Nagao Wetland Fund (NWF) is a grant scheme jointly launched by the Nagao Natural Environment Foundation (NEF) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands for conservation and wise use of all wetlands by supporting local and national actions in the Asia-Oceania region. The funding is specifically provided to projects that aim to implement the overall goals and targets of the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2025 – 2034. (Maximum of 30,000 USD per project)
Eligibility
In principle, countries in Asia and Oceania that are on the OECD DAC list of ODA Recipients are eligible for the NWF. The target countries for this call are as follows: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu. The NWF may focus, as appropriate, on specific target countries identified by the donor. Countries that are not yet Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands, but have clearly signaled their intention to join, may apply for grants from the NWF to support activities necessary for the accession process. It should be noted that if resources in the NWF are scarce, such assistance might receive a lower priority than assistance to Contracting Parties.
ALL projects must be endorsed by the head of the Administrative Authority or the National Focal Point of the Convention on Wetlands in the country concerned. Any proposal without the signed endorsement of the head of the Administrative Authority or the National Focal Point of the Convention will not be accepted. The contact details of the Head of the Administrative Authority or the National Focal Point of the Convention can be found on the relevant Contracting Party’s page at the following link: https://www.ramsar.org/contracting-parties The proof of endorsement to be provided is in the Project Summary and Endorsement Form (also in Section B of ‘Operational Guidelines’). A Contracting Party, when considering submitting or endorsing a project, should consider how the project fits with its national planning for the implementation of the Convention, and in particular which Target(s) of the Strategic Plan 2025 – 2034 the project will address.
Notice for 2026 Call for Proposals
Application Open from 31 March to 30 June 2026 (23:00 CEST).
The Asia-Oceania Regional Team of the Secretariat is providing advisory services on the draft proposals from 01 April to 30 April 2026. If interested, please send your draft proposals to lee@ramsar.org during this period. The Team will try to provide feedback on the draft proposals by 30 May 2026.
For tips on how to write a good proposal for this grant, please consider watching the recording of the webinar on the 2025's Call, in YouTube here.
Application Documents
Reference Documents
- Strategic Plan (PDF)
- Operational Guidelines 2026 (PDF) – Contains all information related to NWF
- Timeline of the 2026 cycle (PDF)
- Project Contract Form with Procurement Policy and Procedures for Recipients of Grant Funding from IUCN (for reference) (PDF)
- Project Progress Report (template for reference) (.doc)
- Project Final Report (template for reference) (.doc)
For Reference, the Successful Project Proposals from previous years are available here.