Deadline: 30, September, 2023
The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) announces the 2023 “call for proposals” to award small grants of up to US$50,000 under COMDEKS 4 programme to non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and community groups.
The purpose of the grant is to further expand and ensure sustainability of the sound biodiversity management, governance, and sustainable livelihood activities with local communities in the Weto socio-ecological production landscape in the Volta Region.
The focus of the COMDEKS phase 4 grant is on:
1) Strategic and participatory model of conservation activities in diverse ecosystems
2) Promoting activities that could lead to the formulation of relevant national and local policies and strategies (including the implementation of the OECM based on CBD guidelines)
3) Implementing activities that could lead to the deterrence or reduction of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19 (conservation and management of ecosystems and wildlife, etc.) and,
4) Implementing activities that contribute to establishing a circular economy (realization of a decarbonized society, promotion of renewable energy, climate change adaptation, promotion of recycling, etc.). Please refer to the attached Project Document (Annex 3) for further details.
Grant
- Grants of up to US$50,000.
The grant activities will support the conservation, sustainable use, and restoration of biodiversity on land. The priority field activities will include but not limited to the following:
1. Sustainable landscape management and restoration
· Identification and replication of practices that support biodiversity conservation, restoration, and sustainable socio-ecological production activities across the existing mosaic of land uses.
· Enhancing traditional knowledge and governance systems, and their integration with modern science in community projects aimed at achieving resilient socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes.
· Assisting local communities to initiate Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and access new forms of innovative financing such as payment for ecosystem services, access to voluntary carbon market and impact investment, and others by developing partnership with private sector entities.
· Creating economic incentives locally for communities to conserve biodiversity, minimize land degradation, and develop resilient landscapes sustainable livelihoods.
· Developing innovative, integrated community-led initiatives to support implementation of the landscape management and restoration plan and strategy that could serve as a model to sustainably managing various production ecosystems, including forest, wetland, mountain, dryland, coastal and marine ecosystems from biodiversity conservation/nature positive perspective.
Supporting policy development and institutionalization of socio-ecological production landscape (SEPLS) management and restoration in relevant sector policies and strategies, including expanding and enhancing protected areas management and promoting implementation of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) and restoration, disaster risk reduction, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism at the national and local levels and phase out or reform incentives, including subsidies which gives negative impact on SEPLS.
· Promoting sustainable management of production landscapes and measures to conserve ecosystem and biodiversity in an integrated, unifying approach to balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. Activities to be supported may include integrated landscape/seascape management measures; community focused health and disease prevention measures; and reduce and control trade and consumption of wildlife.
· Promotion and realization of Circulating and Ecological Economy, while localizing the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The concept of regional/local Circulating and Ecological Economy promotes low-carbon, self-reliant, and decentralized society living in harmony with nature. In this context, COMDEKS will support community-led initiatives to promote and implement nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction; community-based energy saving and renewable energy production; waste management; and other related activities.
2) Knowledge Management for capacity development, replication, and up-scaling
· Promoting national and local levels stakeholders’ access to, and exchange knowledge, experience, best practices and lessons from socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes, to incorporate lessons learned into planning tools and enable replication and upscaling of best practices around the word.
Eligibility
To qualify for the grant award, the applicant must:
· be non-governmental or non-profit organizations with legal mandate to operate in Ghana;
· be community groups/community-based organizations, and social enterprise organizations recognized by the relevant district/municipal authorities;
· have relevant experience and proven records in working with communities and groups in environmental, forestry and/or agricultural related activities and should be based or already have a working presence in the Volta region, especially within the Weto landscape;
· be the lead organization that should propose a plan of engaging governments, research institutes, communities, media, and other key stakeholders in SEPLS.
For more information and application.
