Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF)

The proposed project will support a partnership (the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, CEPF) between the GEF, the World Bank, Conservation International (CI), bilateral organizations, private donors, governments and local communities. It will be targeted to assist conservation and sustainable use activities in 21 of the 25 most important “hot spots” in the planet. These areas harbor a disproportionately large amount of terrestrial biodiversity (potentially up to 70 percent of total) in relation to their size, are under substantive threat, and require urgent attention. Through the support of this partnership, the GEF will be furthering its global environmental objectives by increasing its funding leverage; leveraging further action of other players such as international NGOs (CI); increasing GEF presence on particular regions of the world that harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the planet; collaborating with key stakeholders such as small, local NGOs and community members representatives; assisting in further mainstreaming global environmental concerns in the World Bank agenda in the regions addressed by the project; increasing awareness of biodiversity and its importance on sustaining life in the planet in key regions of the world; increasing agility in the delivery of funds and increased accountability.