Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment

1. Background
   There are few places on earth that are as critical to conserving cultural, ethnic and biological diversity of global significance as the Eastern Himalaya in India. Comprising the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, the region is extraordinarily rich in biological and cultural diversity, and is regarded as one of the 34 global hotspots of biodiversity. By serving as a watershed of the Indian subcontinent, the Eastern Himalaya mountain ranges act as source of perennial water for people on the subcontinent of India. In addition to water, natural ecosystems of the Eastern Himalaya provide other crucial ecosystem services. Millions of people in the region sustain their livelihoods by using the biodiversity of local ecosystems. Other ecosystem services include carbon sequestration, soil retention, climate regulation, pollination, and a multitude of spiritual and cultural attributes of great value.

   Despite the tremendous importance of biodiversity to human well being, and our knowledge of the immense biodiversity richness of the region, there is paradoxically widespread degradation of natural ecosystems in the Eastern Himalaya. Thus the region is currently witnessing one of the highest rates of habitat degradation in south Asia. Several factors are responsible for the loss of habitats and biodiversity. Population and economic growth are confining nature into smaller and smaller areas. Policies for conservation are not being adequately implemented because of weak governance. Due to lack of awareness about the severity of biodiversity loss and the consequences of such a decline, civil society is not fully engaged in conservation measures. Finally, institutions for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are very few and generally lack capacity to meet current and emerging challenges that are driving biodiversity loss. As a result, much of the remaining unique biodiversity of the region is at risk of very severe further erosion.

   Not only is there an urgent need to conserve the remaining biodiversity of the Eastern Himalaya, there is also a pressing need to describe and document this diversity. The region has not been fully explored, but when ever extensive surveys have been undertaken, new species have been discovered. The biological resources of the region, as mentioned earlier sustain local and regional economies. Biological diversity fully described and catalogued, can not only help in designing appropriate conservation measures, but also serve as an engine for future equitable and sustainable economic growth. Thus, exploration and description of dwindling biodiversity of one of the 34 global hotspots of biodiversity is of utmost importance to millions of people in the Eastern Himalaya.

2. The ATREE Small Grants programme
   The ‘ATREE Small Grants for Research in Northeast India’ is being implemented by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) – Eastern Himalayas Programme and has been made possible by support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Program on Global Security and Sustainability.

   ATREE has been working for over a decade in the Eastern Himalayas. The major focus of the ATREE Eastern Himalayas Programme is to work with and strengthen local institutions to address pressing problems in conservation and sustainable development through research, conservation action, grant making, outreach and environmental education.

3. Objectives: The Small Grants Programme in Northeast India is being implemented with two main objectives:
   • For supporting research to fill critical information gaps in monographic and taxonomic work; building biodiversity databases for existing information in public domain; action research for conservation of Critically Endangered, Endangered and endemic species; and, incremental support to ongoing targeted high impact projects having the potential for immediate conservation impact
   • For supporting scholars for completion of doctoral dissertation on conservation biology with focus on the Eastern Himalayas region of India
4. Expected Outcomes: The Small Grants Programme is expected to lead to the following outcomes:
   • Information on key floral and faunal species through better understanding of their status, biology and their vulnerability to threats.
   • Improved status of key biodiversity areas through involvement of civil society groups in conservation action.
5. Geographical Focus:
   The scope of the Small Grants for this round has been extended to the entire north east region, covering the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
6. Priorities for funding
   The Grants Program aims to support projects for exploring and generating information on population and threat status of a diversity of understudied, threatened and endangered species. It will support projects that result in local conservation action for endangered, endemic, threatened and poorly known groups. Support will be provided to biological surveys and inventories that fill crucial information gaps. It will also support scholars for completion of doctoral dissertation on conservation biology with focus on the Eastern Himalayas region of India.
7. Application and review
   Applications have to be submitted on prescribed format and prescribed number of pages in electronic version in MS Word to the email address provided in the Request for Proposals (RFP).

   The proposals submitted will undergo a two stage review – selection and short-listing by the grant coordination team based in ATREE, Darjeeling, and then review by a team of technical experts. The timetable for submission of proposals and the duration of processing their eligibility are provided in the Request for Proposals. Approval of a proposal will be followed by the signing of an agreement between the applicant and the ATREE Office in Darjeeling.

8. Eligibility
   All civil society organizations are eligible to receive the Small Grants support. Civil society organizations are defined for the purposes of this Programme as individual researchers, community based organizations, non governmental organizations and academic institutions.
9. Grant amount
   Grants will range from Rs 100,000 to 500,000 per project that can extend over two years. Multiple year awards for higher amounts are not ruled out, but will be awarded only to exceptional applicants.

   The funding is flexible and is aimed at filling crucial support needs of researchers and organizations in the region.

FORMAT FOR APPLICATION

1. COVER PAGE (1 page max)
   1. Proposal title
   2. Name of applicant:
   3. Affiliation
   4. Email:
   5. Full Mailing Address:
   6. Telephone:
   7. Fax:
   8. Date of Submission:
   9. Amount of Request:
   10. Other Funding Sources Sought and/or Secured:
   11. Project Start Date:
   12. Project End Date:
2. NARRATIVE SECTION: (2 pages max)
   1. Executive Summary (or Abstract) - 150 words
   2. Introduction - (150 words)
   3. Background - (200 words) (An overview of the proposed project and how it was conceptualized)
   4. Literature review (300 words) (Analytical review of work done in similar topics/field and any crucial gaps that this work will fill)
   5. Rationale - 300 words (Describe the importance of this project, why it should be done and what important contribution it will make to conservation in the EH, conservation outcomes)
   6. Geographical area - (150 words) (a short description of the project site/s)
   7. Objectives- 2-3 concise points
   8. Expected Outputs 2-3 concise points
   9. Methodology
      
      1. Research design
      2. Field methods
      3. Data analysis
   10. Proposed Activities

MISCELLANEOUS

1. References (please provide at least two references)
2. Budget – with a detailed break down by line items
3. Proposed Work plan (Broken down by quarter, detailing activities planned and project milestones)
4. Annex : CV of the principal investigator, organisational information (booklet, pamphlet, brochure if any)