Freshwaters are among the most valuable ecosystems on the planet for their biodiversity and importance to livelihoods. Yet the freshwater realm is under threat, with its species declining faster than those on land and in the oceans.

To address the pressing need for global conservation efforts, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is leading the assessment of freshwater species (including crabs, crayfishes and shrimps, fishes, molluscs, dragonflies and damselflies, and plants) for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM, and helping identify Key Biodiversity Areas that are important for the survival of these species.

Building on this assessment and in order to support conservation efforts, this year’s Call for Proposals specifically supports the conservation of threatened Freshwater Decapods, Freshwater Fishes, Freshwater Molluscs and all Odonates. These species play vital roles in freshwater ecosystems, and their conservation is essential to safeguard their habitats and improve the well-being of communities dependent on freshwater resources.

Under the Fondation Segré Conservation Action Fund, we are issuing two Calls for proposals:

– Conservation Action Grants (maximum grant size: EUR 50,000)

The objective of these grants is to enable and support Civil Society Organisations engaged in the conservation of threatened species to carry out sustainable conservation measures at local level to protect the species, their habitats and to improve the livelihoods of the people who depend on them.

– Research Support Grants (maximum grant size: EUR 7,000)

The objective of these grants is to support young and early scientists in their research to improve knowledge on threatened species and their role in natural ecosystems. These grants intend to provide budding researchers (enrolled in a curriculum) the opportunity to mature into seasoned conservationists, while benefitting the conservation and management of threatened animal species.

Maximum duration for Conservation Action Grants and Research Support Grants is 12 months.

The Fondation Segré Conservation Action Fund, funded by Fondation Segré through IUCN Save Our Species, is a five-year initiative which will run until 2026. The Fund focuses on threatened species and their habitats across Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East. This initiative supports conservation projects and young and early researchers for priority species considered as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Fondation Segré is committed to help protect the biodiversity of our planet through the active conservation of threatened species and their habitat and the restoration of degraded ecosystems.