BEST III to support the conservation of Europe Overseas’ biodiversity and to help the people who depend on it

What is BEST III?
Sharing funding opportunities and inaugurating a long-term and sustainable funding mechanism for conservation projects in Europe Overseas.

An open partnership: solid and experienced presence in the field (Regional Hubs) liaising with the European Commission, the CBD Secretariat, donors and high level scientific and funding experts as advisers.

A field base and participative approach: 7 regional knowledge hubs, coordinated by staff involved in local projects, working for and with local stakeholders.

A science-based action strategy: developing regional Ecosystem Profiles to guide long-term conservation efforts and investments.
A funding opportunity: connecting projects needing support with funders interested in saving biodiversity hotspots of international importance

Background: EU Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are home to exceptional biodiversity. Together they cover a total land area equivalent to the EU area, and a marine territory which is the largest of the world.

Concern: Europe Overseas biodiversity is very rich and particularly at risk as islands are highly vulnerable to invasive species, development and climate change impacts. For financial support, Europe Overseas often misses out on funds specifically targeted at their regional ecosystems and threats.

Solution: The BEST Initiative provided seed money to fund 16 on-the-ground projects in 2011 and 2013. The outcome of these two open calls showed a definite need for a sustainable financial support mechanism for biodiversity research on the Overseas, which is the aim of BEST III.

Get involved!
- Contribute with your expertise to the ecosystem profile design
- Help us identify threats to biodiversity and respective solutions
- Help us identify information gaps
- Help us define research priorities
- We will identify funders
- We will provide a match-making system for financing needs and funders

Regional Hubs
- Pacific
- Amazonian
- Caribbean
- South Atlantic Ocean
- Macaronesian
- Indian Ocean
- Polar and Sub-polar

Ecosystem Profile
- Introduction
- Background
- Biological importance of the ecosystem
- Socioeconomic, policy and civil society context
- Threat assessment
- Climate change assessment
- Assessment of current investment
- Niche for investment
- Investment strategy and programmatic focus
- Sustainability
- Conclusion

Consortium

Project coordinator

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Support and advice
Conservation International (CI)
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)

Partners
French IUCN Committee
WWF France
UNEP SPAW Regional Activity Center (SPAW RAC)
Fundo Regional para a Ciência (FRC)
South Atlantic Environment Research Institute (SAERI)
French Antarctic and Sub Antarctic Territories

IT and communication
De Visu
One Agency-Ausy Belgium