Participatory biodiversity conservation plans are being developed and implemented for seven sites in the species-rich lowland forests of south-east Cameroon and parts of the northern savannah ecosystem. The capacity of natural resource management institutions is being strengthened through financing zoological and biological inventories, by providing equipment, training and technical assistance, and through 'twinning' between the National Herbarium and Kew Botanical Gardens and the National Herbarium of France.

The project will promote the commercialization of solar water heating technology in the residential and tertiary sectors by conditioning the market for sustained penetration of the technology as a least-cost alternative under competitive market conditions.

The project will improve the participatory planning and management of three priority protected areas -- Hingol, Machiara and Chitra Gol National Parks -- across a range of ecosystem types. It will strengthen park management through elaborating detailed management plans, improving park infrastructure and protection, restoring key ecosystem components and degraded sites, and conducting targeted biodiversity research and monitoring.

The project will address the major threats facing the Lake Victoria ecosystem, including overfishing, eutrophication and algae levels, pollution, and invasive exotic species like the water hyacinth.

This project will catalyze the penetration of private sector, grid-based renewable energy projects into the National Power Company's (PLN) network within the framework of a least-cost electrification strategy. An identified pipeline of about 75 MW of small renewable projects, primarily biomass, sugar and palm oil mills, and some mini-hydro, will be targeted by the project. Technical assistance will be provided to private project developers, as well as to the Directorate General of Electricity and Energy Development (DGEED) to collect and disseminate renewable energy resource information.

This project consists of three components: (i) National Strategic Overview (formulation of a national biodiversity strategy, establishment of a biodiversity database/information system, and preparation of guidelines on economic evaluation of biodiversity investments and policies); (ii) Nature Protection (institutional support, training, immediate assistance to critical PAs, and model ecotourism projects); and (iii) Integrated Regional Development/Natural Resource Management in the Lake Baikal Region.

This pilot program is designed to stimulate greater involvement of private, small and medium scale enterprises (SME) in GEF-eligible activities. It on-lends GEF grant funds to carefully screened financial intermediaries at long-term low interest rates. The intermediaries commit to use the funds to finance GEF-eligible small and medium scale enterprise projects, via either debt or equity investments. The Program allows the intermediaries to fund long-term loans or equity investments in relatively high-risk, experimental SME projects.

In conjunction with the IBRD-supported Native Forests and Protected Areas Project, the project will expand the protected area system through the creation and management of protected areas in currently unprotected ecosystems of global biological significance (eg, Pampas grass lands, Andean Puna, the Chaco, Patagonian Steppe, etc.).

Sixty-five percent of Bulgaria's 1993, annual, weighted ozone-depleting substance consumption will be phased out (468 metric tons ODP) through sub-projects in the refrigeration, foam-blowing and solvents sectors. A recycling and servicing component will phase out further ozone-depleting substances already in use in refrigerator, and a third component will strengthen the national Phase-out Task Force.

Over half of Hungary's 1993, annual, weighted ozone-depleting substance consumption will be phased out (approx. 1150 metric tons ODP) through 13 subprojects in the solvents, foam, aerosol, halon and refrigeration sectors, and through a recovery, recycling and reclamation component.