Join a prospective ecosystem-based adaptation partnership in West Africa

Biodiversity Lab and visiting researcher Idrissa Sawadogo are developing a potential application to the Global EbA Fund medium-size window (12 October–16 November 2026; grants of up to USD 500,000, maximum 24 months). This notice seeks project partners. It is not a funded project or an invitation to apply for a position.

Our preliminary focus is the restoration and climate-resilient management of degraded pastoral ecosystems, with potential interventions such as assisted natural regeneration, native forage restoration and community-based grazing management. Because the medium-size fund emphasises scalability and enabling conditions for ecosystem-based adaptation, the proposal must identify how lessons and interventions could be replicated beyond pilot sites. The final study area and intervention have not been fixed: priorities will be validated with local institutions and communities. Senegal’s Ferlo region is currently under consideration; related experience in Burkina Faso may also inform the design.

The scientific approach could combine participatory needs assessment with vegetation surveys, Sentinel-1/2 monitoring, restoration-priority mapping, landscape indicators, locally accessible climate/forage information and shared monitoring methods. Prof. Ilaria Micheli may contribute a social and cultural dimension focused on local ecological knowledge and community acceptance. The proposal must complement existing Ferlo/Thiès adaptation initiatives, not duplicate them.

We are interested in an African university or research centre and a local NGO or community-based organisation with demonstrated experience in pastoral management, locally led restoration and stakeholder engagement. ILRI, AVSF and APESS were identified in preliminary scoping as possibilities, not confirmed consortium members. The University of Trieste may propose to coordinate, subject to eligibility and the consortium’s decision.

Who is this for?

African research institutions, locally established NGOs, pastoral associations, community-based organisations and relevant public partners in Senegal or neighbouring areas.

How to get in touch

Email Giovanni Bacaro with a brief institutional profile, geographic experience, local-community relationships, relevant restoration work and your proposed contribution. Partner discussions can begin before the fund submission portal opens on 12 October.