Established in 2000, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan and the World Bank.
It provides grants to civil society organisations to help protect biodiversity hotspots worldwide. Since its establishment, CEPF has awarded more than 2,300 grants in 98 countries and territories.
During CEPF’s first investment in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot (2010 – 2016) it awarded US$6.9 million through 77 small and large grants implemented in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and, as well as at the regional level.
Some grantee results from the initial investment include:
- Development and implementation of sustainable management plans that strengthened the protection of 25 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) covering 593,967 hectares.
- Strengthening the institutional capacity of 58 civil society organisations in eight countries.
- Sale of the first carbon offsets in the Caribbean.
- Creation of nine public-private partnerships that factor in biodiversity conservation.
- Inclusion of biodiversity and ecosystem services concerns into seven development plans, projects and policies.
See infographic below for more CEPF Phase I outcomes.
In August 2021, CEPF launched a second investment in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot for the period 2021-2027. This programme will build on the gains made during the previous investment in the hotspot.
The new investment will strengthen the protection and management of globally important biodiversity within 32 priority KBAs and seven conservation corridors in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Phase II investment in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot is financed through the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund – Caribbean Hotspot Project of the World Bank, using funds provided by the Government of Japan.
The investment strategy comprises a series of five strategic funding opportunities, known as strategic directions:
- Improve the protection and management of 33 priority sites for long-term sustainability
- Increase landscape-level connectivity and ecosystem resilience in seven priority corridors
- Safeguard priority Critically Endangered and Endangered species
- Improve the enabling conditions for biodiversity conservation in countries with priority sites
- Support Caribbean civil society to conserve biodiversity by building local, national and regional institutional capacity and fostering stakeholder collaboration
Explore our interactive map of current CEPF-funded projects in the Caribbean: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6b2618e2a26649dc8041af7f12ead197
For more information, contact the RIT at caribbeanrit@canari.org and/or visit:
- CEPF Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot webpage: https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/caribbean-islands.
- Caribbean RIT project webpage: https://canari.org/projects/cepf-caribbean-islands-phase-2/