The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund at 10

INVESTING IN LIFE

The pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macroura) is found in several biodiversity hotspots in Sub-Saharan Africa.

FOREWORD
It is always pleasing to be a part of a success story, and the incredible
success of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is particularly
exciting because it heralds a new way of undertaking the most challenging
and important job of our time—protecting the future of this planet.
When the World Bank was approached to become one of the foundersof CEPF 10 years ago, we knew this was a radically different approach to
tackling conservation. The idea was to create a mechanism that would givecommunities in the world’s most biologically important places the power andthe capacity to protect the landscapes and biodiversity that surrounds them.
And we needed it to be scientifically rigorous, cost-effective and able torespond rapidly to problems and to continue even when our funding ceased.
The results have been extraordinary.
According to a recent independent evaluation of the program, CEPF has
improved the outlook for approximately 55,000 species through its supportof nearly 1,600 partners working in Earth’s most biologically rich yetthreatened areas.
CEPF has established more than 10.8 million hectares of new or expanded
protected areas and has improved management of an additional 21 million
hectares. CEPF has also created more than 2,500 new “green” jobs in arange of industries, often in places where the only alternatives would beenvironmentally destructive. It has also allowed hundreds of civil society
groups that it funds to become powerful fundraisers in their own right,
generating for themselves more than twice the amount of CEPF’s initialinvestment and demonstrating their long-term viability.

Like most successes, CEPF’s clear strategic vision is what has made it soeffective. With input from local civil society, scientists and donors, CEPF
creates one coherent plan for conservation and human development
across an entire region. Then, when possible, CEPF places the delivery ofthis plan primarily in the hands of local people rather than governments
or large international organizations. This dramatically cuts overhead andbureaucracy, promotes speed and efficiency, and ensures that the people
for whom these places are home are empowered to protect them.
It is humbling to consider what CEPF’s grant recipients have done in just
10 years and inspiring to think what will be achieved in another 10. While
it is certainly testament to the efficacy of the model we created back in
2000, the real testament is to the immense reserves of passion, intelligence,
optimism and common sense that exist in the people who make up thegroups that CEPF has funded and trained, and who have, without a doubt,changed the world for the better.
James D. Wolfensohn, chairman of Wolfensohn & Company, LLC
and chairperson of the CEPF Donor Council

INVESTING IN LIFE: THE CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND AT 10
Copyright 2010 by CEPF
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any mannerwhatsoever, without written permission except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Published 2010
Printed in the USA

CONTENTS

Developing CEPF

04
18

Chapter 2: Global to Local

Introduction

08
26

Chapter 3: Results

Who We Are

10Conclusion

30

12Chapter 1: Strategy

32

Photos and Credits

04

In the Mesoamerica Hotspot, El Triunfo Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, collects 10 percent of the nation’s total rainfall, which then generates 30 percent of the country’s hydroelectricity.

05

DEVELOPING CEPF
A conversation with JamesD. Wolfensohn, chairmanof Wolfensohn & Company,
LLC, and former president of
the World Bank, and Peter
A. Seligmann, chairman
and CEO of Conservation
International (CI)

Q: Where did the idea of CEPF come from?
Seligmann: At that time [1995], the World Bank was focusing on governmentto-government engagements, and grants or loans were being made thatwere quite large. What we were thinking about at CI was how do we build
the capability within civil society to value, understand and take care of richecological areas, ecological hotspots and biodiversity hotspots.
You and I met, Jim, at a dinner, and we became friends. And then I think
you were offered the position as the president of the World Bank. We wentfishing and were talking about ecological hotspots and about your role andwhat you were going to be able to do, the challenges before you, and we
started talking about a way to build and engage civil society. We agreed
that the Bank could play a bigger role in protecting biodiversity and building
civil society, and so you asked me to put something down on paper about
how that could work. And so I went back to D.C. and wrote something up
and sent it to you.

