 |
 |
|
  
|
Published Friday, April 24,
2020
$600,000
available to finance environmental
projectsBy the A.M. Costa Rica staff Entrepreneurs, foundations or associations with projects related to actions to mitigate the impacts of covid-19 on the biodiversity and livelihoods of communities can be eligible for the call for projects of the First Debt for Nature Exchange the United States - Costa Rica, with an available $600,000 to finance conservation initiatives. "From April 20 to May 11, non-profit organizations may present their proposals to participate for maximum amounts of ₡25 or ₡60 million colones, between $44,087 to $105,809, according to the profile of the participating entity," said Lesbia Sevilla, president of the Super-Exchange Supervision Committee. The call focuses on promoting local development through the consolidation of recent and new ventures that aim to facilitate the conservation, protection, restoration and sustainable use of tropical forests in Costa Rica. "A fundamental requirement is that the projects must be developed in one of the six geographic areas prioritized by the Exchange: Rincón de la Vieja, Nicoya, Maquenque, Tortuguero, La Amistad and Osa. Also, they must address some strategic guidelines established for this call," Sevilla said. Due to the difficult economic situation generated by the covid-19 health emergency, the Supervision Committee and the Costa Rica Forever Association, responsible for managing the Exchange, will apply a shortened selection process for proposals in order to allow the projects to start in June. Legally established non-profit organizations with more than two years of experience in environmental, forest, conservation, indigenous peoples and sustainable development projects can participate. The committee is looking for proposals in the following areas: - Support of livelihoods of populations living in and near forested areas. - Increase connectivity between tropical forests and restoration. - Promote green business linkages that support the conservation of biodiversity. - Support the efforts of conservation of species outside their habitat, related to the conservation of biodiversity and improvement of livelihoods of communities. - Investigate threatened flora and fauna species. A debt-for-nature swap consists of a mechanism whereby, through an agreement, a country, in this case, Costa Rica, which has a United States debt, agrees to create a local currency fund to finance projects to help conserve their tropical forests, in exchange for the cancellation of part of this debt. The total amount of the Debt for Nature Exchange USA - C.R., signed in 2007 is $26,075,942. It is managed since 2017 by the Costa Rica Forever Association. The Exchange's main goal is to facilitate the conservation, protection, restoration and sustainable use of the tropical forests of Costa Rica, specifically prioritizing six geographic areas: Osa, La Amistad, Tortuguero, Maquenque, Northeast Area of Rincón de la Vieja and Nicoya. More information on how to access these funds can be found on the Costa Rica Forever Association website. ------------------------ Do you know of any association or foundation that is looking to finance environmental projects? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
