The Sqba Community is located in a mid-altitude forest with abundant ecological resources. Once an industrial area for the Hrung tribe, the community now comprises 33% Atayal, alongside populations of Hakka, Minnan, and Mainlanders. Local industries center on agriculture, particularly fruit production such as persimmons, and tourism, featuring campsites, ecotours, fruit-picking experiences, cultural ecology guided tours, and DIY workshops that make use of local ecological resources. Under the Satoyama Initiative, the Taichung Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency conducted resilience assessment workshops (RAWs) in collaboration with locals to identify and prioritize urgent needs, such as conserving traditional crops, promoting sustainable use of forest, river, and field resources, and leveraging ecological assets for income generation and marketing. The local government and agricultural technology departments also participated.
In many African countries, agricultural growth remains a key driver of development. Agriculture ensures food security and is a source of rural income and employment. However, most small farms suffer from low productivity due to soil degradation, a lack of inputs and knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices, and the effects of climate change.
In Côte d’Ivoire, these challenges are amplified by deforestation: forest cover has fallen from around 16 million hectares in the 1960s to 2.5 million today, weakening ecosystems and soil fertility while increasing rural vulnerability.
The Participatory Household-Level Restoration Plan (PPR) offers an inclusive approach where each household aligns its vision, needs, and priorities with forest restoration. By placing rural families at the heart of planning, implementation, and monitoring, the PPR promotes sustainable restoration.
The Eurasian Eagle-Owl is the world’s largest owl and a vital predatory bird ensuring ecosystem balance by controlling rodent and other small mammal populations. Despite protection under international and national laws, it faces threats from human disturbances such as habitat loss, electrocution, poisoning, and cultural persecution, leading to population decline. In Europe and Serbia, a lack of nesting sites and essential data on its distribution and habits further complicate conservation.
This pilot project in Eastern Serbia aims to conserve this species using field research, modern technology (GPS tracking devices, audio and video monitoring), and educational activities across five sites in Sokobanja, Zaječar, and Knjaževac. Providing support to five known nesting areas and limiting disturbance by visitors through remote surveillance, as well as directly involving the local community in conservation through workshops and campaigns, all ensure long term results in Eurasian Eagle-Owl protection in Eastern Serbia.
Ecuador is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, with rich fauna and flora. However, economic reliance on non-renewable resources and unsustainable agricultural practices have threatened its biodiversity. Sustainable entrepreneurship offers an alternative to align economic activities with environmental protection. Yet, low-income women, youth, and other vulnerable groups face barriers in accessing credit to start small businesses.
Amid this situation, the National Corporation of Popular and Solidarity Finance (CONAFIPS) of Ecuador, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), developed a Social and Environmental Risk Management System (SARAS) tool: a free and automated software that enables credit unions to screen loan applications against social and sustainability criteria.
As of August 2024, credit unions approved USD 804 million in green credit using SARAS, fostering a nature-positive economy, conserving biodiversity, and supporting women and the youth.
Women have a fundamental role in biodiversity conservation in Costa Rica and globally. However, gender-based barriers limit their access to biodiversity-related financial mechanisms, such as payments for environmental services and credit for sustainable agriculture and bio-businesses.
In 2020, the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica (MINAE) and the Biodiversity Finance Imitative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the umbrella programme +Women +Nature to promote gender equality in biodiversity. Central to this initiative are three mechanisms to increase women’s access to finance, including two credit lines and one payment for environmental services scheme.
These mechanisms have strengthened women’s agency in conservation through USD 6,979,050 in credit lines and 530 payment for environmental services contracts, contributing to biodiversity conservation and inclusive economic development in Costa Rica.
The jaguar (yaguareté) is the largest feline in the Americas and a national symbol in Argentina, yet fewer than 250 remain nationwide, about 90 in Misiones. Habitat loss and declining prey have increased jaguar predation on livestock and pets, harming farmer’s income and driving retaliatory killings. To transform conflict into coexistence, the Government of Misiones, UNDP (BIOFIN and IRFF), the insurer Río Uruguay Seguros, and the NGO Aves Argentinas developed the world’s first jaguar-protection insurance.
