Since the launch of the LifeWeb Initiative in May 2008, the government of Germany has supported projects with more than 70 million Euros. Germany will increase its support in the coming years, up to a total of €500 million by 2012 for the conservation of forests and other important ecosystems, in addition to existing cooperation efforts. These funds should in particular target needs from partner countries which are presented through the LifeWeb Initiative.

Funded Expressions of Interest

Costa Rica Forever Costa Rica Costa Rica has 26 percent of its land area under various protection management categories. As in many other developing countries, however, challenges and threats are great. This is mainly due to the fact that development continues to pressure the ecological systems around terrestrial and marine protected areas. Overfishing, legal and illegal fishing, unregulated tourism development, urbanization, logging, and water pollution, sedimentation, the degradation of coral reefs and the depletion of fisheries, are threats that affect protected areas as well as other neighboring lands and waters. In addition, despite the enormous efforts made to date, Costa Rica’s protected area system still has conservation gaps that must be addressed if the desired ecological representation is to be achieved.

Mexico Mexico's climate protection initiative in the Sierra Madre Oriental ecologicl corridor and in Laguna Madre and Marismas Nacionales coastal lagunes Funding of protected areas with sustainable use in Brazil's Amazon region – ARPA - Parts 1 and 2

Cameroon, Congo, Central African Republic Conservation and management of the Sangha Tri-national Transboundary Forests Complex This project is geared towards long-term conservation and management of one of central Africa's most important forest regions and involves tri-national transboundary cooperation under the auspices of COMIFAC, the Commission for the Forests of Central Africa. Funds will be used for the establishment of an infrastructure for the protected areas participating. These funds will help to bridge a financial gap until the foundation fund which is currently being established will provide capital interest for the management of the three protected areas.

South Africa Protection of wetlands in the Cape region The project is geared towards protecting several large wetland areas in South Africa's cape region which are characterised by extremely high degree of biological diversity. These measures will comprise protection against fires, zoning measures geared towards reducing conflicts about the use of these areas, combating invasive species and water resources management.

United Republic of Tanzania Enhancing management efficiency in order to increase carbon storage capacities in Tanzania's mountainous Eastern Arc protected area network The project is geared towards supporting four new legally stipulated protected areas in Tanzania's Eastern Arc Mountains with infrastructural assistance (material, etc.) and by establishing management structures. By establishing buffer zones with fire-tolerant tree species, the number of fires which constitute a major threat to these forests, can be reduced.

Zambia Sustainability of the Miombo eco-region through expansion and improved management in protected areas The project is to increase management efficiency in an existing protected area in Zambia's dry forest region. At the same time the protected area will be expanded. Zoning will be used to defuse conflicts of utilisation. Covering an area of 3.6 million sq km and ten eastern and southern African countries, the Miombo Ecoregion is an amazingly diverse tropical woodland and wetland environment.

Russian Federation Reduction of climate change impact through the conservation of large-scale primary forests in Russia's Far East The project will protect large boreal forests from forestry activities and at the same time conserve these areas by purchasing and managing long-term concessions. Indigenous groups will benefit from this since they use these forest areas in a traditional and sustainable manner, i.e. for gathering forest products, hunting and fishing.

Kazakhstan Expansion of the protected area network to conserve the Altai-Sayan region With its focus on forest fire prevention - a major threat - the project is geared towards fighting mountain forest degradation in Kazakhstan's Altai mountains. To counteract the fragmentation of forest areas and to thus reduce their proneness to forest fires, new protected areas are to be linked to or set up alongside existing ones.

Micronesia (Federated States of), Marshall Islands, Palau Support for Micronesia Challenge through new protected areas This project will increase the local population's adaptation capabilities vis-à-vis climate change through a network of new terrestrial, coastal and marine protected areas in the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. The protected areas will also support coastal and nature conservation (e.g. measures to prevent erosion, to conserve mangroves and water resources). The project is a contribution to the participating governments' supranational development initiative Micronesia Challenge.