Wolfensohn: I think the only thing I should add is that this was not
the center of my attention at that time; the center of my attention wastrying to build some sort of relationship at almost any level on almost
any subject with civil society, because we were totally distrusted by justabout everybody. What I recognized was that the Bank could not function
effectively in the modern world without having proper links with civilsociety. You could disagree, but you had to have some degree of mutual
trust and mutual activity. So I think you could say this was born at a time
when the Bank and civil society had very bad relations, and one of the areasin which we could move forward—and this is a tribute to Pete—was that
he was prepared to stand up there and say, “I am prepared to deal with theWorld Bank.” You remember, Pete, that there were a lot of people who werecritical of you because you did it. So that was a very important step for the
Bank, both in terms of relations with civil society and also in terms of theenvironment. But it was definitely both. It was not just an environmental issue.
Seligmann: Right. I remember that, because I was invited to a whole bunch of
meetings by the NGO sector in that period, talking about 50 years [of the WorldBank] is enough, and we should come together to have the Bank disband,and it wasn’t value added. Of course I disagreed with that. And I was reallyattracted, Jim, to your personal interest and passion for doing the right thing
and finding the right path. I thought, “Here’s someone whom I could not only
be a friend with, but someone whom I could really partner with.”
I suggested to you that the Bank put $100 million into this. And you
came back to me and said, “Let’s create a partnership with a bunchof organizations.” That was when we decided that CI would put in $25
million, and you said the Bank would match it. We began to talk about who
were the other partners we should go to. And we agreed to go to a private

06

Many communities in the hotspots rely on their ecosystems for food, such as these fishermen in the Himalaya Hotspot.

07

group, the MacArthur Foundation. We talked about getting GEF [the Global
Environment Facility] involved, and we did that, and then it was your outreachthrough which we engaged the government of Japan. That was the beginningof the concept of being a collaborative, multi-sector fund.
Q: What happened in 2000 that brought about the launch of CEPF?
Wolfensohn: Well, we eventually got people to agree to put up money. The
situation at the Bank had changed a bit. I think it was becoming more trusted in
the general community on issues like the environment, and I had had four years
at that stage to work on it. The Bank had better projects, and it was no longer
seen as just a project shop that didn’t talk to civil society.
Seligmann: Yes. I would add that we had been trying to figure out how
much money it would take to stimulate and build biodiversity capacity inthese ecological hotspots, and that’s how we came up with a number, of
needing over $100 million. When we began to talk to the Bank about lots ofmoney being put into this, as you can imagine, there was distrust within civilsociety. Civil society groups that wanted to work with the Bank wanted themoney to go to other things. So the process and the politics really kind of
kicked into action, which took several years. As with all significant ventures,
it takes persistence and determination and also being able to respond
appropriately to legitimate intellectual challenges as to why this is important
and what’s the right structure and who should be engaged and all thoseother questions. So we worked hard, and Jim stood by us, and we wereable to put in the structure and answer the questions and ended up with
CEPF. There was a great celebration when we finally came together.
A fawn-breasted brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinades) shares nectar with a butterfly in the Andean
cloud forest of Ecuador.

Wolfensohn: It was indeed an important moment.

08

Though entrenched issues such as human poverty and the loss of vital ecosystems are daunting
and complex, we cannot turn away from them. We are, in fact, called upon to act—for thisgeneration, certainly, but perhaps more importantly for future generations. There are many goodpeople and powerful entities working today with conviction to address these problems on a local,
regional, national, and international scale. Individually, they have laudable accomplishments.
The one strategy, however, with the power to make lasting, fundamental differences is partnership.
Our strengths lie in our collaboration. As those of us committed to human well-being andconservation work together and harness passion, experience, and resources, we provide thesupport communities need to reach sustainable growth with a healthy development of the planet’s
ecosystems. We owe this to ourselves, to our fellow citizens, and to the generations to come.
Inger Andersen, vice president, Sustainable Development, the World Bank

View of the Namib Desert, Namibia. CEPF support helped establish Sperrgebiet National Park in southwest Namibia, which, at 2.6 million hectares, is the second largest protected area in Africa,and home to more than 1,000 species of plants.

