DAY 13: MAPPING OUT THE WAY FORWARD
Day two, and the final day, of the workshop brought presentations on the forest change analysis for the hotspot, the current global conservation context from Kathy MacKinnon of the World Bank, an update on opportunities for forests to garner funds through avoided carbon emissions from deforestation from Neil Burgess of Cambridge University, and a review of the Coastal Forests’ status and fundraising strategies from John Salehe of WWF.
One unusual aspect of the workshop was the participation of representatives of CEPF coordination teams from other investment regions—namely the Eastern Himalayas, the Western Ghats in India, the Caucasus and the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa. CEPF invited them to the workshop as an opportunity for networking and exchange of ideas, given that the various regions face many of the same challenges addressed by CEPF grantees in Tanzania and Kenya.
On day two, the group offered a brief presentation on their view of the workshop and the conservation efforts it was assessing, noting that their participation in the event was good preparation for the midterm and final assessment workshops in their own regions. These colleagues also told me the event was helpful to hear from organizations in the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests about how they addressed common conservation issues, and the results they achieved.
The working groups met again in the afternoon to put together recommendations on the way forward in the region. Participants identified several categories of conservation that should take priority for future funding and effort:
- Livelihood and poverty alleviation
- Forest connectivity
- Awareness raising and education
- Sustainable financing
- Capacity building
- Forest cover/species monitoring
They also identified several specific projects/areas that would suit CEPF consolidation funding should the region be approved for such funding.
To close out the workshop, Kathy MacKinnon of the World Bank, Samson Njihia of the Kenya Forest Service, and Bakari Asseid, director of Commercial Crops, Fruits and Forests for Zanzibar, each thanked participants and organizers of the workshop for their efforts. Asseid urged further research in Zanzibar, pledging availability of research permits within six hours of filing an application, an offer that received an enthusiastic response from the audience.
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