Overview of the Fondation Franklinia Call for Proposals
Projects must directly contribute to the Foundation’s principal goal of preserving vulnerable tree species, preventing extinction, and improving conservation status.
Wherever possible, projects should contribute to implementing existing Threatened Tree Species Conservation Action Plans, Forest Landscape Conservation & Restoration Strategies, relevant CEPF recommendations, and conservation actions in Key Biodiversity Areas where tree species have been identified as trigger species.
The major criteria for selecting projects are as follows:
- The Project is Scientifically Sound and Justified.
- It addresses the direct threats to tree species.
- The project is feasible
- Results are achievable.
- The costs are reasonable.
- The Proponent and the Organization are competent.
- This project is a priority for tree conservation.
- Essential regional and global partners are involved;
- The conservation impact is measurable and sustainable.
Species, including:
Only programs are considered to improve the conservation status of globally vulnerable tree species listed on the IUCN Red List of vulnerable Species.
Threatened species include those classified as Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), or Critically Endangered (CR). As a result, applicants must verify the status of their target species at www.iucnredlist.org to confirm that their initiative is eligible.
Applicants are advised to contact the East African Plant Red List Authority (https://www.iucn.org/ourunion/commissions/group/iucn-ssc-eastern-africa-plant-red-list-authority).
Suppose a species is classified as threatened but the assessment has not yet been published on the Red List website. In that case, thorough supplemental material supporting a VU, EN, or CR status must be submitted.
Priority will be given to projects that target CR and EN species. Projects aimed at VU species will be accepted where immediate investment is required to halt a rapid decline.
We define trees as plant species with a single trunk that is at least 2 meters tall. This includes palms.
Threatened tree species must be the primary focus of the projects, but projects that have a positive impact on other threatened species and associated habitats will be prioritized (collateral benefits). The Foundation will prioritize projects with worldwide importance (globally threatened species) over efforts that safeguard species that are locally or regionally vulnerable.
For replanting and restoration initiatives, the species mix should include a variety of non-threatened tree species, and projects will be required to report on both threatened and non-threatened species.
The Project Types:
Projects must carry out specific on-the-ground conservation efforts that address the principal hazards to the selected tree species. Projects can be as long as three years. All initiatives must follow the criteria outlined in the recently published scientific review
Ten Golden Standards for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, Biodiversity Recovery, and Livelihood Benefits‘ (Di Sacco et al., 2021):
- Protect the current forest first.
- Collaborate with all stakeholders.
- Aim to increase biodiversity recovery to achieve various purposes (carbon sequestration, environmental services, and socioeconomic advantages);
- Choose appropriate places for restoration.
- Utilize natural regeneration whenever possible.
- Choose species to maximize biodiversity.
- Use robust plant material (with adequate genetic heterogeneity and provenance);
- Plan for infrastructure, capacity, and seed supply.
- Learn by doing (with an adaptive management strategy).
- Make it pay (to ensure the project’s economic sustainability).
Fondation Franklinia Call for Proposals Eligibility
- Any organization with well-established knowledge and efficiency in plant conservation may apply. Each organisation can only submit one project.
- Projects must exhibit a commitment to engage with others, share lessons gained, data, and outcomes, and contribute to effective national coordination.
- Projects in which conservation NGOs work with and benefit from the experience of specialist botanists and conservation organizations, such as national conservation agencies, forestry departments, universities, and botanical gardens, will be prioritized.
- The emphasis must be on the in situ conservation of tree species in the wild.
- When proposing ex-situ initiatives such as nurseries, the proposal should demonstrate the need. Priority will be given to in-place management.
- The project proposal must demonstrate that the project adheres to the country’s legislative systems and that consultation with key national authorities and land managers has taken place.
How to Apply for the Fondation Franklinia Call for Proposals
The deadline for submissions is midnight CET on June 30th, 2024.
Projects will be examined first by the Foundation’s Secretariat, followed by the Expert Committee, which will make recommendations to the Board. A judgment will be made in September 2024. The projects will thus be unable to begin before November 2024.
The Application Process
- Projects must be submitted using all three template documents found on the Foundation’s website: project proposal, budget, and logical framework. Other proposal formats will not be considered.
- Thank you for being succinct and precise, as well as following directions, to make the reviewers’ task easier. Applications with clear and straightforward project structures, as well as clear and attainable goals, will be prioritized.
- The forms must be downloaded and filled out completely. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
- Proposals must be submitted in either English or French. We apologize for not being able to accept ideas written in other languages spoken in the region because not all reviewers understand them.
Proposals must be submitted via the Foundation’s website (www.fondationfranklinia.org). Click here to apply and get further information.
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