Protecting the Upland Forests of Kolombangara in Solomon Islands

Grantee Name: Wildlife Conservation Society

Hotspot: East Melanesian Islands
Location: Solomon Islands
Amount: $216,322
Dates: May 2018 – Jan 2022
Keywords: Access and Benefit Sharing, Capacity building, Community-based conservation, Conservation planning, Gender, Habitat conservation and management, Indigenous People, Protected Areas, Tourism

Bring at least 6,500 hectares of primary forest under customary tenure within the Kolombangara Upland Forest Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) under formal protection and provide long-term incentives for sustainable development. Specific components including building financial management capacity of local partner KIBCA; conduct consultations and technical and legal studies for formalizing KBA protection; management planning and local capacity development; gender analysis and strengthening; and ecotourism planning.

Strategic Direction : 1 Empower local communities to protect and manage globally significant biodiversity at priority Key Biodiversity Areas under-served by current conservation efforts