THE winds OF change
African Birdlife|March 2023
The start of 2023 saw two major changes at the Fitz.
PETER RYAN
THE winds OF change

Firstly, funding for the Centre of Excellence (COE) in Birds as Keys to Biodiversity Conservation came to an end. The Fitz was one of six centres recognised in the first round of awards made in 2004. Initially only part-funded, the Fitz CoE was upgraded to full funding-amounting to some R5-million to R7-million per year - from 2009, following a favourable review by a panel of eminent assessors after the first five-year phase.

The intention was for the centres to run for only 10 years, but the initial cohort all proved so successful that funding was extended beyond three five-year terms. It was only in 2020, at the height of the Covid financial crunch, that the decision was made to phase out support for the initial set of CoEs. Funding came to an end in March 2023 and final reporting will be concluded by September this year.

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