Nicolas Rossin joins the FFEM as the new Head of Biodiversity Projects !

Nicolas Rossin joined the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) on 1 September as Head of Biodiversity, taking over from Constance Corbier-Barthaux, and will be responsible in particular for monitoring activities in support of protected areas, conservation trust funds and the Programme de Petites Initiatives (PPI).

Nicolas has been with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) for 20 years, working in Nouméa and Nouakchott as well as at head office in Paris. For the last 6 years he has been a project team leader in the Agriculture, Rural Development and Biodiversity Division, where, based in the Beijing agency, he was in charge of biodiversity activities in China, AFD’s largest portfolio in this area among its countries of operation.

The FFEM has always been keen to support the innovative approaches of African civil society actors in their ambition to preserve the continent’s unique biodiversity. In this context, the PPI scheme financed by the FFEM, which is implemented by the IUCN French Committee and provides long-term local support for project leaders, is a formidable tool for putting into practice, on the ground, several essential aspects of the FGEF’s strategy, in particular those linked to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems by involving local populations in a shared and equitable management approach, as well as those linked to the development and structuring of exemplary supply chains for products derived from biodiversity.

In 2024, the final evaluation of the “PPI 6th ” will be launched and, on the basis of the results and feedback obtained from this analysis, the FFEM will work with the IUCN French Committee to prepare the next PPI programme, thus continuing the tremendous momentum generated since 2005 by this special partnership.