Protected areas in Kazakhstan expanded yearly, reaching 25 million hectares in 2018. However, public funding did not increase accordingly. As a result, the amount of financing per hectare of protected area declined. Challenges in planning and law implementation aggravated this situation.

The Government of Kazakhstan, supported by the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), promoted legal reforms and capacity building to enhance the management and financial sustainability of protected areas. This support was jointly provided with the project “Conservation and sustainable management of key globally important ecosystems for multiple benefits” funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

This initiative catalysed additional public funding for protected areas, which rose from USD 22.5 million in 2018 to USD 60 million in 2024. Moreover, the revenue from paid services in protected areas grew from USD 620 thousand to USD 2.6 million, supporting biodiversity conservation.

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.

Cuba’s geological evolution, climate, and insular geography led to highly diverse ecosystems with various endemic species. Nonetheless, declining forest cover and climate change hazards have threatened the country’s rich biodiversity. Moreover, CO2 emissions accelerate the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, in addition to harming human well-being.

To address these challenges, the Cuban government, with support from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ecovalor project, established a payment for environmental services scheme that rewards carbon removal through sustainable forest management.

By March 2025, the scheme disbursed USD 238,000 (CUP 5,709,066) in payment for environmental services, associated with the removal of 999,473 tons of carbon across 12,646 hectares of forest. This initiative contributes to climate mitigation, ecosystem conservation, and the responsible use of natural resources in Cuba.

MarAdentro is a scientific foundation, established in 2021 in Bahía Solano, focused on marine conservation with a mission to promote scientific advancement to enhance marine protection, through science, education, and outreach. A key component of its mission is “Shark Camp”, a project initiated in collaboration with the local tourism agency, Bahía Solano me llama. During whale shark season in Colombia, tourists and visitors can participate in a week-long excursion with the Foundation’s scientific team, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles, objectives, and methodologies of shark research.

This initiative is twofold. First, it seeks to provide financial support for the scientific research carried out by the MarAdentro Foundation, it also aims to raise awareness and reduce the stigmatization of sharks as a dangerous species, thereby fostering the establishment of additional alliances for the conservation of shark species.

En el año 2012, se actualiza la Política Nacional de Ambiente en El Salvador y se crea el Programa de Restauración de Ecosistemas y Paisajes -PREP-, el cual tiene como objetivo promover y facilitar la restauración de ecosistemas y paisajes rurales para asegurar la provisión de servicios ecosistémicos claves, así como, la conservación de la biodiversidad para reducir el riesgo y adaptarse a los impactos del cambio climático en 5 paisajes priorizados.

Para el año 2014, las inversiones en restauración de ecosistemas y paisajes eran escasas, por lo que el Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de El Salvador -MARN- , a través del Acuerdo Ministerial No.31 definió la suscripción de convenios de cooperación con fondos ambientales, con el objeto de establecer mecanismos para darle cumplimiento a las medidas de compensación ambiental; y que los recursos identificados fueran invertidos en la restauración de ecosistemas y paisajes.

Los cantones de Puriscal y Turrubares son paisajes degradados por el avance de la frontera agrícola. El cultivo de tabaco y la ganadería extensiva causaron la pérdida del 60% de la cobertura forestal en el área entre las décadas de 1,950 a 1,980; actualmente, la ganadería doble propósito (carne y leche); y la agricultura (cultivos del café, hortalizas, caña de azúcar y plantas ornamentales) son los ejes principales de la economía de la zona.

Con esta solución se propuso un esquema para aumentar la oferta de bienes y servicios ambientales en sistemas silvopastoriles, incorporando: a) practicas sostenibles (introducción de pasto mejorado, inocuidad y ordeño limpio, sistemas de riego e incorporación del componente arboreo en las unidades productivas), y b) la combinación de financiamiento publico (PSA) y privado (Creditos).

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.

The Upper Tana River in Nairobi Kenya supplies 95 percent of the water for Nairobi’s 4 million residents, and for another 5 million people living in the watershed. It also provides half of the country’s hydropower output. Upstream, intensive farming practices of more than 300,000 small-scale farmers cause the soil to wash into the river downstream. Not only does this affect farm productivity and ecosystem health, but also causes costly damage to hydropower infrastructure and Nairobi’s water supply.

To tackle the problem, the Nature Conservancy and its partners developed the Upper-Tana Nairobi Water Fund, four years ago. This financial and collaboration mechanism gathers public, private, and civil actors to fund, implement and monitor improvements for a sustainable watershed management. Upstream, TNC works with farmers to apply soil and water conservation techniques to prevent runoff and save water; the benefits are felt at the upstream and the downstream level.

A shea value chain created around a protected areas landscape in Ghana led to greater finance flowing into community and conservation. Mole National Park is a biodiverse ecosystem, and Ghana’s largest protected area. Communities surrounding the Park benefit from its natural resources, but were using them unsustainably. In 2008, A Rocha Ghana and IUCN Netherlands Committee implemented a Community Resource Management Area (CREMA), a governance and management framework created by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, to empower local communities for natural resource management. Inhabitants designed a shared plan for the landscape that simultaneously addresses conservation and socio-economic wellbeing, including building a shea value chain.  Implementing organisations engaged with the Savannah Food Company to become a business partner with the CREMAs, particularly women’s groups who collect shea nuts, and help create a fund to support conservation action in the community.

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.

The Community Conservation Social Enterprise Development (CoCoSED) Initiative is an Initiative which seeks to provide sustainable financing to Conservation activities while providing long term economic and financial resilience to communities adjacent to Protected Areas, Biodiversity Hot-Spots and fragile landscape.

Before the implementation of this Initiative in 2016,  Gorillas recorded were between 25 to 35 individuals but now there are about 45 Gorillas and about 180 to 200 Chimpanzee. Also, over 1000 members of communities adjacent to the protected area have been trained on biodiversity conservation and alternative sources of livelihoods provided to raise more income to the communities as well as to the conservation of biodiversity.