09

INTRODUCTION
In 2000, three organizations—Conservation International, Global
Environment Facility and the World Bank—came together with a new
approach to conserving Earth’s biological diversity. Their fundamental idea
was to target the world’s recognized biodiversity hotspots and to involve
civil society in managing and implementing programs for conservation.
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund was born.
The CEPF system identified key areas of need, funded projects developed
to address those areas, and assembled successful portfolios in supportof large ecological landscapes. From the outset, aggregation was ahallmark of the CEPF approach. Not only did this increase effectivenessin safeguarding hotspots, but it also created a true community of actors
across diverse sectors of civil society to enable the people of these regions
to sustainably manage their natural wealth.
In 2001 the MacArthur Foundation joined CEPF, to be followed in 2002
by the government of Japan and in 2007 by l’Agence Française deDéveloppement, each new donor-partner bringing assets and expertisein both conservation and development.
Much has changed since the start up of CEPF; the world seems adramatically different place. War, peace, terrorist acts, political change,devastating natural disasters, extreme economic instability, technologicaland medical advances, and growing awareness of climate change—all ofthese contributed to a decade of fluidity and transformation.

Among the watershed events for the global environment was theestablishment of the 2010 Biodiversity Target by the Conference of theParties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in April 2002. More than
190 nations agreed on the target: to achieve a significant reduction in therate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels by theend of 2010. It indicated the growing acknowledgement of the importanceof biodiversity to a healthy planet and the future of humanity.
We know now that the target will not be reached. In fact, studies show theloss in varieties of life has not slowed at all in the years since the target wasset. This does not mean, however, that the cause is lost.
Knowledge of critical ecosystems has been greatly expanded. Successful
methods have been uncovered for enabling communities to commit
to securing critical ecosystems for the future without diminishing theirability to make a living. Networks have developed that bring scientists,
nongovernmental organizations, government leaders and communities
together to share successful practices and lessons learned, and collaborate
on conservation projects and sustainable development policies. And
business and industry have, in some notable instances, found both monetaryand reputational profit in embracing environmentally sound practices.
Through this book, we pay tribute to some of the crucial steps that CEPF’s
partners have taken around the globe to stem the tide of biodiversity loss,
ensure healthy communities, and lay the foundation for a rich, vital future.
And we celebrate the wonder of the diversity of life.

10

Villagers cross a bridge in Assam, India, part of the Eastern Himalayas region.

11

WHO WE ARE
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund unites six global leaders who arecommitted to enabling nongovernmental and private sector organizations to
help protect vital ecosystems.

L’Agence Française de Développement, the French Development
Agency, is a financial institution that is at the heart of France’s Development
Assistance Policy. It supports a wide range of social and economic projects
in more than 60 countries.
www.afd.fr

Conservation International is a leader and catalyst in biodiversity
conservation, engaging partners in more than 40 countries on fourcontinents to preserve threatened ecosystems. The organization
administers CEPF.
www.conservation.org

The Global Environment Facility is the world’s largest source of funding
for the global environment. It brings 178 member governments together
with leading development institutions and others in support of a common
global environmental agenda.
www.thegef.org

The Government of Japan is one of the largest providers of development
assistance for the environment. Japan seeks constructive measures andconcrete programs to preserve unique ecosystems that provide people with
important benefits and help reduce poverty.
www.env.go.jp/en/

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative
people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdantand peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, thefoundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservationand security, make cities better places, and understand how technology isaffecting children and society.
www.macfound.org

The World Bank is the world’s largest source of development assistance.
It works in more than 100 developing economies to fight poverty and tohelp people help themselves and their environment.
www.worldbank.org

