ACT-Europe

Workplan 2020 – 2022

Introduction:

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) was founded in 1996 by ethno-botanist Mark Plotkin and his wife, co-founder Liliana Madrigal. ACT is a non-profit organization that partners with indigenous and other local communities to protect South American tropical forests and strengthen traditional culture. From its origins, ACT has recognized that lasting change requires a long-term commitment in the field. For over 20 years, ACT has been privileged to work with more than 50 indigenous groups in the Amazon and beyond. ACT Headquarters are based in Virginia, USA. Currently ACT concentrates its work in the northeast Amazon and in the northwest Amazon. As ACT is a strongly field based organisation, it has field offices in Brazil, Suriname and Colombia. Total ACT staff is about 150 people with an annual turnover of 4-5 million USD.

ACT Europe

The Amazon Conservation Team Europe (ACT-Europe) works to enhance fundraising opportunities for ACT as a whole, while also providing expert counsel. The body has an expansive and ambitious vision, guided by a long-term plan for European fundraising and strategic positioning. A Dutch-registered foundation, ACT-Europe has a board comprised of individuals from different European countries and has its office in the capital of the European Union, Brussels. The Foundation’s objectives are to support ACT’s programs in the Amazon and raise awareness of ACT’s mission within the European community.

Term

This Workplan 2020-2022 is a workplan for the coming 3 years of ACT Europe, describing main goals of the organisation, activities, funding and operations.

Mission, vision and strategy

Mission: The Amazon Conservation Team partners with indigenous and other local communities to protect tropical forests and strengthen traditional culture.

Vision: ACT sees a future where healthy tropical forests and thriving local communities exist in harmonious relationship with each other, contributing to the well-being of the planet.

Strategy: ACT believes that the survival of the forest depends on the fate of its guardians. Therefore, the organization protects both. For a forest to survive and thrive, it needs biological diversity, clean and abundant water, and large stretches of connected lands. For the guardians to be healthy, they need not only basic things such as food, water, and medicine, but also security and stability. Self-determination and strong traditional cultures allow forest people to flourish and protect their lands.

ACT asks its partners what they want, what they need, and what they envision for their future. They identify which lands are most important to them, and they tell ACT what they need to protect these areas.

ACT has three main strategies which work towards their vision: o Land: Safeguard the forests and all that is in them o Livelihood: Sustain the lives of local people o Governance: Strengthen cultures and communities self-determination

Strategy and main goals of ACT Europe

The strategy of ACT-Europe is to support the ACT Wide strategy as much as possible with a main goal to fundraise for the field programs of ACT in Suriname, Colombia and Brazil Therefore the main activities of ACT Europe consist of: creating visibility for ACT and fundraising for ACT with the help of this visibility.

The goals for the coming years are: o To raise extra money for the ACT field programs in different countries of Europe o To increase visibility of ACT in Europe by launching an own website, go to the press, give speeches at key audiences, etc. o To find extra Board members from important European donor countries such as Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and/or Norway

Current situation

ACT Europe was set up in 2008 as a Foundation in the Netherlands in order to fundraise for the field activities of ACT in the Amazon. However, during almost ten years little to no income was generated. In February 2017, ACT HQ hired a consultant to look at potential opportunities for more and better fundraising in Europe. Since then, the ACT Europe has a Director. ACT-Europe is registered in the Netherlands as a separate entity within the Chamber of Commerce and ANBI registered. It has both a Supervisory Board and a Management Board, as per the amended Statutes in 2019.

ACT Europe is still in its infancy: it is mainly dedicated to fundraising, including communications and visibility. From 2017 onwards till 2020, the main activities of ACT Europe have been:

o To reform the ACT Europe Board with new members from different European countries and keep regular ACT Europe Board meetings (3 times per year) o To reform the ACT Europe Statutes in order to allow for broader fundraising outside the Netherlands o To prepare project proposals in close collaboration with ACT HeadQuarters and ACT field offices for respectively WWF Netherlands, DOB Ecology and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. o To fundraise in other countries outside the Netherlands in close collaboration with ACT HQ and ACT field offices. This includes visits to Sweden, Norway, Rance, Switzerland, Germany and the UK o To set up an ACT Europe office in Brussels and recruit an assistant o To strengthen the relationship with ACT HQ and staff, in order to work more efficiently in fundraising in the coming years. o To increase visibility in Europe by becoming an IUCN member, creating an ACT Europe brochure and working on a separate ACT Europe website.

