Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP)

CLP is an international capacity building programme that supports young conservationists in to undertake applied biodiversity projects. Each year, CLP calls for project applications in low- and middle-income countries and some high-income islands in the Caribbean and Pacific. Funding is awarded to teams of early-career conservationists to conduct scientific research, promote pro-conservation attitudes, and deliver tangible results to conserve and manage biodiversity.

There are three grant levels. Starting with a Future Conservationist Award, teams are supported to undertake small-scale research and awareness-raising projects. Then through Follow-up and Leadership awards, teams can implement larger projects over a longer period of time and implement deliver practical solutions while learning more complex decision-making, communication, and leadership skills. As part of the award, winning teams can access expertise from within the partner organisations and via our global Alumni Network, which includes past award-winners.

Programme staff members are also available to advise on project implementation, including guidance required during the planning and team training stages. Each year CLP runs a two-week Conservation Management & Leadership Course for recent award winners. CLP is a partnership of three leading biodiversity conservation organisations, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

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2022

YAWI SUMAK: La Bicicleta como una herramienta de comunicación ambiental.

Yawi-Sumak es una combinación de palabras indígenas, Yawi significa: saladero, un sitio en el bosque donde las aves y otros animales se reúnen para ingerir sales minerales y Sumak significa: bonito, grandioso. A través de un ciclopaseo ecológico con más de 300 ciclistas, se muestran las acciones que implementan autoridades ambientales, gobiernos locales y la comunidad en la conservación y uso sostenible de los recursos naturales. Esta herramienta de comunicación innovadora e incluyente permite a la población urbana tener una experiencia vivencial al conocer la belleza escénica, servicios ecosistémicos y especies paraguas, así como también la riqueza cultural de los grupos étnicos que habitan en la región: Shuar, Saraguro y Mestizos.

La iniciativa se pudo replicar en el Programa Regional AbE Ecuador para fomentar el ecoturismo comunitario en Membrillal, Manabi y se ha constituido en el ciclopaseo más importante del país. Fue presentada en el foro mundial de la bicicleta en México 2017.

2023

La educación virtual como estrategia de gestión de biodiversidad para los gobiernos locales

Esta solución integra la gestión de la biodiversidad a nivel municipal y la educación virtual, con el propósito de que los actores locales y sus administraciones municipales conozcan las competencias y las herramientas con las que cuentan para ser grandes aliados en el cuidado de la biodiversidad que está en sus territorios.

El cuidado de la biodiversidad es una tarea de todos los habitantes de un territorio. Las administraciones en especial tienen un rol importante en esta tarea, pero ¿saben cómo hacerlo? ¿Conocen las estrategias que pueden aplicar? En efecto, estas preguntas motivaron a diez (10) entidades a diseñar e implementar en Colombia el curso virtual “herramientas de conservación de la biodiversidad en municipios”.

2021

Gobernanza para la adaptación en la cuenca compartida del Río Goascorán

La carencia de un convenio de desarrollo fronterizo y la gran diversidad de actores son parte de los retos de gobernanza de la cuenca del Río Goascorán (2.345 km2), compartida entre Honduras y El Salvador. Para adaptarse ahí al cambio climático, se necesita de una gobernanza multidimensional (multinivel y multisectorial), participativa, flexible y ecosistémica, es decir, que integre a todos los actores de la cuenca, evalúe periódicamente las estrategias y medidas de adaptación implementadas, y gestione los servicios ecosistémicos prioritarios. En esta solución se facilitó la coordinación transfronteriza, instaurando Mesas Técnicas Ambientales (El Salv.) y promoviendo su acercamiento al Consejo de Cuenca del Río Goascorán (Hond.). A nivel local, se formaron los Consejos de Microcuenca del Río Lituy (Hond.) y Río Honduritas (El Salv.), creando capacidades mediante el “aprender haciendo”. Estas experiencias permitieron escalar acciones de adaptación y reforzar la gobernanza de la cuenca.

plantothèque médicinale école en Martinique

We set up a plantotheque-school project in a 4,000 m² space in the heart of Fort-de-France’s urban district (Quartier de Tivoli).

Over a twelve-month period, CCPYPM selected and planted 150 medicinal plants and 20 species of nutritional plants. This “medicinal plant library” enables visitors to learn more about the virtues of these plants thanks to educational panels positioned opposite each species. The various species are grouped by therapeutic indication (e.g. dermatological, gastrointestinal, nervous, cardio-circulatory, accessory, respiratory…). A book of over 300 pages has also been produced to bring together the information gathered on each plant (photo, botanical description, therapeutic indications, preparation method – source: TRAMIL, Ribeiro University Brazil…).

