December 2005

New Funds Herald New Era for Liberia’s Sapo National Park

With help from a CEPF grant, Fauna & Flora International supported Sapo National Park through Liberia's turbulent past. With the recent end to hostilities there, however, a new grant from the Global Environment Facility ensures a secure future for this national park in the Guinean Forests of West Africa Hotspot.

November 2005

Journal Boosts Biodiversity Knowledge

Lack of biodiversity data is one of the major obstacles to taking effective conservation action in the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenya. The Journal of East African Natural History is addressing this problem by serving as a reservoir for information gathered in species documentation and research and conservation work.

October 2005

A Sky Without Vultures Points to Ecosystem in Peril

West African vultures play a vital role in preventing the spread of illness and disease in livestock and humans and act as indicators of ecosystem health. However, over the last 30 years, populations of six West African vulture species have drastically declined, underscoring the critical state of the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot.

September 2005

Brazil Nut Farmers Crack Forest Conservation in the Tropical Andes

One hundred and thirty pioneering Brazil nut producers in the Amazonian region of Madre de Dios, Peru recently won formal Brazil nut concessions from the Peruvian National Institute for Natural Resources. The establishment of these concessions ensures legal protection for 225,000 hectares of primary tropical forest.

August 2005

Malagasy Communities' Win Benefits Fish Eagle

Two community associations recently won approval from the government of Madagascar to manage wetland sites that provide important natural resources for their local villages and habitat for the Critically Endangered Madagascar fish eagle. The official handover marked a major success for both the communities and The Peregrine Fund.

July 2005

New Wildlife Refuge a “Laboratory for Sustainable Development”

Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco declared Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge as a new protected area in June. The refuge is designed to assure the survival of more than 200 species of plants and animals, and provide economic development opportunities for local people.

June 2005

New Monkey Species Found in Tanzania

Scientists have discovered Africa's first new species of monkey in more than 20 years. The discovery, described in a recent issue of the journal Science, was made by two research teams working independently in the Tanzanian part of the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests Region.

May 2005

Fires Sweep Guatemalan Protected Area

Raging fires started to clear land and regenerate grassland pasture have burned 50 percent of Laguna del Tigre National Park since the beginning of March, consuming huge tracts of rain forest and wetlands in one of Northern Mesoamerica’s most important biodiversity areas. Experts say the best hope for the future is closer cooperation between government, nongovernmental organizations and community groups.

April 2005

CEPF Heads for the Eastern Himalayas

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund recently won approval from the CEPF Donor Council to expand to the Eastern Himalayas, a biologically rich region comprising Bhutan, northeastern India and southern, central, and eastern Nepal. CEPF will begin implementation with introductory workshops in select areas and a first call for proposals.

March 2005

New Partners Dig in to Secure a Flourishing Future for Plant Talk

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has joined five leading conservation and botanical organizations in a new initiative to support Plant Talk magazine. A key aim for the new partnership is to widen the magazine’s appeal and place a stronger emphasis on the conservation and sustainable use of plants used by people in both traditional and modern societies around the world.

February 2005

World Bank, CEPF Forge Greater Links

Representatives from the World Bank, CEPF, local civil society groups and governments across Latin America recently met in the Atlantic Forest Hotspot to explore improving linkages between CEPF and Bank operations. The workshop was the first in a series of regional meetings designed by the World Bank’s Global Programs and Partnerships Group.

January 2005

Civil Society Groups Lead Relief Efforts

On tsunami-ravaged Sumatra, the daily business of many local conservationists changed overnight from working to preserve the Indonesian island's unique natural resources to leading relief efforts to help their fellow citizens. Coalitions of CEPF grant recipients and other partners collected and delivered food, medicine and water supplies to the devastated Aceh and North Sumatra provinces.