The compendium of project proposals submitted to the ICRI / UN Environment Grants Programme 2017 is now available. The Grants Programme is a joint initiative of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and UN Environment which aims to catalyze the development of innovative and replicable initiatives that enhance protection and management of coral reefs and related ecosystems.
A call for concept notes closing 1 August 2017 resulted in 233 proposals submitted by a diverse group of applicants from across the globe. Projects ranged from engaging community education programs through to complex deep ocean reef research projects. In addition to the diverse and thoughtful project concepts, the submissions collectively conveyed an overwhelmingly strong sense of the passion, innovation and ingenuity that characterises the coral reef research and management community committed to improving the outlook for the world’s coral reefs.
Of the 233 projects, 80 were shortlisted for further review based on the Programme’s eligibility criteria, including the ability to progress the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution 2/12 on sustainable coral reefs management and catalyzing implementation of the ICRI Plan of Action 2016-2018. Amongst the shortlisted projects, 5 projects accepted and requested to submit full proposal.
The high calibre of proposals, many displaying significant innovation, collaboration and potential impact, represented valuable opportunities for future investment in improving the outlook for coral reefs. In an effort to attract funding support to allow implementation of additional projects, ICRI and UN Environment committed to investigate options for securing additional funding. The first step in this process was to establish a Review Team comprised of ICRI, UN Environment and Reef Ecologic to further review proposals and create this compendium of project proposals suitable for future funding.
The 80 shortlisted projects were assessed by the Review Team and rated for Quality, Feasibility, Relevance (to ICRI/ UN Environment priorities), Impact, Innovation, Local involvement and Replicability/scalability. Thirty-two high- quality projects were chosen to represent the diverse opportunities available for tackling the range of issues driving coral reef decline. The proposals selected for inclusion in the attached compendium address a total of seventeen themes, grouped into five key categories.
The Review Team worked with the leads of each of the selected projects to condense applications into two-page summaries, highlighting strengths and impact to inspire potential funders. The summarised project proposals included in this compendium showcase the diversity of projects being designed by communities, industries, researches and reef managers, to help improve the future for coral reefs and reef- dependent communities.
