2025 in review: The biggest conservation changes

December 18, 2025

Dear subscriber,

This week, we review the content for the past year with the three biggest stories in conservation. The first shows the growth of biodiversity bonds as a new conservation finance mechanism. The second is a long-term conservation financing model that only releases funds if legally binding action is met. The third is a new mechanism to pay communities directly for conservation.

Treezer Michelle Atieno - Editor.

First published in October. Biodiversity bonds have attracted about $200 million in investments in the past six months, a figure expected to mobilise over $1.7 billion for protection of endangered species and ecosystems. The latest project is by the World Wildlife Fund which is leading an initiative in South Africa to protect five million hectares of wild areas.

  • The bonds are considered a long-term funding mechanism for conservation and are expected to raise over $231 million to clear invasive vegetation and restore and protect five million hectares of wild land. 

  • In July 2025, the Global Environment Facility launched the biggest biodiversity bonds project worth $1.5 billion across the continent with notable others preceding that.

  • Our take: Biodiversity bonds were launched in Africa in 2022 supporting a single species. The expansion to full ecosystems signals a growing trust…Read more (2 min)

First published in November. Gabon has partnered with international donors to launch the Gabon Infini Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative. This is a decade-long conservation financing plan to safeguard 34,000 km² of the Congo Basin rainforests while promoting a nature-based economy. This is the second such deal in Africa, after Kenya.

  • The initiative is funded by $94 million from donors, including the Global Environment Facility and the Bezos Earth Fund, with $86 million of government funding in conservation and community development investments over ten years.

  • Unlike traditional grants, the PFP model commits funds over a decade or more and only releases funds if legally binding conservation action is met. This can be the change or implementation of policies and more.

  • Our take: PFPs thrive in areas with strong political support and prior experience in managing large scale conservation funds…Read more (2 min)

One could simply rent a forest for conservation

First published in July. Liberia has launched a two-year pilot project to pay forest communities directly for protecting their rainforests of about 50,000 hectares. The non-market pilot project provides direct, upfront payments to 28 communities to support community-led forest protection and advance global climate and biodiversity goals.

  • Forests in Liberia are threatened by logging and agriculture which have immediate cash returns to communities. Carbon markets, seen as alternatives, are under criticism for lack of transparency and unfair sharing of benefits with the locals.

  • The non-market model under Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement will enable communities to earn $1.50 per hectare annually, totalling about $75,000 each year across the project region. This payment can be reduced if forests are cleared. Compliance is monitored through land-use agreements and satellites.

  • Our take: Even promising experiments like this may collapse without long term funding commitments…Read more (2 min)

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