The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on Tuesday 4 August that the European Commission, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the IUCN are mobilising a total of €6 million in emergency funds to address biodiversity conservation needs arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The funds will be distributed through two programmes managed by IUCN, the aim of which is to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on the management of protected areas and endangered species.
“The pandemic has left local communities who protect wildlife struggling to make a living, and many threatened species increasingly exposed”, said Dr Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General.
The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Rapid Response Grants, supported by OACPS and the European Commission, are expected to fund approximately 60 projects, with a total budget of €2 million.
The European Commission and IUCN are making €4 million available as Rapid Action Grants under the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.
The grants will “support anti-poaching patrols in response to the risk of increased poaching incidents”, said Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)