The CEPF's funding niche in the Southwest China hotspot was determined by the following overarching factors: 1) the Chinese government, bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, along with other international organizations are already providing substantial financial support to environment-related programs in this region; 2) the hotspot is a large and complex area, facing threats which are dynamic and subject to a fast-changing landscape of political and socioeconomic conditions; 3) CEPF investment in this region is limited to five years and would be a modest sum in comparison with the aforementioned funding.
With those factors in mind, CEPF's niche for this region should be defined by the current scarcity of local and regional civil society organizations and individuals working in the realm of biodiversity conservation. The conservation movement in China is at a fledgling stage. Given the scarcity of civil society in China, however, it is important to recognize that the definition of civil society should not be strictly limited to NGOs but should also include research institutes, universities, associations, community groups, private sectors, and even individuals. With its relatively modest amounts of funding, CEPF can help nurture key individuals who would be capable of seizing opportunities for conservation presented by major national policy changes in favor of biodiversity, to build an environmental alliance in the region, and to work through larger existing initiatives toward conserving the area's remaining biodiversity and natural spaces. The next few years offer an unprecedented opportunity to safeguard the region's natural areas and species through finding, supporting, training and encouraging alliances among local conservation-minded individuals and organizations capable of working within China's unique and complex system.
Massive governmental investment in national-level policies such as Grain to Green, the National Forest Protection Program and the Western Development Program are providing coverage at the level of policies and infrastructure, but there are few individuals, organizations, businesses and communities trained to mitigate threats and take advantage of opportunities for hands-on, measurable and sustainable conservation at the ground level.
CEPF will strive to identify, train and create partnerships with individuals with the potential to influence local, regional and national policies and investments in favor of biodiversity conservation. CEPF will seek opportunities to complement existing programs and to fill in programmatic gaps remaining in the Mountains of Southwest China hotspot. Geographically, CEPF will focus exclusively on the region within the hotspot's defined boundaries, which encompass parts of three WWF ecoregions and TNC's focal landscape in Yunnan Province.
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