Story | 18 дек, 2020

CEPF and IUCN launch new phase of investment in the Indo-Burma Hotspot

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and IUCN, serving as regional implementation team, are delighted to announce the launch of a new phase of investment in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. Over the period 2020 to 2025, CEPF will award at least US$10 million in grants for biodiversity conservation, addressing the priorities identified in the Ecosystem Profile. The first call for Letters of Inquiry (LoIs) will be issued in early January 2021 and will focus on Strategic Directions 1 and 2, and Investment Priority 8.3 under Strategic Direction 8. Please check the IUCN and CEPF websites as well as social media channels for further updates in early January. Note that further calls for Lols to address other Strategic Directions will be issued later in 2021.

Photo: © WCS Cambodia

CEPF is also pleased to announce that the latest revision of the Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot is now available here. This profile identifies a suite of strategic directions and investment priorities to guide future CEPF grantmaking in the hotspot as well as the conservation investments of other organisations.

Following a wide-ranging consultation process that lasted over one year and involved inputs from hundreds of national and international experts, the Ecosystem Profile has been extensively updated with new information on the hotspot’s status and trends, Key Biodiversity Areas, species priorities, the scale of investment by governments and civil society, and the impacts of climate change. CEPF and IUCN extend their thanks to all who contributed to the successful updating of the Ecosystem Profile.

The Indo-Burma Hotspot comprises Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and parts of southern China. It is one of the world’s most biologically diverse - and threatened - regions. Since 2008, CEPF has awarded 315 grants to civil society organisations working in the hotspot, with a total value of US$25 million. The latest phase of investment will seek to consolidate and build upon these achievements. It will be coordinated by the IUCN Asia Regional Office and its Country Offices in each of the six Indo-Burma countries, in collaboration with the CEPF Secretariat based in the U.S. Additional guidance and support will be provided by National Advisory Committees in each country, comprised of national experts.

About the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a multi-donor fund designed to help safeguard the world's biodiversity hotspots. It is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, and the World Bank. In the Indo-Burma Hotspot, it is also supported by the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.