The Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship is sponsored by Conservation International to create opportunities for leaders and scholars from indigenous and traditional peoples’ communities and organizations to explore solutions to the impacts of climate change and the threats to ecosystems and biodiversity that are affecting their lands, communities and livelihoods. The program will focus on supporting the fellow’s research and demonstration of the contribution of traditional knowledge in adapting to climate change and maintaining healthy ecosystems, and how that knowledge can work with science and new technologies to influence policy and action.
Fellowship details
This year-long fellowship will be offered to four candidates. Two fellowships will be awarded within the topic of Biodiversity, and two within the topic of Climate Change.
The fellows will design research projects and produce reports about the potential contributions of their communities/organizations to biodiversity conservation plans and policies and strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Each research project must incorporate the contribution of traditional knowledge and practices. To accomplish this research project, each fellow will work directly with her/his own community or local indigenous /traditional organization.
Who can apply?
1. Applicants must be a member of an indigenous/traditional community and/or organization.
2. Fellows must choose between two categories: Biodiversity Conservation or Climate Change. Furthermore, each topic is geographically specific.
a. For individuals interested in Biodiversity Conservation: Applicants should focus proposals in the following areas: management of community conserved lands/indigenous territories and/or community managed marine areas, traditional knowledge, or development of community protocols for issues of access and benefit sharing. Applicants will be considered from the following countries: Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Samoa, Fiji, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, South Africa, Cambodia, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico.
b. For Individuals interested in Climate Change, applicants should focus proposals in the following two areas:
· Adaptation: Applicants should focus on community efforts to engage in adaptation through ecosystem-based approaches (including the value and needs of ecosystems in decision making) and participatory processes. This could include looking at how to integrate traditional and local knowledge and scientific information to understand climate risk and potential adaptation actions. Applications for the Adaptation Fellowship will be considered from the following countries: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Madagascar, Suriname, Guyana, Colombia, Indonesia, Samoa, and Philippines.
· Mitigation: Applications should focus on role of forest in mitigating climate change, traditional knowledge in maintaining forest and/or the contributions of traditional knowledge to reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation. Applications will be considered from the following countries: Indonesia, Guyana, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Suriname.
3. There are no age or gender limitations to this fellowship.
4. You must be flexible and able to travel nationally and internationally.
The deadline for this application is June 11th, 2010. Please e-mail the application below to indigenousfellow@conservation.org along with your CV, a nomination letter from your sponsoring community/organization, and a letter explaining your interest in the fellowship and how your work will contribute to the community.
Download the application:
Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship Application Form in English (DOC - 47 KB)
Beca de Conservación para Líderes Indígenas Formulario de Solicitud en Español (DOC - 51 KB)
Fellowship details
This year-long fellowship will be offered to four candidates. Two fellowships will be awarded within the topic of Biodiversity, and two within the topic of Climate Change.
The fellows will design research projects and produce reports about the potential contributions of their communities/organizations to biodiversity conservation plans and policies and strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Each research project must incorporate the contribution of traditional knowledge and practices. To accomplish this research project, each fellow will work directly with her/his own community or local indigenous /traditional organization.
Who can apply?
1. Applicants must be a member of an indigenous/traditional community and/or organization.
2. Fellows must choose between two categories: Biodiversity Conservation or Climate Change. Furthermore, each topic is geographically specific.
a. For individuals interested in Biodiversity Conservation: Applicants should focus proposals in the following areas: management of community conserved lands/indigenous territories and/or community managed marine areas, traditional knowledge, or development of community protocols for issues of access and benefit sharing. Applicants will be considered from the following countries: Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Samoa, Fiji, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, South Africa, Cambodia, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico.
b. For Individuals interested in Climate Change, applicants should focus proposals in the following two areas:
· Adaptation: Applicants should focus on community efforts to engage in adaptation through ecosystem-based approaches (including the value and needs of ecosystems in decision making) and participatory processes. This could include looking at how to integrate traditional and local knowledge and scientific information to understand climate risk and potential adaptation actions. Applications for the Adaptation Fellowship will be considered from the following countries: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Madagascar, Suriname, Guyana, Colombia, Indonesia, Samoa, and Philippines.
· Mitigation: Applications should focus on role of forest in mitigating climate change, traditional knowledge in maintaining forest and/or the contributions of traditional knowledge to reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation. Applications will be considered from the following countries: Indonesia, Guyana, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Suriname.
3. There are no age or gender limitations to this fellowship.
4. You must be flexible and able to travel nationally and internationally.
The deadline for this application is June 11th, 2010. Please e-mail the application below to indigenousfellow@conservation.org along with your CV, a nomination letter from your sponsoring community/organization, and a letter explaining your interest in the fellowship and how your work will contribute to the community.
Download the application:
Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship Application Form in English (DOC - 47 KB)
Beca de Conservación para Líderes Indígenas Formulario de Solicitud en Español (DOC - 51 KB)
