Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, commonly known as CEPF, is a multinational biodiversity-conservation financing program established in 2000. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional field organization, it channels grants to local and international civil-society organizations working to protect ecosystems, species, and ecological corridors in biodiversity hotspots. Its grant recipients can include nonprofit organizations, indigenous peoples' groups, community organizations, and small businesses involved in conservation-related activities. CEPF was developed by Peter Seligmann, Conservation International's founding chief executive, and James Wolfensohn, who was then president of the World Bank. The founding partnership brought together Conservation International, the World Bank, and the Global Environment Facility. Additional institutional partners subsequently joined, including l'Agence Française de Développement, the European Union, the Government of Japan, and the MacArthur Foundation. CEPF has also received support from regional and philanthropic donors such as the MAVA Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The MacArthur Foundation ended its funding relationship with CEPF in 2018. The fund began awarding grants in 2001. Its operating model is based on identifying internationally recognized biodiversity hotspots and then preparing an ecosystem profile for each selected region. The profile is developed through consultation with scientific experts, governments, civil-society organizations, indigenous and local communities, and other stakeholders. It describes the region's ecological, political, socioeconomic, and institutional conditions; identifies priority Key Biodiversity Areas and conservation corridors; and establishes the strategic priorities that guide grantmaking. CEPF generally provides two classes of grants. Small grants support relatively focused activities and have historically averaged about US$15,000, while large grants support broader or more complex conservation projects and have historically averaged about US$150,000. A regional implementation team is appointed for each investment through a competitive process. Usually based within or near the relevant hotspot, this team helps implement the investment strategy, supports local organizational capacity, and participates in the administration of grants. According to the cited reference material, CEPF has invested in 25 biodiversity hotspots spanning 105 countries and territories and has committed approximately US$259 million to more than 2,500 civil-society organizations. Its investment portfolio has included regions such as Sundaland, the Cape Floristic Region, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, the Tropical Andes, the Atlantic Forest, Mesoamerica, the Caucasus, Indo-Burma, the Caribbean Islands, and the Mountains of Central Asia. The program's distinctive positioning is its emphasis on locally delivered conservation, partnership among public, multilateral, philanthropic, and private actors, and the use of hotspot-level strategies to direct resources toward globally important habitats and species.

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund was created in 2000 as a collaborative response to the global loss of biodiversity and the difficulty many local conservation organizations face in accessing international finance. Its creation was associated with Peter Seligmann, the founding chief executive of Conservation International, and James Wolfensohn, then president of the World Bank. Conservation International and the World Bank joined the Global Environment Facility as founding institutional partners. The fund was designed to complement, rather than replace, the work of governments and multilateral institutions by providing resources directly or indirectly to civil-society organizations operating in ecologically important regions. CEPF began awarding grants in 2001. Its central geographic framework is the biodiversity hotspot: a region with exceptional concentrations of endemic species that is also subject to substantial habitat loss or other pressures. The fund's Donor Council determines which eligible hotspots receive investment. Eligibility has generally focused on hotspots that primarily encompass countries with developing or transitional economies, reflecting the program's intention to direct conservation resources toward regions where biodiversity importance and development pressures overlap. Before grantmaking begins in a hotspot, CEPF develops an ecosystem profile. This is a strategic planning document prepared with scientific experts and local and regional stakeholders. It assesses ecological conditions, socioeconomic and political circumstances, conservation institutions, and threats to habitats and species. It also identifies priority Key Biodiversity Areas and corridors. These priorities provide the basis for calls for proposals and help ensure that individual grants contribute to a coherent regional strategy rather than functioning as isolated projects. The fund uses small and large grants to support a range of organizations and activities. Small grants, historically averaging around US$15,000, can help local groups undertake targeted conservation, community engagement, monitoring, or organizational-development work. Large grants, historically averaging around US$150,000, can support more substantial projects, cross-border work, networks, and implementation of strategic conservation priorities. CEPF's eligible partners have included nonprofit organizations, indigenous peoples' groups, and small businesses, with an emphasis on strengthening local capacity and participation. For each investment, CEPF establishes a regional implementation team through a competitive grant process. The team is located in, or close to, the relevant hotspot and helps translate the ecosystem profile into a functioning grant program. Its responsibilities include supporting applicants, assisting with grant administration, helping build the capacity of local organizations, and facilitating coordination among conservation actors. The institutional partnership expanded after CEPF's launch. l'Agence Française de Développement, the European Union, the Government of Japan, and the MacArthur Foundation became additional donors. CEPF also received support from regional and philanthropic funders, including the MAVA Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The MacArthur Foundation ended its funding to CEPF in 2018, while the broader multi-donor model continued. Over time, CEPF developed investments across a broad set of hotspots. Early programs included Sundaland, the Cape Floristic Region, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, the Tropical Andes, the Philippines, the Atlantic Forest, Mesoamerica, the Mountains of Southwest China, Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, the Succulent Karoo, and the Caucasus. Later investments included the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa, the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Polynesia-Micronesia, the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, the Caribbean Islands, Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany, the Eastern Afromontane, the East Melanesian Islands, Wallacea, the Cerrado, the Guinean Forests of West Africa, and the Mountains of Central Asia. Some hotspots received more than one investment cycle. The fund's headquarters are hosted by Conservation International in Arlington, Virginia. The cited reference material reports that CEPF has funded projects in 25 biodiversity hotspots across 105 countries and territories, committing approximately US$259 million to more than 2,500 civil-society organizations. Its historical significance lies in combining international donor coordination with hotspot-level planning and locally implemented grants, creating a repeatable mechanism for supporting conservation organizations in regions of exceptional biological importance.

