The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s five world heritage sites and harbors the Eastern Lowland Gorilla. One of the most crucial problems of the park is the management of a buffer zone where communities in the vicinities can access natural resources in a controlled manner, to guarantee their participation in the effort of conservation. The high altitude zone of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park is surrounded by a high population density, and all forests surrounding this part of the park have been converted to agriculture and ranching. A strong pressure is now exerted on the park’s forests. In order to target a high erosion rate and avoid the deforestation of the park’s forests, this expression of interest proposes to reforest areas surrounding the park.

The Parc National W is one of the largest transboundary nature reserves in the world, which is under a serious threat from illegal hunting. The aim of this project is to develop monitoring programs and anti-poaching mechanisms that would strengthen the management and ensure effective protection of the conservation area. Additionally, this project would facilitate the development of scientific research activities, such as ecological gap assessments, non-existent at a present time.

This Expression of Interest seeks support for the Philippine National Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) to build upon existing gap and strategy assessments in an effort to complete a comprehensive strategic plan for the national protected area system, and to make a significant progress towards implementing the strategic plan. The gap assessment and strategic plan will guide the future growth and institutional development of both the national protected areas agency (Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau - PAWB) and its component protected areas, thereby advancing the security of the manifold economic and social benefits that the national protected areas system provides to humanity.

The Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary (MMFS), located 490 km west from the Colombian Tropical Pacific coast and declared a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in July 2006 is home to incredible biodiversity. The strategic and thematic lines of intervention for strengthening the management of this marine protected area are aimed to improve the mechanisms and planning tools, management and coordination of the PA.

The Lossi Reserve of Fauna is a community-based conservation satellite of the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. The main goal of the project is to strengthen the participation of local communities in the management of the protected area, thus ensuring more effective conservation of the natural resources and ecosystems in the area. Additionally, the project seeks to contribute to the preservation of highly endangered gorilla species in support of the ECOFAC conservation program in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

The Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) harbours the world’s most important populations of forest elephants, red river hogs, bongo antelope, and is one of the last remaining strongholds for western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees in Africa. The main goal of the Nouabalé-Ndoki Project is to effectively protect the biodiversity of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park and strengthen its management through a site-based, landscape management approach.

As a result of the growing timber needs of the booming timber industry and Vietnam’s forest protection measures, deforestation is shifting to neighbouring forest‐rich countries, particularly Laos. This cross‐border leakage is a challenge for REDD‐Readiness in Vietnam. While Laos is considered one of the richest southeastern Asian countries in terms of forest resources, it also has one of the highest deforestation rates. Deforestation accounts for approximately 70% of the national GHG emissions. The objectives of the project are thus to reduce GHG emissions that stem from forest degradation and loss through improved protected areas management for 4 protected areas and two ecological corridors in Southern Laos and Central Vietnam and to address the “leakage” caused by transborder trade of illegally cut timber from Laos to Vietnam through Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade instruments.

The Cap Blanc peninsula harbors the world’s last Mediterranean monk seal colony and constitutes an important bird migration passage. The project aims to strengthen protected areas that are key for conservation of the Mediterranean Monk Seal and other emblematic species of Mauritania, through environmental education and increased support for management and monitoring.

The project is introducing an alternative approach that aims to make the commune the basic management unit for implementing protected area policies. The project is designed as a pilot with two main areas of operations, the unprotected Prey Long forest block and the Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary. The project has four components: the establishment of commune development plans for natural resources management; legal and technical training to enable the commune councils to take on this new role; practical training and equipment support for field activities; and a biodiversity value awareness campaign in the targeted communes.

An evaluation of the national-level management effectiveness of Egypt National Parks has identified the following management weaknesses: fragmented planning and management plans, inadequate technical and professional management capacities, and a poor system of management effectiveness evaluation. The following Expression of Interest aims to addresses these weaknesses through training and capacity-building of the Nature Conservation Sector (NCS) staff, responsible for the management of the National Protected Area Network, enhanced capacity in protected area planning, and the development of methods, standards, criteria and indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of protected area management and performance.

