CEPF's investment in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot is guided by the following strategic directions as outlined in the ecosystem profile.

  1. Mainstream biodiversity into wider development policies, plans and projects to deliver the co-benefits of biodiversity conservation, improved local livelihoods and economic development in priority corridors.
     
    • 1.1 Enhance civil society efforts to develop and implement local government and community-level planning processes to mainstream biodiversity conservation, and leverage donor and project funding for livelihood activities that explicitly address causes of environmental degradation in and around priority KBAs in priority corridors.
       
    • 1.2 Promote civil society efforts and mechanisms to mainstream biodiversity conservation into national development policies and plans, and into territorial planning in priority corridors and countries.
       
    • 1.3 Support civil society to build positive relationships with the private sector to develop sustainable, long-term economic activities that will benefit biodiversity and reduce poverty in priority corridors.
       
  2. Improve the protection and management of the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) network throughout the hotspot.
     
    • 2.1 Increase the protection status (via creation or expansion of protected areas) and/or develop, update and implement management plans for terrestrial priority KBAs.
       
    • 2.2 Support the role of civil society organizations in the application of site safeguard policies and procedures, including the strengthening of environmental impact assessment implementation in order to address ongoing and emerging threats to all KBAs, including priority freshwater KBAs.
       
    • 2.3 Advance the identification and prioritization of KBAs in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
       
  3. Initiate and support sustainable financing and related actions for the conservation of priority KBAs and corridors.
     
    • 3.1 Support civil society organizations to develop forest carbon partnerships and projects that advance biodiversity conservation in priority KBAs in Africa.
       
    • 3.2 Support civil society organizations to develop partnerships and projects for non-carbon payment for ecosystem services schemes and other market mechanisms in priority KBAs in Africa, particularly priority freshwater KBAs that influence freshwater biodiversity, livelihoods and health.
       
    • 3.3 Support training for civil society organizations in fund-raising and project management, especially training such organizations at all levels with respect to emerging opportunities for sustainable financing for KBAs in Africa.
       
    • 3.4 Support the institutional development of civil society organizations in Eritrea, South Sudan and Yemen, and their role in the conservation of KBAs in their respective countries.
       
  4. Provide strategic leadership and effective coordination of CEPF investment through a regional implementation team.
     
    • 4.1 Operationalize and coordinate CEPF’s grant-making processes and procedures to ensure effective implementation of CEPF’s strategy throughout the hotspot.
       
    • 4.2 Build a broad constituency of civil society groups working across institutional and political boundaries toward achieving the shared conservation goals described in the ecosystem profile.

Read more about CEPF's strategy in the hotspot in chapter 12 of our ecosystem profile (PDF - 4 MB).