots level does not, however, negate the contribution CEPF and its grantees make to the global conservation and sustainable development agenda through implementation of CEPF’s strategy for each hotspot. In fact, such contributions are essential to achieving the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Civil society—including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), communities, academia and the private sector—is a potent agent for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Up to now, CEPF has granted US$191 million to civil society groups in 23 biodiversity hotspots that include part or all of 92 countries and territories. CEPF’s 2,000 grantees have achieved many results that help governments meet their commitments as signatories of international conventions. CEPF grantees have made significant contributions to 15 of the 20 Aichi targets and to 11 of the 17 the SDGs. A few examples are shown on the table below.

Selected CEPF Results	Related Aichi Targets	Related Sustainable Development Goals
13.1 million hectares new or expanded protected area	Target 5 – Halve loss of natural habitats. Target 11 – 17% terrestrial and inland water and 10% of coastal and marine areas protected.	Goal 15 – Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss.
More than 1,200 IUCN Red-Listed species directly benefiting	Target 12 – Extinction of known threatened species prevented and their conservation status improved and sustained.	Goal 15 (See above)
More than 2,300 local communities directly benefiting	Target 3 – Eliminate, phase out or reform incentives that are harmful to biodiversity, and develop and apply positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.	Goal 1 – End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Goal 2 – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Goal 6 – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Goal 7 – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
More than 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon stored at supported sites	Target 15 – Ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced.	Goal 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
77 policies, plans or laws influenced	Target 2 – Biodiversity values integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national accounting and reporting systems.	Goal 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

These results arise in part because of the emphasis CEPF places on bringing stakeholders together—including civil society and government—to implement conservation at local, regional and national levels. From the development of its conservation strategy for a hotspot at the start of a regional investment to the final assessment workshop, CEPF emphasizes partnership among communities, nongovernmental organizations, private sector operators and government entities in order to optimize benefits for people and nature.

CEPF also helps to ensure results by prioritizing the development of grantees’ organizational and technical capacity so that they will be effective long-term advocates for, and agents of, conservation and sustainable development. CEPF grantees cooperate with national-level conservation institutions and build networks at the local, regional, and global levels where skills, funding, and vision can be shared. This effort, in turn, lays the foundation for innovation and sustainability in both conservation and poverty alleviation.

A thriving civil society is the cornerstone on which realization of the global conservation and sustainable development agenda will be built. Through its investments, CEPF is empowering civil society to be a trusted partner to governments and communities alike in creating a healthy, sustainable balance between nature and development.

– Olivier Langrand,
CEPF Executive Director