• 2021

  Caribbean Islands investment begins

  [1]Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org

  A subsequent investment in the Caribbean Islands hotspot began in 2021 and was scheduled to run through 2026.

• 2020

  Third Indo-Burma investment begins

  [1]Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org

  A further CEPF investment cycle in Indo-Burma began in 2020 and was scheduled to continue through 2025.

• 2019

  Mountains of Central Asia investment begins

  [1]Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org

  CEPF recorded an investment program in the Mountains of Central Asia hotspot running from 2019 to 2024.

• 2018

  MacArthur Foundation funding ends

  [1]Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org

  The MacArthur Foundation ended its funding to CEPF after participating as one of the fund's institutional donors.

• 2008

  Expansion into Indo-Burma and Polynesia-Micronesia

  [1]Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org

  The fund documented investment programs in the Indo-Burma and Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspots.

• 2001

  First grants awarded

  [1]Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org

  CEPF began awarding conservation grants and launched early investments in biodiversity hotspots including Sundaland and the Cape Floristic Region.

• 2000

  CEPF founded

  [1]Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org

  Conservation International, the World Bank, and the Global Environment Facility established the fund, with Peter Seligmann and James Wolfensohn associated with its development.

A partnership-based, grantmaking platform for directing international conservation finance toward biodiversity hotspots and locally led civil-society action.

• Conservation grants · 2001

  Small grants

  Targeted grants for local or smaller-scale conservation activities undertaken by civil-society organizations, indigenous peoples' groups, community organizations, and other eligible partners. Historical reference material describes the average small grant as approximately US$15,000, although individual awards and program rules can vary.

• Conservation grants · 2001

  Large grants

  Larger awards supporting strategic, regional, networked, or otherwise more complex conservation projects aligned with a hotspot ecosystem profile. Historical reference material places the average large grant at approximately US$150,000, but the amount depends on the investment cycle and proposal.

• Conservation strategy · 2001

  Ecosystem profiles

  Hotspot-level planning documents that combine ecological, socioeconomic, political, and institutional analysis. They identify priority Key Biodiversity Areas and corridors and establish the strategic priorities used to guide CEPF grantmaking.

• Program implementation · 2001

  Regional implementation teams

  Locally or regionally based teams selected through competitive grant processes to help implement CEPF investments. They support applicant organizations, assist with grantmaking and coordination, and contribute to the development of local conservation capacity.

• 2018

  Continue after MacArthur Foundation funding endedOther

  Background

  The MacArthur Foundation, one of CEPF's institutional donors, ended its funding relationship with the fund.

  Action taken

  CEPF continued operating through its broader coalition of public, multilateral, and philanthropic partners.

  Aftermath

  The fund's documented investment activity continued in subsequent hotspot programs, including the Mountains of Central Asia, Indo-Burma, and the Caribbean Islands.

  Source

• 2000

  Adopt a biodiversity-hotspot grantmaking modelStrategy

  Background

  The fund was created to direct international conservation finance toward regions combining exceptional biodiversity with significant environmental and development pressures.

  Action taken

  CEPF established a partnership-based system using hotspot selection, ecosystem profiles, priority conservation areas, regional implementation teams, and grants to civil-society organizations.

  Aftermath

  The model became the foundation for successive investments across dozens of biodiversity hotspots and multiple countries and territories.

  Source

1. 1Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funden.wikipedia.org
2. 2Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund official websitecepf.net