Indonesia, Papua New Guinea New marine and coastal protected areas in the "Coral Triangle" to support the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security This project supports the establishment of management structures including sustainable management of two large marine protected areas in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is a contribution to the multi-lateral Coral Triangle Initiative which comprises government institutions and NGOs from 6 countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Philippines Adaptation to climate change and conservation of biological diversity in the Philippines The project is geared towards enhancing the Philippine government's advisory resources on climate change, developing or updating national adaptation and mitigation strategies in cooperation with other relevant Ministries and civil society organisations and promoting selected marine, coastal zone and forest area rehabilitation action.

Papua New Guinea Indigenous forest conservation area Yus This project supports the establishment and management of the YUS Conservation Areas in a tropical forest area with a high degree of biodiversity. The conservation area is fully owned by local communities who will be jointly responsible for the management of the area.

China Sino-German cooperation platform for the protection of carbon-storing eco-systems with a high degree of high biological diversity The project is geared towards assisting Chinese institutions in developing and implementing climate -adapted conservation and management strategies in order to conserve carbon-storing eco-systems and their biological diversity – inter alia by establishing protected areas.

Ukraine Prevention of greenhouse gas emissions through renaturalisation and sustainable management of bogs in Ukraine Over 50% of the 1 million ha of bog areas in Ukraine have been drained. Contact with oxygen leads to peat decomposition which in turn has a considerable negative impact on the climate. By waterlogging bog areas again, further greenhouse gas emissions can be prevented. However, this approach is not yet much used in Ukraine. Within the framework of this project, at least 20,000 ha of degraded bog areas are to be renaturalised. Moreover, parts of the newly waterlogged areas are to be integrated into protected areas to support Ukraine’s ambitious nature conservation program. The newly waterlogged bog areas will not only be of benefit with regard to the climate but also with regard to enhancing biological diversity. The use of biomass and other measures in these newly waterlogged areas can also contribute to improving the incomes of the local population. The establishment of a sustainable financing mechanism is to serve as an incentive for the Ukrainian government to continue to waterlog bog areas once the project has been concluded. Waterlogging also helps to reduce the negative health impact of fires on drained bog areas as these release radioactivity from the Chernobyl accident.

Turkey Adaptation to climate change and conservation of biodiversity through the protection and sustainable use of wetland areas Turkey’s wetlands have a climate-stabilizing impact and thus contribute to mitigating the impacts of climate change; they also constitute a water reservoir and thus a resource for agriculture and the ecological balance that must not be underestimated in terms of climate adaptation. In addition, they serve as important breeding and migration areas for many endangered bird species. The goal of the project is to establish and test a concept for the conservation and sustainable use of the wetlands. At national level framework conditions for the conservation and sustainable use of the wetlands are to be enhanced and capacities to be strengthened. At local level pilot management plans for wetlands will be elaborated and implemented with the help of investment (e.g. renaturalisation and measures to prevent pollution). In addition, the project develops and promotes different types of sustainable wetland utilisation and thus contributes to safeguarding the sources of livelihood of the people living in the vicinity of wetlands.

Russian Federation Strengthening the system of protected areas in the Komi Republic in order to conserve globally important biodiversity and carbon sinks Russia’s boreal forests are characterised by a high degree of biological diversity and they constitute carbon sinks of global importance. The project is geared towards assisting the Komi Republic in the Russian Federation in increasing management efficiency of several existing protected areas and in taking precautionary measures to mitigate expected climate change impacts (e.g. the increased danger of forest fires).

Russian Federation Preservation of habitats in the Altai-Sayan region by expanding the protected areas network The establishment of three new protected areas and the expansion of an existing one (in total 536,000 ha) and effective fire management in the existing and new protected areas contribute to the protection of large-scale boreal forests. This will also help to stem the expected climate change-induced increase in forest fires. At the same time, alternative income opportunities and sustainable usage methods will open up for local communities.