Purchased by the province of Misiones and offered free of charge to residents, the insurance provides prompt compensation to producers for verified jaguar predation. Launched in April 2025, the scheme verified five claims in its pilot phase in Comandante Andresito and has since expanded to other municipalities affected by human–jaguar conflict. By protecting rural livelihoods, the insurance discourages retaliation and protects the jaguar.
Rwanda’s highly biodiverse ecosystems continue to face threats such as deforestation, illegal logging, and poaching. Challenges in the enforcement of environmental laws, particularly in issuing and collecting fines from offenders, have exacerbated these pressures and limited Rwanda’s domestic funding for conservation initiatives.
The Government of Rwanda, with support from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), launched IremboPay, a digital platform designed to register environmental offences, instantly issue fines, and automatically channel fine revenues to the Rwanda Green Fund.
As of May 2025, USD 130,000 in environmental fines were processed through IremboPay since its launch in October 2024. These funds are reinvested in reforestation, wetland restoration, environmental education, and other conservation initiatives.
In the context of accelerating global climate change, public awareness and participation in climate action across China remains limited. To address this, Friends of Nature launched the “Citizen Climate Action – Linglong Program” in 2021, with support from the Energy Foundation, the Beijing Xianfeng Changtian Foundation, and Partnerships for community Development. The program aims to identify and support individuals who already have a certain professional foundation but are at an early stage of engaging with climate issues. Through structured knowledge-building, mentorship, community support, and small grants, Linglong Program helps fellows design and implement citizen-led climate actions. By cultivating climate leaders and long-term change makers, the program establishes replicable and scalable models of climate action that inspire broader public engagement.
Viet Nam, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, is losing nature at an alarming pace due to deforestation, unchecked tourism, land-use change, and pollution. Although 176 protected areas exist, many were long treated as “prohibited zones,” limiting community participation, weakening stewardship and restricting access to resources. Rapid growth in tourism, infrastructure, agriculture, and fisheries, combined with gaps in legal frameworks, institutional capacity, and awareness, has increased pressure on both protected and non-protected landscapes.
From 2020 to 2025, the GEF-funded Biosphere Reserve Project, led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (now Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) with support from UNDP, worked to reshape this relationship. At its heart was a simple but powerful idea: biodiversity thrives when communities, authorities, and planners share responsibility for the landscapes they depend on.
The Cross-Sector Taskforce (CSTF) was established in 2015 to coordinate Rwanda’s response to the Bonn Challenge and enhance Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) efforts. Comprising 35 member organizations, including government bodies, NGOs, private sector actors, and research institutions, the CSTF fosters collaboration, shares technical knowledge, and harmonizes FLR monitoring systems. It provides a platform for addressing deforestation, land degradation, and biodiversity loss while aligning restoration efforts with national and international strategies like the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy (GGCRS), AFR100, and the Paris Agreement. Recent meetings have focused on integrating FLR with sustainable food systems, improving monitoring tools, and incentivizing local farmers. By facilitating knowledge exchange and improving governance, the CSTF enhances restoration efforts and strengthens Rwanda’s ability to meet its target of restoring 2 million hectares of land by 2030.
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.
Sri Lanka, though small in size, is part of a global Biodiversity Hotspot due to its rich biodiversity and increasing threats from habitat encroachment, unsustainable resource use, pollution, and invasive species. While 28% of the country is covered by Protected Areas (PAs), many critical ecosystems exist outside these zones. Recognizing this, the Ministry of Environment and UNDP, with funding from the GEF, implemented a co-management approach in Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) landscapes with high biodiversity and ecosystem service value outside formal PAs. The approach engaged public and private sectors, along with local communities, to conserve biodiversity while sustaining the ecological and socio-economic benefits essential to surrounding populations. It promoted inclusive and sustainable management practices, balancing conservation with responsible resource use, and enabling collaborative agreements between communities and the government. This approach is vital to safeguard Sri Lanka’s unique biodiversity.
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