Fish and Wildlife Service

Description

The Wildlife Without Borders-Latin America and the Caribbean Program (WWB-LAC) funds projects designed to strengthen the ability of Latin American and Caribbean institutions to manage and conserve species, habitats and ecological processes for the benefit of the people of the Americas and the world. Of particular interest are projects that build the human and institutional capacity to effectively conserve and manage natural protected areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. Program objectives are: 1) To advance, through capacity building, the transition of protected areas from legally established but under-implemented “paper parks” to effectively managed landscapes, benefiting species of regional concern; and 2) To develop, strengthen and replicate high-quality conservation training programs that reach the priority audiences associated with protected areas. The priority audiences for the training supported by this Program include: Protected area managers and administrators; Protected area guards and rangers; Protected area outreach and education specialists; Community leaders (living in and around protected areas); Upper-level students (working on projects in and around protected areas); and Decision-makers who influence protected areas (including private landowners, legislators, public officials). The subject areas for training/capacity building initiatives that this Program seeks to support include: • Protected Area/Buffer Zone Management • Sustainable Natural Resource Management • General Ecology and Biodiversity Practice • Private Management/Co-management • Law: Policy Understanding and Enforcement • Monitoring & Evaluation (species and populations) • Wildlife Disease • Human-Wildlife Conflict • Illegal Hunting • Ecosystem Rehabilitation/Restoration • Community Engagement/Public Participation • Environmental Education and Outreach • Environmental Leadership & Governance Development • Conflict Resolution/Management • Participatory Public Policy Development • Best Practices • Conservation Incentives (economic or other) • Conservation Finance Mechanisms • Sustainable Development and Ecotourism • Sustainable Resource Use (harvest & collection) • Project Development/Management • Grant Writing and Fundraising • Increasing Media Awareness • Establishing/Managing Partnerships (with domestic and international institutions/agencies that directly or indirectly influence protected areas) • Training Needs Assessment (identify & prioritize) Note: this list does not exclude other possible relevant topics, and not all subject areas will be relevant to all audiences. Projects should take place in Latin America or the Caribbean, ideally in a recognized high priority ecosystem or ecoregion of biome, or a key location associated with flagship, endangered or migratory species of regional concern. If work is to be conducted outside that region, the proposal must explain why it is preferable that the project is implemented elsewhere.

Who can apply

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
• Private institutions of higher education
• Individuals
• For-profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses
• Others

Contact

Brian Hayum
WWB_LAC@fws.gov