12

One of the truths to emerge from the collective experience of the conservation movement isthat the choice between human development and environmental protection is a false one.
Healthy ecosystems and their biodiversity are among the most valuable resources indeveloping countries. They provide food, water and medicine. They support agriculture.
They protect communities from storms, flooding and climate change. And many cultures’
identities are intricately tied to their environments. By focusing on biodiversity hotspots—theworld’s most biologically rich yet threatened areas—CEPF provides technical and financial
support to many communities who depend on their ecosystems for survival. Supportingthem to sustainably use their natural resources—their true wealth—paves the way for abrighter, healthier future for us all.
Monique Barbut, chairperson and CEO, The Global Environment Facility

Endangered Panay monitor lizard (Varanus mabitang) only found in remnant forest on Panay Island, Philippines Hotspot.

13

Chapter 1:

STRATEGY
The world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots are the focus of CEPF’s efforts.
Although they harbor 90 percent of Earth’s biological diversity, thecombined area of these hotspots now covers only 2.3 percent of all theland on the planet. Many encompass priority areas in multiple countries.
Each one faces extreme threats and has lost at least 70 percent of its
original habitat. The degradation of these hotspots threatens the healthand future of the estimated 2 billion people who live in them.
CEPF mobilizes local, regional and global actors to create and achieve a
common conservation vision for the hotspots. When the fund prepares
to invest in a region, it first assembles a team to develop an ecosystemprofile. This process brings global and regional scientists together withrepresentatives from local communities—often for the first time—and helps
them develop an overview of the causes of biodiversity loss in a particularregion. The teams then couple this assessment with an inventory of current
conservation activities. They use this information to work with CEPF to
identify the niche where the fund’s investments can provide the greatest
incremental value. The resulting profile not only guides CEPF’s actions,but also provides a comprehensive road map for future conservation
efforts and cooperation within the donor community.

Crna Rjieka Black River springs, Plitvice National Park, Croatia. In the
Mediterranean Basin Hotspot, more than 90 civil society, government and donororganizations contributed to the development of CEPF’s investment strategy,
creating a common vision for achieving conservation goals across the region.

14

I don’t think that the specific CEPF money will be able to solve all
the conservation issues in the Caribbean. But if we have a goodstrategy, if we pick our investments where they are needed, thenI think we have a good chance of success and the investment
can be multiplied by 20, by 30, based on the results that we canachieve in the field. It’s not so much the amount that is important
but the strategy.
Jean Vilmond Hilaire, former executive director of Société Audubon Haïti,who participated in the development of the ecosystem profile for the
Caribbean Islands Hotspot in 2009

Man herds ostriches in the Groenfontein Valley of South Africa, Succulent Karoo Hotspot. CEPF-backed projects have helped ranchers develop sustainable practices.

15

With a clear strategy in place, CEPF chooses a regional implementation
team, which consists of one or more locally operating nongovernmentalorganizations (NGOs) that represent the fund in each hotspot, providing
local expertise, knowledge and presence. Then CEPF and the regional
implementation team award grants to local community associations,NGOs, private businesses and other civil society groups, enabling themto take charge of conserving the hotspot.

The Asian elephant is one of many species benefiting from efforts to restore and maintainhabitat connectivity.

16

HOTSPOTS WHERE
CEPF HASSUPPORTED CIVIL
SOCIETY
Earth’s 34 biodiversity hotspots holdespecially high numbers of unique species
and provide important services forhuman well-being, such as clean air andwater, flood and climate control, and soil
regeneration, as well as food, medicinesand raw materials. The hotspots, which faceextreme threats, cover only 2.3 percent of
the planet’s land surface, and have eachlost at least 70 percent of their originalnatural vegetation.
CEPF has awarded grants to civil society
partners in 18 hotspots to help protect
vital ecosystems. CEPF is also preparing
for new investments in three additional
hotspots: Caribbean Islands, MaputalandPondoland-Albany in southeast Africa andthe Mediterranean Basin.

