News

« The 4th call for projects of the second phase of the Small Scale Initiative Program was closed on February 15^th 2011. We received 87 projects, 82 from West Africa and 105 from Central Africa, Madagascar and Mozambique. The selection committee held meeting on April 28^th 2011 and decided to grant 12 projects, 4 from West Africa: CREDI ONG and BEES from Benin, JVE from Togo and CERCOPAN from Nigeria. During the second phase of the program, 19 projects were implemented in 9 western African countries.

As the program will enter a third phase, you will find all necessary information to submit a project on the FFEM website (www.ffem.fr) in june. “

Koutous Natural Resources Exploitation Cooperative/Sahara Conservation Fund

The last three months, the project for reinforcing the population of red-neck ostriches in captivity devoted itself, on the Kellé site, to improving infrastructures and pens so that the eight ostriches living there would be in favourable conditions for reproduction. Even though breeding conditions, food and sanitary monitoring have been improved, the reproduction of red-neck ostriches remains very delicate. Indeed, this year, three couples have laid six eggs, but unfortunately no ostrich has survived.  In order to increase their chances to multiply the population of red-neck ostriches, NGOs have found it necessary to increase the number of breeding birds.  Thanks to this project, the farm has reached a level of professionalism that can be compared to that of American or South African farms. NGOs eventually have the ambition to reintroduce ostriches in their natural milieu from which they had totally disappeared since many years. For more information, please contact M. Thomas RABEIL (thomas.rabeil@gmail.com) or M Abdoulaye HAROUNA (abdouharouna2002@yahoo.fr) or consult the document attached.

Association for the safeguarding of Niger Giraffes (ASGN)

In March 2011, general assemblies that gathered the beneficiaries of the project have been organized in the area of Fandou giraffes’ conservation. The associations established within the framework of the project have been accompanied by the ASGN NGO which intervenes in these villages since 2010 through the permanent presence of an organizer. Thanks to this giraffes safeguarding project which conservation actions lean upon local development and sensitization, 112 men and women associations have been established in order to set up money-making activities such as tree nurseries, breeding and catering. The main area of giraffes’ concentration has long been that of Kouré and Dallal Bosso at 60 km from Niamey where local development activities such as ecotourism have been developed in order to guarantee good collaboration between villagers and giraffes. For approximately five years, about twenty giraffes have been living in the Fandou area, at 120 km in the north of Kouré, where they also live close to houses. For more information, contact M Omer DOVI (omerdovi@yahoo.fr, d.omerkodjo@gmail.com) or M Moussa KAILOU (moussakai@yahoo.fr). You can also consult the attached document.

What is PPI?

The programme
The small-scale initiatives programme is financed by the French Global Environment Fund (FFEM) and aims at strengthening the contribution of civil society of Central and West Africa, Madagascar and Mozambique to the protection of world environment through small-scale projects implemented by local actors. IUCN French Committee implements the Programme in the region concerned, with the support of IUCN-PAPACO for West Africa.

After a first phase from 2006 to 2008 during which 56 projects have been funded, the Programme started its second phase in 2009 for two years.

The environmental issues eligible are conservation of biodiversity and fight against climate change, which help to improve local populations living conditions.

Beneficiaries

•  Associations and NGOs : NGOs of the countries listed, professional associations, women associations, youth and their federations, provided that they have a declared legal statute and can receive grants. If necessary, the associations which don't have an adequate statute can be recognized NGO provided that the project allows the recognition in fine of the beneficiary. NGOs which have particularly positive results which can be generalized could be supported through several phases.

•  Territorial collectivities: They will be able to intervene directly or associated with an NGO.

•  Private enterprises which develop eligible specific actions, notably: sustainable exploitation of non timber forest products, ecotourism, strengthening biodiversity management measures, setting up eco-certification. In the field of climate change, enterprises which are eligible are those which recycle waste, produce biogas or electrify remote areas using renewable energies, if their impacts are measurable.

•  International NGOs including French NGOs which support a national NGO which do not have an official statute yet: their projects are eligible if they allow the official recognition of these national NGOs. The capacity building of local organizations should be made explicit and include checkable result indicators.

What kind of intervention?

What relationship between PPI and PAPACO?

For this second phase, CF-IUCN relies on PAPACO for the selection and follow-up of West Africa projects. Thus, PAPACO accompanies and helps the programme by its knowledge of the region, its IUCN network experience and expertise in order to develop as well as possible projects' owners' skills and strengthen the capacities of civil society's actors which commit themselves in conservation and development.

How to apply for PPI?

The access to funding is done through a contest. The grant application and the contest rules file can be downloaded from FFEM website (www.ffem.net). The calls for projects are posted on the same site; information is also available on the PAPACO website. Funding is granted by a selecting committee.

PPI news

For the last call for projects, 5 West African projects have been selected for funding. Click on each project's link to see its descriptive sheet

Presently, these projects are being started.

Other PPI projects in progress: