Overview
Grantmaking focuses on support for biodiversity conservation activities in particular geographic focal areas in Africa, Asia/Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean. MacArthur grantmaking also includes research and development organized around specific themes that address conservation issues in the focal areas.
In 2009, the grant budget for this program area is $20 million.
What MacArthur Funds
Geography-Based Grantmaking
Conservation of biodiversity is MacArthur’s broad global environmental objective. In pursuit of this objective, grantmaking is focused on specific areas where the Foundation has made long-term commitments for lasting impact. Varied ecosystems cover the planet and there are numerous ways to set conservation priorities. However, much of the planet’s biodiversity is in tropical regions where human needs are great and financial resources for conservation concerns are limited. Grants focus on eight areas in the tropics that have high levels of i) numbers and diversity of plant and animal species, ii) endemism (the percentage of those species found nowhere else), and iii) threat (the level of endangerment of those species). In addition, the diversity of habitat type, strength of local institutions dealing with conservation, and the Foundation’s history and familiarity with the region guided the choice of the eight focal areas.
The focal areas encompass a broad swath of the world's biodiversity, from the steamy jungles of the Andean slopes to the high altitudes of the Himalaya, from the teeming coral reefs of Melanesia to the fantastic flora of Madagascar’s spiny desert. Focusing MacArthur's conservation support allows for greater local impact and more opportunity for synergy and learning. The eight CSD focal areas are listed and described below.
Africa
- Albertine Rift – highland forests of western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Tanzania
- Madagascar – coastal and terrestrial ecosystems of this biologically unique island
Asia & Pacific
- Eastern Himalaya – mountain ecosystems of eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Northeast India, Myanmar and Yunnan Province, China
- Lower Mekong – forest and freshwater habitats of Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam
- Melanesia – coastal and marine areas of Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and the northern coast and off-shore islands of New Guinea, including both Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Papua
Latin America & Caribbean
- Southern Tropical Andes– eastern slopes of the mountains and adjoining Amazon lowlands in Peru and Bolivia
- Northern Tropical Andes – eastern slopes of the mountains and inter-Andean valleys in Ecuador and Colombia, and the Chocó from northwestern Ecuador to the Darién in Panama
- Insular Caribbean– terrestrial and coastal ecosystems in the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica) and in selected islands of the Lesser Antilles
Grantmaking in each of the eight focal areas has two primary goals:
- To promote conservation across large landscapes and seascapes.
- To strengthen the capacity for biodiversity conservation among local institutions.
A range of approaches is needed to counter the threats to biodiversity in the focal areas and make progress toward the primary goals of landscape conservation and strengthening institutions. The Foundation welcomes creative ideas to help reach them. Geography-based grants follow a three-year cycle. Please review Application Deadlines for more information. The format for Letters of Inquiry can be found in the section Applying for Grants.
Research & Development Grantmaking
R&D grantmaking seeks to advance the state of knowledge and to develop new approaches to the practice of biodiversity conservation. In choosing research to support, the Foundation seeks to add value by investing in critical, but less-explored areas of conservation theory and practice. Grants focus on two primary themes that are important elements in geographic focal areas:
Advancing Conservation in a Social Context
Grants aim to support innovation in dealing with the complex trade-offs that exist between human well-being and biodiversity conservation in specific places, and conservation and other economic, political, and social agendas at local, national, and international scales. The goal is improved understanding of how to identify, analyze, and negotiate such trade-offs. Foundation support is limited to a continuing research initiative on Advancing Conservation in a Social Context.
Letters of inquiry for projects on this theme will be accepted by invitation only.
Adapting Conservation in the Face of Climate Change
Complementing its ongoing support for efforts to decrease the production of greenhouse gases by minimizing deforestation within the focal areas, the Foundation also supports adaptations to biodiversity conservation strategies and practices in response to climate change. Grants are made primarily within MacArthur’s existing geographic areas, focusing both on assessments of how climate change is likely to affect biodiversity under different management approaches and also on building scientific understanding in this nascent field. Additionally, grants may be made for new technologies, tools, and interventions to conserve biodiversity in the face of climate change and for efforts to help institutions and individuals working with conservation issues make informed decisions about future biodiversity management.
The Foundation welcomes letters of inquiry for this theme on a rolling basis. Preference is given to projects that align with the goals outlined for each focal area, but we will also consider projects global in scope, with strong applicability in MacArthur focal areas. In 2009, grantmaking in Africa will focus on biodiversity adaptation to climate change. Please review Application Deadlines for more information. The format for Letters of Inquiry can be found in the section Applying for Grants.
Updated January 2009
Phone: (312) 726-8000