Conservation of biological diversity

and LDC programs worldwide. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will implement the project in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The project will build the capacity of A.I.D. offices and of cooperating LDC institutions to recognize the critical need for and economic potential of biological resource conservation. There are four major components: (1) TA to Missions, PVO"s, and others to help establish national and local conservation strategies and programs, design research proposals, and survey ecosystems; (2) small matching grants to fund studies on specific ecological, sociopolitical, and economic issues related to conservation, e.g., the efficacy of buffer zones, the costs and benefits of conservation efforts; (3) training of LDC scientists to help them better formulate R&D proposals to take advantage of existing funding sources; (4) an information and evaluation network to collect, maintain, and disseminate information on A.I.D."s and other organizations" conservation activities, to establish linkages among data bases, and to sponsor outreach efforts such as literature reviews and technical seminars; (5) pilot field demonstrations, to include, e.g., conservation education, new approaches for protected areas, and support for ongoing WWF efforts to link conservation and community developing activities, and ongoing TNC efforts to adapt its Conservation Data Centers model to LDC"s. Quantitative targets include: 41 4-week consultancies; 24-28 research grants; 16 2-week training workshops, 10 participants each; and 54 pilot demonstrations. The project will work closely with the Peace Corps and with the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity, recently formed under Project 9365550.