The government of Austria has approved funding of US$2.2 million through the LifeWeb Initiative to help implement the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through projects in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
31 October 2013: The Government of Austria has approved funding of US$2.2 million through the LifeWeb Initiative to help implement the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through projects in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
The projects to be supported, in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society and other partners, include: rehabilitation of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; strengthening and enlarging of the protected area system of the Eastern Bolikhamxay province in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic; protection of threatened river dolphins in Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh; and protection of wild coffee varieties and protection and restoration of their natural habitat in Ethiopia.
The CBD LifeWeb Initiative serves as a facilitator of financing for biodiversity conservation projects in support of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, by providing a user-friendly clearing-house of financial priorities and facilitating funding matches. [CBD Press Release][LifeWeb Initiative Website]