Financing protected areas : guidelines for protected area managers

These guidelines explore financing options for protected areas and provide advice and information on sustainable financing. Both public and private financing is needed to ensure provision of the private and public goods and services which protected areas provide. A step-by-step process is given which protected area managers can use to create business and financial plans tailored to the needs and strengths of their protected area. Mechanisms are discussed for generating revenue flows from both public and private sources and an overview of potential grant-based sources of financing is given. It concludes with case studies demonstrating how protected area managers worldwide have developed cohesive funding strategies

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FORMULATION OF THE FIRST MASTER PLAN FOR THE DORSAL DE NASCA NATIONAL RESERVE WITH FISHER ASSOCIATIONS' SUPPORT

The RNDN, created in 2021, is the largest Natural Protected Area in Peru (6,239,205.75 ha) and the only one focused exclusively on marine ecosystems. Located 105 km off the coast of Ica, it is a vital source of resources like giant squid, sharks, and flying fish eggs for fishers from Paita, Pisco, Marcona, and Matarani. Its creation was an unprecedented multisectoral process that involved various stakeholders and governmental institutions. In 2022, the San Andres Artisanal Fishers Syndicate led the RNDN management committee, and in 2023 the Master Plan’s terms of reference were approved. The first Master Plan was developed collaboratively with fishing organizations and stakeholders, setting strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources. This plan integrates commitments to protect marine species, including the “Blue Five” (in this case whales, sharks, turtles and dolphins), and recognizes the identity and knowledge of artisanal fishers as part of the sociocultural value of the NPA.

Reviving Reed Craft, Protecting Wetlands: Women-Led Heritage Action at Chongming Dongtan

At Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve in Shanghai, reeds are vital to wetland ecology and local culture. Yet as reed uses and crafts faded, fast-growing reeds became a management challenge, requiring regular cutting and disposal.

With support from the UNDP-GEF Flyway Conservation Network Project, Chongming Dongtan NNR and local partners revived reed craft heritage as a practical conservation and community solution. Three locally rooted women, with experience in media, planning, nature education and design, returned to Chongming and helped establish the women-led enterprise Jiang Yi Wei. Through the Reed Artisan Guardian Plan, they worked with artisans and community women to pass on reed craft skills, develop products and courses, and create a village-based studio.

The solution shows how fading heritage can be revived to turn reed management challenges into a women-led green enterprise model that supports cultural transmission, supplementary income and public awareness of migratory bird conservation.

Latin America Coral Reef Monitoring Project

Adventure Scientists’ Coral Reef Monitoring and Restoration Project is building the first coordinated, standardized coral reef monitoring network spanning two of Latin America’s most important marine regions: the Mesoamerican Reef Corridor and the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR). The project trains and employs local divers, coordinators, data analysts, and local photographers to collect standardized reef health data in marine protected areas using regionally adapted monitoring protocols and a custom mobile application. Since launching in August 2025, the project has completed over 1,500 monitoring transects across more than 100 reef sites in Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico. In Year 2, the network is expanding to Ecuador, further strengthening regional collaboration. The long-term vision is to establish a permanent community science network that generates the data needed for coordinated conservation action across national boundaries and supports coral reef resilience throughout Latin America.

Mobile Intervention Unit for Wild Carnivores

The “Mobile Intervention Unit for Wild Carnivores” project equipped the formal rapid-response team for interventions involving wild carnivores in Serbia, focusing on Brown Bear related interventions. A new vehicle was procured through this project for the transport of 5 team members and the accompanying equipment (tools for safe catching and immobilizing brown bears). Apart from ensuring the main means of rapid deployment of 5 members of the Mobile Intervention Unit for Wild Carnivores anywhere in Serbia, the project also contributed with the establishment of key protocols for intervention procedures and team safety, ensuring compliance with modern best practices. Capacity building done through this project involved a practical training for the members of the Brown Bear Intervention Team and a workshop for stakeholders, involving more than twenty participants, including protected area staff, hunting associations, local self government units and others.

Unlocking the forage seed system in Ethiopia (Gurage and Sidama)

A major barrier to scaling Push–Pull Technology (PPT) in Ethiopia is the limited availability of affordable, high-quality desmodium and brachiaria seed. Reliance on imported seed significantly increases costs, limiting farmers’ access and slowing adoption. While PPT has proven effective in reducing pest pressure, suppressing striga, improving soil health, and providing high-quality livestock feed, uptake remains constrained by weak local seed supply systems and limited awareness of its broader benefits.

This project addresses these challenges by establishing sustainable local seed systems, strengthening partnerships with seed producers, and building farmers’ capacities through training, demonstration sites, and extension support. It also introduces a renewed communication strategy that reframes PPT around tangible farmer benefits, including increased fodder production, reduced crop losses, and income opportunities from forage seed production.

Water Source Management for Sustainable Pasture Use in Mongolia

In Mongolia’s dry rangelands, uneven water access concentrated livestock around a few water points, increasing pressure nearby while remote pasture remained underused. At sites in Uvurkhangai, Dornogovi, Sukhbaatar and Tuv aimags, the Sustainable Land Management for Combating Desertification Project linked water-source development with community participation and pasture-management objectives. The solution established 13 engineering wells, restored eight engineering wells and 52 hand wells, and protected 60 natural springs from livestock trampling. These measures improved livestock water access, enabled use of remote pasture and supported haymaking, windbreak and tree-planting sites. By connecting wells and spring protection with pasture planning, agreed use and community responsibility, the approach offers a replicable model for distributing grazing pressure, supporting pastoral livelihoods and strengthening dryland resilience.

