Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry (BIOFOR)1999 -2007 In keeping with its long-standing commitment to environmental initiatives, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) established the Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry (BIOFOR) program. The contract was awarded to two consortiums of organizations under an Indefinite Quantity Contract (IQC) with a ceiling value of US$75 million. Pact is a member in the consortium lead by Chemonics International Inc. BIOFOR activities are global with emphasis on the geographic regions of Europe and the Newly Independent States, Latin America and Caribbean, Middle East and Africa and Asia. It is implemented through long- and short-term task orders and sole-source or limited-competition provisions. The program provides a wide array of services quickly and effectively, helping nations conserve biological diversity, save and replenish forests, and counter the adverse effects of global climate change. Thematic sectors include biodiversity conservation, forest management, global climate change mitigation, institutional development, research, analysis and communication, project management and support. BIOFOR also focuses on the global side of conservation efforts, such as financial markets, public sector modernization, banking and finance, and economic growth and privatization. Task ordersNumerous BIOFOR task orders have been completed and/or are currently underway. Task orders implemented with participation by Pact include:
Conservation of Managed Indigenous Areas (CAIMAN)As part of the USAID's Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry (BIOFOR) IQC, Pact, in collaboration with Chemonics International is implementing biodiversity conservation efforts in the Awa, Cofán, and Huaorani territories of Ecuador. Its purpose is to establish the conditions for biodiversity conservation by indigenous peoples through addressing:
The importance of indigenous organizations (e.g., federations) that can represent and speak on behalf of indigenous people is likely to increase indigenous peoples are forced to interact more closely with the society at large around environmental issues. Federations, such as FCAE, representing the Awa people, can and do exert a certain regulatory and coordinating function within the indigenous territory; however, other federations such as ONHAE, representing the Huaoranis, and FEINCE, representing the Cofáns, are ill-equipped to face the challenges that lie ahead. At the same time the organizations that helped bring the federations to their current level, have themselves capacity building needs if they are to continue to provide the necessary support to the indigenous organizations. Pact's role is to build the institutional capacity of indigenous federations and closely associated NGOs to become more effective partners and to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity conservation initiatives. Pact will design an institutional capacity building program tailored to each of six different organizations; three indigenous federations and three supporting NGOs. Pact's approachCAIMAN is undertaking a combination of local, territorial, and national level actions focused on indigenous organizations and individuals as the legitimate guardians of indigenous territories and the biodiversity that exists within them. As a part of this effort Pact is pursuing three objectives: To determine the institutional capacity building needs of ONHAE, FEINCE, FCAE, Altropico, and FSPC. This includes a thorough evaluation of the institutional strengthening needs for the three indigenous federations and three NGOs that have supported the indigenous organizations over time. Institutional development specialists will meet with the federations in Ibarra, Puyo, and Lago Agrio. Design an institutional capacity building program tailored to each of the six institutions. Based on the evaluation and self-assessment exercise, Pact will design a program to remedy the institutional deficiencies identified. This will include the development of training modules that can be fully developed and implemented by Ecuadorian organizations, as well as recommendations on optimal staffing pattern, administration procedures and costing methods accounting systems, and personnel policy. Implement a self-assessment system that these organizations can use to gauge their progress towards institutional maturity, and CAIMAN can use as part of its performance monitoring plan. This will establish an institutional capacity baseline that will be used by CAIMAN and the beneficiary organizations to monitor progress. Environmental/Rural Development Transition Program in Madagascar
(January 2004 - September 2004) Pact is providing technical services for the coordination, supervision, management and implementation of selected national level and eco-regional level activities during the transition period between the end of the current USAID/Biodiversity Conservation Strategic Objective and the launching of new mechanisms under the new USAID/ Madagascar Integrated Strategic Plan (2003-2008). Pact's work in Madagascar dates back to 1991 and has contributed considerably to the conservation efforts of the island's rich biodiversity. More than 80% of Madagascar's flora and fauna are endemic and threatened by the high degree of environmental degradation, where natural forest areas have declined from about 25% in 1950 to less than 15% today. Forest destruction is eliminating viable habitat critical to plants and animals. Pact's approachPact has strengthened the organizational capacity of civil society organizations and government agencies in natural resource management and conservation of habitats at the local, regional, and national level. Under this task order Pact is continuing to assist these organizations in bridging the current efforts with the new USAID/ Madagascar Integrated Strategic Plan. Pact's expertise is being invested at various levels, including:
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