Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund – Caribbean Hotspot Project (P173464) : Environmental and social management framework [draft]

[English] The project aims to improve the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to reduce threats to globally important biodiversity in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot. It builds on actions, efforts and lessons learned under a previous phase of investment from 2010 to 2016 that require additional support for consolidation. It supports replication and scaling-up of good practice models, and incorporates lessons learned from the first phase to ensure enhanced implementation and continuity of action. The project addresses the issue that globally important biodiversity of the Caribbean Islands Hotspot is threatened by overexploitation, habitat loss, and invasive alien species. To achieve this, it seeks to overcome two key constraints: first that civil society organizations’ capacity to implement conservation actions is constrained by administrative, financial and technical limitations; and second that CSOs’ ability to deliver conservation impact at scale is hindered by isolation, lack of coordination and weak dissemination of good practice.[Español] Con la meta de mejorar la capacidad de las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil (OSC) para reducir las amenazas a la biodiversidad de importancia mundial en el hotspot de biodiversidad de las islas del Caribe, este proyecto se basa en acciones, esfuerzos y lecciones aprendidas en una fase anterior de inversión entre 2010 y 2016 que requieren apoyo adicional para su consolidación. Presenta la replicación y ampliación de modelos de buenas prácticas e incorpora las lecciones aprendidas de la primera fase a fin de asegurar una mejor implementación y continuidad de la acción. Aborda el problema de que el hotspot de biodiversidad de las islas del Caribe, de gran importancia a nivel mundial, está amenazado por la sobreexplotación, la pérdida de hábitat y las especies exóticas invasoras. Para lograrlo, pretende superar dos limitaciones clave: primero, que la capacidad de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil para implementar acciones de conservación está limitada por condiciones administrativas, financieras y técnicas; y segundo, que la capacidad de las OSC para generar un impacto en la conservación a mayor escala se ve obstaculizada por el aislamiento, la falta de coordinación y la escasa difusión de buenas prácticas. Con esta finalidad, el proyecto tiene cinco componentes

Caribbean islands biodiversity hotspot : ecosystem profile summary

The Caribbean islands biodiversity hotspot is one of the world’s greatest centers of biodiversity and endemism, yet its biodiversity and the natural services it provides are highly threatened. Its ecosystems are essential for the maintenance of human well-being, as its inhabitants rely on the wealth of these fragile areas for a multitude of benefits including disaster risk prevention, availability of fresh water and revenue from tourism. CEPF’s strategy aims to support civil society to generate significant conservation results that will not only complement the actions of other stakeholders in the Caribbean, but also enable a significant expansion of strategic conservation effort for the benefit of people and nature

Islas del Caribe, hotspot de biodiversidad : resumen de perfil de ecosistema

El hotspot de biodiversidad de las Islas del Caribe, que comprende un archipiélago de islas tropicales y semi-tropicales de ricos hábitats, incluye 30 naciones y territorios y abarca casi 4 millones de kilómetros cuadrados de océano. Es uno de los mayores centros de biodiversidad endémica del mundo debido a su geografía y clima y es uno de los 35 hotspots de biodiversidad del planeta — las áreas más diversas biológicamente, pero amenazadas de la Tierra. Su condición de hotspot, así como la singular importancia biológica, económica y cultural de las Islas del Caribe, llevó al Fondo de Alianzas para Ecosistemas Críticos (CEPF) a crear una estrategia de conservación para toda la región. La estrategia, conocida como Perfil de Ecosistema del Hotspot de Biodiversidad de las Islas del Caribe, orienta altamente la inversión del CEPF en la región — mediante $6,9 millones, distribuidos a través de donaciones a la sociedad civil. El perfil, que fue desarrollado con las aportaciones de más de 160 organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales que trabajan o están basadas en la región, es más amplia que la estrategia del CEPF. Éste ofrece un modelo para futuros esfuerzos de conservación en el hotspot y de cooperación con la comunidad de donantes

Additional funding secured to strengthen biodiversity conservation in new Caribbean Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) under the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) phase II investment

El Fondo de Alianzas para los Ecosistemas Críticos (CEPF, por sus siglas en inglés) anuncia que está ampliando sus esfuerzos de conservación en el Caribe con la incorporación de 11 Áreas Clave para la Biodiversidad (KBAs, por sus siglas en inglés) a su portafolio. Con estas incorporaciones, el número total de KBAs elegibles para la inversión del CEPF alcanzará las 43. El actual programa del CEPF en el Hotspot de Biodiversidad de las Islas del Caribe se puso en marcha en agosto de 2021 y continuará hasta junio de 2027. Las nuevas KBAs se extienden por cinco países caribeños y albergan varias especies raras y amenazadas, muchas de las cuales no se encuentran en ningún otro lugar del planeta. Aunque diez de las nuevas KBAs se encuentran en países en los que el CEPF ya ha estado activo, la nueva incorporación en la Mancomunidad de Dominica marca el inicio de la participación del CEPF en este país en el marco de la inversión actual. Las 11 KBAs adicionales incluyen: • Parque Nacional de Graham's Harbour en Las Bahamas • Parque Nacional de Morne Diablotin en Dominica • Monumento Natural Las Caobas, Reserva Biológica Loma Charco Azul, Parque Nacional Sierra de Neyba, y Parque Nacional Sierra Martín García en República Dominicana • KBA de Negril y alrededores en Jamaica • KBA de Iyanola y Grande Anse, Esperance y Fond D'Or en Santa Lucía • Reserva Forestal de Colonaire, Dalaway (Cuenca de Buccament) y Reserva Forestal de Richmond en San Vicente y Las Granadina

Call for letters of inquiry : Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot : small and large grants : Dominican Republic and English-speaking Caribbean

