The 12 winning projects come from different regions, including Africa, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, and aim to conserve migratory species including Atlantic humpback dolphins in Congo, humpback whales in Costa Rica and Mozambique, saiga antelope, sooty falcons, bats in Slovakia, and snow leopards in Tajikistan.
19 November 2012: The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Small Grants Programme (SGP) has announced that after being inactive for several years due to a lack of funding, it issued a call for applications earlier in 2012, and has selected 12 winning projects. It expressed appreciation to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) for its pledge of US$300,000, made at the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) in November 2011.
The SGP is meant to provide fast and direct support to grassroots conservation projects directed at migratory species listed on the CMS Appendices.
The 12 winning projects come from different regions, including Africa, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, and aim to conserve migratory species including Atlantic humpback dolphins in Congo, humpback whales in Costa Rica and Mozambique, saiga antelope, sooty falcons, bats in Slovakia, and snow leopards in Tajikistan. Eight of the successful applications have secured significant co-funding for their projects.
The next round of applications for the small grants will be opened by the end of 2013. National Focal Points are encouraged to facilitate the submission of suitable proposals. For those countries not yet Party to CMS, ratification of the Convention is a requirement.
The SGP is not included in the core budget of the Convention, and is therefore dependent on voluntary contributions, the CMS Secretariat notes. It is seeking additional funds to supplement the amount available, as well as to continue the programme beyond 2014. [CMS Press Release]