Supported Projects for EbA Facility Grants
Projects to be supported should contribute to the realization of the strategic objective of the EbA Facility, which is to sustainably manage EbA supporting marine and coastal zone habitats, including rehabilitating key high biodiversity ecosystems and incorporating social and economic resilience to climate change.
Successful projects must:
- show a clear EbA focus, that is, the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.
- be focused on the marine and coastal zones or demonstrate direct impact on these zones. Please see the project flyers for EbA Facility grantees from the 1st Call for Proposals for examples of previous successful applications.
- include restoration and rehabilitation of ecosystems, management of protected areas, reduction of negative impacts of climate-related threats, measures to reduce physical damage and other related pressures on ecosystems, installation of artificial reefs, and hybrid solutions (gray-green infrastructure) relevant to the EbA approach. Protected areas (PAs) management support can be considered in protected areas that are relevant to ecosystem-based adaptation.
- be focused on helping people adapt to adverse effects of climate change, reduce disaster risk, and build resilient ecosystems and economies. In addition, grants should focus on the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services and may include developing and replicating successful models.
Supported projects that realize the EbA Facility's strategic objective can include:
This intervention category covers a range of management activities that directly protect habitats in order to reduce climate risks. It also covers activities that directly restore or rehabilitate habitats in order to reduce climate risks. Restoration activities could include conventional (well-established) natural habitat restoration approaches, new types of natural habitat restoration approaches, and hybrid solutions that combine build infrastructure with natural habitats. Hybrid solutions, also known as green-gray solutions, often provide cost effective, long-term climate resilience to vulnerable communities and infrastructure. Illustrative activities include but are not limited to:
- Management programs to mitigate the major threats to protected areas or marine managed areas that reduce climate risks and provide other ecosystem services.
- Alternative and sustainable livelihood programs explicitly designed to strengthen protected areas or marine managed areas that reduce climate risks and provide other ecosystem services.
- Restore coral reefs through coral nursery and out-planting operations that reduce climate risks and provide other ecosystem services. This could include new technologies and approaches for scaling up coral restoration.
- Restore mangroves through nursery and out-planting operations that reduce climate risks and provide other ecosystem services.
- Restore sea-grass beds throughout-planting operations that reduce climate risks and provide other ecosystem functions.
- Reduce land-based sources of pollution that have contributed to degradation of marine and coastal zone ecosystems and which affect their resilience to climate change.
- Restore upland forests and riparian areas (linked to, and clearly demonstrating, climate risk reduction for coastal zones) through reforestation and sustainable forest management operations that reduce climate risks and provide other ecosystem services.
- Implement “hybrid” restoration solutions (green-gray approaches) which integrate traditional “gray” engineering structures, such as sea walls or coastal armoring, and “green” infrastructure such as conservation and restoration of mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass and coastal wetlands. Activities may include new and innovative approaches that reduce climate risks and provide other ecosystem services.
- Calculation of greenhouse gas emissions reduced, or carbon stocks enhanced through project activities
This intervention category is to be engaged in tandem with the interventions identified in the section above. It covers a range of activities linked to community engagement in reducing climate risks and building adaptive capacities associated with restoration and rehabilitation. Activities could be designed to create greater understanding, capacity and participation among the people most affected by climate change, and that most depend on ecosystem services provided by natural habitats. Illustrative activities include but are not limited to:
- Promote diversified, supplemental and sustainable livelihoods that can simultaneously reduce social vulnerability and reduce pressures on EbA-supporting marine and coastal resources
- Promote sustainable agriculture as a means of relieving the pressure on marine and coastal zone ecosystems as well as providing for enhanced food security.
- Raise awareness of local communities and local decision-makers regarding EbA and climate risk reduction
- Ensure the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the planning and implementation process to generate benefits such improved plans and stewardship, increased understanding, and support for EbA measures, legitimized process, facilitated knowledge and sharing, generated ownership, and enhanced social and technical innovation
- Support EbA efforts through learning networks, communities of practice, and knowledge co-production
- Operate with principles of free, prior and informed consent when engaging with different groups to ensure appropriate outcomes
Across the above intervention categories, the EbA Facility could support the testing and development of new EbA models that could be scaled up, including new approaches, techniques and technologies. Illustrative examples include but are not limited to:
- Ridge to reef (R2R) approach: This approach emphasizes the connectivity of adjacent ecosystems, from upland forests to coastal areas, and ensures a wholistic, systems view of the effects of connected ecosystems on a particular coastal population. Direct impact on the coastal zone must be demonstrated.
- New approaches to coral restoration: This could include the deployment of technologies that have been developed in recent years, designed to scale up restoration efforts (e.g. micro-fragmentation, enhancement of natural coral reproduction, and the use of new types of remote sensing technologies to monitor and map coral reefs).
- Community-based adaptation (CbA) approach: This approach emphasizes community participation and leadership in EbA projects—covering community priorities, needs, knowledge and capacities—to empower coastal communities to plan and cope with the impacts of climate change.
- Resilient landscape approach: A resilient landscape can be defined as one where people have the means and capacities to make natural resources, production systems, and the economy work for all and for nature over the long term. Direct impact on the coastal zone must be demonstrated.
- Economic models for quantifying benefits to communities through EbA projects.
- Transformative co-production or knowledge co-production to effectively translate science into policy and actions
In alignment with the CBF’s vision of a Caribbean region where both its natural environment and people thrive, the proposed projects should yield significant environmental and social net benefits to the region. Proponents applying to this Call for Proposals should demonstrate that they are able to identify, assess, and manage the environmental, social, and climate change-related risks and impacts of their projects.
Applicants are encouraged to consult the CBF Environmental and Social Policy and Exclusion List to make sure that their Concept Notes are aligned with the CBF’s requirements.
Projects Size
This intervention category covers a range of management activities that directly protect habitats in order to reduce climate risks. It also covers activities that directly restore or rehabilitate habitats in order to reduce climate risks. Restoration activities could include conventional (well-established) natural habitat restoration approaches, new types of natural habitat restoration approaches, and hybrid solutions that combine build infrastructure with natural habitats. Hybrid solutions, also known as green-gray solutions, often provide cost effective, long-term climate resilience to vulnerable communities and infrastructure. Illustrative activities include but are not limited to:
Large grants would be in the range of USD 1M to USD 2M, with some exceptions for larger grants involving multi-country/regional projects. These grants could cover projects that target broad geographic scales and larger-scale impacts (e.g. regional, national and seascape-scale projects). Grantees could be international, regional and national-level entities (government and non-governmental) with a track record of managing grants of this size in the last three years.
Whenever possible, co-financing should be identified. United National agencies and private sector applicants are expected to commit at least matching finance in support of the grant request (50% CBF; 50% cofinance).
Applicants are asked to note that a separate bank account dedicated to the EbA Facility grant must be opened by organizations in the event that an award is approved on the basis of successful proposals.
Project Duration
The projects may be implemented in a maximum period of 36 months.
