From Conservation International: France backs bold new pact to save Amazon

By Bruno Vander Velde

“A groundbreaking effort to protect the Amazon rainforest just got a massive boost. 

France has committed US$ 100 million to a new South American-led initiative, it was announced at a side event to the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on Monday, with Conservation International pledging an additional US$ 20 million. The actor Harrison Ford, a Conservation International board member, made the announcement during brief remarks at Monday’s meeting at the United Nations. “

The full article and the video of Ford’s speech is available here.

Conservation International Establishes Ecuador Azul Endowment Fund to Strengthen Ecuador’s Marine Protected Areas

Story from Conservation International

​Arlington, Va. (March 29, 2019) – Conservation International today announced the Ecuador Azul fund, a $6 million endowment fund supporting the conservation, management, and long-term sustainability of Ecuador's marine protected areas (MPAs).

Ecuador Azul will initially fund five MPAs spanning nearly 200,000 hectares (494,211 acres) of diverse marine, coastal, and estuarine ecosystems that comprise Ecuador's Marine and Coastal Protected Areas Network. The five MPAS include: Galera-San Francisco Marine Reserve, Pacoche Marine Coastal Wildlife Refuge, Machalilla National Park, Puntilla Santa Elena Marine Coastal Fauna Production Reserve, and Manglares El Morro Wildlife Refuge. These areas contain a range of biodiversity, from the world's largest cluster of manta rays to one of the most extensive mangrove areas along the Pacific coast. 

For further details on the Ecuador Azul Fund please see the full story on the Conservation International Website.

Photo credit: The Coral Reef Image Bank / The Ocean Agency

New IUCN Report Helps Choose the Right Tools to Assess How Key Natural Areas Benefit People

IUCN has just issued new guidance to help practitioners assess ecosystem services within important sites for biodiversity and nature conservation. The report reviews nine assessment tools, focussing on their application in Key Biodiversity Areas, natural World Heritage sites and protected areas. It includes a set of “decision trees” to save time on the complex process of selecting the most appropriate tool for one’s specific needs.

The report, "Tools for measuring, modelling, and valuing ecosystem services: Guidance for Key Biodiversity Areas, natural World Heritage sites, and protected areas", is part of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Best Practice Guidelines series. READ MORE

The guidelines have been prepared by IUCN’s World Heritage Programme and the IUCN-WCPANatural Solutions Specialist Group, and the Ecosystem Services and Key Biodiversity Areas expert working group supported by Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP), with funding and in-kind contributions provided by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA), Center for Biodiversity Outcomes at Arizona State University, Conservation International, SNAPP, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

Asia-Pacific Conservation Trust Fund Network Launched

Representatives from six Conservation Trust Funds in the Asia-Pacific region met in Jakarta, Indonesia in early December 2017 to form the Asia-Pacific Conservation Trust Fund Network, to be known as “APNET.”
 
The new network, modeled on RedLAC and CAFÉ, will serve as a collaborative and knowledge-sharing platform for CTFs in the Asia-Pacific region, and will help to facilitate linkages with CTFs in other parts of the world.
 
Six founding members came together over three days in Jakarta, ably hosted by Yayasan KEHATI, to formally create the network, ratify the governing principles, elect the first Executive Committee, and select the Host Institution to house the Secretariat.
 
APNET’s founding members are Arannayk Foundation of Bangladesh, represented by Farid Uddin Ahmed and Dr Muhammed Quddus; Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, represented by Dr. Pema Choephyel and Singye Dorji; Forest Foundation Philippines, represented by Jose Andres Canivel; Foundation for the Philippine Environment represented by Oliver Agoncillo; Micronesia Conservation Trust represented by Lisa Ranahan Andon; and Yayasan KEHATI of Indonesia represented by M.S. Sembiring, Indra Gunawan and Fardila Astari.  The Phoenix Islands Protected Area Trust and Tasmanian Land Conservancy are also founding members but were unable to attend the meeting in person.
 
Farid Uddin Ahmed, Lisa Ranahan Andon, Pema Choephyel, Jane Hutchinson, and M.S. Sembiring were elected to the Executive Committee.
 
Yayasan KEHATI was selected as the first Host Institution of the network, and will serve as the base for the Secretariat.
 
APNET plans to hold its first Assembly in March, 2019.
 
Other meeting attendees included Nety Riana and Mozaika Hendarti of Yayasan KEHATI, Robert Baigrie of Conservation International, Katy Mathias of Wildlife Conservation Society, and Roman Czebiniak of EcoNusantara.
 
Funding for the meeting and the initial formation of APNET was provided by Conservation International, Fonds Français for l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM) and the MAVA Foundation.

OXFAM Webinar: Learning from Extractive Industry Negotiations with Indigenous Peoples

OXFAM, Conservation International, and Rainforest Foundation invite you to attend a panel discussion with Ciaran O’Faircheallaigh.

The webinar is titled: Let’s Make a Deal? Learning from Extractive Industry Negotiations with Indigenous Peoples. The webinar will take place at Oxfam America on Tuesday, July 18, from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. (Oxfam America Office, 1101 17th St NW, Suite 1300, Washington, DC 20036.)

Professor O’Faircheallaigh has over two decades of experience working with indigenous peoples on agreement making, and will share key findings from his analysis of 45 negotiations between indigenous peoples and mining companies in Australia and Canada. Discussants will comment on their varied experiences with negotiation processes around extractive industry projects and will consider the potential for drawing on best practice from industrialized countries for application to developing countries.

Panelists:  

• Anne Marie Sam, First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining, Canada
• Vichet Mong, Highlanders Association, Cambodia
• Prabindra Shakya, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact
• Ximena Warnaars, Ford Foundation, USA (moderator)

You can RSVP here for the Oxfam presentation in-person or livestream. For more information, please contact Kate Stanley at OXFAM. The event will be available via livestream here.