2015

CEPF featured at global events

In the fall of 2014, CEPF participated in global conservation events to raise awareness about the fund and the importance of civil society engagement in biodiversity conservation. In October, CEPF shared how its results are contributing to global biodiversity conservation targets through panel events, through the “Wonders of the World” photo exhibit, and through a reception at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in South Korea. The CBD LifeWeb Initiative hosted the reception, which also featured Save Our Species (SOS). In conjunction with the CBD, CEPF published a report outlining the many contributions of its grantees to the CBD’s Aichi biodiversity targets. The report can be found on the CEPF website.

In November, multiple events at the World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, featured CEPF sharing results and lessons learned. A highlight of the Congress for CEPF was the opening reception for the “Wonders of the World” exhibit at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. The event drew more than 180 guests to see the outdoor exhibit; listen to speakers, including CEPF donors and France’s Ambassador for the Environment Xavier Sticker; and enjoy food, wine and entertainment.

Wallacea and Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands programs launch

CEPF chose hotspot-based organizations to serve as its regional implementation teams (RITs) for programs in the Wallacea biodiversity hotspot, and in the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot. Burung Indonesia will provide this local leadership for CEPF’s US$6 million, five-year program in the Wallacea biodiversity hotspot in Timor-Leste and Central Indonesia, including the major island groups of Sulawesi, Maluku and the Lesser Sundas. Malagasy organization Tany Meva is the regional implementation team for the US$7.5 million, five-year program in the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot.

CEPF selects new executive director

The CEPF Donor Council, the fund’s governing body, unanimously selected Olivier Langrand, most recently director of global affairs for the nonprofit Island Conservation, to fill the position left vacant by the departure of Patricia Zurita, who left CEPF after nearly five years to become the new CEO of BirdLife International.

Grantees assess progress in Indo-Burma

In March, more than 130 representatives of civil society organizations, government conservation agencies and donors gathered in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to attend the mid-term assessment of the CEPF Phase II investment in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Asia Regional Office, which leads the CEPF RIT for the hotspot, the mid-term assessment workshop gave participants the opportunity to assess progress of the US$10.4 million investment in six countries (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) toward the goals set out in the ecosystem profile. The mid-term assessment workshop was bookended by a convening of Margaret A. Cargill Foundation grantees and an evaluation of the MacArthur Foundation’s conservation and sustainable development program in the Lower Mekong Region. These meetings provided opportunities to strengthen cross-linkages between the CEPF portfolio and those of the other two funders.

Cerrado stakeholder workshops completed

In April, final stakeholder consultation workshops were held in Brasília for the development of the ecosystem profile and CEPF investment strategy for the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot. As part of the consultation process, the profiling team led by Conservation International–Brazil and Instituto Sociedade, População e Natureza (ISPN) organized four workshops, gathering input from more than 170 participants from civil society and the private, academic, research, government and conservation sectors.

Tropical Andes regional implementation team named

In May, the Donor Council approved the selection of a consortium of organizations to help CEPF lead its US$10 million grant program in the Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot. The consortium is led by Bolivia’s Fundación para el Desarrollo del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (FUNDESNAP), in partnership with Colombia’s Fondo Patrimonio Natural, and Fondo de Promoción de la Áreas Naturales Protegidas del Perú (PROFONANPE).

Guinean Forests of West Africa profile process under way

The consortium consisting of the West and Central Africa Programme and the Global Species Programme of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre continued remote stakeholder consultation and preparation of the ecosystem profile of the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot. The team ultimately collected data and input from more than 140 stakeholders to define and prioritize sites, and to identify civil society capacity-building targets and policy priorities for the CEPF investment set for 2016-2021.

Helmsley Charitable Trust contributes to CEPF

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announced new funding of US$900,000 to conserve the unique biodiversity of Madagascar and support local communities via a grant to CEPF. The new funding for Madagascar builds on CEPF’s US$7.5 million conservation program in the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot. “As the Malagasy leadership takes tremendous steps toward environmental conservation, we are thrilled to support CEPF’s collaborative efforts to enable civil society to participate in the protection of critical ecosystems alongside governmental partners,” said Renu Saini, program officer of the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Conservation Program.

CEPF completes eight-year program in India

CEPF held its final assessment workshop for the US$6 million, eight-year (2008–2015) investment in the Western Ghats, India, part of the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot. The funds supported 108 projects and 56 civil society organizations. More than 120 participants gathered at the Bangalore workshop to share conservation results and exchange lessons learned. One example of results achieved is the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by 34 tea and coffee estates covering more than 19,000 hectares of land, as well as commitments from major international brands to source supplies from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in the region.

Display of biodiversity hotspot photo exhibit continued worldwide

The “Wonders of the World” exhibit, featuring stunning photos of the landscapes and species found in the biodiversity hotspots, was featured at the 2015 Green Week, the biggest annual conference on European environment policy, in Brussels, June 3–5. The Brussels show was one of several during the 2015 fiscal year, when the exhibit also made appearances in Lebanon, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Australia and South Korea. Since its debut in Paris in January 2014, the exhibit—developed by Terre Sauvage magazine, the Nature Picture Library and CEPF—has been displayed in more than 30 countries and territories, and has been viewed by thousands of people. The exhibit is presented in partnership with Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux–LPO, l’Agence Française de Développement, and le Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et Européennes.