Four local projects to compete for environmental funds
11.08.2009
Following the approval of four local environmental projects by the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) secretariat, training is now taking place to help stakeholders develop their proposals before they compete for funds.
Mr Greenhow leading the workshop yesterday
The MFF is an initiative to promote investment in coastal ecosystems that build on a history of coastal management interventions before and after the 2004 tsunami.
The projects were presented by the Green Islands Foundation and Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (GIF-MCSS), the Eco-Tourism Society of Seychelles (Tess), the Seychelles University Foundation (SUF) and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Transport.
“Coastal development and ecosystem modelling as a tool to enable improved local and national policy and decision-making processes” is the project title for the GIF-MCSS.
Tess is interested in: “The coastal rehabilitation for eco-tourism pilot project development in the Anse Royale district”.
The SUF’s project is based on the development of a training programme in ecosystem-based adaptation within the School of Tropical and Marine Science, while the ministry wants funds to boost community involvement in ecotourism, mangroves and beach management in Seychelles.
All four stakeholders need to complete their full project proposals and send them to the MFF secretariat for approval by the regional steering committee before August 31.
Mr Greenhow said under the MFF there is a small projects fund, with a budget ranging from US $10,000 to US $25,000, and a large projects fund that goes from US $50,000 up to a maximum of US $300,000.
He said the four proposals submitted fall into the category of large projects, which must meet more stringent criteria as they involve more funding.
“It is very important that stakeholders design their project proposals in a systematic way so as to convince evaluators, who most of the time do not have a clue about Seychelles’ challenges,” he explained.
He said competition to get funding from the MFF can sometimes be very high as there are lots of organisations in the running.
National coordinator for the MFF Lyndy Bastienne said the projects will not necessarily be approved by the committee, but the design of the proposals has a vital role to play in the decision.
She explained that projects can be either action-oriented or policy-based, but all have to be beneficial to the community.
The workshop is also a chance for representatives of other organisations planning to seek funding through the MFF to learn more about how to design project proposals, she added.