Open Call: Best Practices for Engaging Youth in Conservation
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The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a global initiative supported by partners including the European Union, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank, and the governments of Canada and Japan, is inviting proposals from consultants to develop a new knowledge product in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot.
This assignment will focus on documenting best practices in gender-responsive conservation with a particular emphasis on engaging youth in biodiversity protection.
CEPF works to strengthen the role of civil society in safeguarding the world’s biodiversity hotspots, ensuring that local organizations have the resources and capacity to manage globally important ecosystems. In Indo-Burma, grantees have developed creative and effective strategies to involve young people in conservation efforts. This consultancy will capture those experiences and transform them into a practical resource for replication in other regions.
The knowledge product will be aimed at technical staff from civil society organizations working in conservation, both within and outside of Indo-Burma. It will highlight methods, activities, challenges, and lessons learned in engaging youth, offering actionable guidance to practitioners. The final format is flexible and could take the form of a manual, report, video, or another innovative tool that ensures accessibility and wide dissemination.
To develop the resource, the consultant will review reports and outputs produced by CEPF grantees, as well as relevant materials from other organizations. A central activity will be the facilitation of an in-person roundtable in Cambodia, where key organizations such as the Cambodian Indigenous Youth Association, My Village, the Culture and Environment Preservation Association, the Fisheries Action Coalition Team, and the Rural Development Agency of Lao PDR will share their strategies and experiences.
The consultancy will run from 1 October to 30 November 2025, with an estimated 20 days of work. Draft deliverables are expected by 15 November, and the final product will be submitted by the end of the month. The knowledge product will be produced in English and made publicly available on the CEPF website, as well as through other innovative channels such as social media videos, online toolkits, and international presentations.
By investing in this initiative, CEPF aims to create a valuable resource that not only strengthens youth engagement in Indo-Burma but also inspires conservation practitioners worldwide to integrate young people more effectively into biodiversity protection efforts.
