AFRICA: IUCN wants to fund biodiversity conservation projects

On 1 February 2024, the French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched the Programme to support biodiversity CSOs (civil society organisations) active in developing countries (ProBioDev). This 3-year programme aims to improve the state of biodiversity in developing countries by strengthening civil society action and developing the capacities and partnerships of CSOs.

Supported by a coalition of public and private partners, including the French Development Agency (AFD), the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), the Audemars Piguet Foundation for Trees, the Fondation de France, the Manthano Foundation, the Egis Foundation and the Maisons du Monde Foundation, the programme also aims to encourage the development of equitable and mutually supportive partnerships to respond effectively to biodiversity issues in developing countries.

As part of this programme, a system for funding meso-projects has been set up, and an initial call for projects is open from 9 April to 26 May 2024. This call for projects will fund around ten field projects, with grants of between €100,000 and €250,000 over a maximum period of 24 months. Grants will represent up to 90% of the total project budget.

The projects selected must be carried out in a country eligible for official development assistance, with priority given to Africa, in accordance with the list drawn up by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). They must be led by civil society partnerships, which must include a French CSO and a local CSO registered in a developing country.

The main objective of the projects must be the preservation of biodiversity and/or the implementation of nature-based solutions focused on mitigating and adapting to climate change, in line with the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal World Conservation Framework.