17

01 Atlantic Forest
02 Cape Floristic Region
03 Caribbean Islands
04 Caucasus
05 Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa
06 Eastern Afromontane
07 Guinean Forests of West Africa
08 Himalaya
09 Indo-Burma
10 Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands
11 Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany
12 Mediterranean Basin
13 Mesoamerica
14 Mountains of Southwest China
15 The Philippines
16 Polynesia-Micronesia
17 Succulent Karoo
18 Sundaland
19 Tropical Andes
20 Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena
21 Western Ghats and Sri Lanka

Because of a reclassification of hotspot
boundaries in 2005, the originally defined
investment areas now stretch across two
hotspots in some cases.
Hotspots where CEPF invested

Other hotspots

18

Civil society has a critical role to play in the management and protection of biodiversity. Thoughmany times their efforts are unrecognized, frustrated and undermined, the efforts of this sector
continue on due to the deep commitment, sound work ethics and vision to make a better world.
Over my 22 years of environmentalism, I am convinced that the civil society effort for theprotection of the environment is honorable work. I am of the belief that every human being has
a purpose on this planet. In this respect, environmentalists have a purpose of helping promotea better place to live in not only for humans but also for the species that share this planet. This
sort of purpose is exemplified in the work of civil society groups that day to day are at theforefront of the ever-challenging endeavor to balance conservation and development.
Rafael Manzanero, executive director of Friends for Conservation and Development, CEPF grantee based in Belize

In the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world, CEPF has promoted connectivity between Corcovado and Piedras Blancas national parks along the Pacific coast.

19

Chapter 2:

GLOBAL TO LOCAL
Civil society holds the key to conservation that lasts. It can bringinnovative ideas and solutions, as well as participatory approaches,
to solving local challenges. This perspective drives CEPF’s uniquepartnership, which enables global donors to work with local communities,
conservationists and other nongovernmental organizations to develop
comprehensive, practical strategies for conserving the biodiversity
hotspots.
These working relationships, in turn, facilitate dialogue, extend networks
and foster collaboration, helping to nurture stability in societies often
struggling with poverty. Our investment strategy is a method that civilsociety in hotspots can use to take responsibility for their natural
resources in a way that benefits both local people and the global
community.
CEPF grant recipients range from small farming cooperatives andcommunity associations to private-sector partners and internationalorganizations. All are striving to secure thriving ecosystems andcommunities.

CEPF grantee Balu Hegde holds his daughter in front of Aghanashini Valley,near his farm in Uttara Kannada District, southern India. This is one of three
new conservation reserves he has worked with local communities, NGOs andthe Forest Department to establish. This has helped create a patchwork offorest fragments, totaling more than 50,000 hectares, to protect critical habitat
for tiger and other threatened species.

20

No onehas moreat stakeissues
in the suchfight toecosystems
than
who live in“Thoughentrenched
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human poverty
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vital ecosysareasof highbiodiversity.
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This knowledge
many
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By providing
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scale, andand
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We aretools withwhichof theseareasfundamental
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Butproviding
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If thosewondersof us whoarecommitted to human well-being and conservation jointly harness our passion,

Jørgen B. Thomsen, director, Conservation & Sustainable Development, the John D.
experience and resources, we can provide the support communities need toand Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

reach vigorous, sustainable balance with their ecosystems.”
				- XXXXX, World Bank

The northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) is a Critically Endangered species in the Atlantic Forest Hotspot.

21

CEPF promotes biodiversity-friendly practices in production landscapes, such as conservation coffee farms that enhance livelihoods while protecting species.

22

Considering
importanceof building
and ensuring
that
local
organizations“Thoughthe
entrenchedissuessuch ascapacity
human poverty
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of vital
ecosys- have the opportunity to
act infavor
ofdaunting
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from fromthe perspectivetems
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sufferingthataccompanies
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donorsin thevisionarythat the andCritical
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proposed 10 years ago allows
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to provide
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But the
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committed
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conservation
harness
passion,organizations
throughout
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experienceand resources,
we canprovidethe
support communities need toreach vigorous, sustainable balance with their ecosystems.”
				- XXXXX, World Bank

Pierre Jacquet, chief economist of l’Agence Française de Développement

CEPF supports global efforts to protect animals, like this Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), through local groups that resolve human-wildlife conflict.

