Financial aspects

The Conservation Finance Guide presents a host of potential financing opportunities for nature conservation in general, with a special focus on protected area management. Many of these finance mechanisms rely on a "market-based" approach, valuing and marketing the goods and services that a protected area generates in support of local livelihoods and the broader economy.

While the business case for climate change is now widely recognized, the business case for biodiversity has only to a limited extent been addressed. However, "biodiversity" or the ecosystem services that are supporting our way of living, bear characteristics of becoming the next challenge for financial institutions. This report provides a detailed analysis of the business case for financial institutions from a risk perspective.

Protected Areas in the Mediterranean significantly contribute to sustaining the economy of the region. Covering around 300,000 Km2, they provide freshwater flows, resources for hydropower, recreation and tourism, fisheries, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services. Regional assessments have concluded that a major effort needs to be made to solve their state of chronic under-funding.

It has become clear during recent global deliberations on biodiversity conservation that achieving Protected Area (PA) financial sustainability will require major changes in the way that PA funding is conceptualized, captured and used.

This publication presents a discussion of the range of benefits that can be generated by communities from CBNRM activities. The findings of this analysis attempt to address key issues at stake in CBNRM implementation in Botswana. Initiatives predominantly focus on generating financial benefits as soon as possible. Some questions which arise are: do large sums of money acquired by a community guarantee an improvement in the living conditions of its people?

Over 600 protected area agencies world-wide were surveyed on their budgets and staffing levels. From the 108 countries surveyed it emerged that budgetary provision was very uneven - ranging from $24 to $12,308 per km2. There is also a positive correlation between economic development and population density. Priorities for financial assistance were identified.