November 2011 E-News Update

The Takitumu Conservation Area (TCA) Project on Rarotonga, Cook Islands, was established in 1996 primarily to protect one of the world’s rarest birds, the Rarotonga flycatcher (Pomarea dimidiata), which is found only in the conservation area and on the island of Atiu.

A CEPF grant was awarded to the Te Ipukarea Society to support the conservation of the Endangered flycatcher, known locally as the kakerori, through continuing core scientific monitoring and undertaking activities to safeguard this flagship species. The project has also aimed to assist in establishing a trust fund for long-term sustainable funding of the kakerori and its habitat.

The Te Ipukarea Society enlisted the help of the TCA Project to monitor and control the key threats to the bird: invasive rat species and development. The TCA is 155 hectares of steep bush-clad hills on the wet southeastern side of the island, run since 1996 by its landowners.The TCA Project is a community-based initiative that aims to ensure the long-term survival of the flycatcher, as well as to conserve flora and fauna of the TCA via protection by local people.

On his 23rd "Save the Rarotonga flycatcher" trip to Rarotonga since 1987, Hugh Robertson of the New Zealand Department of Conservation in Wellington was there from Aug. 8-24 to lead the biannual census of the bird in its main home, the TCA, and nearby.

So what’s it like to do the census, and how many of the birds are there on Rarotonga?

Senior scientist for the Nature Conservation Foundation, T.R. Shankar Raman collaborated with fellow scientists Divya Mudappa, Nisarg Prakash and P. Jeganathan on the project. Raman reports that, "Only when market-linked certification is combined with informed appreciation of nature by producers and consumers can conservation aims be met in productive plantation agriculture."

"Our project has aimed to conserve biological diversity amidst tea and coffee plantations in India."

Senior scientists Raman and Divya Mudappa with Nisarg Prakash and P. Jeganathan collaborated with Rainforest Alliance's Joke Aerts, to intervene in the plantations due to their considerable conservation value, as they hold remnant tropical forest and grassland habitats, occupy large areas in crucial biodiversity hotspots, and are engaged in activities that have landscape-scale consequences.

To conserve and protect these areas, the project is encouraging the use of various sustainable agricultural practices. The Rainforest Alliance enters into the equation here by linking responsible producers to consumers through the market via its certification based on the standards set by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN).

The 2011 Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme (SKEP) Partners Conference, themed “Ten Years of Adapting in the Succulent Karoo,” was held at the Masibambane Thusong Centre in Vanrhynsdorp, South Africa, Sept. 28-30. The event was co-hosted by CEPF, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), CapeNature, Conservation South Africa (CSA), the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN), the West Coast District Municipality and WWF-South Africa. The conference brought together 121 people involved or interested in conservation of the Succulent Karoo biodiversity hotspot.

The hotspot stretches from the Klein Karoo up the West Coast through Namaqualand and into Namibia. The SKEP Partners Conference was attended by representatives of these regions from government departments, SKEP’s Namibian partners, various conservation agencies, mining, community, farming and tourism industry stakeholders.

Dalien Goedeman, the mayor of Matzikama Local Municipality, officially welcomed all present to Vanrhynsdorp, and SANBI CEO Tanya Abrahamse delivered a welcoming address, emphasizing the uniqueness of the Succulent Karoo and how valuable it is to its people.

The conference was a celebration, commemorating and honoring a decade of partnership in the region. The focus was on strengthening ties between biodiversity conservation and livelihood-sustaining land uses in the Succulent Karoo, elevating the profile of the Succulent Karoo and mainstreaming the conservation messages of SKEP into the developmental discourse in South Africa.

The conference addressed progress made toward each of SKEP’s original goals, showcasing case studies from previous SKEP project experiences and identifying challenges for the next decade. Challenges facing conservation in the Succulent Karoo—such as expanding the protected area network, improving land use decision making, mainstreaming biodiversity best practice into the mining industry, promoting sustainable farming, enhancing nature-based tourism, and strengthening the role of government and donor programs—were assessed.

The SKEP Partners Conference emphasized the importance of civil society and capacity building in biodiversity conservation. The wealth of South Africans is built on biodiversity, and this conference demonstrated that biodiversity has to fit in with broader socioeconomic objectives. The enthusiasm of conference participants displayed that there still remain a lot of opportunities to broaden and strengthen the experience of the past 10 years of SKEP into the future of SKEP.

The SKEP Partners Conference pictures are also available on SKEP’s Facebook page. Join and follow SKEP on Facebook.

For more information on the SKEP Partners Conference please contact the SKEP Coordination Unit at 021 799 8817.

O Fundo de Parceria para Ecossistemas Críticos (Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund - CEPF) convida as Organizações da Sociedade Civil a proporem projectos para financiamento no Hotspot de Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany. Esta é a terceira chamada de propostas neste hotspot, mas é a primeira chamada em Moçambique, e irá concentrar-se apenas nos temas e áreas geográficas indicadas. A chamada é para a apresentação de candidaturas às pequenas e grandes subvenções do investimento e permanecerão abertas até 17h00 (CAT) do dia 15 de Fevereiro de 2012. Os requisitos do processo de submissão das candidaturas estão detalhados em nosso site.

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Date: Small & Large Grants: 28th November 2011
Deadline: Small Grants: 15th February 2012 
                 Large Grants: 15th February 2012
More information:
Full Call for Proposals
- English (PDF - 175 KB)
Ecosystem Profile
- English (PDF - 2.2 MB)
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MOÇAMBIQUE
Data: Pequenas e Grandes Subvenções: 28 Novembro 2011
Prazo: Pequenas e Grandes Subvenções: 15 Fevereiro 2012
Chamada cheia de propostas
- Português (PDF - 146 KB)

* Editor’s Note: This technical series is being realized through Ms. Joanne Aitken, a consultant hired by CI-Pacific.

The report, "Atoll Restoration in the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati: Survey Results, November–December 2009" is the seventh in the series.

Document: Biodiversity Conservation Lessons Learned 7: Atoll Restoration in the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati: Survey Results, November–December 2009, English, 2011 (PDF – 2.9 MB)

Final Project Reports

* Convening the CEPF Mid-Term Evaluation Conference for the Polynesia-Micronesia Hotspot, BirdLife International, English (PDF – 31 KB)

* Developing Long-term Capacity for Invasive Species Management in the Polynesia-Micronesia Hotspot, Auckland UniServices Limited, English  (PDF – 1.3 MB)

* Fijians for Fijian Forests - Supporting Community-Driven Protected Area Establishment in Fiji, BirdLife International, English (PDF – 56 KB)

Grantee Newsletters 

The Babbler, BirdLife in Indochina
 *July 2011 (PDF - 4.5 MB)
 *November 2011 (PDF - 4.7 MB)