23

Fresh water quality and quantity are closely linked to the protection of the surrounding environment of creeks, rivers and lakes.

24

The evergreen forest is very important both in terms of being a watershed as well as in holdingback floods, a scourge that afflicts most of Assam for months during the rainy season. Most
experts agree that floods have become an intractable problem because we have been steadily
destroying our original hill and valley forests; nearly three-quarters of the Assam Valley forests
have disappeared within the last several decades. Forests also act as local climate regulators,
a key factor for the agriculture in this region—both of food crops and the world-famous Assamtea, which holds considerable acreage here and employs thousands. So whether we pick thecarnivores or the gibbons, or maybe a particular orchid found only here, the argument would
still be for the forest itself to be protected. The forest contains such amazing biodiversity in its
green heart; that would be reason enough to protect it. But we have a more selfish reason to
do so: our ecological security depends on it.
Kashmira Kakati, wildlife biologist working in her native Assam, India, and recipient of CEPF support

CEPF grantees working in the Philippines helped give conservation a central role in development planning in the Sierra Madre biodiversity corridor, Luzon Island.

25

In Madagascar, a man carries raffia leaves for house construction. CEPF grantees work with communities on sustainable use of forest products.

26

CEPF
is a uniquepartnershipthatsuchbringsinternationalNGOsnational“Thoughentrenchedissuesas together
human poverty
and thelossandof vital
ecosys- Government of Japan has been promoting together with partner countries andgovernments,and focusesresourcesand experienceon away
biodiversity
tems are daunting
and their
complex,
we cannot
afford to turnfrom them. The organizations. We hope that CEPF and the Satoyama Initiative develop synergies,
hotspots,
the thatmostaccompanies
biologically richyetisthreatenedareasandof theworld. The
CEPF
and contribute to implementing the new Strategic Plan of the Convention
sufferingthem
too devastating
long-term.
There
are
mechanism
develops
strategies
that allowand
us powerfulto get thoseresources
deepon Biological Diversity.
many goodpeople,strong initiatives
entities
workingwithinto
great
these
importantplaces andtoproblems
the people
live there.
This national
support andhas enabled
passionto address
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atwho
the local,
regional,
internaCEPF’s
grantrecipientsto make achievements
in both thelaudable
protectionof biologicalBecause Japan itself is a hotspot, biodiversity loss is our grave concern. Japantionalscale,and individually
they have accomplishedachievements.
diversity
andonlyhumanwell-being.
Antheindependent
evaluatorof theprogram has
But thestrategythat haspower to makelasting,
fundamental
difference takes pride in having become the first governmental donor to CEPF in 2002 andestimated
thatmatters
55,000atthreatened
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on these
both the local
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greatest also pledged our additional contribution for the second phase of its activities. This
investments
the 10 years
the Fund’s
operation.
DuringIfthat
time,
CEPF
strength overand innovation
is ofrealizedthroughcollaboration.
those
of us
whohasare year, which marks CEPF’s 10th anniversary and the International Year of Biodiversity,
also committed
supported toprojects
have createdmore than 2,500
provides an excellent opportunity to raise awareness among our citizens of thehumanthatwell-being
and conservation
jointlyenvironment-friendly
harness our passion,jobs experiencein activities suchas agriculture,
forestry,
fisheries,
ecotourism
and manufacturing.
importance of biodiversity protection and sustainable livelihoods for people.
and resources,
we canprovidethe support
communities
need to
CEPF’sactivities
havemuch in common
with their
the Satoyama
Initiative, which thereachvigorous,sustainablebalance withecosystems.”
				- XXXXX, World Bank

Ryu Matsumoto, minister of the environment, Japan

In the Tropical Andes Hotspot, CEPF supported projects that established 4 million hectares of new or expanded protected areas, safeguarding species like the Amazonian horned frog (Ceratophrys cornuta).