Finally, 25 new referents have been trained in the recognition, care and use of medicinal plants.

Capacity Development for Forest Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change

Overexploitation of forests in the region, overgrazing, forest fires, rapid urbanisationand the impacts of climate change are endangering forest functions in the Mediterranean region. The GIZ Regional Programme ‘Capacity Development for Forest Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change (FEbA)’ is tackling these issues by (a) linking non-forest actors with those engaged in forest management and (b) by capacity development targeting in first instance decision makers.

Empowering community-led sustainable management of clean fresh water through Pride for ARA methodology

Watershed management is, at its root, a human behavior challenge. But where humans are often the source of such problems, they are also the solution. Rare trains local leaders to implement behavior change campaigns that inspire communities to adopt new norms for how they interact with nature. Rare empowers communities in Colombia’s most water dependent geographies to participate in the management of their watershed ecosystems so that they benefit from higher water quality and flow and reduce the risk of droughts and floods due to extreme weather changes.

Since 2013, Rare has built the capacity of 14 officials of one of the largest regional environmental authorities of Colombia, Corporación Valle del Cauca, to engage local stakeholders in protecting riparian areas and improving land use practices using the Pride for ARA approach. These farmers are inspired by the Pride campaigns and the offer of technical assistance to protect critical ecosystems for watershed resilience.

Strengthening Capacities in Coastal Spatial Planning

The solution aims at sustainable development in coastal areas of the East Asian Seas region by reducing and preventing impacts of natural disasters, climate change and sea level rise. It provides references and capacity building for national and local authorities in coastal and marine spatial planning. National adaptation activities and best practices for capacity building and field application tailored to needs and priorities of each country are provided.

Scaling up Co-management from Hin Nam No to Village Forest Areas in Lao PDR

AFC scaled up a model for communities to participate in protected area management developed with GIZ between 2013-2016 in the Hin Nam No NPA. AFC supported three civil society organizations to implement the model elsewhere, including through co-management training modules, national-level awareness raising, exchange visits to Hin Nam No, local capacity building and policy advocacy. There are now 21 officially approved village co-management agreements, covering 204,747 ha of village forests.

Developing Competence Standards for Protected Area Jobs in Southeast Asia

The development and use of protected area competences at different levels have taken place in local and Regional scales with good results in all continents. The ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation competences published in 2003 by Appleton et al. ‘Competence Standards for Protected Area Jobs in Southeast Asia’ has been used in various ways to develop local competence based approaches in more than 20 countries.

Mobilising finance in the shea value chain

A shea value chain created around a protected areas landscape in Ghana led to greater finance flowing into community and conservation. Mole National Park is a biodiverse ecosystem, and Ghana’s largest protected area. Communities surrounding the Park benefit from its natural resources, but were using them unsustainably. In 2008, A Rocha Ghana and IUCN Netherlands Committee implemented a Community Resource Management Area (CREMA), a governance and management framework created by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, to empower local communities for natural resource management. Inhabitants designed a shared plan for the landscape that simultaneously addresses conservation and socio-economic wellbeing, including building a shea value chain. Implementing organisations engaged with the Savannah Food Company to become a business partner with the CREMAs, particularly women’s groups who collect shea nuts, and help create a fund to support conservation action in the community.

The World’s first Conservation Boot Camp

From May 2017 to September 2019, 72 young people from 23 different countries paid to participate in Nature Seychelles’ Conservation Boot Camp program. Designed to equip young people with real-life conservation skills, the program uses Cousin Island Special Reserve, Seychelles – a 50 year old conservation success – as a training laboratory. At the same time, the program acts as another sustainable funding mechanism for the protected area. It has been financially supported by GOS-UNDP-GEF Protected Area finance project from April 2016 to December 2019. The GEF project pays for a full time CBC Coordinator, some equipment and materials among other things.

Developing awareness and skills of the land users on measures of Jhum intensification & optimization in Mizoram, India

Jhum as a farming practice is mostly found in the North East India and it is the way of life and deeply embedded in the tradition and culture of the local communities of the region. However in the recent past due to changes in the socio-economic condition and land use pattern, shortcomings like reduced jhum cycles, reduced fallow period, loss in soil fertility and poor crop yields have started to emerge in the jhum field of Mizoram thereby threatening degeneration of the state’s rich natural resource and well being of the community directly depending on them.

The IKI- Biodiv project has helped in generating awareness and strengthened the capacity of the land users on measures of jhum optimization and intensification which will contribute to promoting biodiversity and ecosystem services while ensuring food and livelihood security of the farmers.