Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund awards grant to Ebony Forest

Wednesday, April 17, saw a significant signing ceremony between the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and Ebony Forest, marking the formalization of a grant agreement valued at 271,071 USD.

The event unfolded in Port-Louis, hosted at the Fondation Ressources et Nature (FORENA), which represents Mauritius’ interests within the MADIO Biodiversity Hotspot (Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands). Laetitia Habchi from the French Agency for Development (AFD) and Pamela Bapoo-Dundoo from UNDP GEF SGP represented the CEPF donors, underscoring their commitment. The project undertaken by Ebony Forest, titled « Restoration of Degraded Native Forests in Mauritius », adopts the concept of Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA).

CEPF champions projects of this nature, promoting the restoration and preservation of biodiversity through natural means. Established by a consortium including AFD, Conservation International (CI), the European Union (EU), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Japan, and the World Bank, CEPF’s primary aim is to engage civil society in biodiversity conservation efforts. The 2022-2027 CEPF funding cycle has earmarked 16 million USD for the MADIO biodiversity hotspot. Four countries are part of this hotspot : Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles.

According to Manoj Vaghjee, President of FORENA, « it is a great pleasure for FORENA to accompany CEPF’s calls for projects in Mauritius. Our commitment also focuses on developing the skills of civil society organizations (CSOs), in order to guarantee the necessary structure and quality of their applications, as well as the sustainability of their projects, which contributes to job creation ».