Sue Fortune on LinkedIn: Another fantastic project funded by South & East Lincolnshire Councils… (2025)

The 2024 Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative (AGCI) program will give teams from communities serving as gateways to public lands in Appalachia the skills and knowledge to leverage natural, cultural, and recreation assets; revitalize main streets and downtowns; promote arts and culture opportunities; build cultural heritage and natural resource tourismcreate lasting economic opportunity. This initiative was recently announced by The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). NOTE: This Wednesday, January 10th, there is an informational webinar about this opportunity. Follow the link below to learn more.Select community-based teams from gateway communities in the Appalachian Region will participate in a program that enables them to build on the opportunities created by proximity to a public land asset and their confluence of resources, fostering economic opportunity to generate lasting health for people and places. The program consists of an in-person workshop (April 16-18, 2024, in Decatur, Alabama, with an optional tour on April 15) as well as pre- and post-workshop webinars. Following the program’s training component, community teams are eligible to apply for a seed grant for project implementation. #appalachia #gatewaycommunities #outdoorrecreation #mainstreet #communitydevelopment #placemaking #culturaltourism #economicdevelopment https://lnkd.in/g5Xmq4wr

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A recent SWIO regional policy review conducted by WWF has found that countries have developed national policies to provide communities with rights and benefits in natural resource management, including mangroves. However, realising these rights and benefits faces several challenges, including tensions arising from duplicate or ambiguous policies, limited institutional and financial capacity to support policy intentions and a lack of coordinated support to expand and sustain community-based mangrove management. Conservation that is #communityled is a cornerstone of WWF-SWIO’s work in #SWIO. Although having these policies in place provides us with a springboard to reach our 2030 goal of 20 million hectares of community-managed area, we first need to address the obstacles to realising community rights and benefits in mangrove management. As such, WWF has provided several recommendations to navigate and improve the policy landscape for strengthened community rights and benefits in mangrove management. These recommendations include developing and finalising a regional mangrove strategy and action plan that addresses policy pitfalls, clarifies the concept of community rights in mangrove management and supports national mangrove management strategies.Find out about SWIO’s work regarding community-led conservation here: https://lnkd.in/d9uc_SjT

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Letters of Intent are now being accepted for 2024 Biodiversity Conservation GrantWith major support from Toyota Motor North America, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is excited to announce $200,000 in grant funding to support shovel-ready pollinator habitat enhancement projects on America’s Public Lands. Habitat enhancement projects should directly support the creation, restoration, remediation, improvement, and/or protection of habitats for important pollinator species such as butterflies, bees, bats, and more. The project should directly impact pollinators on at least 200 acres of public land. Additionally, projects should incorporate community outreach and engagement activities designed to educate and empower the public to help enhance pollinator habitats. Eligibility Requirements:* Open to non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, state or federal government agencies, federally recognized tribes and local governments, and educational institutions.* Projects must be on public lands defined as any local, state, or federal government- or nonprofit-owned land that is accessible to the public for recreational use on a regular basis.This grant period will run from 7/1/2024 to 6/30/2025. The grant competition will be a two-part process. Those interested in applying must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) as an online application. NEEF will then select and invite a small number of finalists to submit a full application for review. From that pool, NEEF will then choose its grantees. The deadline for LOI submission is March 1, 2024.https://lnkd.in/ekAtQUUG

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During Shea Month this July, we're bringing attention to the environmental threats facing shea parklands, the impact on the shea supply chain and the communities that depend on it. This year, we're also focusing on how you can contribute to parkland restoration efforts to combat and reverse these challenges.The Global Shea Alliance partnered with its members to create a comprehensive guide for cultivating shea seedlings in community based nurseries. One of the goals of the Action for Shea Parklands (ASP) initiative is to grow 10 million trees and important to this mission is the availability of tree seedlings.By fostering the creation of community nurseries and motivating individuals to take part in shea and native tree cultivation, we can all play a role in revitalising shea parklands. ASP empowers individuals and communities to actively engage in environmental preservation, secure the shea supply chain and support the livelihoods of those reliant on these trees.Discover how you can get involved and find our guide to sowing shea seeds here: https://shorturl.at/g6hiF #WomenInShea #SheaMonth2024 #Sheaparklands #SahelParklands #Action4shea #Partnership4Shea #GenerationRestoration

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How can we make #mangrove #policies realize their potential and actually work for communites in the Southwestern Indian Ocean? A new policy brief digs into this very question 🌱 ⬇️

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Individuals, communities, and governments must work together to effect change. Engaging in campaigns that promote environmental conservation and health-related issues can benefit society and ensure that future generations have access to a healthier future. Encouraging community tree planting, volunteering, and sharing knowledge and awareness on health-related initiatives

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👏Well done to our #seedsofchange participants Wild Inishowen Club and Inishowen Beekeeper's Association who collaborated to deliver an informative talk about Garden Ponds for Wildlife, hosted at The Exchange Inishowen last night. Approximately 40 local people turned out to hear George Mc Dermott and Colm Grant deliver an informative talk with lots of examples of different types of ponds 💦and the variety of wildlife they attract. Also, good advice was offered on how to create your pond and the equipment ⛏needed with some live examples of the types of plants that can be grown in ponds. There was an important section on invasive species (both plants and animals) that can be damaging to #biodiversity and should be avoided. The next step is to do a Field Trip later in the Spring to visit different local ponds so be sure to look out for that. We at Inishowen Development Partnership are delighted to support this great work through our ChangeMakers Donegal Seeds of Change🌱Funding and Mentoring Programme. 🌏Together we can explore and imagine solutions for a better world. 🐸By taking action at a local level, these community groups are supporting @theglobal goals; #SDG4 Quality Education, #SDG11 Sustainable Communities, #SDG13 Climate, #SDG14 Life Below Water, #SDG15 Life on Land, #SDG17 Partnership for the Goals. #sustainability #donegal #inishowen #change #changemakers #seedsofchange #sustainabilitypassport #local #community #collaboration #biodiversity #localaction

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Our mission here at Rays of Gratitude consists of three main pillars:🔹Wildlife Conservation 🔹Children’s Rights & Education 🔹Helping Underserved Communities Learn more at the link in our bio! #raysofgratitude #gratitudeinaction #ourmission

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Super productive night. Public input and collaboration are key to successful watershed planning.

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The key criterion for Woodland Trust support - "500+ trees are planted on at least half a hectare" - seems odd in this age of natural regeneration. That's way too high a density and bypasses the incredibly biodiverse flower-rich grassland-shrubland mosaic phase that we all know so many species of conservation concern need. Planting wall-to-wall whips does NOT foster natural woodland development. Assisted natural regeneration does where small groups of native trees and shrubs are planted, leaving plenty of open ground in the early years.

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