Funding: Alternatives to top-down conservation are here

From the newsletter

In June, over $45 million in conservation funding was secured to help African communities withstand environmental shocks through nature-based solutions. Two major grants, aimed at Southern and Central Africa, focus on ecosystem restoration and cross-border water governance in regions that are highly vulnerable to extreme weather.

• South Africa’s National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) received more than $39 million from the Green Climate Fund to enhance ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction. The eight-year project will restore wetlands, forests and catchment areas across four provinces, directly benefiting over 360,000 people facing heightened climate threats.

• In the Congo Basin, an $8.7 million grant from the Global Environment Facility was awarded to a new transboundary initiative between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The project will improve joint management of the Ubangi River and restore ecosystems that are critical for food security, biodiversity and water resilience.]

More details

• The $39 million secured by SANBI from the Green Climate Fund will fund the project ‘Scaling up ecosystem-based approaches to managing climate-intensified disaster risks in vulnerable regions of South Africa’. The eight-year initiative will focus on four climate-affected districts in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West, directly benefiting 366,000 people and indirectly reaching over 5 million through nature-based disaster risk reduction.

• In partnership with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the South African Local Government Association, the project will restore wetlands, forests and catchments to protect communities from floods and droughts. It also aims to enhance water security and diversify rural livelihoods. As a Direct Access Entity of the Green Climate Fund, the South African National Biodiversity Institute will utilise this investment to further South Africa’s Climate Change Act and national adaptation goals.

• On 2nd June, the Global Environment Facility approved $8.7 million for the 'Regional program for integrated water resources management in the transboundary basin of the Ubangi River between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.' The five-year initiative aims to enhance resilience to extreme floods, droughts and rainfall variability in one of Africa’s most climate-threatened river systems. The project seeks to strengthen the shared management of water, land, and biodiversity.

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature and the African Development Bank are co-implementing the project, with coordination from the International Commission of the Congo-Ubangi-Sangha and national ministries in both countries. The focus is on restoring degraded ecosystems, improving early-warning systems and piloting nature-based solutions such as agroforestry and conservation farming. Additionally, the project will establish a joint river observatory and harmonised decision-making tools for managing cross-border climate and water challenges.

• With more than 25 million people depending on the Ubangi River for food, water, navigation and agriculture, the initiative aims to support long-term environmental stability and local livelihoods. It promotes inclusive governance by engaging women leaders, local businesses and young professionals in basin management. Supported by $67 million in co-financing, the Global Environment Facility project aligns with broader efforts to safeguard the ecological integrity of the Congo Basin and reinforces Africa-wide models for collaborative water resilience.

Our take

• Centering on communities is a long overdue correction to top-down conservation models that have failed rural Africa.

• Governments and donors should embed community-led design and decision-making across conservation finance, ensuring that local actors co-lead from project inception through implementation.

• To build lasting resilience, funding must flow directly to grassroots institutions. That means reforming procurement, decentralising implementation, and investing in long-term local capacity rather than just project outcomes.