Abu Dhabi: The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZ Fund) has launched Global Field Grants under the Fonseca Leadership Program, supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
This partnership, which has committed $1.5 million over three years, intends to empower youth conservationists globally by offering crucial financial support for upcoming and present scholars and practitioners in the field.
The GEF is a family of multinational funds devoted to promoting land and ocean health while addressing pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Through its funding, developing nations can tackle intricate issues and strive towards global environmental objectives.
To honor the late Gustavo Fonseca, the GEF Director of Programs, the Gustavo Fonseca Youth Leadership Program was launched by GEF in 2023.
By providing conservation fellowships, grants for biodiversity fieldwork, prizes for participation in international conservation events, and an annual global conservation symposium that brings together young environmental leaders, the Fonseca Leadership Programme seeks to develop a pipeline of future professionals in GEF member countries.
Under this program, the MBZ Fund’s online application and evaluation mechanism will be used by the Global Field Grants cooperation with the Fund to channel $500,000 yearly toward supporting young conservationists in underdeveloped countries.
To provide significant funding for up-and-coming conservationists, the MBZ Fund will concentrate on facilitating field conservation projects worldwide.
The MBZ Fund is a perfect partner for this project because it operates in more than 170 countries and has supported over 2,800 conservation projects worldwide since its founding.
“Recognising that people drive these conservation efforts, our commitment goes beyond funding. We focus on supporting early-career or budding conservationists at the start of their journey. Over the past 15 years, we have supported 63 percent first-time recipients, representing the next generation of conservationists,” said Nicolas Heard, Acting Director-General of the MBZ Fund.