皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app UK government is today (22 May) celebrating by making funding available to protect wildlife across the globe.

皇冠体育app theme for this year is 鈥榦ur biodiversity, our food, our health鈥�. It comes as the re-opens for new projects to apply for funding in the latest round.

Since 1992, the fund has been putting an emphasis on nature and health, and providing security of food supply to rural communities in some of the most remote parts of the globe - supporting the Sustainable Development Goals on protecting and enhancing nature.

皇冠体育app Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which now accepts bids from projects aimed at combating the illegal trade in plants in addition to animal-focused projects, is also looking to back new schemes. This fund has received the support of 拢6 million of UK Aid over the next five years to make sure that more vital projects can go ahead.

Recent reports on international nature have put the issue of species loss high on the nation鈥檚 agenda. 皇冠体育app report showed nearly a million species are in danger of extinction and the Darwin Initiative is part of the UK government鈥檚 response to this emerging issue.

皇冠体育app latest round of funding comes during the government鈥檚 , a year-long drive to help people to connect with, protect and enhance nature.

Environment Minister Th茅r猫se Coffey said:

UN International Day for Biological Diversity celebrates the wonderful diversity of nature and wildlife around our planet.

Nature delivers many environmental benefits including clean air and water, sustainable food supplies, and recovery and resilience to natural disasters.

皇冠体育app Darwin Initiative delivers support for international nature conservation projects and many economic activities depend on nature, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism.

At the start of May, 32 new projects shared 拢8.2million in the 25th round of funding from the Darwin Initiative.

皇冠体育appre has been continuous progress made by ongoing schemes backed by the Darwin Initiative, with two highlights in Guinea and the Philippines.

Tropical Important Plant Areas in Guinea

Following three years of research, . 皇冠体育appse are the first Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) that have been identified in Africa.

This designation of the 22 TIPAs, which cover 3.5% of Guinea鈥檚 surface area and include more than 60% of 273 threatened species identified in the country, mean those plants will now stand a far greater chance of protection.

has helped to make sure this work takes place.

Dr Martin Cheek, Senior Research Leader at the , said:

This official status is vital in Guinea. Habitat loss has been devastating with calculations that 96% of the country鈥檚 original forest has already been cleared, and that which remains is under severe pressure. It looks like as many as 35 species have gone extinct in Guinea, from trees to minute herbs, daisies, peas and clematis, all due to human pressures. Twenty-five of these are globally unique to Guinea. So these are likely global extinctions.

Fisheries protection in the Philippines

皇冠体育app both aimed at better protecting important coastal habitats in the Philippines and making sure that local communities have access to sustainable fisheries.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a key tool for sustaining marine biodiversity and fish stocks. Twenty-five per cent of the world鈥檚 MPAs are in the Philippines, 95% of which are community based.

However, the average size of the critical no-take 鈥渞eplenishment鈥� zones within these MPAs is only 12 hectares, which is inadequate to fulfil conservation objectives, and only 12% were rated as sustained at the last assessment, owing to an overdependence on philanthropic funding.

Small and unsustainable MPAs are driven by a lack of adequate business models underpinning these conservation measures. As a result, marginalised fishing communities faced with the need to feed their families today cannot afford to set aside large enough areas in the hope that they will generate increased fish catches in the future. Additionally, MPAs have traditionally focused on coral reefs and have failed to incorporate other critical habitats.

ZSL鈥檚 (Zoological Society of London) Net-Works initiative has been pioneering the iMPA - which describes the 鈥渋deal MPA鈥�, but also interpreted as innovative, inclusive, improved. 皇冠体育appse are bigger in size, better managed and enforced and sustainably financed using the Net-Works business model.

Dr Nick Hill, Senior Technical Specialist at , said:

Darwin Initiative funding for the first two iMPAs has gained the support of local government. 皇冠体育appse two MPAs are nearly 50 times the average size of MPAs in the Philippines, with no-take replenishment zones 16 times bigger.

This is a key milestone for ZSL鈥檚 project and proves that in the Philippines larger community-based MPAs make a meaningful contribution towards the Philippines鈥� nationally-mandated target of protecting 15% of municipal waters.

Projects supported by the Darwin Initiative are illustrative of a 鈥榳in-win鈥� approach, encouraging sustainable livelihoods whilst conserving some of the world鈥檚 iconic and endangered species and landscapes, which benefits us all.