CEPF and its partners who help coordinate implementation at the regional level spend extensive time introducing CEPF to civil society organizations and helping potential applicants understand the application process and refine project designs—a hands-on approach that builds capacity as part of the process.
In August and September, Conservation International’s Southern Mesoamerica Program hosted special seminars in Panama to help indigenous civil society groups strengthen their skills in proposal preparation and financial management for conservation projects. The seminars were part of regular training and technical support that the program provides to potential grantees as the hub of the CEPF coordination team in the Mesoamerica hotspot.
The seminars detailed the requirements of CEPF grant applications ranging from background details to accounting procedures and helped resolve any potential challenges in completing the various application stages.
As a result of the seminars, local groups were able to forge new alliances and start up dialogue for joint approaches to conserving their local biodiversity with the confidence to make sound proposals for grant support.
Capacity building has proven key in the Philippines hotspot as well. The Haribon Foundation team that manages their CEPF-supported Threatened Species Program in the hotspot visited key habitats in the islands of Cebu, Negros and Panay from May to July 2003. Haribon had prepared a simple format for project proposals from local organizations to support conservation of threatened species and their habitats. But first-hand acquaintance with potential partners and their conservation initiatives made clear that effective action on the ground would not necessarily correlate with well-packaged proposals. It became clear potential partners might need help in not only in proposal writing but in project planning as well.
To remedy this unexpected hitch, Haribon held a workshop in August to guide the organizations through a step-by-step process of project planning and development. While not a planned part of the program, the workshop was exactly what was needed and an example of successful adaptive project management.
The five-and-a-half-day workshop held in San Jose, Negros Oriental and facilitated by the Philippine-German Development Foundation, Inc., brought together 50 participants from 11 organizations. The participants reviewed prevailing conditions affecting species and their habitats, formulated conservation strategies and developed these into project proposals specific to the Haribon program’s strategic focus.
The time was well spent in brainstorming for problem and objective trees, logical frameworks, detailed operational plans and budgets as most groups have since submitted proposals that are now under review; awards are expected before the end of the year.
Related article: Haribon Foundation Champions Events for Philippines Conservation