R -- Promote Economic and Social Alternative to illicit production under the Colombian Alternative Development Program .

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) intends to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) on or about 11/30/2004, for the anticipated award of a Cooperative Agreement to support USAID/Colombia's Strategic Objective No. 2, Promote Economic and Social Alternatives to Illicit Production, under the Colombia Alternative Development Program (USAID/Colombia/CAD). USAID funding for this effort will be at an estimated ceiling of $2,500,000. Strategies are sought to assist the Integrated Sustainable Development involving indigenous groups in National Parks Buffer Zones in Colombia. Among the objectives of the program are to achieve effective management of the National Parks buffer zones (zonas de amortiguacion), support sustainable productive activities in these areas, and achieve organizational strengthening of local indigenous communities. The primary means by which these requirements may be met, in achieving a sustainable development in buffer zones, is through an integrated development approach that focuses on, but is not exclusively limited to, areas that are carefully selected around the following National Parks: namely The Sierra Nevada National Park (Cesar, Magdalena and Guajira), The Purace (Huila and Cauca) NP, and the Alto Fragua (Caqueta).