So far, ACT Europe has set up a new Board with individuals from the Netherlands, UK and France. It has obtained its first grant from a Dutch Foundation DOB Ecology. However, the contract was signed with ACT HQ, so for the moment ACT Europe has no money in its books.

Workplan 2020 2022

Following the recommendations of the 2019 ACT Europe Board meetings and the vision of the ACT leadership, the main mandate of ACT Europe in 2020 and beyond is to increase the visibility of ACT in Europe, continue fundraising, and enlarge the ACT Europe Board. Whilst the DNA of ACT is very unique in Europe (bio-cultural conservation), ACT’s name is rather unknown in Europe, except -to some extent- in the Netherlands where ACT Europe is registered. In the other key European countries such as the UK, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and Norway, ACT is still relatively unknown except at the level of some donors or BIG NGOs where we got the opportunity to present ACT and their field work in the Amazon.

By acquiring a large grant from a Dutch Foundation in the Netherlands (DOB Ecology) in September 2019, and thanks to the efforts of the ACT Europe Board President, the ACT President and the many visits of the ACT Europe Director, ACT’s name is getting more and more known in the Netherlands at the level of donors and key NGOs such as IUCN NL, WWF NL and many others. However, even in the Netherlands, more can be done to increase visibility.

Over the last 3 years, many visits were organized by the ACT Europe Director to Foundations, NGOs and Government officials in Norway, France, UK, Sweden and Switzerland. Key events in Brussels at the EU or of the GLF were attended.

Key objectives for ACT Europe during 2020 2022 will be (in alignment with the ACT Strategic Plan):

• Increase the visibility of ACT in Europe • Obtain 2 multi-year grants or more, totaling at least 2 million USD • Enlarge the ACT Europe Board by adding 1 or 2 members from key countries.

Additionally, the ACT Europe Director will support the implementation of the DOB grant in the Guianas under the guidance of ACT USA and the ACT NE Amazon Director.

Increase visibility

Over the last 2 years, ACT has been promoted in several European countries by the ACT Europe Director with the help of the ACT Europe Board President and other Board members, the ACT President and ACT US staff through several meetings with key donors and NGO’s in different European countries. All trips and meetings were recorded in trip reports with detailed information for ACT teambuilding and follow up. Trips for ACT visibility/fundraising were often combined with the search for new ACT Europe Board members. All these high level contacts have made the name of ACT better known in Europe but of course, this is far from enough, and opportunities are missed.

In order to increase visibility during the next 3 years, following extra activities will be done: . Draft a communication strategy for ACT Europe for 2020 together with ACT US . Ensure the ACT Europe website is finally launched and regularly updated . Finalize and print the 8 pages colorful ACT Europe brochure, where ACT is presented with a clear European identity . Attend events and conferences like the IUCN Congress Marseille, GLF Conferences in Europe, EU conferences, etc. . Target key journalists, newspapers, TV, media. More active search for journalists dealing with conservation, Indigenous peoples, Amazon, Climate change, and related topics, and hold presentations and speeches. . Organize meetings for the ACT Europe Director and ACT President to key donors in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and other countries in order to increase ACT´s visibility and eventually find a right ACT Europe Board member . Target selected social media (with the help of ACT HQ).

