The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is pleased to announce that two projects – one in Guinea, the other in Gabon - have been chosen for funding under the 2013 cycle of the AEWA Small Grants Fund. This fund is a source of financial support aimed at promoting the implementation of AEWA in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Since its launch in 2010 it has focused exclusively on the African region.

A total of 19 project proposals from 12 African countries were received under the 2013 call for proposals for the AEWA Small Grants Fund. Five of the proposals were singled out as having the potential to advance the implementation of AEWA in the respective countries. The two successful proposals for projects in Guinea and Gabon received the highest evaluation scores and will now benefit from funding for a total of EUR 30,000.

Guinea

The project in Guinea - entitled “Strengthening National Capacity for Sustainable Conservation of Migratory Waterbirds in Guinea” - will be implemented by the BirdLife International Africa Partnership Secretariat. It aims to improve the capacity of the key stakeholders involved in the implementation of AEWA. In particular, the project envisages the development of a national action plan for the implementation of the AEWA Plan of Action for Africa, training on waterbird monitoring and survey and raising awareness on waterbird conservation. It will also contribute to the implementation of a partner project on the conservation of migratory waterbirds on the coast of West Africa, funded under BirdLife International and the MAVA Foundation.

Gabon

The second project will be carried out in Gabon by the Department of Wildlife and Protected Areas of the Gabon Ministry of Water and Forestry. This project - entitled “Capacity Building for Habitat Inventory and Migratory Waterbird Counts in Gabon” - also aims to improve the capacity of key national stakeholders for AEWA implementation. The focus of this project is on survey and monitoring of waterbirds and their habitats, in particular in the National Parks of Akanda, Pongara and Loango and the Mayumba flood plains. It will also contribute to strengthening International Waterbird Census activities in Gabon through the provision of necessary optical materials and the establishment of a national waterbird database.

Additional funding required

The three eligible projects which were ranked third to fifth, and which would be implemented in Morocco, Madagascar and Kenya, can only be supported if additional funds become available for the 2013 cycle of the AEWA Small Grants Fund. A total of EUR 64,025 is required to help realise these promising projects.
The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat calls upon interested donors to support the implementation of the three projects. Please contact the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat if you are considering making a donation and would like to receive further information.

• Evaluation outcomes: An overview of the evaluation outcomes of the 2013 cycle of the AEWA Small Grants Fund as well as a short description of the above-mentioned projects are available here.
• More on the AEWA Small Grants Fund: More information on the AEWA Small Grants Fund and previous project cycles is available here.