27

Chapter 3:

RESULTS
Our experience in the last 10 years has shown that focused investmentsthat enable civil society to lead highly strategic conservation initiatives
achieve results. These results include the following:• Nearly 1,600 civil society groups have received CEPF support.
• CEPF has committed $124 million in grants, while grant recipients
have been able to leverage an additional $261 million for hotspot
conservation, matching CEPF investment at a ratio greater than 2-to-1.
• During the last 10 years, CEPF investments represented only 0.5
percent of total biodiversity-related aid to developing countries, but
supported about 5 percent of the world’s key biodiversity areas.
• The Fund has engaged more than 20 industries as partners inbiodiversity conservation, including tourism, fisheries, cocoa, coffee,mining, rice, wine and forestry.

CEPF engages civil society at the grassroots, such as this women’s groupfrom the south coast of Kenya. Shared strategies like planted tree lots andfuel-efficient stoves reduce impact on remaining forests and the women’s
workload.

28

The challenge now is how we reconcile the need to conserve what little resources we have left with thegrowing challenges of providing for a growing population in a country coming out of conflict. These are
tough decisions, tough choices. But they’re tough choices that we have to make; otherwise our very
survival is in jeopardy. The role of CEPF has been one of creating enabling conditions for people to begin
to reflect very, very seriously on the tasks that lie ahead and realize some successes in the process. We
learned of the CEPF grants for biodiversity hotspots, and July 2002 is when conservation work began.
We [now] have a consolidation grant from CEPF that is helping to provide training for local people in local
arts and crafts, and they’re learning new skills and they can begin to see potential for earning an income.
They have structures in their communities; some of these places even have solar electricity, all part of ourinvolvement in that community. These are things they never had before, that they’ve never dreamt about
before—it is happening. So they recognize now that this island [Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone] is valuable,
and, as long as they leave it as is, good things will continue to happen to them.
Tommy Garnett, founder and director of regional programs, Environmental Foundation for Africa, based in Sierra Leone

Georgia’s lush Borjomi-Kharagauili National Park was one of the first places that the Caucasus Protected Areas Fund protected, using a sustainable funding mechanism supported by CEPF.

29• Grantees established more than 80 networks of civil society groups,
creating new models for collaboration in some areas that had beencharacterized by isolated, fragmented approaches.
• CEPF enabled the adoption of at least 25 policies, laws and regulationin support of biodiversity conservation and mainstreaming
conservation into development policy at local and national levels.
“The last decade of work by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
(CEPF) represents the most significant response of our species to date tostop the hemorrhaging of our planet’s biodiversity,” said David Olson ofConservation Earth in his 2010 independent evaluation of CEPF. The
report found that the single most significant contribution of CEPF has
been to provide much-needed conservation attention to many of thehighest priority biodiversity regions around the world. Without CEPF’s
intervention, the report states, it was highly unlikely that other programs
operating a decade ago could or would have stepped into these largely
neglected regions.

The orange-breasted sunbird (Nectarinia violacea) is endemic to South Africa, which hosts the Cape
Floristic Hotspot and portions of the Succulent Karoo and Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany hotspots.

30

As the global population approaches 7 billion and as the ecological foundation
for human well-being becomes increasingly imperiled, the vital importance of
CEPF becomes ever more apparent. This year, 2010, is the International Year of
Biodiversity. Now is the moment when the global community needs to invest in
CEPF, the most impactful global partnership for building civil society’s capacity
and commitment to protect the underpinnings of human well-being, our global
biodiversity.
Peter Seligmann, chairman and CEO, Conservation International

Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus), a Critically Endangered species endemic to the Indo-Burma Hotspot, is benefiting from community-based collaborative
management of its remaining forest refuges.

