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<tt><font color="#003399"><font size="-1"><b><big>Good Morning<big><small><big>
</big>CDHC Members,<br>
I am forwarding you this RFP notification for international coral
research incase you haven't seen it yet.<br>
Cheryl Woodley</small><br>
</big></big><br>
<br>
</b></font></font>>From: "Eileen Alicea"
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:Eileen.Alicea@noaa.gov"><Eileen.Alicea@noaa.gov></a><br>
>Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 14:18:14 -0500<br>
>Subject: [WCEN] NOAA International Coral Conservation Grants<br>
><br>
>NOAA International Coral Conservation Grants<br>
><br>
>An opportunity for funding of international <br>
>coral reef projects is now available through<br>
>NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program, <br>
>which was published in the Federal<br>
>government grants<br>
>website on Tuesday, July 2, 2003. Applications <br>
>for funding are DUE TO NOAA on March<br>
>12, 2004.<br>
><br>
>The Fiscal Year 2004 Federal Funding Opportunity <br>
>provides specific information on the<br>
>eligibility, proposal content, etc., for each of <br>
>the four international coral conservation project<br>
>categories included in this year's funding. To <br>
>access the PDF file of this Federal Funding<br>
>Opportunity, please go to <a
href="http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/coralgrants.html.">http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/coralgrants.html.</a><br>
><br>
>Eligible Applicants<br>
>Eligible applicants include all international, <br>
>governmental, and non-governmental organizations,<br>
>including the Federated States of Micronesia, <br>
>Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the<br>
>Marshall Islands. Eligibility is also contingent <br>
>upon whether activities undertaken with respect<br>
>to the application would be consistent with any <br>
>applicable conditions or restrictions imposed<br>
>by the U.S. government.<br>
><br>
>The International Grant Program has four project categories:<br>
><br>
>1. Promote Watershed Management in Wider <br>
>Caribbean small island communities excluding<br>
>the Mesoamerican coral reef corridor: : The <br>
>National Action Plan encourages the U.S. to<br>
>"provide<br>
>assistance in managing and conserving reef <br>
>ecosystems and their watersheds." Further, the<br>
>U.S. and its partners are launching the White <br>
>Water to Blue Water Initiative presented at the<br>
>World Summit on Sustainable Development. This <br>
>Partnership emphasizes a cross-sectoral<br>
>approach to marine resources management <br>
>beginning with the upstream watershed and<br>
>extending to the adjacent marine environment, <br>
>including coral ecosystems. It is intended to<br>
>help implement international agreements and <br>
>programs, for example, the Barbados<br>
>Programme of Action for the Sustainable <br>
>Development of Small Island Developing States, <br>
>The<br>
>Convention for the Protection and Development of <br>
>the Marine Environment of the Wider<br>
>Caribbean Region (the Cartagena Convention) and <br>
>its three protocols (including The Protocol<br>
>concerning Pollution from Land-based Sources and <br>
>Activities), and the International Coral<br>
>Reef Initiative. Therefore, IPO<br>
>will fund activities that implement best <br>
>management practices that reduce or control <br>
>runoff to<br>
>near shore coral reef ecosystems in the Wider <br>
>Caribbean; assess effectiveness of these<br>
>management practices; engage stakeholders and <br>
>government agencies in collaborative<br>
>partnerships to implement these practices; and <br>
>recommend a set of best management practices<br>
>that can be applied to small island Caribbean systems.<br>
><br>
>2. Enhance Management Effectiveness of Marine <br>
>Protected Areas (MPAs): The "National<br>
>Action Plan" calls for strengthening the <br>
>protection of resources within existing MPAs. <br>
>NOAA<br>
>has launched a strategic partnership with the <br>
>World Conservation Union÷s (IUCN) World<br>
>Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and World <br>
>Wildlife Fund (WWF) International to<br>
>improve the management of MPAs by providing <br>
>managers, planners and other decision<br>
>makers with methods for assessing the <br>
>effectiveness of MPA sites. Therefore, IPO will <br>
>fund<br>
>activities at coral MPA sites that are building <br>
>an adaptive management and evaluation program<br>
>and will conduct an assessment of management <br>
>effectiveness in order to strengthen and<br>
>achieve the<br>
>site goals and objectives. The first subcategory <br>
>of the Management Effectiveness category will<br>