Fundraising

ACT Europe will further explore funding sources in different countries with an emphasis on the following activities :

• Prepare a decent proposal for the Call for proposals civil society NORAD/NICFI (launched 17 January 2020) in close collaboration with ACT HQ Development Team • Prepare a medium size project document for the legacy of Frits van Troon, depending on interested donors in the Netherlands, and potential collaborators. • Prepare trips to Germany with the ACT President Dr. Plotkin to meet key donors such as BMZ, BME, KfW, GiZ, IKI and many others. • Prepare trips to Sweden with the ACT President to meet key donors (Tenure Facility, SIDA, Swedish Postcode Lotterij, and some Foundations). • Continue fundraising in the NL, EU level, France, UK, Suisse. • Trips to Norway if deemed necessary

ACT Europe Board

Over the past 2 years, a decent ACT Europe Board was formed consisting of 5 members so far. The Statutes were amended in 2019 in which it is foreseen that still 4 new members can join the ACT Europe Board. These need to be chosen carefully. Following ACT Europe Board activities are proposed for 2020 2022:

• Look for new Board members in Germany and Sweden/Norway during the trips for fundraising and propose for approval to the ACT Europe Board and ACT USA. • Prepare the agenda for the 3 ACT Europe Board meetings each year • Organize the Board meetings, draft the Minutes and distribute.

General follow up and administration

In order to be able to function as an ACT Europe office, several work has been done in the past years. For 2020 2022, we mention the following (non-exhaustive):

• Follow up all the news regarding the Amazon in emails/websites from ACT, GSF, Mongabay and many other ACT staff and beyond. • Assist in ACT Wide Strategic Meetings in DC or elsewhere and virtual calls. • Follow up all emails from HQ, ACT NE Amazon office, and take action where required. • Prepare all expense reports and time sheets as consultant for ACT USA • Continue the work regarding leases, office furniture, bank accounts, financial records, visa, flights, hotels, bookings

Strategic support to DOB Ecology project in the Guianas and the Amazon region

Over the past years the ACT Europe Director visited Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana several times in order to help the ACT Suriname office (now ACT NE Amazon office) in the preparation of project proposals, in particular the DOB Ecology project.

Given his long standing experience in the 3 Guianas, and on request of the ACT NE Amazon Director, the ACT Europe Director has been asked to give strategic support to the implementation of the DOB project in Guyana and French Guiana.

Organization:

Official Name: Stichting Amazon Conservation Team Europe Kvk number: 27320193 RSIN number: 819516314

ANBI status: Yes

Official address in the Netherlands: Plantage Middenlaan 2 K 1018DD Amsterdam The Netherlands

Post Address: Kunstlaan 7-8 1210 Brussels Belgium

Email address: [email protected]

Website: www.acteurope.org

Supervisory Board:

ACT-Europe’s leadership consists of conservation professionals and other experts whose experience will bolster ACT’s field operations. Efforts are underway to increase the board’s size and country representation. The current five board members, with their positions, are:

o Johan Van de Gronden, Chair o Annemarie Mijnsbergen, Treasurer o Gilles Kleitz, General Board Member o Sandra Charity, General Board Member o Mark Plotkin, General Board Member, President of ACT

Employees

ACT-Europe has an office in Brussels, Belgium. There are two consultants working for ACT- Europe at the moment: o Dominiek Plouvier, Director, Management Board o Sanne Olthof, Assistant Since there is no money in the books of ACT Europe, both work as a consultant for ACT USA.

So far, there are no volunteers working for ACT-Europe.

Finances

ACT-Europe has no capital of its own. The ACT Europe expenses are mainly for salaries of the ACT Europe consultants and travel expenses. The funds come from the ACT Headquarters in the USA, with a certain amount per year. This amount is determined at the beginning of each year and approved both by the Board of Directors of ACT and the ACT-Europe Board.

ACT Europe has not managed to receive European funding on its own account. All funding has been donated directly to ACT Headquarters.

A full account of the financial overview of the last years can be found in the ´Financial Report´ which is uploaded yearly.

Fundraising

ACT-Europe has managed to acquire one project-funding from Europe, for ACT. The DOB Ecology Foundation in The Netherlands is funding a 4-year transboundary project in Suriname, Brazil, French Guiana and Guyana. This project aims to work together with indigenous and local communities to protect the rainforest in the earlier mentioned region against threats and to protect local indigenous traditional cultures.

ACT Europe aspires to receive more funds from government agencies and foundations, preferably on the ACT-Europe account, so the office can become self-sufficient.