Eligible Activities under the TFCA

A wide range of activities can be funded under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA).  Some of the major types of activities and examples of each are described below.

Establishment, restoration, protection and maintenance of parks, protected areas, and reserves:

  • demarcation of protected forest areas and indigenous reserves
  • establishment and conservation of new or expanded protected forests areas
  • identification of unique or representative forest areas
  • watershed protection and management efforts
  • inventory and protection of species richness, levels of endemism
  • establishment of buffer zones around protected areas
 
Development and implementation of scientifically sound systems of natural resource management, including land and ecosystem management practices:
  • forest inventory, assessment or monitoring activities
  • implementation of criteria and indicators
  • implementation of ecosystem management approaches
  • application of adaptive management techniques
  • testing of silvicultural techniques
  • forest policy development or reform
 
Training programs to increase the scientific, technical, and managerial capacities of individuals and organizations involved in conservation efforts:
  • human resource development projects
  • development of extension services to communities
  • environmental education programs
  • public awareness programs
  • establishment/expansion of university curricula in forest management, conservation biology, etc.
 
Restoration, protection, or sustainable use of diverse animal and plant species:
  • rehabilitation of degraded forest
  • sustainable hunting, fishing, iguana farming, etc.
  • improvement of forest health and vitality
  • assessing/addressing illegal logging
 
Research and identification of medicinal uses of tropical forest plant life to treat human diseases, illnesses, and health related concerns:
  • ethnobotany studies
  • sample collection and analysis
 
Development and support of the livelihoods of individuals living in or near a tropical forest in a manner consistent with protecting such tropical forest:
  • development of community forest-based enterprises
  • development of non-wood forest products
  • development of women’s enterprises, including credit
  • use of low impact logging
  • development of multiple use tree species outside natural forests
 
Related Sectors of Work 
Environment and Global Climate Change