Rwanda Conservation of biological diversity in the Forêt de Nyungwe (Rwanda) through the establishment of an agroforestry conservation belt Rwanda’s National Park “Forêt de Nyungwe” is the largest montane cloud forest in eastern Africa and hosts many unique species. However, in this densely populated country these areas are under considerable pressure for use. Therefore, a sustainable intensification of agricultural and forestry production in the adjacent zones to the cloud forest is indispensible if the pressure on the forest resources is to be reduced. The goal of this project is to conserve biodiversity and the functionality of the forest, which is both a CO2 sink and of vital importance for the region's water balance, by ensuring a smooth transformation to sustainable agriculture and forestry in the adjacent zones of the protected area. The establishment of agroforestry systems which simulate the forests' natural canopy levels, protect the soil from erosion and guarantee a high biomass yield per area unit, will render logging superfluous. This project is an important contribution to enhancing food security of small-scale farmers.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Creation of planning and capacity building essentials for an improved and expanded network of protected areas Based on the Democratic Republic of the Congo's voluntary commitment to turn 15% of the country into protected areas (different categories) and to thus double the existing area size under protection, a platform for planning, designating and improving the comprehensive country-wide network of protected areas is to be established together with the stakeholders concerned.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Integrated conservation project in the Ngiri Triangle Together with an already existing project in the same area, structures for a protected area in the Northeast of the country with wetland and floodplain forests are to be established in order to contribute to improving the livelihood of the local population. This is an important stepping stone on the path towards the Congolese government's declared target of turning 15% of the country (mainly forest) into protected areas.

Ethiopia Climate protection and conservation of primary forests – Management models, example of wild coffee forests in Ethiopia In the last 40 years Ethiopia has lost more than 90% of its forests. Ethiopia's montane cloud forests not only constitute important carbon sinks, they also contain genetic resources of global importance as the origin and the centre of genetic diversity of Arabica coffee. Nevertheless, forests have been substantially decimated due to the local population's need for firewood and conversion into agricultural land. This project is geared to easing the pressure on the remaining forests by establishing a biosphere reserve, by reducing the need for firewood through the establishment of community forest plantations, by introducing wood-saving stoves and by supporting new income opportunities for the local population. Carbon storage is to be improved through afforestation and rehabilitation of fragmented forest areas and degraded land.

Peru Conservation of biodiversity, adaptation to climate change and emission reduction through protected areas in the Peruvian Amazon region Several individual projects aim at preserving tropical rainforest areas in the Peruvian part of the Amazonas by improving the management of existing protected areas (e.g. Communal Reserve El Sira, Pui Pui Protection Forest, Reserve Pampa Hermosa) and adjacent zones. At the same time the rich biodiversity of these areas will be protected. Integration of the local and in part indigenous population into the management of these areas, investments in sustainable resource utilisation measures and the creation of new income sources in the adjacent zones of the three existing protected areas will constitute the platform for long-term sustainable management.

Indonesia Adaptive and carbon-financed forest management in the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra The Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (THRS) was inscribed in the World Heritage List in 2004. The site comprises three national parks (Gunung Leuser, Kerinci-Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan) and is of outstanding biological value, covering a forested area of over 2.5 million ha and offering the last refuge for globally threatened species including tigers, sumatran rhino, elephants and orang-utan. The constituent parks are surrounded by a mosaic of forested areas that double the total area of natural forest. These surrounding forests include a variety of different utilization purposes, have a high intrinsic value for biodiversity and create a buffer for the world heritage sites. Despite the protected status, this globally important forest resource is under considerable threat. The extremely high pressure from direct threats is reducing the natural resilience of the forests to climate change. This project will take the globally important natural world heritage sites of Sumatra and pilot an approach to predict climate change impacts and incorporate adaptation into management plans. The project will also develop and pilot REDD schemes in buffer areas to mitigate climate change and to provide a mechanism to alleviate direct threats.

Indonesia Conservation and Restoration in Kalimantan/Borneo: Securing natural carbon sinks and habitats in the “Heart of Borneo” Indonesia has one of the world’s highest deforestation rates. The project aims at long-term securing of forests in the central part of Borneo, the “Heart of Borneo”, in the vicinity of the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park and the forests along Leboyan river through a combination of various measures. These include an improved management and the cooperation with a commercial logging company in order to implement the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) guidelines. In close cooperation with local communities, i.a. in the reforestation of degraded areas, existing forest areas are to be linked again.