31

CONCLUSION
When you see images that capture the natural wonder of Earth’s
biodiversity hotspots—the stunning landscapes and the equally beautiful
people and other living beings they support—it is hard not to feel inspired.
The abundance and variety of life our ecosystems sustain are miraclesof a breadth and depth that is nearly impossible to fathom.
We try, however, to understand these complex systems and the services
they provide beyond beauty: food, water, medicines, crop pollination,
flood and climate control. A large, diverse network of conservation leaders
is operating at local, regional, national and global levels to gather data,
develop and implement practical plans, and provide crucial financial
and technical support to conserve these places.
CEPF and its partners have made important contributions to theconservation of global biological diversity. Our ecosystem profiles havesynthesized what is known about hotspots, frequently adding to thatbody of knowledge and increasing our baseline awareness of the statusof threatened and endangered species and ecosystems. Our grants havesupported innovative land-use and resource-management mechanisms
to solidify protected areas, create corridors and otherwise contribute to
the integrity of evolutionary processes in diverse habitats. Our civil society
partners have broken new ground in saving and even expanding reserves,using strategies old and new to construct truly viable places for nature’s
story to unfold.

This unique partnership has helped put people at the center of a newenvironmental attitude, one that values charismatic fauna, to be sure,but that also validates the place of humanity in any consideration of theplanet’s future. The model CEPF has created is highly effective primarily
because it is flexible and ensures that the people who have the biggest
stake in and impact on the areas it seeks to conserve—the communities
who live and work there—are the central figures in planning and carryingout the strategies to conserve them.
While many of the broad achievements of the partnership have beenoutlined in this book—such as its impact on the global protected area
network, job creation and strengthening thousands of small organizations
around the world—the essence of CEPF’s success is really the cumulative
impact of the thousands of partners and essential, and often small-scale,projects taking place in biodiversity hotspots the world over that willcontinue even after CEPF ceases funding them.

32

CEPF’s strategies integrate marine, freshwater and terrestrial conservation action, exemplified in the Polynesia-Micronesia Hotspot.

33

PHOTOS/CREDITS
Left to right:
COVER PHOTO:© Inaki Relanzon/naturepl.com, iLCPTITLE PAGE:© Staffan Widstrand/www.staffanwidstrand.se, iLCPFOREWORD:© Jaime Rojo, iLCPCHAPTER 2, GLOBAL TO LOCAL:© Tim Laman, iLCP
© CI/Photo by Jack Tordoff© Luciano Candisani, iLCP
© Jaime Rojo, iLCP
© Kevin Schafer, iLCP
© Sandesh Kadur/www.felis.in, iLCP© Tim Laman, iLCP
© Kevin Schafer, iLCPDEVELOPING CEPF:© Florian Schulz/www.visionsofthewild.com, iLCP
© Sandesh Kadur/www.felis.in, iLCP
© Tui De Roy/Roving Tortoise Photos, iLCPCHAPTER 3, RESULTS:© Theo Allofs, iLCP
© CI/Photo by John Watkin© Georg Popp/Wild Wonders of Europe, iLCP
© Jaime Rojo, iLCPINTRODUCTION:© CI/Photo by Piotr Naskrecki

CONCLUSION© Le Khac Quyet Fauna & Flora International

WHO WE ARE:
© Sandesh Kadur/www.felis.in, iLCPOPPOSITE:© Tim Laman, iLCPCHAPTER 1, STRATEGY:© Tim Laman, iLCP
© Maurizio Biancarelli2008/wwww.wild wonders.com, iLCP
© Jaime Rojo, iLCP
© Sandesh Kadur/www.felis.in, iLCPEND PAGE:© Murray Cooper, iLCPBACK COVER:© Theo Allofs, iLCPCONTRIBUTING WRITERS:Steven Krolak, Rob McNeil
EDITOR:
Julie Shaw
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR:
Robin Reid
PHOTO COORDINATORS:Sarah Claxton and Justin Black,
International League of Conservation
Photographers
ART DIRECTOR:
Samira Kordestani, www.samiradesign.com

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A snout beetle (Brachyderinae) rests on a bromeliad in the Ecuadorian rain forest.