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), as regional implementation team (RIT) for the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot, are inviting letters of inquiry (LOIs) from non-governmental organizations, community groups, private enterprises, universities and other civil society organizations active in the eligible geographic areas in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This call targets organizations working at the site and corridor levels and supports national, regional, and multi-country capacity building

Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot portfolio status

A partir de marzo de 2025, se han otorgado 44 subvenciones pequeñas y grandes a organizaciones locales e internacionales en cinco de los siete países del Caribe elegibles para recibir financiación del CEPF (Antigua y Barbuda, República Dominicana, Jamaica, Santa Lucía y San Vicente y las Granadinas), sumando un total de 7 millones de USD en subvenciones aprobadas. Esta infografía (ING/ESP) ofrece una visión general del estado actual de la concesión de subvenciones en el hotspot bajo la inversión actual del CEPF

Changes in forest cover and carbon stocks of the coastal scarp forests of the Wild Coast, South Africa

Land-use intensification and declines in vegetative cover are considered pervasive threats to forests and biodiversity globally. The small extent and high biodiversity of indigenous forests in South Africa make them particularly important. Yet, relatively little is known about their rates of use and change. From analysis of past aerial photos we quantified rates of forest cover change in the Matiwane forests of the Wild Coast, South Africa, between 1942 and 2007, as well as quantified above- and belowground (to 0.5 m depth) carbon stocks based on a composite allometric equation derived for the area. Rates of forest conversion were spatially variable, with some areas showing no change and others more noticeable changes. Overall, the net reduction was 5.2% (0.08% p.a.) over the 65-year period. However, the rate of reduction has accelerated with time. Some of the reduction was balanced by natural reforestation into formerly cleared areas, but basal area, biomass and carbon stocks are still low in the reforested areas. The total carbon stock was highest in intact forests (311.7 ± 23.7 Mg C ha−1), followed by degraded forests (73.5 ± 12.3 Mg C ha−1) and least in regrowth forests (51.2 ± 6.2 Mg C ha−1). The greatest contribution to total carbon stocks was soil carbon, contributing 54% in intact forests, and 78% and 68% in degraded and regrowth forests, respectively. The Matiwane forests store 4.78 Tg C, with 4.7 Tg C in intact forests, 0.06 Tg C in degraded forests and 0.02 Tg C in regrowth forests. The decrease in carbon stocks within the forests as a result of the conversion of the forest area to agricultural fields was 0.19 Tg C and approximately 0.0003 Tg C was released through harvesting of firewood and building timber

Local people and conservation officials’ perceptions on relationships and conflicts in South African protected areas

Protected areas (PAs) are often conflict-ridden, but conflict resolution mechanisms are often constrained by little appreciation of the perceptions of the principal agents (PA managers and local communities) about such conflicts. Getting local people’s support in PA management efforts is considered important for achieving conservation and livelihood goals. Using data from 13 nature reserves in South Africa, this study explores the perceptions of reserve managers and local communities about their relationships and the existence and underlying causes of conflicts. The findings showed sharp contrasts in perceptions between reserve managers and local communities. Reserve managers generally perceived that there were no conflicts with local communities and that their relationship with them was positive while local communities thought otherwise, claiming conflicts were centred around restricted access to PAs, lack of benefits from PAs and communication problems. These findings have profound implications for conservation, especially considering the importance of getting local people’s support in PA management

Comparative analysis on the communication strategies of the forest owners associations in Europe

This research reports a comparative analysis of the communication strategy that forest owners' associations across Europe use to influence society on one side and the decision-makers on the other, in order to fulfill forest owners' interests. 60% of Europe's forests are privately owned by an estimated number of 16 million forest owners, who are represented by forest owners' associations. One of its main functions is to influence the public perceptions on forests and forestry. In this article it is analyzed how a specific forestry stakeholder fixes its strategies to communicate with and lobby society in order to get acceptability for their proposals/demands. Open-end surveys have been used as a source of information in 2006 and repeated in 2012. Besides of the comparison among countries, a comparison along the time has been also performed. The whole communication frame is analyzed, considering the objectives, the structure, the messages, the channels, and the evaluation. The main conclusions that arise are: first, the temporary comparison (2006 2012) results into an improvement in several issues; second, there is room for improvement of professionalization of communication in forest owners' associations in Europe; third, social research into public perception of forestry might help to define communication strategies.Fabra Crespo, M.; Rojas Briales, E. (2015). Comparative analysis on the communication strategies of the forest owners associations in Europe. Forest Policy and Economics. 50:20-30. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2014.06.004S20305

Natural archives of long-range transported contamination at the remote lake Letšeng-la Letsie, Maloti Mountains, Lesotho

Naturally accumulating archives, such as lake sediments and wetland peats, in remote areas may be used to identify the scale and rates of atmospherically deposited pollutant inputs to natural ecosystems. Co-located lake sediment and wetland cores were collected from Letšeng-la Letsie, a remote lake in the Maloti Mountains of southern Lesotho. The cores were radiometrically dated and analysed for a suite of contaminants including trace metals and metalloids (Hg, Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, As), fly-ash particles, stable nitrogen isotopes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). While most trace metals showed no recent enrichment, mercury, fly-ash particles, high molecular weight PAHs and total PCBs showed low but increasing levels of contamination since c.1970, likely the result of long-range transport from coal combustion and other industrial sources in the Highveld region of South Africa. However, back-trajectory analysis revealed that atmospheric transport from this region to southern Lesotho is infrequent and the scale of contamination is low. To our knowledge, these data represent the first palaeolimnological records and the first trace contaminant data for Lesotho, and one of the first multi-pollutant historical records for southern Africa. They therefore provide a baseline for future regional assessments in the context of continued coal combustion in South Africa through to the mid-21st century