Funding Opportunity: Hifadhi Blu Programme – Strengthening Marine Conservation Management in the Western Indian Ocean

The Hifadhi Blu Programme — a collaborative funding initiative by the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), Advanced Conservation Strategies (ACS), WIOMPAN, and the Minderoo Foundation — has introduced a brand new funding alternative for marine conservation organisations in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) area.

This name invites motivation letters from organisations devoted to bettering the effectiveness, governance, and sustainability of Marine Conservation Areas (MCAs) — together with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs), and co-managed areas formally recognised by competent authorities.

About the Programme

The Hifadhi Blu Programme goals to strengthen the administration effectiveness of Marine and Coastal Conservation Areas by addressing key challenges corresponding to:

• Limited technical and monetary capability
• Fragmented administration approaches and weak enforcement
• Insufficient group engagement and coaching alternatives
• Outdated administration plans and conflicting stakeholder priorities

Through focused funding and capability improvement, the programme helps reasonable and catalytic interventions that foster long-term conservation affect, institutional possession, and group legitimacy.

Thematic Focus

Projects ought to straight improve site-level administration effectiveness with clear alignment to the web site’s administration plan or diagnostic instruments corresponding to the IMET baseline.

Priority might be given to proposals that:

• Address important administration gaps (e.g., enforcement, governance, ecological monitoring).
• Focus on 2–3 precedence interventions that ship tangible, scalable affect.
• Demonstrate sustainability, institutional possession, and group participation.
• Include group consultations and adherence to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) ideas.

Eligibility

Applicants will need to have a authorized or community-based mandate to handle an outlined marine or coastal web site. Eligible entities embody:

• Government companies or parastatals with official conservation mandates
• Community-based organisations, fishers’ associations, or native administration committees
• Co-managed buildings collectively ruled by communities, NGOs, or personal sector companions

Applicants ought to exhibit a transparent dedication to sustainability, gender inclusion, and collaborative administration.

Funding Details

Each chosen mission will obtain as much as USD 200,000 over a two-year interval (2026–2028).
Funding might be disbursed in two tranches, contingent on passable Year 1 efficiency.
A complete of eight websites might be chosen for this funding spherical.

Budget allocations ought to prioritise site-level administration actions, with cheap provisions for employees, technical assist, and tools.

Eligible Countries

Organisations from the following Western Indian Ocean nations are eligible to apply: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Application Process

Applicants are invited to submit concise motivation letters (2–3 pages) in English, French, or Portuguese, outlining:

• The mission web site and key administration challenges
• Proposed interventions and anticipated outcomes
• Partner roles and collaborative methods

Letters needs to be submitted by means of WIOMSA Proposal Central by 29 November 2025, 11:59 PM EAT.

👉 Register and Apply via WIOMSA Proposal Central
(Applicants should create a profile if making use of for the first time.)

For inquiries, contact:
📧 [email protected] or [email protected] (topic line: Hifadhi Blu).
For full particulars, obtain the Call for Motivation Letters.

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