Though relatively intact, the Sapo National Park, Grebo National Forest, Grand Kru-River Gee National Forest, East Nimba Nature Reserve and the Lake Piso Sustainable Multiple Use Reserve face serious threats from illegal and unsustainable logging, unsustainable farming and illegal extraction of natural resources. The aim of this project is to strengthen the management of the existing protected areas and support the establishment of proposed protected areas and national parks in Liberia.

A total of 38 protected areas have been created in Ukraine over the past four years. In addition, 8 biosphere reserves and national parks have been substantially enlarged. As a result, Ukraine's protected area network now covers 3.27 million ha, or approximately 5.4% of the country's territory. This project aims to improve the management of Ukraine's network of protected areas and support its expansion by 300000 ha anticipated to take place in the next 2 years.

Codrington Lagoon National Park (CLNP) is in the preliminary stages of development. However, due to current economic conditions, there is a lack of adequate financing to ensure the continued development of the national park. As a result, the national park is in jeopardy of being left unattended. The objectives of the project are to develop infrastructure for CLNP, build capacity among staff to implement management activities in the park, and re-establishing natural protective barriers from natural disasters around the park.

The project will ensure long-term functionality of the Sustainable Eastern Caribbean Island Network (SEINET), which aims to confront emerging consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss by expanding and strengthening the Eastern Caribbean network of protected areas. Specifically, the project addresses the following elements: ecosystem-based adaptation for climate change, multiple-use marine zoning, sustainable finance mechanisms, community well-being and livelihood opportunities, and a comprehensive multi-pronged communications approach.

Developing a renewable source of energy for protected areas will assist with sustainable financing for protected areas in Antigua and Barbuda. Wind power will be used to sustain the energy needs of the protected areas and the excess sold to the national grid, generating financial support for the protected areas.

Mount Obama area harbours a number of threatened species of fauna and flora and faces various threats including inappropriate development, invasive species and species removal. The objective of this project is to designate and manage Mount Obama as a National Park to address these threats.

This project targets 8 of Timor Leste’s 30 protected areas. These areas were selected because they contain high levels of biodiversity and threatened species, their boundaries are still unclear, and there is a lack of alternative livelihoods in those protected areas which drives deforestation, coral reef destruction and over-exploitation of wildlife. Specifically, the project seeks to create management plans for these protected areas, develop alternative livelihood for the communities living in and around these protected areas, increase staff capacity to manage these protected areas, and build GIS capacity to provide up to date information on the protected areas.

The Sundarbans of Bangladesh are already experiencing the ecological effects of global climate change and declining freshwater supplies: seawater is encroaching farther into the mangrove forest and sedimentation is increasing in areas of key biological importance. At the same time, freshwater cetaceans in Bangladesh are threatened by increasing incidental kills, primarily from entanglement in gillnets but also from long lines and trawl fisheries. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) seek to ensure the protection of freshwater cetaceans while concurrently safeguarding the well-being of local fishermen who depend on the same aquatic resources. The project will strengthen an existing national system of protected areas, promote participation, equity and benefit sharing within the context of protecting threatened species and a vulnerable aquatic ecosystem, establish a sustainable program of enabling activities including capacity building, policy support, awareness raising, and targeted research, and provide a rigorous mechanism for assessment and monitoring in support of management goals.

Yayu forest is one of the priority forest areas in Ethiopia. Over 450 higher plants, 50 mammal, 200 bird, and 20 amphibian species have been recorded in the area. The forest is also one of the few remnant habitats for coffee (Coffea arabica). Ethiopia is the only center of origin and diversity for C. arabica and hence is important for in situ conservation of genetic diversity. The Yayu coffee forest is also important for the livelihoods of local households and stakeholders at different levels. This project aims to reduce deforestation and forest degradation while contributing to the improvement of local livelihoods through adaptive conservation-development integration activities. To achieve this, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve approach will be adopted. This project’s specific objectives are to strengthen the capacity of government agencies and community-based organizations responsible for biosphere reserve establishment and management, brand, promote and market coffee forest products, rehabilitate degraded parts of the forest area and establish protocols for the monitoring of forest conditions.

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) 1 is the largest and most diverse part of the greater Micronesian sub-region of the vast Pacific region.