Institutionalizing multisectoral partnerships for effective protected area management.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), a 97,030-hectare no-take protected area and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Philippines, operates through a multisectoral governance and partnership system. The Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board provides shared direction, while the Tubbataha Management Office maintains continuity and carries out day-to-day management. Government agencies, local government, enforcement agencies, research institutions, conservation organizations, the tourism sector and other partners contribute personnel, expertise, financing, technical support and other resources. Tubbataha also engages MPA, government and academic networks to exchange experience and adapt management.

The Zhejiang Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve Uses International Certification to Drive Good Governance, Smart Monitoring, and Comprehensive Ecosystem Conservation in Subtropical Mountain Reserves

The Zhejiang Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve is located in Lin’an District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. Covering a total area of 4,284 hectares, it is one of the national nature reserves featuring subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests located closest to a major metropolitan area,It preserves more than 5,000 ancient trees across 72 species and is home to 119 species of wild flora and fauna under national key protection (including Tianmu ironwood, ancient ginkgo, ancient Chinese fir, Chinese stone pine, South China sika deer, black muntjac, and white-necked long-tailed pheasant).In 2024, the “Regulations on the Zhejiang Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve” officially took effect—marking the first time Hangzhou City has enacted legislation specifically for a single mountain; that same year, the “Tianmu Mountain–Qingliang Peak” site was incorporated into the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.This plan uses the application for an IUCN Green Name designation as a catalyst to conduct a systematic “health check” and upgrade the management of the protected area based on globally recognized standards for protected areas. At its core is a “five-in-one” model comprising “legislative authorization—government-led governance—community-based joint protection and management—integrated aerial, terrestrial, and space-based smart monitoring—coordinated law enforcement in accordance with the law,”five-in-one model, driving the reserve toward refined, standardized, and professional management. The plan addresses core challenges including illegal crossings in the core zone, visitor and fire prevention pressures, invasive species, standardization of monitoring, and shortages of professional talent, yielding positive outcomes such as significant conservation achievements, deepened community co-management, and regional green development.

Strengthening Women's Voice and Leadership in Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) Fisheries Management

Women fishers and wives of Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) fishermen in Indonesia play important roles in the BSC fishery, yet their contributions and concerns are often overlooked in fisheries management. Limited communication skills and opportunities to express aspirations remain major barriers. Since 2021, Coral Triangle Center (CTC), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and Photovoices International (PVI) have supported women in Lampung and Central Java through training on BSC ecology, trade chains, and business canvas development; strengthening public speaking through photography and Training of Trainers; and creating spaces for women to speak and share through photo exhibitions and learning exchanges. By combining knowledge, confidence-building, and structured dialogue spaces, the approach strengthened women’s capacity to engage with decision-makers. As a result, women gained confidence, stronger family support, and government recognition. In 2024, women in Lampung were formally included in the provincial BSC Management Team.

Scaling Nature-based Water Security through Green Public Finance in Manabí, Ecuador

The solution addresses water security and climate resilience in Ecuador by integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into public planning, governance, and finance. Led by the Banco de Desarrollo del Ecuador (BDE) with the GIZ Programme Scaling-up EbA Measures in rural Latin America, the initiative made BDE a pioneer in water security through public banking. The BDE is currently incorporating EbA criteria into its budget lines, credit instruments, and project evaluation processes.

A key output, the Sustainable Watershed Management Guide, equips local governments with tools to design bankable, low-emission projects combining infrastructure and nature-based solutions. These approaches are institutionalized in local development plans (PDOTs) and coordinated through watershed councils, fostering multi-level governance and community participation.

Together, these innovations form a replicable model connecting finance, planning, and governance to deliver, climate-resilient investments for Ecuador’s most vulnerable territories.

Ecosystem based Restoration of Floodplain and Scattered Forests in Mongolia

This solution restores floodplain forests and scattered forest ecosystems in Dornod, Zavkhan, Khovd and Sukhbaatar provinces of Mongolia. Between 2022 and 2024, restoration activities were implemented across 1,604 ha using ecosystem based approaches, including assisted natural regeneration, planting of locally adapted tree and shrub species, soil moisture conservation measures, and protection of young seedlings. The solution addresses land and forest degradation, desertification, soil erosion, biodiversity loss and declining water resources. Ecological assessments and GIS based site selection were used to identify suitable restoration areas.

Local governments, communities, researchers and project partners participated in planning, implementation, monitoring and maintenance. Early results show improved ecosystem recovery, strengthened local capacity and participation, enhanced climate resilience and support for long-term landscape sustainability.

Protecting Spring Sources and Improving Pasture Water Access through Ecosystem based Adaptation in Mongolia

This Solution focuses on spring source protection and pasture water access in Mongolia’s dryland pastoral ecosystems, implemented through the ADAPT Project with support from the Government of Mongolia, the Green Climate Fund, and UNDP. It addresses growing water scarcity, spring degradation, pasture deterioration, and climate-related drought affecting herder communities and livestock.

The approach combines ecosystem-based adaptation measures, including fencing and protecting spring sources, regulating water flow, restoring surrounding vegetation, and establishing community based management systems. By preventing livestock trampling and reducing contamination, the Solution supports natural spring recovery and improves water quantity and quality.

Between 2022 and 2025, 88 spring sources were protected across Khovd, Zavkhan, Dornod, and Sukhbaatar provinces. In Dariganga soum of Sukhbaatar province alone, restored springs improved water access for more than 30 herder households and over 30,000 livestock.