Funding tracker: Conservation moves further from aid to investment

From the newsletter

Africa secured about $297 million in conservation funding In July and August, the largest two-month total since January. July recorded the largest investment-style financing of $150 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Water and land restoration have gained equal footing with species protection unlike in previous cycles.

• The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the largest investor, committing $150 million to biodiversity bonds that will mobilise up to $1.5 billion for species and ecosystem protection across all 54 African countries.

• Tanzania and Germany signed a $78.6 million package, one of the largest bilateral climate-conservation deals this year. It includes $45.9 million for protected areas, $30.6 million for an investment financing facility and $2.08 million for a study on climate-resilient towns.

More details

• South Africa has secured $40 million from the Green Climate Fund for the Eco-DRR project, formally titled Scaling up ecosystem-based approaches to managing climate-intensified disaster risks in vulnerable regions of South Africa. Rolled out over eight years, it will directly benefit 366,000 people and indirectly reach 5.1 million through restored wetlands and  forests. The initiative aims to reduce disaster risks and promote nature-based livelihoods.

• Rwanda has secured a $9 million grant from the GEF to restore degraded forests and wetlands in the Nyungwe-Ruhango Corridor. The project promotes sustainable land management. It also supports income-generating activities and creates 2,200 jobs. The programme will benefit more than 289,000 people, directly linking conservation to rural development and long-term climate resilience.

• In Sierra Leone, FSD Africa Investments has invested $2.5 million in West Africa Blue’s blue carbon initiative to conserve and restore 94,000 hectares of mangroves in the Sherbro River Estuary. The project enhances biodiversity, strengthens community resilience against climate shocks, and generates new local economic opportunities through nature-based solutions and sustainable enterprises.

• Kenya has received $461,538 through the GEF Small Grants Programme for 16 community groups around Lakes Baringo and Bogoria. The funding supports ecosystem restoration and climate-resilient livelihoods in areas facing rising water levels and displacement, showcasing how modest, locally driven investments are central to addressing environmental change and social challenges.

• The European Union has committed $16.5 million for Regreening Africa Phase II, spanning Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia and Ghana. The initiative will restore over 100,000 hectares of degraded land and support 60,000 households through agroforestry and sustainable farming, reinforcing regional food security and climate adaptation through scalable land restoration.

• Ashden’s Thriving Forests programme awarded $215,000 in total grants to seven African organisations working across Burundi, the DRC and Gabon. The funding supports the protection and restoration of tropical forests, strengthens Indigenous Peoples’ land rights, and promotes sustainable livelihoods and gender equity. Targeted areas range from 13,000 to 165,000 hectares of biodiversity hotspots under threat.

Our take

• The old grant-driven conservation finance model is collapsing under aid fatigue, investment style financing is necessary. 

• Biodiversity bonds are a new approach, rewarding governments for conservation outcomes while engaging private investors. But this innovation will only succeed if outcomes are measured with rigour and accountability.