Conservation International (CI) was recently the beneficiary of US$20 million in new funds from the World Bank through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to protect some of the world’s unique and threatened areas, including island ecosystems and temperate forests, a release said.
And while it is not clear in what way CI Guyana would benefit from the fund, Ajay Baksh of the local organisation said that it would benefit directly or indirectly. He pointed out that the Guyana arm and the world body work in tandem and as such benefits would more than likely trickle down. He also said that in the past CI Guyana has benefited directly from monies provided by the GEF.
According to the release, the funds would be made available as grants for projects undertaken by the non-governmental community, and private sector organisations though the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), which is administered by CI.
The release said that the new funding brings the total GEF commitment to the CEPF to US$45 million. The money, the release said, is pooled with contributions from CI and other global leaders in the partnership to create a biodiversity fund that unites expertise and resources to safeguard the hotspots. The biodiversity hotspots are home to more than half of all terrestrial plants and animals, as well as more than 1.8 billion people who are highly dependent on healthy lands for their livelihoods and well-being.
At least 10 hotpots will receive CEPF funding for the first time, and grants will also help consolidate gains made in other hotspots that received previous CEPF investments. Other partners in the area are the French Development Agency, the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank.
