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MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CALL AND RELATED ISSUES:
http://www.idrc.ca/lacro/bioensayos (IN SPANISH)
or contact:
Quím.
Gabriella Feola:
gfeola@idrc.org.uy
GENERAL
GUIDELINES OF THE CALL
The International
Development Research Centre (IDRC) from Canada, through its programmes
on Ecosystem Approaches to Human
Health (ECOHEALTH) and the Environmental
Management Secretariat (EMS), invite municipal governments of Latin
America and the Caribbean to participate in this call.
The aim of this call is to:
- Promote community strategies
at the municipal level for participatory water quality testing through
pilot studies that use biological tests (bioassays) for detecting the
presence of toxic chemicals in water.
- Systematize and disseminate
these experiences at the regional and international level.
The call is directed at
municipalities with a clear environmental-protection awareness, that realise
the growing relevance of water pollution with toxic chemicals and have a
concern for the increased risks posed to the health of human beings and the
ecosystem. This implies the need to undertake actions towards water quality
control, testing and protection.
The programme encourages the
development of an ecosystem approach at the level of local communities, with
the aim of protecting the environment, assessing water quality and promoting
human health in the more vulnerable populations. It also promotes the
development of associations between municipalities and other civil
institutions, such as non-governmental organizations and research centres.
Through these associations, it is sought to strengthen local capacities for
the development of long-term community plans for water quality assessment.
The purpose of the call is to
fund pilot research studies - through grant donation agreements - on the
application of simple bioassays that can serve as useful tools to determine
the presence of toxic chemicals in water. The bioassays will be those promoted
by the Watertox International Network being funded by IDRC whose
objective is to identify and standardize a set of bioassays that are
sensitive low-cost.
The bioassays to be applied in
the pilot study are the following:
- The test with Hydra
attenuata (48-96 h)
- Daphnia magna test
- Lettuce seed test (Lactuca
sativa)
- Onion bulb test (Allium sp)
- optional, depending on local availability
The municipalities selected to
implement the pilot studies will coordinate their work and receive technical
support from the Watertox International Network for the validation of
the techniques being applied.
The proposals may optionally
include an initial plan to involve those responsible of implementing the pilot
study (municipality, study centre, NGOs, etc.) to promote the application of
bioassays in local primary schools. This initial plan can be presented as an
attachment to the proposed study; the required activities for its
implementation should not be included as part of the pilot study budget.The
IDRC will evaluate the attached proposals, and if considered of interest to
the IDRC - Aquatox programme (see www.idrc.ca/aquatox) additional funding for
its implementation will be assigned. Up to two schools per municipality will
be able to participate in this programme.
Budget and duration: the funds
requested from the IDRC for each pilot study may amount to a maximum of
20,000 Canadian dollars. The studies should be implemented within a maximum
period of twelve months following the signing of the agreement between the
Local Government (LG) and the IDRC.
Deadline: requests for funding
will be received via fax or e-mail until and including October 15th, and can
be submitted in Spanish, Portuguese, English or French.
How
to apply for funding
The proposal should be
submitted directly through the municipal government and should include an
official letter of request signed by a duly authorized officer of the
municipality (Mayor or equivalent).
The call will consist of two
stages. For the first stage, a summarized proposal of the project idea
(maximum seven pages) is to be submitted, and in case of being selected, a
more detailed project proposal will be requested in the second stage.
First stage: The summarized
proposal of the idea should include the following points:
- Presentation of the
municipality/municipalities and institutions involved in the pilot study.
- A brief description of the
environmental problem(s) to be approached.
- Background of the study
including, if necessary, possible connections of the current proposal with
other programmes or activities underway being funded by other national or
international institutions.
- Objectives, methodology and
activities of the proposal.
- A reference regarding the
relevance of the proposal within a programme of activities to analyse the
environmental problems, placing special stress on water toxicity, and the
promotion of a local policy for participatory environmental management and
water quality testing.
- A statement on the
perspectives and sustainability of the application of bioassays.
- Schedule of activities.
- Estimated budget and
estimation of contributions by the LG and/or other institutions, either in
cash, human resources, equipment or other kinds of resources.
- Names, institutions they
represent, position and curricular references of the members of the team
in charge of implementing the project.
In the second stage, the
selected proposals shall submit a project with a detailed description of all
the previously mentioned points, complemented with the assessors'
observations. In this second stage, documentation should be included of the
agreements between municipalities or between the LG and other instititutions
(such as non-governmental organizations or research centers) for executing the
pilot study.
The institutions that
collaborate with the LG for executing the study should be non-profit public or
private institutions with recognized experience and capacity for executing the
proposed project. The background provided in this regard will constitute a
basic evaluation criterion (annex, maximum two pages). These may be
institutions outside the geographical boundaries of the forseen specific
actions, and that operate in a national, regional or international context.
Selection
criteria
The following criteria will be
used in selecting proposals:
- Justification and
description of the importance of the study and how it relates to the
environmental policy of the local government.
- Effective incorporation of
public and private players (civil organizations) in environmental
management, with specific reference to community water quality testing.
- Contribution to the
effective participation of technical and municipal experts in the proposed
studies and impact on the development of the institutional capacities for
the continued use of bioassays at the community level.
- Collaboration of the
proponent with other municipalities (inter-municipal coordination) or with
community organizations, for implementing the pilot study and with a view
to apply water quality testing programmes and the use of bioassays in the
future.
- Themes to be considered of
special interest include environmental pollution affecting the urban-rural
interface, both at the level of formulating the problem to be studied and
the impact it has on these areas.
- Commitment of financial
support by LGs and associated institutions (additional contributions to
those of the IDRC for the implementation of the study).
- Commitment of institutional
sustainability of plans for using the bioassays, and feasibility of future
plans.
- Technical quality of the
proposal and a focus on an ecosystem approach to the analysis of
environmental pollution.
- Links of the pilot study
with environmental educational activities in the local community.
Requirements
for accepting proposals
The selected proponents commit
themselves to participate in the coordination and follow-up activities
foreseen by this program, including an Initial Technology Transfer Workshop of
the bioassays, the link to the electronic network, the technical follow-up on
behalf of the IDRC and the Watertox International Network, and
the participation in the Final Workshop to facilitate the exchange of
experiences. Participation in the mentioned Workshops will include one or two
people per selected study, and will be covered with additional funds to those
of the pilot study assigned by the IDRC (these should not be included in the
pilot plan budget).
Use the protocols for the
bioassays recommended by the Watertox International Network.
It is essential to have an
electronic mail address and access to the internet in order to facilitate
communication in the selection and implementation process of the pilot
studies.
For questions please
contact:
Gabriella Feola, MSc.
E-mail: gfeola@idrc.org.uy |
