United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pathfinder Award 2018 for Innovation in Nature Conservation

Deadline: August 15, 2018

The UNDP Pathfinder Award 2018 for Innovation in Nature Conservation is now open. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) as well as WildArk – A Movement for the Wild are pleased to announce the opening of applications for the inaugural Pathfinder Award.

The Pathfinder Award recognises outstanding and innovative solutions for protected and conserved areas, developed and implemented by individuals, organisations or groups. Insufficient investment of finance and other resources in protected areas are persistent challenges that impede and weaken conservation efforts and effective management of protected areas around the world. This year’s award focuses on identifying and celebrating solutions from around the world that have addressed this problem.

Award

The 2018 awards are made up of a cash grant as well as several other areas of recognition, taking into account submissions across all thematic areas:

• Overall winner (individual or organization): US$ 10,000
• Runner-Up (individual or organization): US$ 2,000
• Special commendation (to be awarded to up to three individuals or organizations): US$ 1,000 each

The winners will also receive a plaque and certificate of achievement, promotion and visibility, and an invitation to the awards ceremony. The inaugural award will be presented at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 14), which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between November 17 and 29, 2018.

Eligibility

• Applications are open to individuals and organisation anywhere in the world;
• Solutions should demonstrate:

• Success in sustainable financing or resources: adopting new types of sustainable financing or resourcing for one or more protected/conserved areas;
• New and additional sources of revenues or means to address priorities sustainably;
• Significant finance or resourcing breakthrough: dramatically increasing protected area revenues or access to resources without compromising integrity;
• Successful partnerships for financing/resourcing: new partnerships developed with private sector or civil society that achieve new financing or resourcing;
• New technologies: new approaches or methods to mobilise, collect, administer or disburse financial and other resources for protected areas;
• Management for investment: new management approaches to attract and enable investment or achieve new efficiencies.

Application

A complete nomination consists of two parts:

• A fully completed online nomination form
• The submission of a FULL SOLUTION (case study) through the PANORAMA platform