UK calls for project bids for Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund

The British High Commission in Windhoek is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the third round of Defra’s Illegal Wildlife Challenge Fund.
As in the previous two rounds, applicants can bid for funding to support practical projects around the world to help:
·Develop sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by the illegal wildlife trade;
·strengthen law enforcement and criminal justice systems; and
·reduce demand for the products of the illegal wildlife trade.
To date, Defra has funded 34 successful projects worth £9.8 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding.
The Challenge Fund application has a two-stage application process, with a light touch initial application stage. The benefits are:
·accessibility for smaller organisations: a very detailed application is required only if there’s a genuine chance of success, and
·feedback after stage one offers an opportunity to improve the quality of final project proposals.
The deadline for applications to Stage One of the Challenge Fund is 17 August 2016. More information on the new round, the application forms, and a list of the successful projects can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/illegal-wildlife-trade-iwt-challenge-fund.
The British High Commission in Windhoek is also pleased to announce that the UK is now inviting applications for main projects under the Darwin Initiative, a UK government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment through locally based projects worldwide. Further information, guidance and forms can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/darwin-initiative-applying-for-main-project-funding.
Contacts: FCO: Shaun Clarke at [email protected]; Defra: Verity Zurita at [email protected] and Emma Black at [email protected].