A protected area system plan to conserve biodiversity in Ghana

In rural Zimbabwe, poverty, limited infrastructure, and scarce educational opportunities restrict children’s ability to learn and to engage with wider environmental issues. Despite living in close proximity to rich biodiversity, many students grow up with little awareness of conservation, and schooling is further hampered by inadequate facilities and resources. To address this, Sango Wildlife Conservancy (SWC) developed a programme that combines conservation on-site education with direct support to schools and communities. The solution strengthens awareness of nature and sustainability among young learners while simultaneously improving learning conditions and community well-being through practical interventions such as infrastructure, clean water and food security. The primary beneficiaries of this initiative are approximately 2,000 schoolchildren and their teachers from 10 different schools.  More broadly, around 15,000 community members in Bikita District also benefit through improved access to essential resources.

Sparśa is a women-led Nepali social business turning agricultural byproducts into fully compostable menstrual pads, addressing poverty, stigma, gender inequality, and plastic pollution. By sourcing banana fibers locally and applying innovative engineering, Sparśa delivers safe, affordable, plastic-free pads while creating dignified green jobs for women. Profits are reinvested into menstrual health education, ensuring lasting community impact. The enterprise integrates user-centered research, quality testing, and market strategies to guarantee comfort, safety, and cultural acceptance. Its Ambassador Program empowers youth and adults to challenge taboos and foster dialogue. Beyond Nepal, Sparśa serves as a pilot for replication in other regions and with diverse fiber plants, sharing open knowledge through global cooperation. By combining innovation, empowerment, and sustainability, Sparśa advances menstrual health and a plastic-free future, with local partnerships already active across the Global South.

A successful initiative linked to development, tourism, innovation and conservation represents the sustainability of the Azul Meámbar-PANACAM National Park under the co-management of the Civil Association Proyecto Aldea Global-PAG.

This National Park has become one of the most visited destinations in the country, with an influx of 22,000 visitors per year, of which 90% are national tourists and 10% are foreigners.

Among the tourist activities that can be developed in this natural destination are: hiking, bird watching (there are two bird watching towers), kayaking, camping, mountain hotel and restaurant called PANACAM Lodge.

This park demonstrates that it is possible to achieve a balance between conservation and development, promoting economic prosperity and addressing environmental challenges.

Charcoal is a significant source of household energy in many parts of Zambia and heavily contributes to deforestation. To advance the energy transition and conserve biodiversity, Zambia has developed its green bond market with support from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).   

Green bonds are fixed-income instruments, like other bonds, with the key difference that their proceeds must be exclusively used to finance sustainability projects.  

In 2023, Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) Renewables issued the first-ever green bond in Zambia. With two tranches issued so far, totalling USD 150 million, green bonds have helped CEC finance the development of two solar plants with a combined capacity of 196 megawatts (MW). By increasing renewable energy supply to the national grid, these projects help reduce demand for charcoal and support the achievement of Zambia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) target of reducing deforestation by at least 25%. 

Reclamation led to a significant reduction in coastal wetlands, resulting in a dramatic decline in waterbirds, highlighting the urgent need to restore habitats. In order to provide an ideal high tide roost site for the most important shorebird staging site in Yellow Sea, we conducted a restoration project in Tiaozini Wetland. A 720 acre seaward fish pond was developed as a demonstration area for the restoration of high tide roost site. The project has successfully created habitats that meets the needs of various migratory waterbirds through a series of scientific measures such as micro terrain modification, water level regulation, vegetation control, and automatic auxiliary monitoring of waterbirds. Since its establishment, TZN720 has attracted a large number of waterbirds, with a single record of 188500 waterbirds in 2024. Our successful experience of this project has been included in the “Biodiversity 100+Cases” released at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP15) NGO Forum.

The Asian elephant remains endangered due to poaching, habitat loss, and growing human-elephant conflict—one of the most pressing conservation challenges globally. In response, our team developed an integrated monitoring and early warning system that combines aerial drones with ground-based infrared cameras. This “sky & ground” network ensures real-time, full-time, and large-scale coverage of elephant activity across Yunnan Province. Drones use thermal imaging and zoom to detect elephants even at night, while 600 infrared cameras enable 24/7 data capture with real-time alerts.

Supported by China’s national and provincial forestry departments, the project trains local youth as monitors and forms community teams. Over 130,000 early warnings have been issued, helping reduce human-elephant conflict and improving safety.

It contributes to GBF Targets A, B, and 1, 4, 20, 21. It strengthens biodiversity protection, enhances community engagement, and offers a scalable model for coexistence.