CEPF and WWF Russia, as regional implementation team for the hotspot, are accepting letters of inquiry (LOIs) from non-government organizations, community groups, indigenous people’s organizations, women’s groups, private companies and other civil society organizations (CSOs).

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. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.

The Mountains of Central Asia Biodiversity Hotspot covers varying proportions of Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. CEPF’s niche for investment in the region was formulated through a participatory process that engaged civil society, donor and government stakeholders throughout the region.

Themes

• Strengthening the Protected Areas of Turkmenistan
• Transboundary work in Uzbekistan
• Livelihoods, Ecotourism and Improved Land Use in the Khan-Tengri and Tomur Mountains Corridor and Other Priority KBAs
• Species-Specific Projects Targeting One or More of the Following Species
• SMART

Funding Information

• LOIs must have a budget between US$20,000 and US$150,000 to be eligible for consideration.
• Projects are expected to start approximately six to nine months from the release of this call for LOIs. CEPF projects are typically 18-24 months in duration, but all work must be complete by June 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

• This call for proposals is open only for projects working in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
• Applicants that submit proposals for priority KBAs, from the eligible countries, and that also address the investment priorities named above, will receive the highest consideration from reviewers
• Applicants that submit proposals for work in non-priority KBAs from the eligible countries must specifically address one of the investment priorities named above to receive any consideration from reviewers. (For example, they will consider work in non-priority locations if the work then addresses a priority species.) The ecosystem profile lists all KBAs and corridors with specific names and identification/code numbers. Applicants are advised to name specific KBAs and corridors by name and number in your letter of inquiry.

For more information, visit Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.