Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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£7 millon funding for Darwin initiative projects
A total of £7million has been awarded to fund a range of international projects through the Darwin Initiative in 2007/08, Minister for Biodiversity, Barry Gardiner announced today.
Darwin projects support people in developing countries to conserve their wealth of natural habitats and ecosystems, whilst at the same time ensuring their livelihoods benefit from the sustainable use of biodiversity.
Barry Gardiner said:
"The natural environment is our richest resource, by ensuring its conservation with programmes like the Darwin Initiative we are not only securing it for future generations to enjoy; we are also harnessing its power to allow local communities in some of the poorest countries of the world to flourish.
"This year we are funding projects that span twenty-two different countries across the globe, including initiatives that encourage sustainable management of forest resources in Brazil by indigenous communities, to improving sustainable fisheries management in Indonesia.
"Each project benefits from the wealth of UK knowledge, as our experts work directly with host institutions to develop their skills, with a strong focus on collaboration, community involvement and ownership - to improve lives and livelihoods long term."
Funding will be divided across a range of new and existing projects and awards including:
* £3,264,052.05 million to fund fourteen new projects, each lasting around three years.
* £460,916 to four post project awards: these have been awarded to current projects in order to maximise the results of these projects and strengthen their long term impact and legacy.
Funding will also go towards a number of fellowships, which support selected individuals from developing countries to gain expertise here in the UK.
In addition, a number of scoping awards will be granted to support one off travel costs to host countries in order to develop future project applications in collaboration with partners there.
Successful applicants for both the fellowships and scoping awards will be decided and announced later this year.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Darwin Initiative (DI), is funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and draws on the wealth of biodiversity expertise in the UK to work with local partners in host countries to protect and enhance their biodiversity. Since its launch in 1992 it has committed over £53 million to over 450 projects in over 100 countries and has helped to provide training to over 35,000 people.
2. The DI seeks to assist countries rich in biodiversity but less rich in resources in meeting their commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
3. As well as in developing countries, the DI has also funded projects in the UK Overseas Territories and countries with economies in transition.
4. Darwin projects are wide-ranging from scientific research; through influencing policy; to demonstrating the value of biodiversity and helping communities use it in a sustainable way.
5. The Darwin Advisory Committee provides advice, recommendations and monitors the progress of projects to Defra.
6. An increase in funding for the DI to £7M from 2005/06 was announced by the Prime Minister at the WSSD (World Summit on Sustainable Development) in 2002.
7. Over 100 UK institutions have been involved in Darwin projects, forming collaborative partnerships with local communities, organisations and governments in host countries.
8. For further information about the Darwin Initiative please go to: http://www.darwin.gov.uk/
9. Main round projects recommended for funding by the Darwin Advisory Committee:
Ref. Project Organisation Title Country
Leader
833 Carlos Peres University of Community-based Brazil
East Anglia, sustainable management
Centre for of forest resources in
Ecology, Amazonian extractive
Evolution & reserves
Conservation
855 Tim Coles Operation Building capacity for Indonesia
Wallacea sustainable fisheries
Trust management in the
Wallacea region
863 John The Open Tools, training and South
Silvertown University research for managing Africa
eco-hydrology of Cape
flora.
905 Rob Scotland University of Conservation Of The Bolivia
with Dr C Oxford, Dept Cerrados Of Eastern (with
Hughes of Plant Bolivia Brazil)
Sciences
937 Jeremy RSPB Biodiversity inventory Indonesia
Lindsell and monitoring for
conservation of
threatened Sumatran
forest
944 David Harper University of Local Action for Global Kenya,
Leicester, Impact - Tanzania
Dept of Community-based
Biology Biodiversity
Conservation Films
948 Alexandra North of Building capacities for India
Zimmermann England mitigating
Zoological human-elephant
Society conflicts in Assam
(Chester Zoo
956 David Minter BioNet Conservation of Armenia,
International Microfungi: A Voice for Argentina,
Unprotected and Cuba,
Vulnerable Organisms India,
South
Africa,
Ukraine
965 Richard Kock Zoological Crisis to Biological Nepal
Society of Management: Rhinoceros,
London Grassland and Public
Engagement
967 Glyn Davies Zoological Wildlife Wood Project Ghana,
Society of Cameroon
London
989 Glen Reynolds University of Biodiversity and Sabah,
Wales, ecosystem functioning: Malaysia
Swansea Building research
capacity in SE Asia
997 Hugh Royal Botanic Orchid Seed Stores for Ecuador,
Pritchard Gardens Kew, Sustainable Use (OSSSU) China
Seed Conservation
Department
1003 Richard Birdlife Strengthening Malaysia,
Grimmett International partnerships for Ramsar Thailand,
implementationin Cambodia
South-East Asia and
Vietnam
1005 Ivan Bond IIED Co-management of Vietnam
Forests and Wildlife in
Bi Doup-Nui Ba Nature
Reserve, Vietnam
10. List of Post Project Awards recommended for funding by the Darwin Advisory Committee:
Ref. Project Leader Organisation Title Country
1026 Gary Martin Global Participatory resource Malaysia
Diversity monitoring in
Foundation Community Use Zones in
Crocker Park Range
1027 David WildCRU, Implementing an otter Argentina
MacDonald University of action plan for marine
Oxford environments of Tierra
del Fuego, Patagonia
1031 Richard RSPB Conservation actions India,
Cuthbert to secure the recovery Nepal
of Gyps species
vultures
1034 Sarah Saunders RSPB Enabling the people of Tristan
Tristan to implement da Cunha
the CBD in the marine
environment
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