MacArthur's conservation and sustainable development grantmaking has three geographic focus regions: the Great Lakes of East Central Africa, the Greater Mekong and its headwaters, and Watersheds of the Andes. Each is a place of high biodiversity, important freshwater service, and carbon-storage value. The Foundation also supports a cross-regional coastal marine program in Melanesia, The Western Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and The Caribbean focused on expanding local management of near shore fisheries in order to slow the loss of marine biodiversity.
And, MacArthur will make policy-related grants to target biodiversity conservation at the global scale and reinforce the priorities of our regional work.
Request a copy of the full CSD grantmaking strategy.
To learn more about the program priorities, please select from the below list:
- Great Lakes of East and Central Africa
- Greater Mekong and its Headwaters
- Watersheds of the Andes
- Coastal Marine
- Cross-Cutting Global Issues
Great Lakes of East and Central Africa
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The Great Lakes of East and Central Africa is one of the most important yet ecologically threatened regions on the continent. As the source of the Nile, it supplies food, energy, drinking water, crop irrigation, and transport for nearly 300 million people. Within the next 25 years, that population is expected to double, further burdening a water supply that is already threatened by climate change, growth of industry and agriculture, and constant droughts. Grantmaking will focus on conserving the region's biodiversity and fresh water supply while addressing regional food security challenges. Grantmaking in this region is defined geographically by the Watersheds of the Large Rift Valley Lakes, River Nile Basin, and Region-wide Grantmaking. Grants are made on a three-year recurring cycle, with one portfolio of grants prepared annually for each geography. Grantmaking for this work has concluded.
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Greater Mekong and its Headwaters
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The Greater Mekong, which includes areas of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China, is undergoing a massive infrastructure transformation that could have a lasting impact on its biodiversity and the health and well-being of local economies and populations. Hydropower dams are being built to keep pace with the region’s growing energy consumption, while new roads, rails and ports are being constructed and expanded to manage the transport of agriculture products for export. Grantmaking in this region is defined geographically by the Upper Mekong Basin, Lower Mekong Basin, and Region-wide. Grants are made on a three-year recurring cycle, with one portfolio of grants prepared annually for each geography. Grantmaking in this region will focus on optimizing the hydropower supply and managing the Basin’s freshwater ecosystems essential for agricultural production and fisheries. Grantmaking for this work has concluded. |
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Watersheds of the Andes
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The Tropical Andes has been called the "global epicenter of biodiversity," and is recognized as one of the richest genetic reservoirs on the planet. Representing 50 percent of the remaining tropical forest in the world, it plays a critical role in mitigating the impact of climate change. But it is also threatened by mineral and energy mining, logging, and industrial agriculture, which contribute to its 7 percent deforestation rate, the highest in the world. MacArthur's grantmaking in this region will focus on helping to balance the needs of rural and vulnerable communities with the prudent stewardship of diverse ecosystems. Grantmaking in this region is defined geographically by the Northern Andes, Southern Andes, and Region-wide. Grants are made on a three-year recurring cycle, with one portfolio of grants prepared annually for each geography. Grantmaking for this work has concluded. |
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Coastal Marine in the Caribbean, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Melanesia
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Nearly half of the planet’s people live within 200 kilometers of the coastline. 30 million people in coastal and island communities are reliant on coral reefs for food, income, and livelihood. Human use of coastal systems is often managed ineffectively, compromising many of the ecosystem services crucial to the well-being of coastal economies and peoples. Unsustainable nearshore fishing is one of the most pervasive drivers of marine biodiversity loss globally. MacArthur's coastal marine grantmaking supports expanding the application of effective local fisheries management approaches within and beyond Melanesia, The Western Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and The Caribbean. This grantmaking is designed to slow the decline of coastal ecosystem services from fisheries, reduce pressure on areas of high biodiversity, and improve coastal social-ecological resilience to climate change impacts. Coastal-marine grantmaking is defined geographically by Melanesia, The Western Indian Ocean, Indonesia, The Caribbean, and Regionwide/Cross-regional. Grants are made on a three-year recurring cycle, with one portfolio of grants prepared annually for each geography. Inquiries for this area of grantmaking are accepted by invitation only. Grantmaking will target Madagascar in 2018 and Cuba in 2019. Unsolicited proposals are not accepted for this work. Questions about this work can be addressed to Senior Program Officer Kate Barnes.
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Cross-Cutting Global Issues
In addition to our grantmaking at the regional level, MacArthur also will provide support to address a select set of global challenges to biodiversity conservation, including:
- climate change mitigation and adaption;
- the role of China in global conservation;
- reducing the impact of commodity production;
- responding to marine overfishing.
Grantmaking for this work has concluded.