>emphasize single site projects and the second <br>
>subcategory will emphasize regional capacity<br>
>building in the WCPA-Marine/WWF methodology. <br>
>Project must incorporate the approach<br>
>being developed by the WCPA-Marine/WWF <br>
>International MPA Management Effectiveness<br>
>Initiative. The approach can be found in the <br>
>working draft of How is Your MPA Doing?<br>
>Guidebook for Evaluating Effectiveness of MPA’s <br>
>posted at <a href="http://effectiveMPA.noaa.gov.">http://effectiveMPA.noaa.gov.</a><br>
><br>
>3. Encourage Regional Approaches to Further <br>
>No-Take Marine Reserves in the Wider<br>
>Caribbean and Southeast Asia: The "National <br>
>Action Plan" highlights the role that highly<br>
>protected areas play in creating a network of <br>
>coral marine protected areas for biodiversity,<br>
>conservation and sustainable fisheries <br>
>management. Through this program, IPO will fund<br>
>regional level activities that benefit existing <br>
>or proposed marine reserve networks of 2 or more<br>
>sites in one or more countries in the Wider <br>
>Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Preference will be<br>
>given to projects that involve 2 or more <br>
>countries. However, funds awarded to the project<br>
>through this announcement may not be allocated <br>
>for work at a U.S. site. Southeast Asia shall<br>
>be defined by Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, <br>
>Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand,<br>
>and Vietnam. Furthermore, proposed regional <br>
>level activities must address the needs of<br>
>no-take marine reserves in the regions as <br>
>identified in the WCPA – Marine Caribbean<br>
>Regional Enhancement Plan and the WCPA-Marine <br>
>Southeast Asia Regional Action Plan.<br>
><br>
>4. Promote Socio-Economic Monitoring in Coral <br>
>Reef Management: The "National Action<br>
>Plan" highlights that the human dimension is <br>
>often overlooked in developing coral reef<br>
>management strategies and calls <br>
>for measures to enhance understanding of<br>
>stakeholder benefits and resolve important user <br>
>conflicts. Recognizing the importance of the<br>
>human dimension, the GCRMN published The Socioeconomic Manual for
Coral Reef<br>
>Management, in partnership with NOAA, WCPA, and <br>
>the Australian Institute of Marine<br>
>Science (AIMS), a guide to conducting <br>
>socioeconomic assessments of reef user groups. As<br>
>follow-up, the GCRMN, WCPA-Marine and NOAA are working with ICLARM,
the<br>
>University of West Indies and other partners in <br>
>the regions to develop socioeconomic<br>
>monitoring programs specific to Southeast Asia <br>
>and the Wider Caribbean. These regional<br>
>programs include three key phases: (1) development of SocMon, i.e.,<br>
>standardized, simple socioeconomic monitoring <br>
>guidelines for each region; (2) socioeconomic<br>
>training workshops for reef managers to learn <br>
>how to conduct SocMon, specifically how to<br>
>establish socioeconomic monitoring programs at <br>
>their sites; and, (3) establishment of<br>
>socioeconomic monitoring programs at <br>
>participants coral reef management programs. <br>
>Under<br>
>this project category, IPO will fund phase three <br>
>- the establishment of socioeconomic<br>
>monitoring programs at coral reef sites in Southeast Asia and the
Wider<br>
>Caribbean. Proposals for such work in the Wider <br>
>Caribbean must utilize the SocMon-Wider<br>
>Caribbean Guidelines; and similarly, proposals <br>
>for work in Southeast Asia must utilize the<br>
>SocMon-Southeast Asia Guidelines. For the <br>
>purpose of this project category, Southeast Asia<br>
>shall be defined as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, <br>
>Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore,<br>
>Thailand, and Vietnam.<br>
><br>
>Approximately $400,000 will be available in FY 2004 to support 8-10
grants and<br>
>cooperative agreements under this program, <br>
>subject to the availability of funds. <br>
>Approximately<br>
>$75,000-$100,000 will be allocated to each of <br>
>the four project categories as listed below,<br>
>with the following award ranges:<br>
><br>
>a. Watershed Management: Up to $75,000<br>
>b. Management Effectiveness:<br>
> (1) Single site projects: $20,000-$40,000<br>
> (2) Regional capacity building projects: $100,000<br>
>c. Marine Reserves: $25,000 - $40,000<br>
>d. Socio-economic Monitoring: $15,000 - $25,000<br>
><br>
>For more information, please contact Eileen <br>
>Alicea at <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:eileen.alicea@noaa.gov">eileen.alicea@noaa.gov</a> or<br>
>301-713-3078 x218.<br>
><br>
><br>
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