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CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development Projects in Priority Conservation Sites in the Visayas

Posted on September 14, 2020

The Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), through its Visayas Regional Operations (VRO), is calling all interested civil society organisations (CSOs) to submit proposals requiring grants of up to Three Million Pesos (PHP3,000,000) to implement projects on biodiversity conservation & sustainable development (BCSD) in priority conservation sites in the Visayas.

Background

To help abate the destruction of the country’s biodiversity and natural resources, FPE has been established as an endowment to support environmental initiatives of CSOs in the Philippines. FPE funds community-based and grassroots-led projects promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable development (BCSD) in its priority conservation sites. For the Visayas region, the two priority sites of FPE include:

Mt. Nacolod

Covering an area of 80,198.59 hectares, Mt. Nacolod Mountain Range spans across the Municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, St. Bernard, Libagon, and Sogod in the Southern Leyte; and, the Municipalities of Abuyog and Mahaplag in Leyte Province. It hosts 5 major watersheds, sustaining food production, water supply, and livelihood of the communities within its jurisdiction. Beyond its socio-economic significance, the landscape is considered a Very High Conservation Priority Key Biodiversity Area, hosting more than half of Leyte’s known plant specifies. It also harbors 134 species of birds, 111 species of herpetofauna, and almost all known species of mammals in Leyte Island. A recent survey has revealed the presence of three new species of volant mammals, two new species of frogs under the Platymantis genus, and the native cinnamon tree thought to be endemic to Cebu Island. Mt. Nacolod, however, continues to be threatened by unregulated logging, illegal collection and poaching of wildlife, forest land conversion for agricultural use, and tenurial conflicts, among others. While the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte has declared the landscape as a Local Conservation Area (LCA) and has supported the crafting of a conservation management action plan, local BCSD interventions would need to be strengthened to effectively address existing threats (FFI, 2013; FPE, 2020).

Sources:

Flora & Fauna International (FFI). 2013. Biodiversity baseline assessment in the REDD-Plus pilot and key biodiversity area in Mt. Nacolod Southern Leyte. Bonn and Eschborn: GIZ.
Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). 2020. FPE 2020 Planner. Quezon City: FPE.

Gigantes Islands

Gigantes is the farthest cluster of inhabited islands of the Municipality of Carles in Iloilo Province, comprising the barangays of Asluman, Gabi, Granada, and Lantangan. Covering an area of more than 44,000 hectares, the island group is situated within the ‘Coral Triangle’ of the Visayan Sea, which is claimed to be the epicentre of the planet’s marine biodiversity. Aside from a wide variety of marine flora and fauna found in its rich fishing grounds, the area is also home to two endemic IUCN critically endangered species: the gekkonid lizard (Gekko gigante) and the island forest frog (Platymantis insulatus). Gigantes is classified as a High Urgent Conservation Priority Site, given the ecosystem threats brought about by deforestation and unsustainable fishing practices. These problems have been exacerbated by pollution due to unregulated tourism activities. The lack of appreciation on the relationship between biodiversity conservation and resource protection to the long-term survival and well-being of the community is therefore a key challenge, especially with the high poverty rate in the area. While protection policies have been crafted, enforcement and community representation in governance bodies seems to be weak (UPFVI, 2019; FPE, 2020).

Sources:

University of the Philippines Visayas Foundation, Inc. (UPVFI). 2019. Building Resilient Small Island Communities: The Case of Gigantes Islands, Carles, Iloilo. [Online]. Teddington: Global Network on Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction. Available from: https://cbdrm.org/case-studies/building-resilient-small-island-communities-gigantes-carles-iloilo/
Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). 2020. FPE 2020 Planner. Quezon City: FPE.

Other Conservation Areas

CSOs operating in the following conservation areas in the Visayas are also qualified to apply for grants:

Negros Occidental
Panay Island
Cebu
Siquijor
Leyte Province
Samar Island (Samar Island Natural Park and Eastern Samar)

Proposal Guidelines

Proposal guidelines can be accessed here: https://fpe.ph/grants-application-requirements.html

Proposal templates can be downloaded here: https://fpe.ph/grants-download-forms.html

1. Project Themes

Projects addressing, but not limited to, the following BCSD priorities are preferred:

Community-based natural resources management and capacity building to address biodiversity threats
Wildlife habitat restoration and protection – including upland, beach, and/or mangrove forests – citing link to conservation trade-off*; with co-benefits of enhancing climate adaptation and mitigation
Action-research on the ridge-to-reef impact of tourism activities; and/or
Community adaptation to COVID-19, particularly in line with sustainable food production, citing link to biodiversity threat reduction

Conservation trade-off is a commitment among beneficiaries to sustain environmental gains beyond the project term in exchange for socio-economic interventions such as, but may not be limited to, eco-friendly income generating activities and other social services to support their well-being.

In this connection, projects are expected to contribute to the achievement of any or a combination of the following BCSD targets of the VRO for FY 2020-2021:

Hectares reforested in degraded areas (FPE GKR 1.1.)
Marine Protected Area (MPA) established/enhanced with functional protection mechanism group (FPE GKR 3.4)
Knowledge products generated as basis for conservation policy and program design in community-based tourism site (FPE EO2 KR3.1)
Communities supported in producing biodiversity-friendly, healthy, and affordable food (VRO COVID-19 Priority Action 1)
Community resilience to climate change enhanced
Carbon sequestration measures installed

CSO applicants should also articulate how their proposed projects will be implemented vis-à-vis the COVID-19 situation and safety requirements in their target area/s of operation.

2. Proponent Eligibility Criteria

CSO applicants must meet all of the following qualifications:

A Filipino entity
Duly registered with any of the following government agencies:

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Cooperative Development Authority (CDA)
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
Bureau of Rural Workers (BRW)

In continuous operation for a minimum of three (3) years immediately preceding the grant application
Must not have any of the following:

Ongoing project funded by FPE
Pending accountabilities with FPE
Criminal or civil liabilities, and/or reputational issues based on due diligence

3. Application Requirements and Guidelines

CSO applicants must submit the following:

Duly accomplished Organizational Registry Form (ORF) cite link
Full-blown proposal

4. Submission

CSO applicants are highly encouraged to submit full proposals on or before 30 October 2020 to Ms. Ramie V. Debuayan (Visayas Regional Operations Manager) through any of the following channels:

Via email: rdebuayan@fpe.ph
Via courier: Unit 1 Arborville Building, 308 Osmena Boulevard, Cebu City 6000 (Contact No: 09178817425)

A concept paper may be submitted prior to the full proposal to obtain initial feedback on the proposed interventions.

Support for Applicants

FPE – VRO is organizing a Project Proposal Orientation on 29 September and 06 October 2020, 9AM – 4PM, via Zoom. Interested CSO applicants are advised to attend either one of the two sessions.

To secure your slot for the orientation, please register here:

https://tinyurl.com/fpevroproposalworkshop

Contact Information

For your concerns or queries, please contact:

Ms. Ramie V. Debuayan

Manager, Visayas Regional Operations

Foundation for the Philippine Environment

Unit 101 Arbor Ville Bldg. 308 Osmena Boulevard, Cebu City

Mobile No: 09178817425

Email: rdebuayan@fpe.ph

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