Call for proposals

Pilot project - "Mapping and Assessing the state of Ecosystems and their Services in the Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories: establishing links and pooling resources " - ENV/2017/CFP/MAES-OR-OCT

 

Objective and description

This open Call for Proposals implements the pilot project on mapping and assessing the state of ecosystems and their services in the outermost regions and overseas countries and territories: establishing links and pooling resources.

 

The selected project shall:

1)     Explore and test the feasibility for mapping and assessing ecosystems and the services they provide in the EU's Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas  Countries and Territories (OCTs), i.e. producing a tangible contribution for the EU ‘Mapping and Assessing of Ecosystem Services’ (MAES) initiative, and demonstrate the feasibility and added value of a bottom-up approach, involving and empowering local actors. If successful, this project will allow testing and implementation of the MAES methodology in different regions of the world, providing methodologies and good practice guidelines and contributing to worldwide EU leadership in this area. As ORs and OCTs have important oceans areas, it is expected that the project will advance the mapping and assessing of marine ecosystems and their services. This includes open ocean, shelf, coastal waters and marine inlets and transitional waters.

2)     Involve policymakers, researchers and civil society in the development of methodologies for mapping and assessing the state of ecosystems and their services in ORs and OCTs. A coordinated and synergistic approach is advocated so as to turn the geographical, political and knowledge base fragmentation of these entities into assets, pooling resources and building robust participatory tools.

 

The project will assess the state of the art of the ‘Mapping and Assessing of Ecosystem Services’ (MAES) within the participating overseas entities, and inventory and substantiate the human and material capacities present in each of the participating entities. Considering the specificities of ORs and OCTs it is expected that the work will capitalise as much as possible on existing methodologies including for example the IUCN RED List of Ecosystems methodology.

 

It will build on the work carried out in the frame of NETBIOME and ESMERALDA networks and the BEST initiative and it may consider the initial OR OCT MAES experience carried out under the project BEST RUP.

 

It will then choose as case studies at least 4 specific regions and a particular contribution on which to focus the work of dedicated teams of local experts, policymakers and civil society members pooled from across the OR and OCTs. The teams will map the ecosystems and the services they provide and assess the ecosystem condition in the selected areas capitalising on the different methodologies.  

 

Eligible activities

The following types of activities are eligible under this call for proposals. Examples:

·         cooperation projects;

·         conferences, seminars;

·         training activities;

·         awareness and dissemination actions;

·         actions aiming at the creation and improvement of networks, exchanges of good practices;

·         studies, analyses, mapping projects;

·         research activities.

 

Eligible applicants

The following types of entities are eligible, in accordance with the relevant basic act and the objectives to be achieved: Applicants and their partners (in case of a consortium), could be public and private bodies, NGOs, universities, and research institutes. Examples:

o    non-profit organisation (private or public);

o    public authorities (national, regional, local);

o    universities or educational institutions;

o    research centres;

o    profit making entities;

o    international organisations.

 

Only applications from legal entities established in the following countries are eligible:

o    EU Member States;

o    EU's Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories;

o    Third Countries.

 

Applications can be submitted by a single applicant (mono-beneficiary) or by a consortium (multi-beneficiaries).

 

Budget and duration

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of one (1) project is estimated at EUR 1.000.000.

 

The maximum EU funding rate under this Call for Proposals is 95% of eligible costs per proposal based on the project budget. The balance must be financed from the applicant's or partners' own resources, or from sources other than the European Union budget.

 

The Commission expects to fund up to one (1) proposal.

 

The envisaged implementation period of activities may indicatively be between 24 and 36 calendar months.

 

Deadline for proposals’ submission

The deadline of this call is 7 November 2017, 17:00, Brussels local time.

 

Submission on paper and electronic version.

Applicants must submit an electronic version of the full application forms (in format MS Word (.doc) / EXCEL (.xls) and/or PDF (.pdf)). The electronic version must contain exactly the same proposal as the paper version submitted. Applications must be submitted in the correct form, duly completed and dated. They must be submitted in 4 copies (one original clearly identified as such, plus 3 copies) and signed by the person authorised to enter into legally binding commitments on behalf of the applicant organisation.

 

Applications must be sent to the following address:

 

Post:   European Commission DG Environment, Unit D.2 - Biodiversity BU 5 5/142 200 Rue de la Loi 1049 Brussels Belgium Title: Call for Proposals DG ENV: ENV/2017/CFP/MAES-OR-OCT

Courier services or Hand delivery:   European Commission – DG Environment (Unit D.2) Central Mail Service – OIB.4 Avenue de Bourget, 1 B-1140 Brussels Title: Call for Proposals DG ENV: ENV/2017/CFP/MAES-OR-OCT

 

Further information

Please find attached the call documents. The list of Annexes for this Call and other documents are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/funding/maesoroct2017.htm

 

Questions can be submitted to this email address ENV-MAES-OROCT@ec.europa.eu until 24 October 2017.

 

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/funding/maesoroct2017.htm

 

 

Kind regards,

Rosemary

 

Rosemary STREVINIOTI

Head of Brussels Office
European Office of Cyprus
Rue du Luxembourg 3, 2nd floor
B-1000 Brussels
Tel./Fax: +32 (0) 2 280 22 85
E-mail: strevinioti.rozamaria@ucy.ac.cy

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GREEK TRANSLATION IS PROVIDED AT REQUEST OF ANY INTERESTED MEMBER (based on the decision of 22.12.2016 of the EOC Administrative Council).