Rainforest Ark Application Form

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Join the Rainforest Ark Initiative

The Rainforest Ark Initiative by Rainforest Trust seeks new conservation partners and organizations across the tropics that are committed to establishing and/or expanding Protected Areas (PAs) for those species that are most endangered. Our target is to protect a total of 20 million acres of the most threatened tropical habitats by the year 2020.

To submit a proposal for the Rainforest Ark Initiative, please first review the criteria for writing a successful proposal and follow the instructions on the form below.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. The applicant must be a not-for-profit entity or a non-governmental organization in the country where the project is located.
  2. The applicant organization must have an autonomous and independent board.
  3. The project must be located within the tropics.

How proposals are selected:

There are no funding request limits for applicants. Examples of current and past projects we have supported can be found on our website. Successful applicants will exhibit many or all of the following points:

  1. A well-established national or local NGO with a track record of implementing PAs.
  2. The proposed PA has populations of IUCN Critically Endangered or Endangered species.
  3. The project is cost effective with a reasonable cost per land area value, e.g., $1-100 per acre for land purchase.
  4. Matching support has already been secured or pledged.
  5. Proposal has the support of project stakeholders including local environmental agencies, government officials, local communities, etc.

Examples of what Rainforest Trust supports:

1.  Land purchases including legal expenses.

2.  Staff salaries for project managers, field coordinators, and administrators directly involved in the PA establishment.

3.  Legal expenses or fees for PA establishment including designation documentation.

4.  Demarcation of PAs.

5.  Workshops and meetings related to a) training and equipping staff to manage and protect the PA, b) building local capacity in surrounding communities to declare the PA.

6.  Infrastructure for protecting the PA (e.g. park guard stations)


Please complete this form and submit to in Word format together with the requested attachments (e.g., maps, photos, reports, etc.). Limit each response to ~300 words unless noted otherwise. Please direct all questions to .

1. PROJECT SUMMARY
Project Title:
Country: / Proposed Protected Area (PA) Size:
Is this a land purchase proposal? YES / NO / Is this a PA designation proposal? YES / NO
Total Project Budget: US$ / Amount Requested: US$
Project Start Date: / Project End Date:
Name(s) of Proposed PA(s): / Current Ownership of Land:
Project Summary (1 page maximum):
Project Objective (Include overall goal of the project with clear objectives to achieve that goal):
Justification (Detail the need and urgency for the new PA):
Landscape information (Describe the area and biodiversity to be protected):
Conservation Priority (Why is this site a high priority for conservation?):
Threats (List the most important threats to the area):
Please list IUCN Critically Endangered and Endangered species (www.iucnredlist.org) that will be protected:

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This proposal will not be considered if IUCN Critically Endangered (CR) and/or
IUCN Endangered (EN) species are not confirmed to be protected in the proposed PA.

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Project Stakeholders (List the various stakeholder groups and describe how they are involved in the project, e.g. environmental agencies, government officials, local communities, other NGOs, land owners, etc.):
Are national / local environment agencies and/or government officials supportive of this proposal? Please explain.
What are the challenges in gaining support for this proposal from local communities?
Please provide background information on any local communities involved in the project. (e.g., livelihoods, ethnicity (are they indigenous?), how are local communities participating in project?)
What is the proposed Protected Area classification following IUCN’s Protected Areas Categories System:
How will the new PA be protected once established?
What potential risks are present that may influence the long term success of the new PA?
Please detail if this proposed Protected Area connects with other PAs or landscape-scale conservation initiatives?
2. PARTNER BACKGROUND
Name of NGO Applying:
Date Established: / List Board Members (or submit electronically below):
Legal Status: / List of Major Supporters (max. 5):
Institutional Website: http://www
Mailing Address:
Executive Director Name and Contact Information:
Project Coordinator Name and Contact Information:
Mission:
Qualification of Organization (Provide details about why your organization is best qualified to implement this project and list relevant experience):
Please list the website link for the following (if unavailable on your website – please submit documents as attachments together with this form):
Most Recent Annual Report: http://www.
List of Board Members: http://www.
List of Staff: http://www.
History & Accomplishments: http://www.
What was the prior year’s organizational budget?
Has the organization ever been audited? Yes / No
3. Budget
Itemized Expenses in US$ / Request / Other
Donors / Total Budget
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
$ / $ / $
Project Total in US Dollars: / $ / $ / $
What is the cost per area protected? (e.g. a $10,000 project for 10,000 acres is equivalent to $1/acre)
Budget Justification: (500 word maximum)
From where else are you seeking funding? List the source, the amount requested, and if the funds are pending or have been granted.
How do you plan to raise additional funds to manage the new PA, once established?
4. Activities and timeframe
List activities to be completed / Start date / End date / Outputs / Milestones to be completed for each activity
Additional Information: Please include any additional clarifications.

Additional Information: (Please tick the boxes below and send files as attachments together with this form)

☐ Map(s) of the proposed PA in JPEG or similar file type

☐ KMZ (Google Earth) OR shapefile of proposed PA

☐ If the following information is not available online, please detail the information below:

☐ Most Recent Annual Report ☐ List of Board Members

☐ List of Staff ☐ History & Accomplishments

☐ Website links or email any conservation or biodiversity reports of the project site (if available).

It is possible that at a later stage, we request additional information, such as your most recent audited statements, a letter of commitment from the relevant government officials for the project, and photos of the project site.

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