Colombian National Protected Areas Conservation Trust Fund

The project seeks to design and implement a Protected Areas Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) that will promote the consolidation and long-term sustainability of Colombia’s National Protected Areas System (NPAS.) This objective is a key strategy of the Colombian Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development and, specifically, of the principal project partner: the National Natural Parks Authority (NPA.) The project aims to enlarge stakeholder participation to include previously marginalized Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and Peasant communities who inhabit buffer zones and conservation corridors surrounding National Natural Parks (NPs.) A principal project objective is to design management plans (MPs) with local communities favoring biodiversity conservation and developing innovative market-based incentives and projects that will improve local communities’ socio-economic conditions. The Fund will also consolidate the National Protected Area System (NPAS). 12 Sept 2005 The Protected Areas Conservation Trust Fund is being designed as a foundation under a private sector legal regime with a public-private board composition. The new foundation, FONCAP is envisioned to have both endowment and sinking funds: a sinking account to direct capacity building investments seeking effective consolidation of 14 Conservation Mosaics, and an endowment account to cover recurrent operational costs for at least 3 Conservation Mosaics. A competitive selection process will be undertaken during the project's 3rd year whereby CMs will be rated according to their resource execution and consolidation capabilities. Project Mosaics with the highest ratings will sign on to the endowment to receive financial resources to perpetuity cover their incremental recurrent costs.