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Overview

The Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG) is a coalition of the major US-based international conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with field-based activities in Africa including African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Conservation International (CI), the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). ABCG has extensive experience conducting analysis and sharing lessons learned on high priority conservation issues affecting Africa. ABCG’s mission is to tackle complex and changing conservation challenges by catalyzing and strengthening collaboration, and bringing the best resources from across a continuum of conservation organizations to effectively and efficiently work towards a vision of an African continent where natural resources and biodiversity are securely conserved in balance with sustained human livelihoods.

With funding from the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Biodiversity Analysis and Technical Support (BATS) program, ABCG has made excellent progress towards our mission of tackling complex and changing conservation challenges by catalyzing and strengthening collaboration, and bringing the best resources from across a continuum of conservation organizations to effectively and efficiently work toward a vision of an African continent where natural resources and biodiversity are securely conserved in balance with sustained human livelihoods.

The BATS program is a multi-partner USAID Bureau for Africa effort that has included International Resources Group (IRG) under the Environmental Policy and Institutional Strengthening Indefinite Quantity Contract (EPIQ II), the USDA Forest Service International Programs under an interagency agreement, Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the Capitalizing Knowledge, Connecting Communities (CK2C) project of new partner Development Alternatives, Incorporated (DAI) and the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG) under a cooperative agreement. While all groups had separate funding and work plans, the three entities met regularly with USAID to coordinate their activities. This report details the activities of the BATS program over the period from October 2012 through September 2013.

ABCG’s objectives are to:

  • Promote networking, awareness, information sharing and experience among U.S. conservation NGOs working in Africa; to encourage information exchange and idea sharing with African partners
  • Identify and analyze critical and/or emerging conservation issues in Africa as priorities for both future NGO action and donor support
  • Synthesize collective lessons from field activities and share them with a broader multi-sector community in the United States and Africa.

By accessing the wide-ranging networks of our member organizations throughout Africa, ABCG is in a unique position to support USAID Africa Missions and help build the capacity of local and national NGOs, government agencies, universities, the private sector and local communities on key environmental and development issues for the African Continent.