Call for Concept Notes: Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (Phase IV)

The Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP), supported by the German FederalMinistry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in association with KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau), promotes and supports tiger conservation while considering the needs of local communities.

The ITHCP follows an integrated approach, combining the conservation of species and their habitat with the socio-economic development of local communities. The objective of this call is to continue and expand the scope of tiger conservation leading towards improved management and monitoring of protected and conserved areas, stabilizing and increasing the prey base, enhancing protection measures, managing conflicts with humans, and strengthening sustainable management of resources, thereby contributing to the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) and Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

This call aims to grant € 10.7 million and to build on the strengths of the first three phases, while diversifying sufficiently to adapt to changing global needs and maximising impacts not only on tigers, but also on other species that contribute to tiger conservation. Therefore, in addition to tigers, this call also supports two other cat species: the common leopard (Panthera pardus) and clouded leopards, both the mainland clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and the sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi). These two Pantherine species have habitat requirements comparable to those of tigers and are both involved with and victims of human-wildlife conflicts. Therefore, they serve as flagship species for the conservation or restoration of habitats where tigers might live again and prepare the ground for tiger recovery through an extended approach to habitat and human-wildlife conflict management.

In addition to the six Tiger Range Countries previously funded under ITHCP, namely India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Indonesia, in this call, Cambodia and Thailand are also eligible for funding.

Funding Information

The overall indicative amount available for this call is € 10.7 million. Project grant size can vary from a minimum of € 0.5 million to a maximum of € 2 million. A minimum of 20% in match funding is required for each project.

Project Duration

The minimum duration of the proposed project should be 24 months and the maximum 30 months. The start date of the project will be determined by the date of the signature of the grant agreement.

Eligible Activities

Within eligible DPAs, projects must:

• Contribute to the conservation of target species’ populations, their habitats, as well as the livelihoods of local communities.

• Ensure activities will contribute to tiger conservation directly or indirectly in the long run (for example, explain how conservation actions targeting common and clouded leopards in areas where tigers are absent can help prepare the ground for tiger recovery).

• Focus on habitat protection and restoration using a landscape approach involving multiple stakeholders taking stewardship of the process to ecologically connect and expand functional corridors.

• Promote strategic and focused transboundary conservation collaboration to ensure habitat connectivity (for example, a collaboration among two or more countries in providing joint conservation actions across the borders including monitoring and protection).

• Establish effective law enforcement and monitoring, integrating communities as part of a wider site protection strategy, and resulting in effective, responsible and inclusive protection.

• Activities engaging indigenous peoples or local communities in antipoaching or addressing illegal wildlife trade should include a clear "theory of change" or logical sequence that is likely to lead to a reduction in poaching or illegal wildlife trade.

• Activities engaging wildlife law enforcement personnel must include training in social safeguards to ensure comprehensive application of safeguards across entire project period.

• Activities focusing on habitat management must follow a validated scientific approaches and methods that demonstrates positive impact on the target species and avoid adverse impact on other species (for example habitat management such as grassland management and other forms of habitat alteration).

• Livelihood activities aimed at alleviating pressure on the target species and their habitats, as well as improving the social and economic well-being of local communities, must exhibit the sustainability of the initiative. It should ensure continued meaningful engagement of the local communities in conservation efforts and promote benefits for their livelihoods after the project life.

• Be in line with local, regional, and national government environmental policy

• Ensure long-term sustainability of activities and results achieved.

• Ensure taking the interests and involvement of the local communities in the development and implementation of the project to enhance conservation stewardship.

Eligible Species

The projects should target one or more of the following species: tigers (Panthera tigris), leopards (Panthera pardus), and clouded leopards, both mainland clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) and Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi). All projects should indicate how the activities proposed will contribute to tiger conservation directly or indirectly, for example, explain how conservation actions targeting common and clouded leopards in areas where tigers are absent can help prepare the ground for tiger recovery.