Share your expertise: USAID’s Biodiversity Integration Case Study Competition

By Catherine Wahlen, Biodiversity Results and Integrated Development Gains (BRIDGE), Jennifer Kane, USAID Office of Forestry and Biodiversity  • 

Do you work on a project or activity that is increasing climate resilience or reducing carbon emissions while conserving biodiversity? Have you collaborated with colleagues across USAID to design a project or activity that has biodiversity outcomes and tackles development challenges across multiple programming areas? Are you trying to monitor biodiversity co-benefits in your climate change activities or projects?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, we encourage you to share your experience through USAID’s biodiversity integration case study competition.

USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3) Office of Forestry and Biodiversity is now accepting submissions for a case study competition on biodiversity integration across USAID’s portfolio. Cases may include biodiversity programming with multiple sector outcomes, as well as other development programming with biodiversity outcomes. In addition to successes, case studies are welcome to discuss challenges in design, implementation or monitoring of integration.

Integration of biodiversity conservation with other sectors has the potential to increase sustainability of development programming, amplify results and promote cost-savings. Integrated programming offers an opportunity to advance learning and an evidence-based approach, to identify lessons learned and to capture best practices. This case study competition seeks to understand and capture field-level learning on biodiversity integration into USAID programming across sectors. By entering the competition, your case study will help broaden knowledge and evidence on biodiversity integration both within and outside of USAID.

The Competition

All USAID staff and implementing partners working on USAID projects and activities are eligible to enter this case study competition. The Office of Forestry and Biodiversity will consider all entries that:

  • address biodiversity integration at any stage of the USAID program cycle.
  • receive USAID funding. Applicants are not required to receive biodiversity funding and can come from any sector but must address biodiversity in some aspect of their integration case.
  • are submitted in English by May 3, 2019. USAID staff and implementing partners are encouraged to collaborate on joint submissions.

The Judges

A high-level judging panel will evaluate submitted cases. Judges include:

  • Cynthia Gill, Office Director, E3 Office of Forestry and Biodiversity, USAID
  • Tony Pryor, Senior Advisor, Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning, USAID
  • James Watson, Development Diplomat in Residence, USAID

The competition is open March 25 – May 3, 2019. Participants will need to complete a simple submission form. Full competition guidelines are available on the case study competition website. USAID’s Biodiversity Results and Integrated Development Gains Enhanced (BRIDGE) project is managing the competition and will work with winners to enhance and adapt cases to share with USAID, partners and the public. BRIDGE will also highlight the case studies in a networking and learning event in Washington, DC, co-hosted with USAID LEARN.

We encourage you to submit your biodiversity integration stories!