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The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) will soon begin planning a new multi-million-dollar round of funding for conservation of the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot following a January 20, 2016, decision by the CEPF Donor Council.

The Mountains of Central Asia biodiversity hotspot, which includes portions of seven countries and is host to very high levels of plant and animal diversity and endemism, will be the beneficiary of millions of dollars in grant funding for conservation from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

Sometimes something precious is right under your nose, but goes unnoticed. Such it is that a region long explored by botanists and zoologists – the North American Coastal Plain (NACP) – was recognized only recently as meeting the criteria of Myers et al. (2000) for a global biodiversity hotspot: more than 1,500 endemic vascular plants and greater than 70 percent habitat loss.

Originally published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature

MEET INDIA'S FROG MAN

Sathyabhama Das Biju might not be universally recognized as a celebrity, but he has recently been in the limelight for his frog discoveries in India. He has discovered 89 of the country’s approximately 350 frog species.

When you look at the olm (Proteus anguinus, VU) you might not see a giant, but the 12-inch-long, pinkish salamander is the king of its world. It rules the lightless realm of the Balkan Peninsula’s Dinaric karst cave systems. In fact, the olm is the largest exclusively cave-dwelling animal in the world.

Both men and women depend on Earth’s ecosystems and their life-sustaining benefits. Often, though, the role of women in conservation is overlooked or understated.

The world’s forests are an important part of maintaining healthy watersheds, providing everything from erosion prevention to water quality maintenance. The network of roots underneath a forest holds the soil in place. That same root network also aerates the soil, allowing water to be filtered as it drains down into the local supply of groundwater. Even the leaf litter that carpets the forest floor can prevent nitrates from entering the water supply and causing harmful algae blooms.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 CEPF Photo Contest!

CEPF received more than 60 images celebrating people, including grantees working on the ground to conserve biodiversity and beneficiaries of CEPF-supported projects. These striking images showcase the vital links between civil society, communities and ecosystems in the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and demonstrate how CEPF grantees are protecting hotspot species and critical ecosystems, and enabling people to participate in sustainable livelihoods.

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