In 2016 the Nagao Natural Environment Foundation (NEF) in Japan made a generous voluntary donation to establish the Nagao Wetland Fund (NWF), to be administered by the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands.
The NWF is intended to help local governments, researchers, non-governmental organizations and local communities of developing countries in the Asia and Oceania regions to implement the Convention on Wetlands, and in particular the goals and targets of the Convention’s Strategic Plan 2025-2034.
The NWF prioritizes projects concerning the conservation, restoration and wise use of wetlands, including communications, education and awareness, and also training for park rangers and staff working in wetland education centres.
Each year funds up to 30,000 USD maximum may be provided to each approved project. However, as funds under NWF are limited, the total number of projects that are granted funding each year will depend on the quantity, quality, and proposed budget of the projects. Only one project per country per year can be approved for funding.
The support is not intended to replace the much more substantial levels of funding which most developing countries and countries in transition need to access if they are to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of their wetland resources.
The call for proposals for 2026 is currently open. Please refer to the Operational Guidelines for this year’s cycle for further information.
Eligibility:
In principle, countries in Asia and Oceania that are on the OECD DAC list of ODA Recipients are eligible for the NWF. The target countries for this call are as follows: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu. The NWF may focus, as appropriate, on specific target countries identified by the donor. Countries that are not yet Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands, but have clearly signaled their intention to join, may apply for grants from the NWF to support activities necessary for the accession process. It should be noted that if resources in the NWF are scarce, such assistance might receive a lower priority than assistance to Contracting Parties.
Please note that the project should be identified as a national priority by the Contracting Party in implementation of the Convention’s Strategic Plan 2025-2034.
For more information about the PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CLICK HERE.
Please contact the Wetland Finance Support Officer (lee@ramsar.org) for more information and guidelines.
