USDA to grant up to $300K for innovative conservation projects in P.R./USVI
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is making $300,000 available in 2019 Caribbean Area Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in the Caribbean Area.
Applications are requested from eligible government agencies, non-governmental organizations or individuals in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and will be awarded on a competitive basis.
CIG will fund projects one to three years in duration, with an anticipated project start date of Sept. 30, 2019. The maximum award amount for any project will not exceed $75,000 in FY 2019. The closing date to submit 2019 applications is May 31, 2019.
CIG projects should lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems and innovative approaches into NRCS policy, technical manuals, guides and references, or to the private sector. CIG does not fund research projects. CIG funds projects targeting innovative, on-the-ground conservation, including pilot projects and field demonstrations.
Caribbean Area CIG priorities for Fiscal Year 2019 are:
· Soil Health: Emerging methods for slope stabilization on steep lands; Evaluation of nutrient management and integrated pest management (IPM) techniques in tropical soil health management systems.
· Coastal Erosion: Conservation systems for coastal, marine and wetland ecosystems conservation to protect agricultural lands.
· Wildlife Habitat Restoration: Characterization and model validation of potential habitat for the Coqui Llanero in Puerto Rico. [ID potential habitat for the species on private lands, provide habitat characteristics, validate presence or absence of the Coqui Llanero, replicate habitat characteristics in one or two areas to validate as potential conservation practice (with the same variable)].
For details and application instructions, visit the 2019 Caribbean Area Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) webpage or the local USDA Service Center.
