Description
The mission of the Latin America Regional Program is to provide technical and financial assistance to partners to conserve the region’s priority species and their habitats. It advances its mission by supporting projects that reduce threats to key wildlife species and strengthen local capacity that results in measurable conservation impacts that benefit biodiversity and its people in the long-term. Responding to and tackling the challenges that Latin America’s biodiversity faces requires inclusive and equitable approaches, as well as coordinated actions by stakeholders across the region. The Latin America Regional Program seeks to partner with national governments, civil society and grassroots organizations, and research and academic institutions that are willing to work with local groups that bring new perspectives and leadership. See Section C. Eligibility Conditions for more information about eligibility. Conserving Latin America’s unique assemblage of species and natural habitats requires addressing the damage that unsustainable resource use, habitat loss and fragmentation, agricultural expansion, human-wildlife conflict, and climate change have on species and ecosystems. Therefore, this NOFO will only consider projects that clearly articulate how the proposed actions will reduce these above-mentioned threats under at least one of the following categories: Species Conservation: This category seeks to support projects that promote the recovery and conservation efforts of key terrestrial species and their habitats along their range. Proposed activities can be implemented on the local, national, or regional (transnational) level, and can involve more than one priority species. Species should meet the criteria to be listed either as “Endangered” or “Threatened” on the ESA, or as “Critically Endangered,” “Endangered,” or “Vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Species listed as “Data Deficient” or “Extinct in Wild” on the IUCN Red List are not eligible under this NOFO.Conservation Stewardship: This category seeks to support projects that assist communities living in and along critical wildlife corridors and strongholds, by building on their traditional land-use practices, governance principles, ethnobiological knowledge and reduce their costs of living with wildlife. Proposed activities can be implemented on the local, national or regional (transnational) level.Important ConsiderationsProject activities should take place in eligible geographies of Latin America (see Eligibility below). If work is to be conducted in the United States, the proposal must show a clear impact on biodiversity conservation in Latin America to be eligible.Transnational projects and consortia applications are encouraged.Only one application per organization will be accepted under this announcement.Project activities that emphasize data collection and status assessment should describe a direct link to management action and explain how lack of information has been a key limiting factor for management action.Please note that a letter of government endorsement is required and must be included with your submission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with relevant government authorities prior to preparing applications for Service funds. See Section D2. Content and Form of Application Submission for more information.The Latin America Regional Program reserves the right to fund any or none of the submissions and make adjustments to the funding amounts. The Notice of Funding Opportunity seeks to fund approximately six awards, each with a total budget not to exceed $200,000 over two years. To maximize the impact and sustainability of the awards that result from this NOFO, the Latin America Regional Program retains the right to execute non-competitive continuation amendments. The total duration of any award, including non-competitive continuation amendments, cannot exceed five years. Any non-competitive continuation amendment is contingent on performance and pending availability of federal funds, satisfactory performance and compliance with award terms and conditions.Due to other grant programs supported by the Service, the Latin America Regional Program will not fund projects related to marine turtles, tortoises, and freshwater turtles (Marine Turtle Conservation Act Fund), neotropical migratory birds (Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund), North America wetlands (North America Wetlands Conservation Act), songbirds (Species Conservation Catalyst Fund on Songbirds), California condor, and Mexican gray wolf. Eligibility*Projects are to be implemented in or around natural protected areas, biological corridors, and recovery units in:Mexico: Species: jaguar Geographic eligibility: Yucatan peninsula and Lacandon jungle.Central America: Geographic eligibility: Guatemala and HondurasSouth America: Geographic eligibility: Gran Chaco (Eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina) and Andes-Amazon (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru)