Mundo Marino, a Spanish company operating along the Mediterranean coast (Valencia, Costa Blanca, and Málaga), has integrated sustainable practices into nautical tourism through the design and operation of hybrid and electric catamarans. The flagship vessel Mundo Marino Eco combines sail power with Torqeedo Deep Blue electric propulsion, solar panels, and hydrogeneration systems. This innovation reduces carbon emissions by 40% compared to conventional vessels, achieving an average of 22 g CO₂ per passenger/km.

The project goes beyond tourism, serving as a platform for environmental education, citizen science, and collaborations with research institutions in marine biodiversity monitoring. By offering sustainable maritime mobility and raising awareness among thousands of visitors each year, Mundo Marino contributes to reducing pressures on marine ecosystems, aligning with the objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework and supporting the 30×30 target in Mediterranean coastal waters.

The Mrigadayavan Palace, built in 1924 between the beach towns of Cha-Am and Hua Hin, was the summer house of King Vajiravudh, who ruled until 1925. To prevent coastal erosion and protect this cultural landmark, The Marine Department of Thailand (Ministry of Transport) constructed groins, seawalls, and jetties along the beach near the palace. These rigid structures cost USD 8.4 million in subsidies.

National experts, partners, and the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) measured the impact of subsidies on ecosystems in Thailand. After the team found that rigid coastal structures had accelerated erosion instead of preventing it, they presented these results to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment).

As a result, the Thai cabinet ceased subsidies for coastal rigid structures near the palace. Existing structures were replaced with nature-based solutions, restoring the ecosystem and protecting cultural heritage.

Indonesia is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world, with exceptionally rich fauna and flora. However, illegal wildlife trade has risen in the Maluku province, threatening endemic species. While this situation demonstrates the need to strengthen species conservation efforts, mobilizing funds for such activities is a challenge.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia, with support from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), accessed USD 2.7 million in green sukuk funds for the construction of the Maluku Conservation Center, dedicated to wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release into natural habitats. Green sukuks are sovereign bond-like Islamic finance instruments, and their application to biodiversity-related projects was previously limited.

In 2023-2024, 955 birds, 323 reptiles, and 319 other animals were treated and rehabilitated in the Maluku Conservation Center, contributing to the conservation of species and ecosystems.

Mexico’s progress towards meeting the Aichi Targets includes the expansion of the protected area system. Unfortunately, the budget of the National Commission for Protected Areas (CONANP) is not keeping pace, resulting in chronically underfunded protected areas. Thus, supplementary funding from private, bilateral and multilateral donors is crucial for their effective operation. In order to address lacking financial resources and to ensure long-term sustained funding, the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN) and CONANP created the Fund for Protected Areas to support the management of 29 federal protected areas. Based on this experience, FMCN created the Gulf of California Marine Endowment (GCME) in 2007 with the goal of contributing long-term conservation of the marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Gulf of California. The GCME currently has a capital of US$9.5 million and a fundraising target of US$30 million.

Fifteen percent of the Western Cape is formally protected. Unfortunately, this network is unrepresentative of the biodiversity contained within the province and does not adequately buffer the province against the impacts of climate change. In an endeavor to supplement the existing network, priority areas, which have been identified through systematic biodiversity plans, are being safeguarded through elaborate public private partnership agreements and mainstreaming avenues.

Tamaraws (Bubalus mindorensis) are endemic to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines with an estimated population of 10,000 in the 1900s. However, in the year 2000, Tamaraws have been classified as critically endangered species by IUCN https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3127/50737640  . Although its population has been increasing based on the latest counts, it is still at a low at 523 which is only about 5% of the population count in the 1900s.

To mitigate this increasing decline in the tamaraw population, UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) partnered with Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to organize the 2018 Biodiversity Camp (BioCamp). BIOFIN gathered journalist and social media influencers to immerse them in the natural habitat of tamaraws. The goal is to raise awareness on the tamaraw endangerment and the need to mobilize resources and funds for the protection and conservation of biodiversity.

Rainwater harvesting („siembra y cosecha de agua de lluvia – SCALL“) is a hydrological technology of peasant farmers with a long-term vision. Its holistic approach is based on the Andean worldview called “water breeding” (“crianza de agua”). It is a collective practice in response to growing water scarcity. The experience combines green infrastructure with cultural, social and environmental practices as part of a program to recover Andean dry farming agriculture in harmony with the territory.

Kinyara Sugar Works Ltd. is a Ugandan business that produces sugar and grows sugar cane on its estate. Due to increasing demand, Kinyara sought to expand their sugar cane out-grower scheme, which, in addition to the impacts of a growing population, would threaten biodiversity and water resources of the Kiiha watershed, and community livelihoods. Ecotrust provided research to Kinyara on the sustainability threat to their value chain, which depends on water resources. Remedial actions would need to go beyond their nucleus estate; they should consider engaging with outgrowers and the local community on environmental and biodiversity actions. Kinyara now focuses on production efficiency rather than expansion, financially supports community-led restoration efforts, and has adopted the State-led Kiiha Catchment Management Plan for sustainable production and investments. They also signed an agreement, facilitated by Ecotrust, with Kiiha-dependent communities to develop alternative livelihoods. 

The Huangguoshu Scenic Area were established in 1980, with the Huangguoshu Waterfalls series as the core scenery which are called “Karst Waterfall Museum”. In order to protect the aesthetic value of landscape diversity, the water resources ecosystem service value, and the sustainable and harmonious development of man and nature, Guizhou Province formulated the Working Plan for the Full Implementation of the “River Chief System” in 2017, which means that the government leaders at all levels shall serve as the “River Chief”, responsible for the management and protection of the corresponding rivers, with a five-level River Chief of province, cities, counties, townships and village. The measures, such as hiring Non-governmental River Chief, establishing Dabang River Basin Management and Protection Plan, etc., have contributed to the poverty alleviation of indigenous people and obtained sufficient water resources, achieving the first and sixth goals of the Sustainable Development Goal 2030.

Taking Badagongshan Conservation area as an example, this paper analyzes and summarizes the conservation easement project being implemented in the conservation area, so as to explore the way to balance the conservation of protected land and the development of community. This paper summarizes the positive role of project implementation, the problems encountered in the process of project implementation, the necessary conditions of project implementation, and the summary of project implementation experience.

Since 2013, the government of Seychelles identified the need to reduce economic vulnerability and dependance on tourism, increase the GDP from marine sectors, create high-value jobs and ensure food security through the protection and sustainable use of marine resources.

The Seychelles’ Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) was created in 2015 together with the Government of Seychelles and The Nature Conservancy. The parties concluded the first debt-for-nature swap for ocean conservation, through a US$ 21.6 million debt restructure. SeyCCAT was given the management of two innovative financing deals, the Blue Grants Fund (total of US$ 11.6 million) and the Blue Endowment Fund.

SeyCCAT is now a conservation trust fund tasked with mobilizing resources to advance the Seychelles’ blue economy.

The oceans are integral sources of economic growth and prosperity for many regions. Quantifying their importance and assessing their sustainable use require more than a single headline indicator such as “ocean GDP.” While headline indicators can be useful tools for summarizing complex data, production-focused indicators that reflect the share of the economy tied to ecosystems fall short of being able to assess sustainability and the health of ocean assets. Much of the ocean economy rests on the use of natural capital; however, such asset depletion is not captured in GDP-like measures. Multiple indicators capturing degradation of natural capital and productive flows must be used. The availability of digital dashboarding tools makes generating these indicators relatively easy and allows them to be nimble in responding to bespoke policy questions. Here, we demonstrate the dashboarding technique using the ocean economy in Norway as an example through publicly available data from Statistics Norway.