Shorebird Conservation Project | F18AS00312

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00312

The Shorebird Conservation Project (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00312) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discretionary grant under CFDA 15.664 focused on protecting migratory shorebirds that depend on mangrove and mudflat ecosystems in the Gulf of Guayaquil in southwest Ecuador. This notice is not an open competitive opportunity; it is a notice of intent to make a single-source award, meaning there is no full public announcement or standard application competition tied to the notice. The Service planned one award with an expected ceiling of $37,290, created on August 20, 2018, with an original closing date listed as August 27, 2018.

The project is designed to work directly with local communities, specifically ancestral resource users in the Naranjal and Balao cantons in Guayas Province, to strengthen their ability to carry out mangrove management plans within their legally recognized concessions. The core idea is that long-term shorebird conservation in this region depends on improving day-to-day stewardship of mangroves and adjacent mudflats while also supporting local livelihoods tied to these habitats, particularly small-scale crab harvesting.

Program activities center on a set of practical objectives. First, the grant supports on-the-ground protection of mangroves and associated mudflats by implementing priority conservation actions already identified in local management plans, with an emphasis on improving control and surveillance efforts used by local crabbing associations. Second, it aims to build local natural resource management capacity through technical assistance that strengthens those control and surveillance programs, helping communities better prevent illegal or harmful activities and manage use more sustainably. Third, the project seeks to improve governance within and among crabbing associations so they can better comply with and meet the goals laid out in their management plans, which typically requires clearer internal rules, coordination, and accountability. Fourth, it targets increased awareness and knowledge among association members about mangroves as critical biodiversity habitat and as providers of essential ecosystem services, reinforcing why conservation measures matter for both wildlife and community wellbeing. Finally, it encourages development of complementary, conservation-friendly income options, particularly ecotourism activities that can create financial incentives to maintain healthy mangrove and mudflat habitats rather than degrade them.

The intended recipient is Aves y Conservacion, selected on a single-source basis due to what the Service describes as unique qualifications and a long track record in the exact place and with the exact partners needed for the work. The organization has more than a decade of experience working with private companies and coastal communities in Ecuador on shorebird and waterbird conservation, and since 2015 has worked directly with three local crabbing associations (6 de Julio, Balao, and Nuevo Porvenir) in southwest Ecuador to pursue conservation outcomes alongside livelihood needs. The notice also cites their successful collaboration with municipalities and salt-producing companies, suggesting they can operate across community, government, and private-sector stakeholders, which is often necessary in coastal conservation settings where land and water use pressures overlap.

From a policy standpoint, the notice ties the project to Department of the Interior priorities by emphasizing trust-building with local communities and the creation of a durable conservation stewardship legacy through sustainable use of natural resources. The Service frames the project as a way to secure both human and wildlife benefits: improved implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of community-based mangrove management plans is presented as supporting the economic welfare of thousands of families while conserving habitat for thousands of migratory shorebirds that rely on the Gulf of Guayaquil during migration or wintering periods.

Funding is supported under multiple U.S. legal authorities, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017. Eligible applicant categories listed for the program include nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), although in practice this particular notice was specifically issued to support a single intended awardee rather than to solicit broader competition.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Shorebird Conservation Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.664.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 20, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 27, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $37,290.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F18AS00312

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